There is a beautiful story about warlike women who kept in fear the whole ancient world and fought on the spot not only with their beauty, but also with weapons. They are called Amazons. Is this story a myth or a reality, and who are the Amazons? We will find the answer in the deep past.
Who are the Amazons?
For the first time and once the ancient Greeks mention the warlike beauties . Their patroness was the goddess Artemis. Extensive possessions are attributed to these ladies, starting from the lands near the Feromont River in Asia Minor and ending with the Syrian and Thracian lands. The Amazon tribes at that time stood out among the rest with their iron weapons and military cavalry. But their most significant feature is that there was not a single man in their army. On the contrary, the women of this tribe did not respect the strong sex; they considered it pampered and frail. The beautiful warriors needed men only for procreation. In the stories about who the Amazons are, it is often believed that they took men prisoner, with whom they later conceived offspring. However, it is possible that brave virgins for this purpose married a young man from neighboring tribes, and having achieved what they wanted, they expelled them from their community. Some sources indicate that the men were still in the tribes of the Amazons, but did not participate in hostilities, but only engaged in housekeeping. Only those Amazons who killed at least three enemies had the right to become a mother. If boys were born in their tribe, then according to the first version they were immediately killed, according to the second - they were given to their fathers. In order to understand who the Amazons are, you should find out the meaning of their name. In the literal translation, the Greek word amazes is "breastless." According to ancient legends, each wild Amazon, for more convenience, when using a bow and other weapons, deprived herself of her right chest. Some historians believe that they called these women chestless because they were not feminine in the full sense of the word.
Amazons in myths
For the first time, these ladies are mentioned in one of the exploits of Hercules. So, according to the myths of Ancient Hellas, the valiant hero was instructed to deliver the belt of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. In order to get this thing, Hercules had to kill all the warlike virgins. Which, however, did not stop them from appearing in stories about Theseus. In accordance with such a legend, this hero was quite friendly with Hercules and even with him participated in a campaign on the Amazons, from where he brought his wife - their very queen Hippolytus. Desperate women immediately rushed to fight for their mistress. But in the end, they themselves killed her: Hippolyta took the blow, intended for her husband.
Myth or reality?
Tales of who the Amazons are do not explain the main thing - whether they really existed or were a figment of the imagination of the ancient Greeks. Some believe that the story about them is just a fairy tale, as evidenced by their appearance in myths. Others believe that the Amazons are a fictional tribe that could exist in the territories of modern Turkey, Greece, Asia or even Russia. So far, this issue is unresolved.