In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες) were female warriors and hunters, known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat. Their society was closed to men and they raised only their daughters, returning their sons to their fathers with whom they would only socialize briefly in order to reproduce. They were portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Heracles, the Argonautica and the Iliad.
Alias Amazons
Real Names/Alt Names Amazones; Penthesilea (Aethiopis, Posthomerica); Hippolyta (Heracles cycle, Bibliotheca); Antiope (Theseus cycle, Life of Theseus); Otrera (mother of Amazons, linked to Ares; later mythographers); Myrina (Libyan Amazons, Library of History); Lampedo (Diodorus); Marpesia (Diodorus); Orithyia/Orithyeia (Diodorus; Amazon war with Athens); Melanippe (captured by Heracles; Apollodorus); Aella (slain by Heracles; Apollodorus); Thalestris (Alexander legend)
Appearance List Iliad (c. 8th century BCE) by Homer; Aethiopis (c. 7th century BCE) attributed to Arctinus of Miletus — lost epic sequel to the Iliad; Histories (c. 430 BCE) by Herodotus; Library of History (1st century BCE) by Diodorus Siculus; Bibliotheca / Library (1st–2nd century CE?) attributed to Apollodorus; Life of Theseus (c. 100 CE) by Plutarch; Posthomerica / The Fall of Troy (c. 4th century CE) by Quintus Smyrnaeus; A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1600 quarto; performed earlier) by William Shakespeare — adaptation/afterlife of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons; Penthesilea (1808) by Heinrich von Kleist; The Fall of Troy (1913) by Quintus Smyrnaeus, trans. Arthur S. Way. See Apollodorus: The Library (Book 2 / Chapter 5 / Section 9 (2.5.9); Book 3 / Chapter 15 / Section 1 (3.15.1)) [Internet Archive]
Sample Read Apollodorus: The Library, transl. J. Frazer [Internet Archive]
Description In Greek mythology, the Amazons (Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες) were female warriors and hunters, known for their physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat. Their society was closed to men and they raised only their daughters, returning their sons to their fathers with whom they would only socialize briefly in order to reproduce. They were portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Heracles, the Argonautica and the Iliad.
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