Who is Atalante, the Most Powerful Woman in Greek Mythology?

In the stories that we now call mythology, which is a religious structure believed by the ancient Greeks, we do not easily encounter strong women in general. Atalante is an important exception. Atalante, the daughter of a hunter, even in stories told thousands of years ago. destroying the traditional image of women With his strength and courage, he became an important figure among both humans and gods.

Unlike other Greek goddesses and female characters, Atalante did not stand out with her beauty. The reason why Atalante is an important figure is that she is brave enough to rebel even against the gods by destroying the perception of women who are always in the background and thought to be powerless. Bride Who is Atalante in Greek mythology, Let’s take a closer look at his story.

Who is Atalante in Greek mythology? Baby left to die because he is not a man:

There are three different rumors about Atalante. according to someone a demigoddess, daughter of Hades, god of the underworld, in the other, she is the daughter of the Arcadian king Schoeneus and the princess of Arcadia, the last and widely believed to be Atalante, the daughter of a hunter. Another legend is said to be a version of the goddess Artemis. Even if there are doubts about his parents, his story after his birth is common to everyone.

When Atalante was born, her parents were very upset because they wanted a son. Therefore more They left this newborn baby girl on a mountain to die. Where they had left Atalante was the cave of a bear that had just given birth. The she-bear took this newborn baby instead of food and fed it. This baby, which survived by feeding on the milk of a female bear, was later found by hunters in the area.

As Atalante grew up, it was seen that she had similar features with Artemis, the goddess of nature, children, and hunters. Unlike most girls, she didn’t want to take care of the housework and went on hunts. His success in hunting was admirable. What made it unique was its running speed, which even the wildest animals could not keep up with. Maybe she wasn’t a goddess or a demigod, but Artemis was definitely helping this girl.

He proved himself during a boar hunt:

Atalante had grown into a young and very beautiful woman. But just because he wasn’t a man, he knew what had happened to him. For this reason, the rules of the male-dominated society and even He even hated the men himself. She was a virgin and determined to remain a virgin. She wanted to be a woman who existed with her talents, not as a beautiful woman in society. She was going to realize this wish in a short time.

A hunting party was organized to get rid of the pigs that devastated the fields in the region. Despite the scorn, Atalante joined the hunt. He proved himself when he quickly caught up with a giant boar, which even the strongest hunters could not catch, and killed it with his power. The hunters gave him the pig’s skin as a gift.

One of the events that made Atalante a legend is horse kills men. One day, while he was hunting in the forest, horsemen called centaurs attacked him and tried to rape him. The horsemen, who had underestimated this beautiful young girl, were pierced by her arrows before they even realized what had happened.

Atalante decided to marry and appealed to an oracle:

Atalante had stayed away from men and decided to remain a virgin because of her ambition against the male-dominated society. But she was still a young woman. Sometimes the thought of marriage did not cross his mind. She wanted to have children and dreamed of how beautiful, talented and strong they would be. Finally she decided to consult an oracle.

When Atalante shared these thoughts, the oracle told him not to call husband But he said he would definitely get married one day. More importantly, she insisted that when she got married one day, her husband should be a much more successful runner than she was. The young woman was confused, but she was confident that the person she was going to marry was more talented than she was. He thought of holding a contest.

The winner of the race marries, the loser is killed:

Atalante was an unprecedentedly strong and talented woman, It was her right to choose the man she would marry. News was sent all over the place. The one who won Atalante in the running race would qualify to marry her. But the loser would not be able to return home, she. Atalante, who really wanted brave men to participate in the race, also announced that those who lost the race would be killed on the spot.

At that time, such a condition was not easily accepted. But Atalante was not only strong and capable, She was beautiful enough to risk death for it. The men who wanted to get this beauty started competing with her one by one and then getting killed on the spot. It was nearly impossible to beat Atalante. The gods needed help. Melenios would receive this help.

Aphrodite’s gift is three golden apples:

Melenios was a young and handsome man. However, he wasn’t skilled enough to beat Atalante either. Because the goddess begged Aphrodite and asked her to help him marry this beautiful girl. Aphrodite matched the two and gave Melenios three golden apples to help him. Then the race started.

Melenyos started the race fast. Atalante, on the other hand, was coming after him without tiring himself because he knew that he would win anyway. Melenios realized that the woman was going to catch him. He threw a golden apple on the ground. Fascinated, Atalante stopped and picked up the golden apple to examine it.

The running continued. Melenios, whenever he needs to breathe or When Atalante was about to overtake him, the ground threw a golden apple. Atalante could not resist Aphrodite’s golden apples, stopping to examine them each time. Just like that, Melenyos won the race. Atalante and Melenios got married in a wedding that lasted three days and three nights.

Well, young people, is there work to be done there?

Atalante and Melenios became a passionate couple in love. One day, while they were walking in the forest, the tit They entered a temple dedicated to Zeus and made love there. Big Zeus got very angry at such an event and turned them into lions. As double punishment, they were sentenced to forever towing an Olympian chariot. They couldn’t reach their wish, at least let’s go to their caravan.

One of the most powerful female characters in Greek mythology. Who is Atalante By answering the question, we talked about his story, which was transferred from language to language. You can share your thoughts about Greek mythology stories and Atalante in the comments.

Our other content you can read about Greek mythology: