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The Goddess Atalanta
Atalanta, Greek
Goddess
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of the Hunt, Travel
and Adventure |
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| Atalanta defied convention
and refused to settle down until she finished her education, had seen a bit of the world,
and had a few adventures of her own.
Talk
about headstrong! The
Greek goddess Atalanta was a mortal
woman of action and intellect, a superb athlete, and a gorgeous gal...not to mention a real life
princess. All the eligible males tried to win her hand, but to no avail.
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After years of disappointing her
father's desire to see her married off,
Atalanta
finally consented to marry, but only
to a man who could manage to outrun her. Many young men failed (and lost their lives
in the process), but the scholarly, non-athletic Hippomenes finally succeeded thanks to
the help of Aphrodite.
Unfortunately, Atalanta's honeymoon was short-lived, for the couple offended
the goddess Aphrodite by forgetting to pay her homage by neglecting to write her a thank you
note or, in a different version, by making mad, passionate love in her temple (accounts vary), and Aphrodite
turned them into a pair of lions.
Zeus, recognizing the immensity of their love for each other,
felt sympathy for the lovers and
turned Atalanta and Hippomenes into a constellation of stars
so that the
couple could remain together throughout time.
In other
words, the goddess Atalanta had a love
affair so passionate that it continues to light up the nighttime skies until this day!
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Discover
the
Goddess
Within |
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Read the complete story
of the Greek Goddess Atalanta
See the symbols of the Greek Goddess Atalanta |
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