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.
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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Goddess Myths
Spiritual~~~ Goddesses Stories. Some ask why Long and Short Versions answer is: Because it gives you the option to choose which you want to read. For quick info, read the Short. for the Full info, read the Long version. .*.Disclamer: I don't own anything...
