Atalanta

Legend
Atalanta was the daughter of Iasus and an Arcadian princess.

She is often described as a goddess. 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.

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; when two centaurs, Rhoikos and Hylaios, tried to rape her, Atalanta killed them.

Calydonian Boar Hunt
When Artemis was forgotten at a sacrifice by King Oienus, she was angered and sent 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 to Atalanta. Meleager’s 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.

Footrace
After the Calydonian boar hunt, Atalanta was rediscovered by her father. He wanted her to be wed, but Atalanta, uninterested in marriage, agreed to marry only if her suitors could outrun her in a footrace. Those who lost would be killed. Many young men died in the attempt until Melanion (or Hippomenes) came along. Melanion asked the goddess Aphrodite for help, and she gave him three golden apples to toss as Atalanta caught up, in order to slow her down. The apples were irresistible, so every time Atalanta got ahead of Melanion, he rolled an apple ahead of her, and she would run after them. In this way, Melanion won the footrace and came to marry Atalanta. Eventually they had a son Parthenopaios, who was one of the Seve against Thebes.

Zeus (or Rhea) turned Atalanta and Melanion into lions after they made love together in one of his temples. Other accounts say that Aphrodite changed them into lions because they did not give her proper honor. She filled Melanion with lust and he stripped Atalanta in the temple. The belief at the time was that lions could not mate with their own species, only with leopards; thus Atalanta and Melanion would never be able to remain with one another.

Apollodorus also says she wrestled and defeated Peleus at the funeral games for Pelias.

In some versions of the quest for the Golden Fleece, Atalanta sailed with the Argonauts as the only female among them, suffered injury in the battle at Colchis, and was healed by Medea. Other authors claim Jason would not allow a woman on the ship.

The Sea of Monsters
In The Sea of Monsters, Annabeth mentions her when talking to Circe, listing her as one of the great female heroes.