1000 Classical Characters Briefly Described

Who was Iphigenia? What did Cincinnatus do? A thousand gods, heroes and tyrants of the classical world, each explained in the time it takes to read a text message.

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Atalanta

Daughter of Schoeneus, king of Scyros. According to some she was the daughter of Jasus, or Jasius, and Clymene, but others say that Menalion was her father.

She determined to live in celibacy, but her beauty gained her many admirers, and to free herself from their importunities she proposed to run a race with them. As she was almost invincible in running, her suitors, who entered the lists against her, were defeated, till Hippomenes, the son of Macareus, proposed himself as an admirer. Venus gave him three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides, and with these concealed about him he entered the lists to race against Atalanta.

As the race proceeded he dropped the apples, which she stopped to pick up, thus enabling Hippomenes to arrive first at the goal, and obtain her in marriage.

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