The Myth of Atalanta
“The Myth of Atalanta” What is the price of love and happiness? Atalanta is a beautiful woman who was nursed by a she-bear during her earliest years. Then she was raised by a couple of hunters, including Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. As a result, Atalanta grew up in the wilderness to be a very skilled hunter. Atalanta was destined to be alone and celibate, until Milanion a young man that hated women fell in love with her. He began the chase even though others had lost their lives doing so. Atalanta was a skilled hunter and runner, so she challenged the best and bravest of the town’s men to compete against her.
It was said that she could outrace any man. She even wanted to join the party that searched for the Golden Fleece but was denied the opportunity because of her beauty. Beautiful women were considered a distraction to men. This is to say that where men and women are together there is also great tension growing and the work that needs to be done may not be accomplished. This is not necessarily because of anything the woman has done. It is simply because of her presence and the attention that each man thinks he must devote to her in order to protect her from the other men.
Atalanta was capable of taking care of herself because she was a skilled wrestler. On one occasion she fought and defeated the town’s hero and no man wants to be known as the one that was beaten down by a woman. After being denied the opportunity to hunt for the Golden Fleece, she took part in another hunt -the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. It is here she met and fell in love with the Prince of Calydonia. And it was during this hunting season the beautiful Atalanta became pregnant. However, before she could have the baby the Prince died.
There is no evidence to support this theory but it seems that the Princes were careless and distracted by the woman that he loved. It may have cost him his life and because of this she secretly gave birth to a baby boy and left the baby on the mountain. The loss of her lover caused her to live a life of celibacy but men still found her very attractive. They were willing to give their lives to make her their wife. Suitors had to contend for her love and the task was not easy. The cost of failure was one’s life and many a man had lost his life for her. Still, that did not stop others from trying.
Is love really worth dying for? We can look to Jesus for the answer. For, Jesus left his home-a a place where, according to the bible, every living being bows down in His presence and cries “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” -in order to come into this sin-filled world (King James Bible, Revelations 4:8). He came to die for you and me just because He loves us with everlasting love. Milan saw her beauty and was mystified by it during their frequent visits and hunts together. He began to notice her and became more and more attracted by her beauty.
He drew himself closer to her every chance he got and even to the point of carrying her hunting nets. Milanion once placed himself in the way of an unwanted suitor. That suitor became angry and tried to hurt Atalanta. Milanion was badly hurt so Atalanta killed the villain then nursed Milanion back to health. Meanwhile, Atalanta began falling in love with Milanion. Love, however, would not come cheap for them because Milanion had to face the same challenge as all the other suitors just so that all could see that her love could only be won by her one true lover.
As it states in the bible, “In a race all run but only one wins” (Bible, Romans 9:24). Milanion prayed for help and it was given to him. He came to the race prepared and during the race he followed the instructions given to him by XXXX. Atalanta, however, was just like Eve. She forgot the warnings given to her and succumbed to the lust of the flesh. Also like Eve, she picked the fruit and did not give thanks, and so was cursed to be an animal for the rest of her life. Conclusion: Atalanta a beautiful woman nursed by a she-bear and raised by hunters was a skilled hunter, wrestler, and runner.
She fell in love with the Calydonian prince but lost him while they were both still very young. Having been warned of what marriage would mean for her, she decided to live a life of celibacy. Unfortunately, her beauty attracted many men and she fended them off by challenging them to a foot race that would cost them their lives if they lost. In the end, she willingly lost the race to a man that she herself was in love with and was eventually turned into an animal along with her lover.
Work Cited
Rom 9:24 KJV Bible Rev 4:8
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