Atalanta (Huntress)
heroThe swift-footed huntress who drew first blood against the Calydonian Boar and was only beaten in a footrace by divine trickery.
The Myth
Atalanta was abandoned at birth by her father, who wanted a son, and raised by a she-bear sent by Artemis. She grew into the swiftest mortal alive and the deadliest hunter in Greece. She sailed with the Argonauts (in some versions), wrestled Peleus and won, and drew first blood against the Calydonian Boar — the monstrous beast ravaging Calydon that the greatest heroes of Greece gathered to hunt. Meleager, who struck the killing blow, awarded Atalanta the hide, sparking a deadly quarrel among the hunters. An oracle warned her that marriage would bring ruin, so she declared she would marry only the man who could outrun her — losers would die. Suitor after suitor fell until Hippomenes (or Milanion) prayed to Aphrodite, who gave him three golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides. During the race, he dropped them one by one, and Atalanta paused to pick each up, losing by a step. They married but were later transformed into lions by Zeus or Aphrodite for desecrating a sacred temple.
Explore Further
Atalanta
heroA heroine raised by bears who could outrun any mortal man. Atalanta joined the Argonauts, slew the...
Atalanta (Argonaut)
heroThe only woman among the Argonauts in some traditions, a virgin huntress raised by bears who could...
Meleager
heroMeleager's life was bound to a burning log.
Meleager (Brand)
heroThe leader of the Calydonian Boar Hunt whose fate was tied to a charred brand — when it burned out,...
Argonauts
conceptThe Argonauts were the band of heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo to retrieve the Golden...
Calydonian Boar
creatureThe Calydonian Boar was a massive, destructive beast sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon after King...
Meleager and the Brand
conceptThe hero whose life was tied to a burning log by the Fates, extinguished by his mother Althaea and...
Peleus
heroKing of Phthia, Argonaut, and father of Achilles who wrestled the shape-shifting sea goddess Thetis...
Peleus (Father of Achilles)
heroThe king of Phthia who wrestled and won the sea-nymph Thetis, fathering Achilles — the greatest...
Jason
heroThe hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis in quest of the Golden Fleece. Jason's...
Jason (Golden Fleece)
heroThe hero who assembled the Argonauts and sailed to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece, aided by...
Aphrodite
godGoddess of love and beauty, born from the sea foam. Aphrodite's power to inspire desire was so...