Oedipus and Atalanta: Greek Mythology Tales
Oedipus
Oedipus was the son of the king of Thebes. At birth, the Delphic Oracle predicted to his father, Laius, that his son, once an adult, would kill him and marry his wife. Laius, wishing to avoid such a fate, ordered a subject to kill Oedipus at birth. Out of pity, instead of killing him, the subject left him in the woods of Cithaeron, hanging him by his feet from a tree.
Upon reaching adolescence, Oedipus, through talk with his playmates, suspected that he was not the son of his alleged parents. To dispel his doubts, he visited the Oracle at Delphi, who predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus, believing that his parents were those who had raised him, decided never to return to Corinth to escape his destiny. At a crossroads, Oedipus and Laius argued about the right of way, and Oedipus killed him without knowing he was the king of Thebes, and his own father.
Oedipus then encountered the Sphinx, a monster that was killing everyone who could not guess her riddles, terrorizing the kingdom of Thebes. When asked, “What is the living creature that walks on four legs at dawn, two at noon, and three at dusk?” Oedipus answered correctly. The Sphinx then committed suicide by jumping into the void, and Oedipus was named the savior of Thebes. As a reward, Oedipus was made king and married the widow of Laius, Jocasta. They had four children: Polynices, Eteocles, Ismene, and Antigone. The two brothers would later face each other to death for the throne.
The truth was that Tiresias revealed that Oedipus was the son of Laius and Jocasta, and that he was the murderer they were looking for. Upon learning that Jocasta was actually his mother, she killed herself by hanging in the palace. Horrified, Oedipus blinded himself with the brooches from Jocasta’s dress.
Atalanta
In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a heroine tied to the archaic cycle, dedicated to Artemis, and renowned for her excellent hunting skills. Her father wanted only sons, so at birth, Atalanta was abandoned in the Parthenio bush to her fate. She survived thanks to a bear that cared for and nursed her until some hunters found her and decided to raise her.
As a woman, she faced many dangers, such as when two centaurs tried to rape her, but she defended herself through her unique skills and killed the centaurs with arrows. Eventually, a young man managed to beat Atalanta in a competition. A handsome young man named Hippomenes decided to try his luck in the race for Atalanta’s hand, but he had a great advantage: he carried golden apples given to him by Aphrodite, the goddess of love, which came from the garden of the Hesperides. He deceived Atalanta by dropping one of the apples every time she was about to catch up, and she stopped to pick them up, fascinated by their beauty.
While she was distracted by each falling apple, the boy was able to overcome her and win her hand. Atalanta gave birth to a son, Parthenopeo, who participated in the first war against Thebes. It is sometimes said that this child was the fruit of their marriage, but there are legends that say he was the son of Ares or Meleager. Atalanta was so important that there are several mythographers, such as Apollodorus, who wrote about her.