Existing in art and in legend, no historical evidence of the Amazons has ever been found. These proud, beautiful women can only be examined within the context of mythology. (1)
Originating from near the Caucuses Mountains, the Amazons settled near the mouth of the Thermodon River, where it emptied into the Black Sea (Euxine), and founded Themiscrya. Their main activities involved those usually reserved for men: war, hunting, and conquest. Rumored to be the daughters of Ares himself, their weapons where the sword and shield. In fact, they could be identified by their distinctive ivy shaped shields. Mythology credits them with being the first warriors to ride astride, rather than be pulled behind in a chariot. Agriculture was limited to only what was necessary. Government was entirely female. Once a year the Amazons met with the Gargareans, a village of men living near them. These unions helped increase the population of both groups, with male children being returned to the Gargareans and female children staying with the Amazons.
Contrary to popular myth, the Amazons in all probability did not disfigure their breasts in any way. Contemporary art certainly doesn't show them in such a state. Doubtless this meaning comes from a- (without) mazos (breast) which could also be interpreted as meaning "not brought up by the breast" or even "with strong breasts," like a warrior. Another theory is a- (not) maza (bread), referring to their strong hunting tradition. Adrian Room believes it to have derived from an Iranian or Old Persian word meaning "warrior." (2) Whatever the origin, the Amazons did not practice such a form of self-mutilation. Ancient writers consistently refer to them as being quite beautiful, often stating the pride they had in themselves. (3)
The warrior Heracles crossed paths with the Amazons on several occasions. His ninth labor was to procure Queen Hippolyte's golden girdle. King Eurystheus’ daughter, Armete, had apparently fallen in love with it. Having sailed past the Amazon's country earlier when he was with Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles certainly knew the area. Upon arriving with his men, he was taken before the Queen, where he told her what he was after. Hippolyte had taken a fancy to the hero and offered to give him the girdle, a gift from her father Ares and a symbol of her position, as well as her bed. Heracles, being the epitome of manhood, certainly had no problem any of with this.
Unfortunately, rumor spread among her guards that she was under attack. Some sources claim it was Hera, trying to make Heracles’ life difficult yet again. Whatever source of the rumor, the Amazons came to the defense of their queen, turning on Heracles’ men and driving them back. Although the battle had gotten off to a great start for the women, the men eventually prevailed. (They were fighting the mightiest of heroes, after all!) Hippolyte was killed and her generals, Menalippe and Antiope were captured.
The son of Zeus released Menalippe upon her surrender of the girdle. Antiope was taken to Greece, where she became the wife of Theuses. Enraged, the warriors marched on Greece, battling their way to Athens and the Acropolis itself. There many of them died, including Antiope, still captive. It was a futile, heroic effort.
As a side note, this is merely one version of the story. Yet another has Hippolyte surviving Heracles’ visit and going on to fight in Athens. After their defeat she fled to Megara, where she died of grief. Her tomb was identifiable by its ivy-shaped Amazon shield. There are also different versions of how Theuses wound up with Antiope. But then, numerous variations are par for the course when studying the Amazons.
Penthesileia, yet another Amazon queen, led her troops against the Greeks during the Trojan war. They must have still really hated the Greeks, since they had also done battle with the Trojans, who had been led by Priam, Troy’s current king. The Amazons’ appearance in Troy certainly helped bolster the men's flagging moral, giving greater credence to their reputation of being fierce warriors.
At dinner Penthesileia had boasted that she would kill the mighty Achilles. Come morning she led Trojan and Amazon armies upon the battlefield. During the course of the day many Greeks met their deaths. Achilles was finally alerted to the battle and the tide began to turn on the women. Finally Penthesileia was killed, along with her horse, by Achilles’ spear. While the Greeks set out to loot the corpses, as was customary, Achilles spared the warrior maiden such a dishonor. He had become smitten of her beauty and her fierce proudness. Her corpse was returned to Priam, who had her honorably buried. Even the Greek warriors mourned the deaths of the Amazon fighters, especially Penthesileia.
There was another group of Amazons, possibly predating Ares’ offspring, living on the island of Hespera, near Mt. Atlas’ shadow. They had a lifestyle much like their Black Sea counterparts. These women were also conquering warriors who came to rule a sizable chunk of their world.
Their queen, Myrina, led them against the cities of Hespera and then moved on to Atlantis. Their destruction of the city Cerne was so brutal that other towns quickly surrendered. Myrina built a new city on Cerne’s remains, naming it after herself.
After a time the Atlanteans requested that that Amazons conquer the Gorgons, another female tribe and their enemies. Once again, Myrina and her army was victorious. The mighty women took a few thousand prisoners and killed many thousands more. At some point the captives turned upon their captors, slaughtering hundreds. Great earthen hills, the Amazon Mounds, were raised as tombs.
Myrina next set out across Libya, conquering and subduing as she went. The Amazons claimed everything from the Atlantic Ocean to Egypt, who'd wisely signed a treaty with them. After Libya she moved on to Asia. There the Taurian area, as well as Syria, fell to the women warriors. They traveled down along the Mediterranean Coast, making the Caicus river their empire's boundary, venturing out only to claim the occasional island. This included the island of Lesbos, later made famous by Sappho’s poetry. Here Myrina found herself carried off by a storm. She washed ashore on an uninhabited island, naming it Samothrace. Here she erected altars to Cybele.
Everywhere they went Myrina would found new cities, naming them for women who'd led outstanding commands. This gave us Cyme, Pitana, and Priene. On Lesbos she built Mytilene, named for her sister.
So what happened to these successful warriors? Mopsus of Thracia and Sipylus of Scythia successfully battled them. Myrina was killed in the combating. Their queen dead, the surviving Amazons withdrew to Libya.
Later Dionysus, son of Ammon and Amaltheia, united them to fight against Cronus and the Titans. He then turned on them after his return from the West. The Amazons took refuge in the temple of Artemis, located at Ephesus, a temple they had founded on their march westward. Relentlessly Dionysus pursued them. Samos served as their final battleground, where so many died the site was called Panhaema (bloodland?). The few survivors became protectors of the Temple and eventually became part of the general populace.
A small
tribe of Amazons still remained in Libya (or they were confused with the
Black Sea Amazons). Tragically these women would also die, along with the
Gorgons, slaughtered by Heracles. Robert E. Bell, in Women of Classical
Mythology, puts it best: "Perhaps these famous landmarks [Heracles’
Pillars] could serve today as monuments to a combination of chauvinism
and genocide, since Heracles slaughtered these women in the belief that
in his role as savior of mankind he could ill afford to let any nation
be under the rule of females."
2. Room's Classical Dictionary by Adrian Room. (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1983)
3. I can't
help by picture Barbie with a sword, the Barbie of my childhood able to
be anything she wanted, just like the Amazons.
Monaghan, Patricia Encyclopedia of Goddesses and Heroines, Llewellyn Publishing,
Room,
Adrian Room's Classical Dictionary, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1983.
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Originally
composed 25 May, 1998.
Copyright
Laurel Reufner, 1998. Comments? Email me!