   atalanta (;  atalantÄ) is a character in greek mythology, a virgin huntress, unwilling to marry, and loved by the hero meleager. ==legend== atalanta was the daughter of iasus (or mainalos or schoeneus, according to hyginus), a boeotian (according to hesiod), or an arcadian princess (according to the bibliotheca). the bibliotheca is the only one who gives an account of atalantaâs birth and upbringing. king iasus wanted a son; when atalanta was born, he left her on a mountaintop to die. some stories say that a she-bear suckled and cared for atalanta until hunters found and raised her, and she learned to fight and hunt as a bear would. she was later reunited with her father. having grown up in the wilderness, atalanta became a fierce hunter and was always happy. she took an oath of virginity to the goddess artemis.http://www.theoi.com/heroine/atalanta.htmlhttp://thanasis.com/store/atalanta.htm ===calydonian boar hunt===  when artemis was forgotten at a sacrifice by king oineus, she was angered and sent the calydonian boar, a wild boar that ravaged the land, men, and cattle and prevented crops from being sown. atalanta joined meleager and many other famous heroes on a hunt for the boar. many of the men were angry that a woman was joining them, but meleager, though married, lusted for atalanta, and so he persuaded them to include her. several of the men were killed before atalanta became the first to hit the boar and draw blood. after meleager finally killed the boar with his spear, he awarded the skin (or headlempriere's classical dictionary) to atalanta. meleagerâs uncles, plexippus and toxeus, were angry and tried to take the skin from her. in revenge, meleager killed his uncles. wild with grief, meleager's mother althaea threw a charmed log on the fire, which consumed meleager's life as it burned.<!---] "kindled the brand" ed. "kindled the brand" is an unknown
Arcadian_mythology Argonauts Boeotian_mythology Fictional_feral_children Metamorphoses_in_Greek_mythology Mythological_Greek_archers Princesses_in_Greek_mythology Women_in_Greek_mythology