Atalanta
A heroine raised by bears who could outrun any mortal man. Atalanta joined the Argonauts, slew the Calydonian Boar, and would only marry a man who could beat her in a race.
The Legend of Atalanta
Abandoned at birth by a father who wanted only sons, Atalanta was suckled by Artemis's sacred bear and raised as a huntress. She sailed with Jason on the Argo, drew first blood against the Calydonian Boar alongside Meleager, and outran every suitor. Aphrodite helped Hippomenes defeat her by giving him golden apples to throw during the race. The couple later offended Zeus by coupling in a temple, and he (or Artemis) transformed them into lions. Her story spans the Argonautic and Calydonian cycles, touching Hermes, Apollo, and the contest between chastity and desire.
Parents
Iasus and Clymene
Children
Parthenopaeus
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Atalanta
🗡 heroThe virgin huntress who outran every suitor
The swift-footed huntress who drew first blood against the Calydonian Boar and was only beaten in a footrace by divine trickery.
Atalanta
🗡 herospeed, independence
The only woman among the Argonauts in some traditions, a virgin huntress raised by bears who could outrun any man and demanded a footrace as the price of marriage.
Hippomenes
🗡 heroNone recorded
Suitor who defeated Atalanta in a footrace using three golden apples from Aphrodite
Arcas
🗡 heroKingship, hunting, Arcadia
Eponymous founder and king of Arcadia who was nearly tricked into eating his own transformed mother
Melanion
🗡 heroRacing, Love, Hunting
Arcadian hunter who won Atalanta in a footrace by using golden apples given by Aphrodite.
Bellerophon
🗡 heroThe hero who tamed Pegasus
The Corinthian hero who tamed the winged horse Pegasus and slew the Chimera, but fell from heaven when he tried to reach Olympus.
Harpalyce
🗡 heroFemale Warrior, Revenge, Transformation
Thracian princess raised as a warrior who was transformed into a bird after a cycle of horrific revenge.
Peleus
🗡 heroheroism
King of Phthia, Argonaut, and father of Achilles who wrestled the shape-shifting sea goddess Thetis to win her as his bride.
Jason
🗡 heroLeader of the Argonauts, seeker of the Golden Fleece
The hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason's story is one of ambition, adventure, and tragic betrayal.
Eurytion
🗡 heroHunting, archery
Argonaut and skilled hunter who later participated in the Calydonian Boar Hunt
Meleager and Atalanta
💭 conceptNarrative
The bond between the prince and the huntress during the great boar hunt that ended in family bloodshed
Phaea
🗡 heroNone recorded
Monstrous sow of Crommyon that terrorised the countryside until slain by Theseus