1) Atalanta was abandoned as a baby but was raised by a she-bear. She was later found by hunters who taught her hunting skills and she became the most skilled hunter. 2) Atalanta helped hunt a ferocious Calydonian boar and was the first to wound it with an arrow. 3) Atalanta agreed to marry only if a man could beat her in a footrace. Hippomenes defeated her in a race by distracting her with golden apples given to him by Venus.

1. Atalanta
Atalanta's birth was not a joyous one, for soon after she was born the tiny girl was taken into
the woods and left to die. But Atalanta was spared of this cruel fate.the bear who lived in the
forest heard the cries of the baby. This she-bear took Atlanta to her den and raised the child as
one of her own cubs.
Many years later a band of hunters found Atalanta living in the bear's cave. The amazed group
of men took her and raised her, teaching Atalanta the skills of the hunt. Each of the hunters
viewed her his own daughter. At first they were apprehensive about raising a girl in the
woodland wilds, but their fears soon faded. By the time she was a teenager she was more
skillful with a bow and arrow and any of the hunters in the group. In addition, she was more
accurate with a spear and could run faster than any of the others.
On one such lonely hunt Atalanta was confronted by two malicious centaurs. These half-
human, half-horse beasts laughed at the sight of the youth who was alone in the forest. They
thought they would have some cruel fun with her and came barreling down the mountainside,
uttering blood-curdling words and with their hooves thundering. But Atlanta did not flee.
Instead she calmly fitted a bronze-tipped arrow to her bow and shot it. While the first arrow
was still in the air she quickly aimed and fired a second one. In an instant the two centaurs
came tumbling down with stones clattering and dust flying in the air. Each lay motionless
with an arrow though its heart.
The hunters often bragged about the skill of this maiden, And her fame spread throughout
Greece. As a result Atalanta was invited to come help hunt the Calydonian boar. This fiendish
animal was a huge, deadly creature with razor-sharp tusks. it had been terrorizing the
countryside, killing cattle and humans alike. The bravest and most skillful hunters were called
to some kill this dreaded menace.
The hunt began and the band cautiously searched through the woods for the savage beast, but
had no success. At last the hunters came to a marshy thicket. So dense were the bushes the
trees that they unaware the deadly monster was watching them. Suddenly the boar came
crashing through the underbrush ripped apart several dogs, and was upon the hunters before
they could think. A few threw their spears, but missed. As he turned to run, one man had his
leg slashed by the boar's flashing teeth. Another used his spear as a pole vault and was able to
leap into a tree just out of reach of the snarling beast.
The vicious creature turned and gashed the leg of another hero and would have done greater
harm. However, the two armed horseback riders came charging on their milk white stallions
and the boar turned to flee. Atalanta quickly fitted an arrow to her bow and the shaft flew
towards the retreating beast. The arrow made a long wound on the boar's back and then stuck
behind its ear.
The hunters gave a shout of joy at seeing the ferocious animal wounded and several rushed
into the thicket after it. One boastful youth cried that he would not be outdone by a woman
and swore he would slay the boar himself. He dashed after the beast with his glistening axe
raised over his head. but the sharp-toothed creature attacked with such swiftness that the axe-
bearing hunter fell dead without landing a single blow.

2. Meleager had more success, however. He threw two javelins at the boar and one sank into the
creature's back. With his bronze-tipped spear, he then killed the wounded beast. Meleager
gave the skin and the enormous tusks to Atalanta as a prize for being the first to wound the
dreaded monster.
Not long after this hunt Atalanta was reunited with her parents. Her father was proud of his
valiant daughter and tried to persuade her to marry. But Atlanta did not want to give up the
freedom she had in the woods. She consented to marry only if a man could outrun her in a
race. Many men tried but none could keep up with her. It soon became clear that Atlanta was
the fastest of all humans.
One young man, Hippomenes, watched in awe as Atlanta won in one of her races. As she
sped by the maiden seemed as swift and graceful as a falcon. Her dark hair rippled over her
white shoulders, the colored ribbons she wore fluttered and her face grew rose-colored during
the hot race. Hippomenes fell deeply in love with Atalanta and prayed to Venus for help since
he knew he could never outrun the beautiful huntress.
Venus, the goddess of love, heard Hippomenes and decided to help him. She appeared to the
old man and gave him three apples of pure gold. Venus told him to use the golden apples in
the race and then she vanished.
So Hippomenes challenged Atlanta to a race. When she she Hippomenes, she was struck by
the beauty of his golden hair and the smoothness of his face. Still, her desire for the freedom
of the forest tugged at her heart. She felt she must try to outrun this young, handsome man.
The race began and Atlanta soon outpaced the youth. but Hippomenes tossed down one if the
golden apples so that it landed near her feet and rolled to the side. Atlanta stopped to pick it
up and Hippomenes was able to catch up with her. Soon Atlanta began to pull ahead once
more and Hippomenes threw a second golden apple a little further to the side.
When Atlanta had gathered in this apple, Hippomenes had gotten ahead. Once again Atlanta's
legs picked up the pace and she moved into the lead. Now the young man hurled the final
apple further to the side than the other two. Atlanta hesitated for a second. The goal was now
in sight. But the glistening golden apple was too tempting of a prize to pass, so Atalanta
swerved to the side to grab it.
Hippomenes now had a larger lead than before. But Atalanta ran faster than anyone had ever
seen her before. Though weighted down with the golden apples, she went at a pace that would
weary even Hermes, the messenger god. Hippomenes was approaching the goal but his face
was red with exhaustion and he was gasping for air. Meanwhile Atlanta was rapidly gaining,
like an arrow flying to its target. Then suddenly the race was over Hippomenes crosses the
finish line just barely a step in front of Atlanta.
Atlanta and Hippomenes were married but no one saw then after the wedding feast. It is said
that Atlanta and her husband were changed into lion. Thus Atlanta and her golden maned
companion continued as swift hunter of the forest for the rest of their days.