Atalanta
- A daughter of King Schoeneus, in Boeotia, distinguished for her swiftness in running, conquered by Hippomenes (acc. to others, by Milanion) by stratagem, and married by him, Ov. M. 10, 565 sqq.; 10, 598 sq.; Hyg. Fab. 185; Serv. ad Verg. A. 3, 113.—
- II A daughter of Iasius of Arcadia, a participant in the Calydonian boar-hunt, and passionately loved by Meleager, Ov. H. 4, 99 (called, id. M. 8, 380, Tegeaea; and id. ib. 8, 426, Nonacria, v. h. v.).—
- III Derivv.
- A Ătălantaeus or -ēus, a, um, adj., pertaining to Atalanta: aures, Stat. Th. 4, 309: labores, Manil. 5, 179: Schoenos, a town in Arcadia, in the vicinity of which Atalanta established foot-races, Stat. Th. 7, 267.—
- B Ătălantĭădes, ae, m., a son of Atalanta and Meleager, i. e. Parthenopaeus, Stat. Th. 7, 789.
ATALANTA(Αταλάντη: Eth. Ἀταλανταῖος.)
1.（ Talandonísi), a small island off Locris, in the Opuntian gulf, said to have been torn asunder from the mainland by an earthquake. In the first year of the Peloponnesian war it was fortified by the Athenians for the purpose of checking the Locrians in their attacks upon Euboea. In the sixth year of the war a part of the Athenian works was destroyed by a great inundation of the sea. (Strab. 1. p. 61, ix. pp. 395, 425; Thuc. 2.32, 3.89; Diod. 12.44, 59; Paus. 10.20.3; Liv. 35.37; Plin. Nat. 2.88, 4.12; Sen. Q. N. 6.24; Steph. B. s. v.;Leake, Northern Greece, vol. 2. p. 172.)
2.A small island off the western coast of Attica, between Salamis and Peiraeeus. (Strab. ix. pp. 395, 425; Steph. B. s. v.)
3.A town in Macedonia, in the upper part of the valley of the Axins. (Thuc. 2.100.) Cramer ( Ancient Greece, vol. 1. p. 230) suggests that the Atalanta of Thucydides is probably the town called Allante by Pliny (Plin. Nat. 4.12), and Stephanus B. (s. v. Ἀλλάντη); the latter says that Theopompus named it Allantium.
(Ἀταλάντη). A Greek heroine of the type of Artemis (q.v.). There were two slightly different versions of her story, one current in Arcadia and the other in Boeotia.
(1) The Arcadian Version. Atalanta, daughter of Zeus and Clymené, was exposed by her father, who had desired male offspring only. She was suckled by a bear, until she was found and brought up by a party of hunters. Under their care she grew up to be a huntress—keen, swift, and beautiful. She took part in the Calydonian boarhunt, was the first who struck the boar, and received from Meleager the head and skin of the beast as the prize of victory. (See Meleager.) She is also associated with the voyage of the Argonauts. She turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of her numerous suitors; but at last she propitiated the wrath of Aphrodité by returning the faithful love of the beautiful Milanion, who had followed her persistently, and suffered and struggled for her. Their son was Parthenopaeus, one of the Seven against Thebes. Swinburne's poem, Atalanta in Calydon, gives a magnificent setting to the story. (2) The Boeotian Version. Atalanta was the daughter of Schoenens, son of Athamas, and distinguished for beauty and swiftness of foot. An oracle warned her against marriage, and she accordingly lived a lonely life in the forest. She met the addresses of her suitors by challenging them to race with her, overtaking them in the race and spearing them in the back. She was at length beaten, however, by Hippomenes, who during the race dropped on the ground three golden apples given him by Aphrodité. Atalanta stooped down to pick up the apples, and thus lost the race. Hippomenes forgot to render thanks to Aphrodité, and the goddess in anger caused the pair in their passion to profane the sanctuary of Cybelé, where they were changed into lions. See W. S. Landor's Hippomenes and Atalanta.
- exposed by her father, suckled by a shebear: Apollod. 3.9.1
- a virgin huntress: Apollod. 3.9.1
- kills two centaurs: Apollod. 3.9.1
- hunts the Calydonian boar: Apollod. 3.9.1
- wrestles with Peleus: Apollod. 3.9.1, Apollod. 3.9.2, Apollod. 1.7.7
- races with her suitors: Apollod. 3.9.2
- won by Melanion with golden apples: Apollod. vol. 2.401
- changed into a lion: Apollod. vol. 2.401
- mother of Parthenopaeus: Apollod. vol. 2.403(See Atalanta, daughter of Schoeneus)
- hunts the Calydonian boar: Apollod. 1.8.2, Apollod. 1.8.2
- daughter of Schoeneus: Paus. 8.35.10
- shoots Calydonian boar: Paus. 8.45.2, 6
- creates spring by striking rock with spear: Paus. 3.24.2
- A. with fawn: Paus. 5.19.2
- her race-course: Paus. 8.35.10
- in the Argo: Apollod. 1.9.17(See Atalanta, daughter of Iasus)
- Paus. 10.20.4