Misplaced Pages

#594405

63-659: There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia , whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Calydonian boar hunt and the Argonauts ; and the other from Boeotia , who is the daughter of King Schoeneus and is primarily noted for her skill in the footrace. In both versions, Atalanta was a local figure allied to the goddess Artemis ; in such oral traditions, minor characters were often assigned different names, resulting in minor regional variations. At birth, Atalanta

126-564: A collection of linear signs used as oracles. In addition to its oracular power, the I Ching has had a major influence on the philosophy, literature and statecraft of China since the Zhou period. According to the Ancient Egyptian religion , some ancient Egyptian gods (and rarely deified humans), acted as intermediaries between humans and the divine. This was exemplified by the Ancient Egyptian title " Reporter/Herald " ( wḥmw ), whom in

189-404: A family of his own, convinced them otherwise as he desired to father a child with Atalanta after hearing of her expertise in archery and beauty while hunting. During the hunt Hyleus and Ancaeus were killed, Peleus accidentally killed a fellow hunter and others were wounded. Atalanta drew first blood on the boar with her bow. After this feat, killing the boar became a collective effort as, after

252-469: A military campaign was "You will go you will return never in war will you perish". This gives the recipient liberty to place a comma before or after the word "never", thus covering both possible outcomes. Another was the response to the Athenians when the vast army of king Xerxes I was approaching Athens with the intent of razing the city to the ground. "Only the wooden palisades may save you" , answered

315-572: A particular deity, usually dwelling in a cave or other secluded location away from urban areas, and, much as the oracles of ancient Greece, would deliver prophecies in an ecstatic state to visitors seeking advice. Two of their ancient oracles became especially famous during the pre-colonial period: the Agbala oracle at Awka and the Chukwu oracle at Arochukwu . Although the vast majority of Igbos today are Christian , many of them still use oracles. Among

378-550: A sacrifice in his rites to the gods. In anger, she sent the Calydonian boar , a monstrous wild boar that ravaged the land, cattle, and people, and prevented the crops from being sown. Atalanta was called upon to join Meleager , Theseus , Pollux , Telamon , Peleus, and all those who were part of the Argonaut expedition on the hunt for the boar. Many of the men were angry that a woman was joining them, but Meleager, though having

441-513: A sanctuary at Lycosura . The Arcadians had their own unique myths, which were mainly centered around Despoina and Demeter. Another important god in Arcadia was Antyos, who was said to be a Titan who raised Despoina. Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions , most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities . If done through occultic means, it

504-539: A simple sleeveless tunic that reached her knees and living in the wilderness . While living in the wild, Atalanta slew two centaurs , Rhoecus and Hylaios, with her bow after her beauty caught their attention and they attempted to rape her. Atalanta is only occasionally mentioned in the legend of the Argonauts; however, her participation is noted in Pseudo-Apollodorus 's account, which says that during

567-574: A south Indian language - the process by which a Priest invites a Hindu god or goddess to use his or her body as a medium or channel and answer other devotees' questions, still happens. The same is called "arulvaakku" or "arulvaak" in Tamil , another south Indian language - Adhiparasakthi Siddhar Peetam is famous for arulvakku in Tamil Nadu . The people in and around Mangalore in Karnataka call

630-605: A spring under the oaks), or as Zeus Bouleos (chancellor). Priestesses and priests interpreted the rustling of the leaves of the oak tree that stood on this spot as Zeus' sanctuary to determine the correct actions to be taken. The oracle of Abae was one of the most important oracles. It was almost completely destroyed by the Persians during the Second Persian invasion of Greece . Erythrae near Ionia in Asia Minor

693-405: A suitor could outrun her in a footrace , which swift-footed Atalanta knew was impossible. If the suitor was unsuccessful, he would be killed. Her father agreed to the terms, and many suitors died in the attempt until Hippomenes , who fell in love with Atalanta at first sight, appealed for divine help. Hippomenes knew he could not best Atalanta even with the advantage of a head start, so he prayed to

SECTION 10

#1732772266595

756-732: A terrible monster." A version of Atalanta's story is told in Atalanta by Jennifer Saint (2023). This modern feminist retelling claims Atalanta as the daughter of Iasus and follows both the tales of the Argonauts and the Calydonian boar hunt and the tales of her skill in the footrace. The European Union anti-piracy mission in Somalia is named " Operation Atalanta " in reference to the Greek heroine. Arcadia (region) Arcadia ( Greek : Ἀρκαδία , romanized :  Arkadía )

819-617: A wooden boat, and a herald in scarlet. The Pythia was the mouthpiece of the oracles of the god Apollo , and was also known as the Oracle of Delphi. The Delphic Oracle exerted considerable influence throughout Hellenic culture. Distinctively, this woman was essentially the highest authority both civilly and religiously in male-dominated ancient Greece . She responded to the questions of citizens, foreigners, kings, and philosophers on issues of political impact, war, duty, crime, family, laws—even personal issues. The semi-Hellenic countries around

882-552: Is a form of divination . The word oracle comes from the Latin verb ōrāre , "to speak" and properly refers to the priest or priestess uttering the prediction. In extended use, oracle may also refer to the site of the oracle , and the oracular utterances themselves, are called khrēsmoí (χρησμοί) in Greek. Oracles were thought to be portals through which the gods spoke directly to people. In this sense, they were different from seers ( manteis , μάντεις) who interpreted signs sent by

945-468: Is a region in the central Peloponnese . It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas , and in Greek mythology it was the home of the gods Hermes and Pan . In European Renaissance arts, Arcadia was celebrated as an unspoiled, harmonious wilderness; as such, it was referenced in popular culture. The modern regional unit of the same name more or less overlaps with the historical region, but

1008-572: Is slightly larger. Arcadia was gradually linked in a loose confederation that included all the Arcadian towns and was named League of the Arcadians . In the 7th century BC, it successfully faced the threat of Sparta and the Arcadians managed to maintain their independence. They participated in the Persian Wars alongside other Greeks by sending forces to Thermopylae and Plataea . During

1071-592: The Ikaros island in the Persian Gulf (modern Failaka Island in Kuwait ), there was an oracle of Artemis Tauropolus. At Claros , there was the oracle of Apollo Clarius. At Ptoion , there was an oracle of Ptoios and later of Apollo . At Gryneium , there was a sanctuary of Apollo with an ancient oracle. At Livadeia there was the oracle of Trophonius . The oracle of Zeus Ammon at Siwa Oasis

1134-640: The Peloponnesian War , Arcadia allied with Sparta and Corinth . In the following years, during the period of the Hegemony of Thebes , the Theban general Epaminondas reinforced the Arcadian federation in order to rival neighboring Sparta. Then he founded Megalopolis , which became its new capital. Over the next centuries Arcadia weakened. It initially was subjugated by the Macedonians and later

1197-523: The sacrifice of Odin for the oracular runes whereby he lost an eye (external sight) and won wisdom (internal sight; insight ). In the migration myth of the Mexitin, i.e., the early Aztecs , a mummy -bundle (perhaps an effigy ) carried by four priests directed the trek away from the cave of origins by giving oracles. An oracle led to the foundation of Mexico-Tenochtitlan . The Yucatec Mayas knew oracle priests or chilanes , literally 'mouthpieces' of

1260-731: The Aegean Sea. The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters , ascribed to the Sibyls , prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in frenzied states. Walter Burkert observes that "Frenzied women from whose lips the God speaks" are recorded in the Near East as in Mari in the second millennium BC and in Assyria in the first millennium BC. In Egypt,

1323-600: The Arcadians joined the Achaean League . Geographically, ancient Arcadia occupied the highlands at the centre of the Peloponnese. To the north, it bordered Achaea along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Erymanthos to Mount Cyllene ; most of Mount Aroania lay within Arcadia. To the east, it had borders with Argolis and Corinthia along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Cyllene round to Mount Oligyrtus and then south Mount Parthenius . To

SECTION 20

#1732772266595

1386-425: The Greek world, such as Lydia , Caria , and even Egypt also respected her and came to Delphi as supplicants . Croesus , king of Lydia beginning in 560 BC, tested the oracles of the world to discover which gave the most accurate prophecies. He sent out emissaries to seven sites who were all to ask the oracles on the same day what the king was doing at that very moment. Croesus proclaimed the oracle at Delphi to be

1449-443: The Persians. She allegedly also proclaimed that there was no man wiser than Socrates , to which Socrates said that, if so, this was because he alone was aware of his own ignorance. After this confrontation, Socrates dedicated his life to a search for knowledge that was one of the founding events of western philosophy . He claimed that she was "an essential guide to personal and state development." This oracle's last recorded response

1512-514: The account of Apollonius of Rhodes , Jason prevents Atalanta from joining not because she lacks skill but because as a woman she has the potential to cause strife among men on the ship. After the death of King Pelias in Iolcus , funeral games were held in which Atalanta defeated Peleus in a wrestling match. This match became a popular subject in Greek art. In an annual celebration, King Oeneus of Calydon had forgotten to honour Artemis with

1575-524: The ancient authors as Pelasgians . Whilst Herodotus seems to have found the idea that the Arcadians were not Greek far-fetched, it is clear that the Arcadians were considered as the original inhabitants of the region. This is testified by ancient myths, like the myth of Arcas , the myth of Lycaon etc. Arcadia is also one of the regions described in the " Catalogue of Ships " in the Iliad ; its troops were led by Agapenor . Agamemnon himself gave Agapenor

1638-528: The birth of Jesus Christ . Didyma near Ionia in Asia Minor in the domain of the famous city of Miletus . Dodona in northwestern Greece was another oracle devoted to the Mother Goddess identified at other sites with Rhea or Gaia , but here called Dione . The shrine of Dodona, set in a grove of oak trees, was the oldest Hellenic oracle, according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus, and dated from pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as

1701-410: The capital of Arcadia became Megalopolis . Arcadia was the location of the cult of Despoina , also known as the Arcadian mysteries. Despoina means "the mistress", but was only a title given to the goddess, and was not her real name, which was told only to those initiated in the mysteries. Despoina, along with Demeter , was the primary deity worshipped in Arcadia, and was particularly worshipped at

1764-572: The context of Christianity for the concept of divine revelation , and in the context of Judaism for the Urim and Thummim breastplate, and in general any utterance considered prophetic . In Celtic polytheism , divination was performed by the priestly caste, either the druids or the vates . This is reflected in the role of "seers" in Dark Age Wales ( dryw ) and Ireland ( fáith ). In China, oracle bones were used for divination in

1827-573: The deity. Their written repositories of traditional knowledge , the Books of Chilam Balam , were all ascribed to one famous oracle priest who had correctly predicted the coming of the Spaniards and its associated disasters. In Tibet , oracles (Chinese: 护法) have played, and continue to play, an important part in religion and government. The word "oracle" is used by Tibetans to refer to the spirit that enters those men and women who act as media between

1890-501: The earth-fertile soil, probably the chief female goddess of the proto-Indo-European pantheon . Python , daughter (or son) of Gaia was the earth dragon of Delphi represented as a serpent and became the chthonic deity, enemy of Apollo , who slew her and possessed the oracle. When the Prytanies' seat shines white in the island of Siphnos, White-browed all the forum—need then of a true seer's wisdom— Danger will threat from

1953-528: The eighth son of his sister Devaki would kill him. The opening verse of the Tiruvalluva Maalai , a medieval Tamil anthology usually dated by modern scholars to between c. 7th and 10th centuries CE, is attributed to an asariri or oracle. However, there are no references in any Indian literature of the oracle being a specific person. Contemporarily, Theyyam or "theiyam" in Malayalam -

Atalanta - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-446: The goddess Aphrodite for assistance. Aphrodite, who felt spurned because Atalanta was a devotee of Artemis and rejected love, gave Hippomenes three irresistible golden apples . As the race began, Atalanta, wearing armour and carrying weapons, quickly passed Hippomenes, but she was diverted off the path when he tossed an apple for her to retrieve; each time Atalanta caught up with Hippomenes, he would toss another apple, ultimately winning

2079-470: The goddess Cybele , or Zeus himself. The belief at the time was that lions could not mate with their own species, only with leopards ; therefore Atalanta and Hippomenes would never be able to have "intercourse of love". This view has been criticized, however. In her book The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World , Adrienne Mayor argues there is no evidence to support

2142-569: The goddess Wadjet (eye of the moon) was depicted as a snake-headed woman or a woman with two snake-heads. Her oracle was in the renowned temple in Per-Wadjet (Greek name Buto ). The oracle of Wadjet may have been the source for the oracular tradition which spread from Egypt to Greece. Evans linked Wadjet with the " Minoan Snake Goddess ". At the oracle of Dodona she is called Diōnē (the feminine form of Diós , genitive of Zeus ; or of dīos , "godly", literally "heavenly"), who represents

2205-531: The gods through bird signs, animal entrails , and other various methods. The most important oracles of Greek antiquity were Pythia (priestess to Apollo at Delphi ), and the oracle of Dione and Zeus at Dodona in Epirus . Other oracles of Apollo were located at Didyma and Mallus on the coast of Anatolia , at Corinth and Bassae in the Peloponnese , and at the islands of Delos and Aegina in

2268-524: The heroine, and the club's crest depicts her face. The English football club Huddersfield Atalanta Ladies F.C. also named after the heroine. A version of Atalanta's story appears in the multimedia children's entertainment project Free to Be... You and Me . She is also the focus of the 2017 historical novel For the Winner , by the British Classicist and author Emily Hauser , which retells

2331-408: The initial blow, Amphiaraus shot the boar's eye and Meleager ended its life. Meleager awarded the hide to Atalanta for her valor, but it was taken away by Meleager's uncles, Plexippus and Toxeus , who considered it dishonorable for a woman to hold such a prize. In response, Meleager killed his uncles. Althaea , Meleager's mother, became grief-stricken after hearing of her brothers’ deaths and threw

2394-406: The late Shang dynasty , (c. 1600–1046 BC). Diviners applied heat to these bones, usually ox scapulae or tortoise plastrons, and interpreted the resulting cracks. A different divining method, using the stalks of the yarrow plant , was practiced in the subsequent Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). Around the late 9th century BC, the divination system was recorded in the I Ching , or "Book of Changes",

2457-437: The log that was tied to her son's life into a fire, killing him. According to Ovid , before her adventures, Atalanta had consulted an oracle who prophesied that marriage would be her undoing. As a result, she chose to live in the wilderness. After the Calydonian boar hunt, Atalanta was discovered by her father, who accepted her as his daughter and began to arrange a marriage for her. To prevent this, she agreed to marry only if

2520-414: The most accurate, who correctly reported that the king was making a lamb-and-tortoise stew, and so he graced her with a magnitude of precious gifts. He then consulted Delphi before attacking Persia , and according to Herodotus was advised: "If you cross the river, a great empire will be destroyed". Believing the response favourable, Croesus attacked, but it was his own empire that ultimately was destroyed by

2583-570: The natural and the spiritual realms. The media are, therefore, known as kuten , which literally means, "the physical basis". In the 29-Article Ordinance for the More Effective Governing of Tibet ( Chinese : 欽定藏內善後章程二十九條 ), an imperial decree published in 1793 by the Qianlong Emperor , article 1 states that the creation of Golden Urn is to ensure prosperity of Gelug , and to eliminate cheating and corruption in

Atalanta - Misplaced Pages Continue

2646-708: The notion that the Ancient Greeks believed male and female lions could not engage in sexual intercourse. Rather, Mayor contends the transformation of Atalanta and her lover into lions occurred at a moment of emotional and sexual bliss, which can be interpreted as divine sympathy for a couple who defied traditional Greek gender roles , and thus turning them into lions enabled the lovers to hunt and mate together for all eternity outside of Greek society, which would not have accepted their relationship. The Italian football club Atalanta , based in Bergamo , took its name from

2709-575: The only primary oracle. Another oracle the Dalai Lama consults is the Tenma Oracle , for which a young Tibetan woman by the name of Khandro La is the medium for the mountain goddesses Tseringma along with the other 11 goddesses. The Dalai Lama gives a complete description of the process of trance and spirit possession in his book Freedom in Exile . Dorje Shugden oracles were once consulted by

2772-696: The oracle had called for fleeing to Italy after all. Cumae was the first Greek colony on the mainland of Italy, near Naples , dating back to the 8th century BC. The sibylla or prophetess at Cumae became famous because of her proximity to Rome and the Sibylline Books acquired and consulted in emergencies by Rome wherein her prophecies were transcribed. The Cumaean Sibyl was called "Herophile" by Pausanias and Lactantius , "Deiphobe, daughter of Glaucus" by Virgil , as well as "Amaltheia", "Demophile", or "Taraxandra" by others. Sibyl's prophecies became popular with Christians as they were thought to predict

2835-686: The oracle of Apollo at Tegyra . Oracle of Aphrodite at Paphos . There were many "oracles of the dead", such as in Argolis , Cumae , Herakleia in Pontos , in the Temple of Poseidon in Taenaron , but the most important was the Necromanteion of Acheron . The term "oracle" is also applied in modern English to parallel institutions of divination in other cultures. Specifically, it is used in

2898-451: The oracle was known as ākāśavānī "voice/speech from the sky/ aether " or aśarīravānī "a disembodied voice (or voice of the unseen)" ( asariri in Tamil), and was related to the message of a god. Oracles played key roles in many of the major incidents of the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana . An example is that Kamsa (or Kansa), the evil uncle of Krishna , was informed by an oracle that

2961-462: The oracle, probably aware that there was sentiment for sailing to the safety of southern Italy and re-establishing Athens there. Some thought that it was a recommendation to fortify the Acropolis with a wooden fence and make a stand there. Others, Themistocles among them, said the oracle was clearly for fighting at sea, the metaphor intended to mean war ships. Others still insisted that their case

3024-561: The race and Atalanta herself. Atalanta bore a son, Parthenopaios (who may have been fathered by Meleager or Ares ), who became one of the Seven against Thebes . After the footrace, Hippomenes forgot to thank Aphrodite for her aid, and while the couple were out hunting the goddess afflicted them with sexual passion so that they had sex in a sanctuary belonging to either Zeus or Rhea . They were turned into lions for their sacrilege by either Artemis (angered by Atalanta losing her virginity ),

3087-520: The region of Arcadia was mountainous, apart from the plains around Tegea and Megalopolis , and the valleys of the Alpheios and Ladon rivers. The Arcadians were an ancient Greek tribe which was situated in the mountainous Peloponnese. It is considered one of the oldest Greek tribes in Greece and it was probably part of, or a relative tribe of, the aboriginal inhabitants of Greece, who are mentioned by

3150-577: The related Yoruba peoples of the same country, the Babalawos (and their female counterparts, the Iyanifas) serve collectively as the principal aspects of the tribe's world-famous Ifa divination system. Due to this, they customarily officiate at a great many of its traditional and religious ceremonies. In Norse mythology , Odin took the severed head of the god Mimir to Asgard for consultation as an oracle. The Havamal and other sources relate

3213-451: The religious context, reports requests and petitions to the local gods. In Hawaii , oracles were found at certain heiau , Hawaiian temples. These oracles were found in towers covered in white kapa cloth made from plant fibres. In here, priests received the will of gods. These towers were called 'Anu'u . An example of this can be found at Ahu'ena heiau in Kona . In ancient India ,

SECTION 50

#1732772266595

3276-458: The same, Buta Kola , "paathri" or "darshin"; in other parts of Karnataka, it is known by various names such as, "prashnaavali", "vaagdaana", "asei", "aashirvachana" and so on. In Nepal it is known as, "Devta ka dhaamee" or " jhaakri ". The Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria in Africa have a long tradition of using oracles. In Igbo villages, oracles were usually female priestesses to

3339-531: The search for the Golden Fleece , Atalanta, who was invited and invoked the protection of Artemis, sailed with the Argonauts as the only woman among them. In Diodorus Siculus 's account, Atalanta is not only noted to have sailed with the Argonauts but to have fought alongside them at the battle in Colchis , where she, Jason , Laertes , and the sons of Thesipae were wounded and later healed by Medea . In

3402-473: The second millennium BC, when the tradition may have spread from Egypt. By the time of Herodotus, Zeus had displaced the Mother Goddess, who had been assimilated to Aphrodite , and the worship of the deified hero Heracles had been added. Dodona became the second most important oracle in ancient Greece, after Delphi . At Dodona, Zeus was worshipped as Zeus Naios or Naos (god of springs Naiads , from

3465-682: The selection process performed by oracles. The Dalai Lama , who lives in exile in northern India, still consults an oracle known as the Nechung Oracle , which is considered the official state oracle of the government of Tibet. The Dalai Lama has, according to centuries-old custom, consulted the Nechung Oracle during the new year festivities of Losar . Nechung and Gadhong are the primary oracles currently consulted; former oracles such as Karmashar and Darpoling are no longer active in exile. The Gadhong oracle has died leaving Nechung to be

3528-586: The ships for the Trojan war because Arcadia did not have a navy. The Arcadians founded numerous towns. Of these the strongest were the cities which controlled the few fertile valleys; Mantinea , Tegea and Orchomenos . The remaining towns were more mountainous or had smaller plains. Some of these were Nostia , Asea , Ypsounta, Teuthis , Heraea , Thyraion , Nestani , Alea, Lykosoura , Trikolonon, Tropea, Caphyae , Pallantion, Petrosaca , Feneos , Phoezon , Leucasium , Mesoboa , Stymphalus , etc. From 370 BC

3591-660: The south, the borders with Laconia and Messenia ran through the foothills of the Parnon and Taygetos mountain ranges, such that Arcadia contained all the headwaters of the Alpheios river, but none of the Eurotas river. To the south-west, the border with Messania ran along the tops of Mount Nomia , and Mount Elaeum , and from there the border with Elis ran along the valleys of the Erymanthos and Diagon rivers. Most of

3654-523: The story of Atalanta's voyage with the Argonauts. In the light novel Fate/Apocrypha , Atalanta is summoned as the Archer-class Servant of the Red faction. Olympic-medal-winning javelin thrower Fatima Whitbread said that she took up an interest in track and field events after being inspired by the myth of Atalanta, "whom no man could outrun except by cheating, and whose javelin killed

3717-485: Was given in 362 AD, to Julian the Apostate . The oracle's powers were highly sought after and never doubted. Any inconsistencies between prophecies and events were dismissed as failure to correctly interpret the responses, not an error of the oracle. Very often prophecies were worded ambiguously, so as to cover all contingencies – especially so ex post facto . One famous such response to a query about participation in

3780-488: Was home to a prophetess. Trophonius was an oracle at Lebadea of Boeotia devoted to the chthonian Zeus Trophonius. Trophonius was a Greek hero nursed by Europa . Near the Menestheus's port or Menesthei Portus ( Greek : Μενεσθέως λιμήν ), modern El Puerto de Santa María , Spain , was the Oracle of Menestheus ( Greek : Μαντεῖον τοῦ Μενεσθέως ), to whom also the inhabitants of Gades offered sacrifices. At

3843-569: Was so famous that Alexander the Great visited it when he conquered Egypt. There was also another oracle of Zeus Ammon at Aphytis in Chalkidiki . The oracle of Zeus at Olympia . In the city of Anariace (Ἀναριάκη) at the Caspian Sea , there was an oracle for sleepers. Persons should sleep in the temple in order to learn the divine will. The oracle of Apollo at Eutresis and

SECTION 60

#1732772266595

3906-501: Was so hopeless that they should board every ship available and flee to Italy , where they would be safe beyond any doubt. In the event, variations of all three interpretations were attempted: some barricaded the Acropolis, the civilian population was evacuated over sea to nearby Salamis Island and to Troizen , and the war fleet fought victoriously at Salamis Bay . Should utter destruction have happened, it could always be claimed that

3969-454: Was taken to Mount Parthenion to be exposed because her father had desired a son. A she-bear—one of the symbols of Artemis—whose cubs had been recently killed by hunters came upon Atalanta and nursed her until those same hunters discovered her and raised her themselves in the mountains. Atalanta then grew up to be a swift-footed virgin who eschewed men and devoted herself to the huntress Artemis. Atalanta modelled herself after Artemis, wearing

#594405