The Story#
A long, long time ago, in Greek mythology, there was a girl who ran very fast, named Atalanta.
Atalanta loved running from childhood. She could run faster than boys!
Many boys wanted to marry her, but Atalanta didn’t want to get married.
She said: “Anyone who wants to marry me must race me. Win, and I’ll marry you. Lose, and you’ll be punished.”
Many young men came to challenge, but all lost to Atalanta.
There was a young man named Hippomenes who really liked Atalanta.
He asked the goddess Aphrodite for help.
The goddess gave him three golden apples.
The race began!
“Ready—go!”
Atalanta ran very fast, with Hippomenes chasing behind.
Just as Atalanta was about to win, Hippomenes threw out a golden apple.
The golden apple shone brightly. Atalanta couldn’t resist stopping to pick it up.
Hippomenes took the chance to pass her!
Atalanta caught up again, and Hippomenes threw out the second golden apple.
Atalanta stopped again to pick it up…
Like this, Hippomenes won the race!
Although Atalanta lost, she thought Hippomenes was very clever, so she married him.
Little friends, Hippomenes used wisdom to win the race!
What the Story Teaches Us#
Hippomenes used golden apples to win the race. This story teaches us that sometimes wisdom is more important than speed—we should use our brains to find solutions.