Atalanta and the Deadly Race - Greek Mythology - See U in History

Atalanta is a heroine from Greek mythology, but, when she was little, her father wanted to have only male children, and she was abandoned in a forest. The little girl was left at the mercy of the beasts, in a fate that seemed terrible. But, surprisingly, she ended up taken in and raised by a bear, along with two cubs. When she was still a child, she was found by hunters, who decided to raise her from then on. From a young age, Atalanta showed an innate talent for hunting. She joined the hunting pack that followed the goddess Artemis. Atalanta's father, regretting having acted incorrectly against his only daughter, asked her for forgiveness. The young girl went on to attend her father's court. Her father, Sconius, king of Cadmese, was very proud of his daughter. She was known to be faster than a roe deer. Atalanta became even more famous after attending the Caledonian boar hunt. This ended tragically with Meliger's death. After this event, Atalanta was given a prophecy. If she were to marry, her life would go into ruin. But Atalanta was beautiful and the daughter of a king. She had hundreds of suitors. Her father, fearing his daughter's fate, prepared a plan to protect her. Whoever beat Atalanta in a race could marry his daughter. But, if the suitor lost, he would have to pay for his defeat with his life. Despite the heavy penalty in case of defeat, many put their lives on the line to marry Atalanta. But they all died. After the demise of so many suitors, the king believed that his daughter was safe. But there was still a young man named Hippomenes. He was known for running very fast. Atalanta had met him already and knew that he could run at a faster speed than she could. But she also knew that he was unable to maintain that speed for very long. The young Hippomenes was in love with the beautiful Atalanta. At the temple of the goddess of love, he asked Aphrodite for help to seduce the young woman. The goddess appeared with golden apples and gave him instructions to follow during the race. It was time for the contest. The couple prepared for the start. Hippomenes took the lead. But Atalanta was not worried. She knew that the young man would not be able to keep up the pace for long. Hippomenes began to lose speed and Atalanta was about to At this moment, Hippomenes took out of his bag a golden apple, which caught the girl's attention. He dropped one of the apples on the ground. Atalanta, impressed by such a precious thing, bent down to pick it up. The young man managed to distance himself. But after picking up the apple, Atalanta ran even faster. The finish line was near. But Atalanta drew closer to Hippomenes, quick as an arrow. Just as Hippomenes was about to be overtaken, he dropped another apple. Atalanta could not resist the urge and bent down to pick up the fruit. Hippomenes crossed the finish line first. Fulfilling his promise, the king gave his daughter's hand to Hippomenes. Hippomenes and Atalanta got married. But, contrary to the However, the couple forgot to thank the goddess Aphrodite for allowing that union, and the deity did not like ungrateful people. The goddess decided to punish them and fostered lust in the couple. Unable to control their instincts, they had sex inside the temple dedicated to Rhea, mother of Zeus. Furious at such a lack of respect, Rhea, the powerful titan, turned the beautiful couple into lions. As punishment, Atalanta and Hippomenes were destined to pull the glorious chariot of Rhea, the glorious mother of the Olympian gods.