ATALANTA CHAPTER 12HEROINEHUNTRESS WHY WAS ATALANTA SO SKILLED

ATALANTA CHAPTER 12—HEROINE/HUNTRESS

WHY WAS ATALANTA SO SKILLED A HUNTER? • Father was so disappointed she wasn’t male, so he put her out in the mountains to die. • She was found and raised by a “she-bear”, then adopted by hunters, who taught her skills.

WHY WAS A BOAR DESTROYING THE LAND OF CALYDON? • The horrible boar was sent as a punishment by Artemis because King Oeneus of Calydon had forgotten her at the time of sacrifice of the first fruits of the harvest. • The boar went about destroying the land of Calydon, killing cattle and men. • A group of heroes, including Atalanta and Meleager (Oeneus’ son) gathered to hunt and kill the boar.

THE HUNT • When the boar first attacked many of the hunters panicked, but Atalanta calmly wounded it with her arrow • This gave Meleager the opportunity to stab it to death. • Meleager gave the honors of the Calydonian boar hunt to Atalanta and gave the boar’s skin to her. • Meleager’s uncles protested his right to give the skin away. This angered Meleager, who then killed his uncles.

MELEAGER’S DEATH • Meleager’s mom Althea heard what he had done to his uncles, she pulled out a piece of wood that • The Fates had foretold that when the wood were turned to ash, Melager would die. • She burns the wood, he dies.

MARRIAGE OF ATALANTA • Melanion (aka Hippomenes) fell in love with Atalanta. • In order to win her heart, he had to beat her in a footrace. • Many men had tried and lost to Atalanta. • He had a unique plan. He uses the three golden apples that no one could resist. • He threw them one at a time, each one further each time. • Atalanta chased the apples, Melanion wins, and wins her hand in marriage.