Atalanta's father wanted only boys, and abandoned her as a baby in the forest. Instead of dying or being eaten by wild animals, she was brought up by a mother bear.
Atalanta
Linocut on tracing paper, approx. 8 x 6 inches (20 x 15cm), (c) Martin Dace 2001
Price unframed UK£20.00 (approx. US$30.00) excluding shipping. Email me for any enquiries.
Atalanta grew up wrestling and playing with the bear cubs, and learned all the ways of the forest. She became the best huntress in all Greece, better than any man, and the fastest runner.
When she killed the monstrous Calydonian boar that had been ravaging the countryside, she became famous. Her father now invited her to return home, and tried to persuade her to accept a husband. This she refused, unless there were a man able to defeat her in a running race. Any man who took on the challenge and lost was put to death, nevertheless many men tried, such was her beauty.
Finally Hippomenes fell in love with Atalanta, but not wishing to die like the others, he appealed to the goddess of love Aphrodite for help. She gave him three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides (which some say might have been located somewhere in the British Isles). During the race he threw the apples one by one in front of Atalanta, who stooped to pick them up. Each time she knew she could make up the lost time, and still win. But perhaps the goddess caused her to see Hippomenes's beauty and resourcefulness, and at the last apple she hestitated long enough to let him win.
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In ancient Greece girls came under the protection of Artemis, the virgin huntress. There were ceremonies in which small girls wore their hair unbraided, signifying their wild state, and were known as arktoi - little bears.
