Atalanta and the Golden Apples
Atalanta challenges her suitors to a footrace until Hippomenes defeats her with the help of Aphrodite and three golden apples.
The Story
Atalanta was famous for her speed as well as her skill as a hunter.
She did not wish to marry.
Suitors were therefore given a dangerous condition.
Anyone wishing to marry Atalanta had to defeat her in a footrace.
Those who lost faced death.
Atalanta repeatedly won.
Then Hippomenes accepted the challenge.
He understood that he could not defeat Atalanta through speed alone.
He appealed to Aphrodite for help.
The goddess gave him golden apples.
During the race Hippomenes threw the apples one by one across Atalanta's path.
Each time she diverted slightly to retrieve one.
Those small delays were enough.
Hippomenes reached the finish first.
Atalanta had finally been defeated.
The pair married.
But later tradition gives the story a darker ending.
After neglecting or offending the gods, Atalanta and Hippomenes were transformed into lions.
The race therefore combines admiration for Atalanta's independence and athletic ability with a traditional mythic movement toward marriage and divine control over mortal destiny.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Atalanta is one of the most prominent female heroes of Greek mythology. Her race challenges conventional heroic expectations by making the heroine the figure others must equal or defeat.
Traditions & Variations
The successful suitor is called Hippomenes in some traditions and Melanion in others. Ancient genealogies and accounts of Atalanta's parentage also vary considerably.