Atalanta

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Atalanta was the daughter of King Iasius, and thus the princess of Arkadia during the 6th century BCE.

Biography

Marriage to Kyros

Atalanta was said to have been abandoned by her father, King Iasius, because he wanted a son instead of a daughter. Following this, Atalanta was raised by bears and became a fierce hunter, proving to be a slayer of centaurs and a Kalydonian hero.^[1]

After her return to the palace of her father, she began to challenge men to race her. If they won the race, she would agree to marry them. However, losing would result in their death.^[1]

Kyros of Zarax traveled to the kingdom of Arkadia to challenge her, and Atalanta reluctantly accepted the challenge, as she didn't want him to die. Cunningly though, Kyros cheated by using Aphrodite's golden apple to make Atalanta stumble repeatedly, resulting in his victory and the pair's eventual marriage.^[1]

Atalanta eventually returned home after the death and funeral of her father, succeeded him as ruler of the kingdom.^[2]

Simulation

In a simulation of the Elysium created by the Isu Aletheia, Atalanta was one of Persephone's Overseers, residing in the Mausoleum of the Kingless Queen. Atalanta was later hunted down by the misthios Kassandra, who claimed a spear which was said to have belonged to Aegea, a queen of the Amazons.^[3]

Influence and legacy

5th century BCE

The story of Atalanta lived on in Greece, and during the Peloponnesian War, Kassandra was compared to Atalanta by Makarios, a boy about to begin his agoge, after witnessing Kassandra's fight with the agoge master Iatrokles.^[4]

A pair of sandals, part of an armor set, was also attributed to Atalanta and eventually came into the possession of the Kassandra.^[5]

A ruined racecourse in the Forest of Soron in Arkadia was said to have been hers.^[6] By the time of the Peloponnesian War, bandits had set up a camp in the course's northern parts.^[5]

21st century

In 2012 Clay Kaczmarek included Guido Reni's painting of Atalanta and Hippomenes in a set of puzzles he'd hidden within the Animus for his follower to find. In Clay's puzzle, it was suggested that the apples of Hippomenes were in fact Apples of Eden.^[7]

Trivia

• In Greek mythology, Atalanta, along with Hippomenes and all other heroes belong to the Greek Heroic Age, which corresponds to the period of Mycenaean Greece that spanned from c. 1600 BCE to c. 1100 BCE. Atalanta's story being set in the 6th century BCE is therefore anachronistic.
• In some stories, Atalanta is counted among the Argonauts.

Gallery

Atalanta and Hippomenes by Guido Reni

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Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (mentioned only)
  • The Fate of Atlantis: Fields of Elysium (simulation only)

References