Hippomenes

Atalanta has been warned away from marriage. She makes each suitor race her, with marriage for the winner and death for the one who loses. Hippomenes watches before volunteering. Once he sees Atalanta, his earlier judgement changes: he wants to compete and understands why others risk themselves. She hesitates over the young challenger, warns him of the danger, and admits that his courage unsettles her. But she still has the advantage of speed.

Hippomenes asks Venus for help. The goddess gives him three golden apples, and the race begins. Each time he throws one from the course, Atalanta turns aside to retrieve it. She regains ground after the first two, so the final throw must draw her farther away. The last apple lands at a slant; Venus adds weight as Atalanta lifts it, and the delay lets Hippomenes reach the finish first.

Winning does not end the story. The pair pass a sanctuary of the Mother of the Gods and enter its secluded chamber. Their conduct there profanes a sacred place. Cybele changes their smooth bodies: manes cover their necks, fingers become claws, and their shoulders take the shape of forelegs. The account leaves them as lions, bound to the goddess's chariot. Venus tells their story to Adonis as a warning about creatures that meet danger head-on rather than flee.