<P> Three instances of golden apples were featured in Greek mythology: </P> <P> The first case concerns a huntress named Atalanta who raced against a suitor named Melanion . Melanion used golden apples to distract Atalanta so that he could win the race . </P> <P> Though abandoned by her father as an infant, Atalanta became a skilled hunter and received acclaim for her role in the hunt for the Calydonian boar . Her father claimed her as his daughter and wished to marry her off . However, Atalanta was reluctant to marry due to a prophecy that marriage would be her downfall . Because of her beauty, she gained a number of suitors and finally agreed to marry, but under the condition that her suitor was obligated to beat her in a footrace . Competitors who failed to beat her would be put to death . As Atalanta could run extremely fast, all her suitors died . Realizing that Atalanta could not be defeated in a fair race, Melanion prayed to Aphrodite for help . The goddess gave him three golden apples and told him to drop them one at a time to distract Atalanta . Sure enough, she quit running long enough to retrieve each golden apple . It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Melanion finally succeeded, winning the race and Atalanta's hand . </P> <P> Eventually they had a son Parthenopaios, who was one of the Seven against Thebes . Their marriage ended in misfortune when they were transformed into lions (which the Greeks believed were unable to mate with their own species, only with leopards) for offending the gods . </P>

Who took the apple from the apple tree