Atalanta wrestling Peleus, Chalcidian black-figure hydria C6th B.C., Antikensammlungen, Munich
Atalanta (Ἀταλάντη) was the daughter of Shoeneus or Iasius and Klymene, the former who wanted a son so badly that when Atalanta was born, he left her on a mountain top to die. His wife hated this, tried to reason with her husband but he only threatened that she would soon join her daughter. She then hung herself. Artemis sent a "she-bear" to suckle Atalanta. When she was still young, a group of hunters found her and trained her to be an excellent huntress.
She was also the fastest runner in Greece. When the Kalydonian Boar, sent by Artemis when forgotten at a sacrifice by King Oineus, ravaged the land, destroyed men and cattle and prevented the crops from being sown, Atalanta joined Meleager and many other famous heroes others on a hunt. Many of the men were angry to have a woman in the party, but Meleager (who, though married, lusted after Atalanta) persuaded them to Atalanta. Several of the men were killed before Atalanta wounded the boar, allowing Meleager to kill it with his spear. Since her strike drew first blood, Meleager awarded the boar skin to Atalanta. Meleager's uncles, Plexippus and Toxeus, were angry and tried to take the skin from Atalanta. In his anger, Meleager killed his uncles, and Meleager's mother in turn killed him for the murder of her brothers.
After the Kalydonian Boar Hunt, Atalanta was rediscovered by her father. He wanted her to be wed, but Atalanta, uninterested in marriage, agreed to marry only if her suitors could beat her in a foot race. Schoineus agreed to this condition, adding only that any man who failed the challenge be put to death. Many young men died in the attempt to win Atlanta
Melanion, a young man enamoured of Atalanta, asked the goddess Aphrodite for her aid. Aphrodite supplied him with three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides. During the race, whenever Atalanta came on the verge of overtaking Melanion, he would roll one of these apples across the path, where Atalanta would feel compelled to pick it up, thus slowing her enough for Melanion to win both the race and the princess.
Melanion and Atalanta had a son, Parthenopaios, who was one of the Seven against Thebes. Other accounts say that Aphrodite changed them into lions because they did not give her proper honor.
