Atalanta is from Greece and she was abandoned by her father, King Iasus for the sin of being a girl. She was left for dead. A mother bear suckled her and she survived against the odds and grew strong. A group of warriors found her in the Arcadian Woods and took her home and she lived with this tribe and learns well and becomes an awesome warrior woman and a highly skilled hunter.
She was a very busy woman during her interesting life journey. She killed two Centaurs. She sets off on a quest to get the Golden Fleece. Wrestles Pelias. Has a deep and meaningful with the Oracle of Delphi and lastly Atalanta was the the only woman on a Caledonian boar hunt where she was awarded the trophy hide by Meleager for stabbing this animal first, a great show of her expertise. This had bad repercussions for Meleager.
After talking to the Oracle who clearly told her that marriage would be malefic, she wasn't altogether ecstatic about being hooked up and did her very best to not go there. Eventually, after going back to her father King Iasus (yep very suss) she is forced to marry Hippomenes to make her father happy. First though, a deal is struck and the two betrothed participate in a race where the winner chooses what shall take place.
Hippomenes cheats by scoring some special golden apples from Aphrodite who is abhorred even by the thought of virginity so she is eager to help Hippomenes. He casts these magic golden apples behind him as he runs in the race. Atalanta can't resist these and has to stop to pick each one up and so she loses the quest and has to marry him.
Her new husband has a mind snap and forgets to say thank you to the Grecian goddess of Love, Beauty, Seduction, Pleasure, and Happiness. Aphrodite evens the score and curses him with an overpowering lust. Him and Atalanta make out at the sacred temple of Zeus. Of course they get caught and for denigrating the Great God Zeus and his temple they are both turned into Lions. Symbolic of ascension to higher realms represented by the divine male and female and Heiros Gamos.
By the blessing of good fortune I have a friend who is also Atalanta. She has a lot of these Goddess characteristics when it comes to being a Warrior Woman who is a skilled and protective huntress (mother). She gets on well with oracles too I am told.
1 comment:
Ungrateful people are poisonous! Egotistical people are boring and the universe goes bardoodidah bardoodidah! What will become of them?
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