Atalanta was one of the warrior goddesses, those who were known for their fierce independence, competitiveness, and physical skills.  She became famous as an adventurer, the only woman to join the band of heroes that accompanied Jason, sailing to distant countries to capture the Golden Fleece and bring it safely back to Greece, a quest that entailed considerable danger as they faced numerous tests and perils along the way.<O:P> </O:P>

Atalanta was a marvelous huntress.  Expert with her bow and arrow, she was sometimes included as "just one of the boys" in various sporting events.  The most famous of these exploits was the Hunt for the Calydonian Boar.  In retaliation for some affront against her by the king of Calydon, Artemis had loosed her gigantic, foul-tempered boar in the kingdom to wreak havoc throughout the countryside.  And wreak havoc he did, trampling all the crops, gobbling up all the livestock, and making the residents fearful of leaving the safety of their houses. <O:P>

Several talented hunters had been employed to kill the beast, but had failed miserably, losing their own lives. Eventually the king had the clever idea of advertising a hunting competition that would attract all the great hunters; surely having them all there at the same time, and the boar vastly outnumbered, would tilt the odds in his favor.  Since the boar's rampages had already brought the kingdom close to bankruptcy, the winner's prize would be humble (just the boar's pelt and elephant-size tusks), but the fame and glory that went to the one who killed the beast, not to mention the undying gratitude of the people, would be enormous.

As it happened, Meleager, the king's son who would be joining in the hunt that day, was taken with Atalanta and invited her to join the men.  Although he was already married, he was quite smitten with her, attracted both by her beauty and her prowess.  The other men, however, weren't very happy to have a woman included in the hunt. As it turned out, they were lucky to have her there. 

The men's initial clumsy moves did nothing but enrage the boar and result in injuries to several in the party. Just when the boar had two of them penned down and was ready to charge, Atalanta stepped up to the boar, looked him straight in the eyes, and managed to get off the perfect shot, stunning him and "saving their bacon". Mealeager rushed in with his javelin and killed the stunned pig, becoming the hero of the hunt. 

Whether motivated by his infatuation with the young huntress or in genuine appreciation for her critical role in felling the boar, Meleager did the right thing and insisted that  it had been Atalanta's first blow that had allowed him the victory, and that she should have the pelt and he would keep the tusks.

Never mind that she had literally saved them from becoming pig-feed, the chauvinists in the party were sore losers and protested the pelt being given to a woman. (This led to a fight between the men and, eventually led to the death of Meleager -- but let's get back to the story of Atalanta.)

By this time Atalanta was becoming quite a celebrity, known for both her beauty and her bravery.   There were plenty of men seeking her hand in marriage, though she swore to remain single until she was ready to marry and vowed that she would pick her own husband, thank you very much!  Her father, the king, finally put his foot down and insisted she marry, but she negotiated a compromise.  She agreed to willingly marry any man who could outrun her in a race and that she would even handicap herself by giving him a head start and by running while she was weighted down by her heavy sword.  Hoping to dissuade men from even applying for the privilege of competing with her, she added one stipulation . . . that she would behead the hapless unarmed suitor if and when she passed him in the race.  So the stakes for a man were very high indeed!                 

But she was so lovely and even-tempered that countless young nobles signed up to race for her anyway.   Atalanta, determined to make her own choices about who and when she would wed, ran like the wind, her long golden hair waving in the breeze behind her. Many men perished in the race against her.

But one young man, Hippomenes, who was helping judge the races thought that the suitors must be fools to risk their lives. At least that's what he thought until Atalanta disrobed and approached the starting blocks in her appropriate, but scanty, running togs. Now he too was enamored, but since he was more of a thinker than an athlete he knew he'd never stand a chance of winning.

A smart lad, though, he pleaded his case with Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, and asked for her help.   Aphrodite was a bit miffed with Atalanta anyway since she'd always seemed so reluctant to fall in love (which made Aphrodite look bad at her job, so to speak), so she was more than happy to oblige.

 Aphrodite gave Hippomenes three golden, magical apples she picked from her own garden and gave him instructions to toss them in Atalanta's path when she drew close to him in the race.   This he did, and each time Atalanta was intrigued by the radiant objects and slowed down to scoop them up. 

In some versions of the story, the handsome young man and his innovative strategy so greatly impressed Atalanta that she intentionally slowed down and let him win.  When he collapsed in exhaustion after being the first to cross the finish line, Atalanta helped him up and told the spectators that she was glad that he'd won.

They walked hand in hand to the king who married them and gave them a large her of valuable horses as a wedding present.  Atalanta and her husband then traveled to his country where great celebrations were held to welcome them.<O:P> </O:P>

With all that they had to do they overlooked something important they forgot to pay homage to one of the gods or goddesses.  In one account it was Zeus, the mighty king of the Olympians.  In another, and saucier, version there was not even a brief thank-you note sent to Aphrodite for the role she'd played in arranging their togetherness.  Aphrodite was miffed by their neglect and decided to play a prank on them, inflaming them with insatiable desire for each other.  

Unfortunately, the trick got out-of-hand and they ended up making mad, passionate love right in the middle of a temple. Rhea, the goddess whose temple they had profaned, was furious and persuaded Zeus to turn them into lions, which she yoked to pull her chariot. 

 Zeus, recognizing the greatness of their love for each other, showed  compassion and turned them into a constellation of stars, thus allowing the couple to remain together, racing through the heavens, side by side forever.