Better than the Boys

The acrid breath of the beast was hot on her shoulder. Atalanta drew an arrow from her quiver and spun to face the monstrous boar. The hideous monster was not six feet away from her, but she remained calm as she aimed. Just as the boar began to charge, Atalanta drew her bow and released. The arrow sliced through the air and struck the boar deep in the shoulder. The Calydonian Boar fell to the ground and thick red blood splattered the forest floor. Not bad for a girl, huh? Aside from the fact that Atalanta is a girl, her story is similar to those of many mythological heroes. She slew the monster, she got the glory, and in the end she offended the gods and got THUMPED!

When King Oeneus issued The Calydonian Boar Hunt, Atalanta wanted in. Even though it was tough for her to enter the competition, she eventually was accepted among the male hunters. Luckily for them, Atalanta ended up being the one who brought down the boar. Like Hercules slew the Hydra and Perseus killed Medusa, Atalanta killed The Calydonian Boar. In defeating the boar, Atalanta proved to many people that women could kick butt just as well as any man. In proving this, she gained a lot of respect and fame, and she was soon looked upon as a true hero.

The heroes got the fame. They got the glory, and they got respect. Atalanta was no exception. Hercules got to Mount Olympus--plus he had a movie made about him--and Theseus became the ruler of Athens. Atalanta’s glory may not have been as a big a deal as these other heroes, but she did get respect. She actually became so well known that her father, who abandoned her when she was a baby, came back into her life. I guess since Atalanta proved that she was as good as the boys, her father decided that he could deal with having a daughter, a rich and famous daughter. Atalanta became so well known, it is said that she was recruited by the Argonauts. Some even say that she fought along side Jason in the quest for the Golden Fleece. Atalanta also became the desire of many young bachelors. Atalanta was pretty much a man hater, and she swore that she would marry no man that couldn’t beat her in a foot race. This competition soon led to her downfall.

Melanion was a young bachelor who had heard of Atalanta and wanted her for himself, so he went to the gods for help. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was very willing to help him in his quest for Atalanta and she granted him three magical golden apples. With the golden apples in hand, Melanion entered the foot race. On the day of the race, Melanion used the irresistible golden apples to distract Atalanta. He outsmarted Atalanta and ended up beating her. Against her will, Atalanta married Melanion in Zeus’s temple. This is where all of the trouble started. Aphrodite was never repaid for giving Melanion the golden apples, and the goddess got angry. While celebrating their marriage in the temple, Aphrodite cursed Atalanta and Melanion with uncontrollable desires, and the pair ended up having sex in Zeus’ temple. As you can imagine, Zeus was terribly offended. And you don’t ever get off easy when you offend a god. Zeus turned the pair into lions, and they hunted together for the rest of their lives. Like most famous heroes, Atalanta offended the gods and she ended up paying for it. Hercules was punished with the twelve labors for killing his family and Bellerophon tried to hang with the gods on Olympus, and he wandered in sadness for the rest of his life. Jason married Media, and when he dumped her for another woman, she made him pay. She killed all of his children and left him depressed and forever in mourning. Atalanta’s punishment may not seem as severe as some of her fellow heroes, but she was punished, and she lost her glory.

Hercules, Thesus, Perseus, and Jason were all very courageous heroes. So was Atalanta. She was an unexpected hero and she rose above the odds. Due to her strength and determination, she defeated The Calydonian Boar just as Theseus and Perseus killed their own monsters. Her fame and glory earned her a spot among the Argonauts just as Hercules’ achievements earned him a place among the gods. And like a lot of heroes, Atalanta unfortunately offended the gods and was punished forever. She may have been a girl and she may have been a mere mortal, but she was hero, and just like the guys, she kicked some serious butt!