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Atalanta Competition Research Paper

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Competition: Greeks, Celtics, and Chinese “The race began. Hippomenes got out to a good start, he was an excellent runner himself, but soon Atalanta sped ahead of him… Hippomenes passed her with delight, praying to Aphrodite while he ran. But Atalanta soon caught him and two-thirds of the way through, she passed him again.” (Atalanta). Who won? What did the winner receive for competing? For some, competing in something and losing is a big deal but for others, it does not matter as much, other than just a simple learning experience. There is competition everywhere throughout life and many different types of competition. There are some forms that are straightforward and clean and then there are dirty types of competition that will always come …show more content…

The story of Atalanta in Greek mythology, Hunahpu and Xbalanque in Mayan mythology, and the simple competition between Queen Maeve & her husband in Celtic mythology, not only show why competition is important in the culture itself but also in the modern world. Atalanta was a very stunning and buoyant young Greek woman who was capable of doing just as much as men could do. Competition was not a problem for Atalanta because she could run faster than anyone and she could fight off anything. “Atalanta came up with a witty plan that would stop her from having to marry. She would race the suitors, the one who beat her in the foot race would be the lucky man to marry her, but if she won, she could kill the man” (Gibson). During the race, Hippomenes has help from Aphrodite but his, “help” ends up backfiring against him later in the story. After losing in the race, Atalanta is forced to marry Hippomenes. When it comes to Greek culture, competition means a lot. “Not only was winning the Olympic Games an honor for the winner but also for the family and city for centuries to come” (Ancient Olympia history). Each competitor’s body had to be in perfect shape, internally and externally, which revealed the craving to have an identical

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