Outrun the Wind

by Elizabeth Tammi

  “Are you ready?” she asks. I don’t know if she means us, or where we’re headed. Either way, I am.

  I lean in and kiss her slowly. “Does that answer your question?”

  She grins at me. “I’m not entirely sure that I’m convinced yet.”

  Once I’m sure she’s thoroughly certain, I take a step back and look into her eyes. In the stones and marble we stand beside, Phelix watches over us. A warm gust of wind sweeps our hair. I grip Atalanta’s hand, and the whole world unfurls itself into glorious possibility.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  In retelling a myth such as Atalanta’s, there was painstaking research involved. But at the same time, I also allowed myself to take plenty of liberties in shifting, altering, and even ignoring certain mythological and historical aspects to ensure I was telling the story I needed to tell. Below, I go over some specific aspects that I dealt with during the writing process. If you’re interested in finding out more about Atalanta or Greek mythology in general, a few introductory texts you could check out include: Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton, Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan, and The Theoi Project, which can be accessed online.

  When Did This Happen?

  In ancient Greek times, people looked back on their history as consisting of roughly three segments. First was the Golden Age, when the Olympians existed. Then came the Silver Age of heroes—humans now existed, and among them were the famed heroes such as Herakles, Perseus, and of course, Atalanta. But despite the enormous mythology surrounding this second age, it actually lasted barely two generations in mythological time. The third age is when the heroes have died out, and just the suffering humans remain . . . which is kind of morbid. Anyway, Atalanta would’ve been in this first generation of heroes. In the opening chapters, she fights alongside Laertes and Peleus, who end up fathering the heroes Odysseus and Achilles, respectively. With that in mind, we can infer that her life would have taken place a couple decades before the Trojan War. Super way back. Because the heroes and Trojan War are mythical, I took a lot of liberties in describing Atalanta and Kahina’s world. If I were being purely historical—rather than wildly fantastical—there actually wouldn’t be any such thing as coins or money yet, and it’s very possible that Delphi, Arkadia, and Corinth wouldn’t even be real city-states yet. For the sake of my narrative, I borrowed a lot of cultural aspects from the centuries following Atalanta and Kahina’s “real” timeline . . . as well as incorporating plenty of mythical and fantastical elements.

  F/F Relationships in Ancient Greece

  Frustratingly little accounts of Sapphic love exist from this time period. The exception, of course, was the legendary poetess Sappho herself—where the term Sapphic even came from! But she lived long after Kahina and Atalanta would’ve been alive. What little evidence I found was pretty disappointing—back then, a girl loving a girl wasn’t necessarily publicly shamed. It was mostly viewed as the girls being confused; to be more precise, it was for them to be loving “as a man,” and not as just, you know, a girl loving another girl as a girl. Still, it’s undeniable that queer girls existed during this time. We just don’t have much known history about their lives, and I did my best to imagine how their love would be perceived by those around them, and how they themselves would feel about it.

  The Huntresses of Artemis—Who Were They?

  Legends tell of the sixty or so nymphs who were Artemis’s companions as they traversed the woods. There were also a few mortal maidens as well. You might recognize the modern-day take of them from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. In Outrun the Wind, I wanted to keep the idea found in Callimachus’s and other’s works—a band of young girls (and/or nymphs) who follow the goddess on her adventures and swear off romantic love. I wanted to play with the idea of one of these girls falling in love with another girl—do the same rules apply as if she’d fallen in love with a man? I primarily used human girls, rather than nymphs, just for the sake of incorporating the characters I needed for the story I wanted to tell. It should be noted that in the original mythology, Artemis’s companions seem to be primarily nymphs, and had no officially designated name to their following.

  The Nature of Mythology and Atalanta’s Story

  While I was first revising Outrun the Wind, months before I had a publishing deal, I was also studying abroad in Greece, taking a course on . . . you guessed it, mythology! Being in Greece and actually getting to see places like Corinth and Delphi in person was massively helpful. In addition, spending hours in museums and ancient sites granted me firsthand experience on the culture of their times. I got to see lots of the first artistic renditions of the Calydonian Boar Hunt as well.

  The most important thing I learned from my mythology course was that, at its very core, mythology is defined by contradiction. No two poets tell the same story of any legend, god, or hero. And while that can be frustrating, I also think that’s why mythology is so exciting—it has an evolutionary and fluid nature that regular stories just can’t have.

  Before writing this book, I’d often heard Atalanta’s name in passing. I’ve been a Greek mythology geek since an early age, but for some reason, growing up I’d only ever heard snippets of her story. It wasn’t until a few weeks before my freshman year of college that I actually read the whole timeline of her life—or one interpretation, at least—and I was immediately enthralled by this absolutely badass girl. But at the same time, I was completely confounded by her myths—so much of it made no sense to me. Did she actually love Meleager? Why did she kill the men she raced? Questions piled up, and weeks later, she still hadn’t left me alone. Slowly, other questions I’d always had about Greek mythology began entering my mind and connecting to Atalanta. Before I really realized what was happening, I had extra characters and a new mindset to Atalanta’s life, and I was ready to tell my version.

  If you’re a classicist, you might be absolutely horrified by my rendition of this myth. I certainly changed a lot! I know very well that my version has left out large chunks of Atalanta’s later life, and also altered quite a few aspects of her younger life. Only a few characters made it from the original myths to Outrun the Wind—Atalanta, Hippomenes, Iasus, and Meleager. Even they have been reinterpreted, and I realize many might disagree with my views on them, which is totally valid. Of course, Artemis and Apollo are also present throughout this book and much of Greek mythology, even though they don’t directly appear in the mythology of Atalanta’s races. Everyone else—Kahina, Phelix, Isidora, etc.—are all new additions of my own. However, there’s nothing in Atalanta’s myth to suggest that they couldn’t have existed. To me, their roles help to explain a lot of the “blanks” I felt were riddled with Atalanta’s situation, and they also hopefully stand alone as individual characters with their own traits and desires. Outrun the Wind certainly shifts much of the original mythology and the history of its time. But it’s all for the sake of my story, and I hope you enjoyed—or at least, entertained—the changes I made.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Outrun the Wind was not the first story I wrote, but I’m so glad it’s the first one to be published. My writing journey—with this story, especially—has taken me through quite the emotional spectrum. There were days of stress and despair, when I was convinced that the story I wrote in my freshman year of college would never see the light of day. But much to my elation and gratitude, I got to share this story. Through this whole process, I’ve experienced happiness and passion in depths I hadn’t known possible, and I owe so much to so many.

  Of course, my family (or as we call it, the Tammily) deserves the utmost recognition. My mother’s love for the written word birthed my own. Thank you for letting me finish “just one more chapter” after lights-out, and for raising me as a reader. My father drove hundreds of miles to get me to conferences and ceremonies, and spent hours fixing my laptop when I was on deadline. You were the first to tell me, “
You can do it.” And as always, thanks to my sister and best friend, Erin, for your constant support and humor.

  My deepest gratitude goes to my fantastic editor, Kelsy Thompson, for choosing and championing this story. My amazing critique partners—Amanda Harlowe, Lilia Shen, and Edna Lopez-Rodriguez—are all ridiculously talented and helped shape this story from the ground up. Without each of you, simply none of this would have been possible.

  I owe so much to my inimitable teachers. Gordon Johnston, your relentless passion for this craft reminds me to never “sleepwalk” through my life. Shayna Hron and Mandy Dickson, your inspiring drive introduced me to some incredible stories. Kevin Patterson, your steadfast compassion and tireless work gave me so many opportunities. Thank you to Elliot Hershey, Charlie Thomas, Mark Hardin, and so many more who showed me the world.

  This book owes its existence to Brenda Drake and the team behind #PitMad. Your creativity and generosity gave me the outlet to share my story that led to this incredible opportunity. Being a debut author is equal parts exciting and terrifying, and I want to give a shoutout to the Electric 18s! I think this has been YA fiction’s best year yet, and I’m so fortunate to have debuted alongside such a supportive and talented group.

  Now, to fulfill a promise I made years ago—thank you to all those who ever followed my blog on Tumblr, annabethisterrified. You’ve supported me for over six years, from my middle school days obsessing over Percy Jackson, to now as my own mythological story enters the world. The friendships and community I have found, and continue to find, through you all have changed me for the better.

  Thank you to those who had to suffer through dealing with a stressed-out author and stayed my friends anyway: Kat Heesh, Emily Davis, Mahima Sultan, Kaitlyn Montcrieff, Heba Nassereddeen, Piper Garick, Morgan Simonds, Blaine Brown, Kameela Noah, and Mason Mishael. I love you all so much.

  In reimagining Atalanta’s story, I added, omitted, and changed many aspects—but at its core, it has always been the tale of a wild girl seeking to carve her own fate in a world designed to restrain her. It is one that’s been passed down for thousands of years, and I’d be amiss not to acknowledge Ovid, Hesiod, and all those who told their own versions of Atalanta’s story. It’s incredible how one figure can be both constant and varied in all their depictions. I’m honored to follow your footsteps, and to get the chance to share my take on one of mythology’s most fascinating women.

  Atalanta—your story has been told many different ways, and it always captivates me. It has been one of my life’s greatest joys to tell your story how I saw it.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Elizabeth Tammi was born in California and grew up in Florida, but is currently double-majoring in Creative Writing and Journalism as an undergraduate at Mercer University in Georgia.

  When she’s not writing, you can probably find Elizabeth at rehearsal for one of her vocal ensembles, or at work for her university’s newspaper and literary magazine. Her other interests include traveling, caffeinated beverages, and mythology. Outrun the Wind is her debut novel. You can find Elizabeth online on Tumblr (annabethisterrified), Twitter (@ElizabethTammi), Instagram (elizabeth_tammi), and at elizabethtammi.com.