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1 Wonder Women The idea of the Amazon has evolved through the ages, since the days of Homer to the present. Their myths have evolved and have been altered to accommodate the society in which the story is being told. What is the significance of the existence of Amazons, and why are there so many myths of their demise? From man’s mortal enemy to modern day cult heroes, the idea of the Amazon is immortal. Love them, or hate them, their stories will live on, and new stories will continue to be created. This paper will trace the beginnings and culture of these warrior women and how important they were in classical Greece, in art and literature. William Blake Tyrrell gives a view of why Greek myths were created and more importantly why Amazons came into existence, in his book Amazons, A Study in Athenian Mythmaking: Classical Athens was a patriarchy, a social system organized along the lines of the sexual asymmetry of male privilege. The cultural ideal, the adult male warrior, depended upon the imperative that boys become warriors and fathers, and girls become wives and mothers of sons. The genesis of the Amazon myth is the reversal of that is imperative: Amazons go to war and refuse to become mothers of sons. (xiv) 2 Tyrrell also gives a reason for why myths were an important tool for learning: Myths tend to deal with sources of conflict and tension in the social order and human conditions. Their function is to elicit responses to their explanations in the minds and emotions of their receptors in order to obfuscate (to blur), circumvent, or mediate those conflicts and tensions. […] a myth manipulates its explanatory techniques in ways that contradict systematic thought. Its purpose is the diminution of anxiety and resolution of conflict […]. (xiv) The Amazons are the Greek male citizens’ ultimate conflict because they challenge the roles of society. They are the opposition of order; thus Amazons, as well as females who ventured outside their social roles, were viewed as chaotic. In Tyrell’s context of marriage, women who did not marry upset societal norms (31). It is no secret that women in classical Greece were viewed as wild and sexually promiscuous unless they married a man who could tame her and teach her how to be a proper wife. Textual evidence of Greek male thought on how women, without the presence of men, acted can be found in Greek literature such as Aristophanes’ comedy Lysistrata, Aeschylus’ Orestia, and Euripides’ Bacchae. 3 If men feared that untamed women were sexually wild unless taught to be a proper wife, then the Amazons must have been beyond what men feared most because the Amazons were women who used their sexual prowess to their advantage. Not only did they shun marriage, but they also assumed the roles that were strictly male, such as warriors and imperialists. Untamed women could be tamed by marriage; Amazons could not be tamed at all. To do so secured you a spot among heroes. So who were they? Homer called them the “antianeirai,” which means, “those who go to war like men.” Herodotus, a historian from Halicarnassus, called them “oiorpata” which means “the killers of males.” They were warrior-women who lived in a matriarchal society. They excelled in warfare, had God-given beauty, and built cities. They were most famous for their war practices, which included the cutting of the right breast to ease the drawing of the bow. It is believed that the name “Amazon” derived from the Greek word “amazoi,” which means, “breast less” or “without breast” (Wilde 14). Hellanicus, an Ionian historian, describes the Amazons as, “a golden-shielded, silver-axed, female, male-loving, male-infant-killing host” (Tyrrell 21). In ancient vase paintings, the Amazons were depicted as carrying both heavy and light armor. They carried moon-shaped, hide-covered shields and wore a cap of leather. Their main 4 weapon was the curved Scythian bow; however, they also used axes, spears, and javelins (Tyrrell 50). The artists and authors, who used the Amazons as their subjects, made them in a way where they would be hated by the Greek male citizen. “The bow was reviled from Homeric times as a coward'’ weapon because with it, one could kill from a safe distance.” The Amazons bow was to have mirrored the Persians because it was the most “menacing feature” in their warfare (50). The ideology of the Amazons was to use the Greeks real enemies at the time, the Persians, and make them even more dangerous to men. When did the first written literature of the Amazon first exist? The earliest written references of the Amazons can be credited to Homers’ Iliad. In a conversation with Helen, Priam tells of his past war experiences: Years ago I visited Phrygia rife with vineyards, saw the Phrygian men with their swarming horses there – multitudes – the armies of Otreus, Mygdon like a god, encamped that time along the Sangarius River banks. And I took my stand among them, comrade-in-arms the day the Amazons struck, a match for men in war. (3: 225-229) The Amazons are also referred to in Book 6 during the tale of Bellerophon’s (also known as Bellerophontes) heroics, “Then for a third test he brought the Amazons down, a match for men in 5 war” (6: 219-220). In both references, Homer does not go into detail in explaining the story of the Amazons. The Iliad only states that the Amazons were "a match for men in war". There is no mention of the Amazons origins. It is safe to assume that Homer had intended his audience to already know the story of the Amazons. Many authors have retold the origin of the Amazons. According to Robert Graves’ Greek Myths, the Amazons are children of Ares, the god of war, and a Naiad, Harmonia. Lysippe Their first leader was Lysippe. She once had a son named Tanais who offended Aphrodite by detesting marriage and devoting himself to war. In revenge, Aphrodite caused him to fall in love with his mother. Instead of exposing his love, he flung himself into the river, now named after him, and drowned. Lysippe, fearful that her son’s ghost will come back with vengeance, led her daughters around the Black Sea coast, settling by the river Thermodon. Once there, they formed three tribes, and each tribe founded a city. Lysippe established the rules among the Amazons. First, descent is only recognized through the mother. Secondly, men must perform all household tasks, while the women did the governing and fighting. Thirdly, the arms and legs of infant 6 males were to be broken to prevent them from warring and travelling (Graves 160). According to Graves, the Amazons were unnatural women and showed no regard for justice or decency. These women, however, were famous warriors and the first to employ a cavalry. Before Lysippe died in battle, she built the capital city of Themiscyra and defeated every tribe as far as the river Tanais. Temples were built in honor of Ares, and the Amazons chief Goddess, Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. Lysippes’ descendants would later extend the Amazonian empire to Thrace and Phrygia and then, “Three famous Amazonian queens, Marpesia, Lampado, and Hippo, seized a great part of Asia Minor and Syria, and founded the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Cyrene, and Myrine. It was on this expedition that the Amazons captured Troy, Priam being then still a child” (161). impressive. The military exploits of the Amazons were These women were able to conquer land and build working cities without the help of men. “But Amazon imperialists oppose Athenian imperialists as women opposed men. Should the Amazons be victorious, women would rule of men as men ruled in everyday life over women” (Graves 16.). In the book, The War Against the Amazons, written by Abby Wettan Kleinbaum, she states: The conquest of an Amazon is an act of transcendence, a rejection of the ordinary, of death, of mediocrity – 7 and a reach for immortality. If the Amazon excels in military prowess, then the skill of the hero who defeats her is even more extraordinary. If she is beautiful and pledged to virginity, then the sexual power of the hero who wins her heart and her bed is without measure. If she builds powerful armies, strong cities, great stores of riches, then these serve as trophies for her male conquerors. To win an Amazon, either through arms or through love or, even better, through both, is to be certified as a hero.(1) The legend of the Amazons were created by men whose intent was not to flatter women, but to create an archetype of barbaric women who needed to be slaughtered. “[…] a man who has never envisioned harming a woman can freely indulge in fantasies of murdering an Amazon” (Kleinbaum 1). There have been many myths that tell the story of the hero defeating the Amazons. Penthesilea One of these stories is the famous one of Achilles in the Trojan War. Some stories tell of Achilles committing necrophilia on the corpse of Penthesilea. It has been argued, however, that the romantic interpretation only appears in works of later poets and that the classical representations only show the two in intense fighting (Kleinbaum 23). Versions have been told by many poets, including Arctinus and Quintus Smyrnaeus. The oldest of 8 the romantic interpretation can be traced to an eighth century B.C epic, Aethiopis, narrated by Arctinus: The Amazon Penthesilea arrives to aid the Trojans in the war. She is the daughter of Ares and a Thracian by birth. Achilles kills her while she is fighting at her best, and the Trojans bury her. Achilles kills Thersites, who railed at him and reproached him for loving Penthesilea. (Tyrrell 78) According to Quintus, who lived around the fourth century AD, “Though she lay fallen in the dirt and gore, beneath her lovely eyebrows shone her beautiful face, even in death.” He continues to describe Achilles reaction to the slain Queen: Many men prayed that when they came home they would sleep in the bed of a wife like her. Achilles suffered greatly in his heart, that he slew her and did not bring her to Phthia as his shining wife, since in height and beauty she was blameless and like the immortals. (Tyrrell 79) Hippolyte Another story of hero against Amazon is the one about Heracles’ Labors. It first appeared around 575 B.C. as paintings on black-figure vases (Tyrrell 2). “The earliest written version of the myth,” according to William Blake Tyrrell, “is given by Euripides in the Heracles.” Heracles was told by an 9 oracle to serve Eurystheus, king of Mycenae, for twelve years. In return, Heracles would be made an immortal. Heracles to complete twelve labors. Eurystheus order One of these labors was to fetch golden girdle of Ares from the Amazonian queen, Hippolyte. When Heracles arrived at the river Thermodon, Hippolyte, Antiope, and Melanippe ruled the three chief cities. Hippolyte saw Heracles and fell in love with his masculinity and offered him the girdle as a love gift. But Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus, was nearby and disguised as an Amazon. She spread rumors around the city that these men planned to abduct Hippolyte. The women, convinced of the rumors, attacked Heracles and his men. Heracles slays Hippolyte, thinking she had something to do with the attack, and steals her girdle and her weapons. He killed many Amazons before returning back to Mycenae (Graves 160-163). Antiope The most extensive story about the Amazons has to be the one with Theseus. He visited the city of the Amazons and the Queen Antiope (in some versions, Hippolyta) greeted him and his companions. As she was bringing him gifts, Theseus abducts her and takes her back to Athens. In another version, Theseus was among Heracles’ crew when he took the girdle. As a reward for helping Heracles in battle, Theseus was given the Amazon queen. In either story, the common line is that Theseus obtained the Queen, and as a result, it started the Amazonian invasion of 10 Athens, also know as the Amazonomachy. The queen’s sister, whose goal was to bring the queen back to Themyscira, led the Amazonian army. During the battle between Athenians and Amazons, some stories tell of the queen fighting alongside Theseus. This was a betrayal to the Amazons and their law. Prior to the invasion, Theseus consulted the Oracle which told him that the Athenians must attack first, and it also foretold of the death of his lover, by his own hands. The battle lasted for months until both sides came to an agreement. This was a great victory for the Athenians because the Amazons were the best warriors. In their view, they beat the best, therefore, now Athens was the best. As time past, Theseus entered an alliance with King Deucalion the Cretan. Phaedra. Theseus was to marry the king’s sister, This enraged his Amazon lover and during the wedding festivities, she burst in, fully armed, and threatened to kill the guests. Theseus fought her and killed her, as the oracle had predicted. It is assumed that the queen was in love with Theseus. She bore him a son, Hippolytus and had been with no other man than him. This story continues in Euripides’ play, Hippolytus. Hippolytus was an exceptionally handsome man. He angered Aphrodite by worshiping Artemis instead. As punishment, Aphrodite makes his stepmother, Phaedra, fall in love with him. When this secret is revealed, Hippolytus is angered at his 11 stepmother and the nurse who encouraged Phaedra to come out with the truth. Phaedra, crushed by the rejection, commits suicide. Theseus, curious as to the commotion finds his dead wife with a note that places the blame of her death on Hippolytus. wants Hippolytus dead, but exiles him instead. Theseus Prior to his death, Hippolytus forgives Theseus for being the father that he was and that even as he dies, Theseus will not have to worry about revenge. Theseus not only loses Phaedra, the woman whom he killed Antiope for, but he also loses the only son the Amazon ever had. If the story of Antiope and Hippolytus teaches anything, it teaches the audience that women become troublesome when they follow their heart, and this leads to their deaths. For Antiope, it was her jealousy, and for Phaedra, it was getting her heart broken. All of the stories about the hero versus the Amazon share the same outcome: the slaughtering of the Amazons and the death of the Queen. It is no question that the origins of these stories are from males who lived in a misogynistic society that valued aresteia, which means, “the best.” The Amazon represented the best, their defeat meant man was the now the best. There are no stories of Amazon succeeding over the Athenian heroes. Amazons were worse than the Persians because they were more skilled at warfare, created major cities, and most importantly because they were female. They were not fully 12 savages, although most descriptions show them as such. Even the great Greek heroes have fallen in love with them. The ideologies of the Amazons have caused fear and curiosity in classical times and still do today because they are still mystery. In today’s world, the Amazon is a positive icon of female empowerment. Their essence will continue to live on because their ideologies showed independence. And independence is greatly valued in today’s society. 13 Works Cited Euripides. Hippolytus. Trans. Robert Bagg. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1973. Graves, Robert. Greek Myths. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1960. Homer. Iliad. Trans. Fitzgerald, Robert. New York: Anchor Books, 1974. Kleinbaum, Abby Wettan. The War Against the Amazons New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983. Tyrrell, William Blake. Amazons: A Study in Athenian MythMaking. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 1989. Wilde, Lyn Webster. On the Trial of the Woman Warriors. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1999.