The

Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

were a group or race of female warriors in Ancient Greek mythology. Most of them are only briefly named in one or two sources, either as companions of

Penthesilea Penthesilea () was an Amazonian queen in Greek mythology, the daughter of Ares and Otrera and the sister of Hippolyta, Antiope, and Melanippe. She assisted Troy in the Trojan War, during which she was killed by Achilles or Neoptolemus. The ...

at the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

, or as being killed by

Heracles Heracles ( ; ), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a Divinity, divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of ZeusApollodorus1.9.16/ref> and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive descent through ...

during his 12 labours.

Mythology

Labour of Heracles

Many stories about

and his 12 labours mention different Amazons being killed by him. These include Alcippe,

Asteria In Greek mythology, Asteria or Asterie ( ; ) is a daughter of the Titans Coeus (Polus) and Phoebe and the sister of Leto. According to Hesiod, by the Titan Perses she had a single child, a daughter named Hecate, the goddess of witchcraft. Othe ...

Celaeno In Greek mythology, Celaeno (; ''Kelaino'', lit. 'the dark one', also Celeno or Kelaino, sometimes Calaeno) referred to several different figures. * Celaeno, one of the Pleiades. She was said to be mother of Lycus and Nycteus, of King Eurypyl ...

Deianira Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira ( ; , or , ), also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband". She was the wife of Heracles and, in late Classical acc ...

, Eriboea and

Tecmessa The name Tecmessa () refers to the following characters in Greek mythology: * Tecmessa, daughter of Teleutas, King of Phrygia, or Teuthras, King of Teuthrania in Mysia, or Tethras or Teuthas. During the Trojan War, Telamonian Ajax kills Tec ...

. Others, like

Aella Aella, is a feminine given name and may refer to: * Aella (Amazon) (), an Amazon in Greek mythology. * Aella (writer), or Aella_girl, a libertarian sex researcher and sex worker * Aella (), meaning "stormswift" in Ancient Greek. * Aella Jordan-Edg ...

and Pantariste, fought Heracles but weren't killed.

Trojan War

John Tzetzes John Tzetzes (; , Constantinople – 1180, Constantinople) was a Byzantine poet and grammarian who lived at Constantinople in the 12th century. He is known for making significant contributions in preserving much valuable information from ancien ...

gives in his ''Posthomerica'' a list of Amazons who went with queen Penthesilea to the Trojan War and were killed in battle: Anchimache, Andro, Androdaixa, Antianeira, Aspidocharme, Chalcaor, Cnemis, Enchesimargos, Eurylophe, Gortyessa, Iodoce, Ioxeia, Oistrophe, Pharetre, Thorece, Toxoanassa, and Toxophone. Tzetzes, John, ''Posthomerica'' 179-182 (translated by Ana Untila)

Quintus Smyrnaeus Quintus Smyrnaeus (also Quintus of Smyrna; , ''Kointos Smyrnaios'') was a Greek epic poet whose ''Posthomerica'', following "after Homer", continues the narration of the Trojan War. The dates of Quintus Smyrnaeus' life and poetry are disputed: by ...

, in his ''

Posthomerica The ''Posthomerica'' () is an epic poem in Greek hexameter verse by Quintus of Smyrna. Probably written in the 3rd century AD, it tells the story of the Trojan War, between the death of Hector and the fall of Troy, Ilium (Troy). The poem is an ab ...

'', also gives a list of the companions of Penthesilea at Troy who were killed there by the Greek warriors.

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

killed Antandre, Antibrote, Harmothoe,

Hippothoe In Greek mythology, Hippothoe (Ancient Greek: Ἱπποθόη ''Hippothoê'' means 'swift as a mare') is the name of five distinct characters. * Hippothoe, the "lovely" Nereids, Nereid and one of the 50 marine-nymph daughters of the 'Old Man of t ...

, and Polemusa;

Diomedes Diomedes (Jones, Daniel; Roach, Peter, James Hartman and Jane Setter, eds. ''Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary''. 17th edition. Cambridge UP, 2006.) or Diomede (; ) is a hero in Greek mythology, known for his participation in the Trojan ...

killed

Alcibie In Greek Mythology Alcibie (Ancient Greek: Αλκίβια or Αλκιβίη; Αλκι means prowess, βια/βίη means strength or force) was one of the Amazons, a race of warrior-women. She fought with their queen, Penthesilea to the Trojan War. ...

and Derimacheia,

Idomeneus of Crete In Greek mythology, Idomeneus (; ) was a Cretan king and commander who led the Cretan armies to the Trojan War, in eighty black ships. He was also one of the suitors of Helen, as well as a comrade of the Telamonian Ajax. Meriones was his chari ...

killed

Bremusa In Greek Mythology, Bremusa (Ancient Greek: Βρεμούσα means "furious female") was one of a group of 12 Amazonian warriors. She was born in Themiskyra in 1204 BC and fought with Penthesilea. Mythology Bremusa was killed outside of Troy by ...

Podarces In Greek mythology, Podarces () was a son of Iphiclus (son of Phylacus, founder of Phylace) by Diomedeia and the brother of Protesilaus. In some accounts, he and his brother were called the sons of Phylacus and Astyoche instead. Mythology I ...

killed Clonie after she had killed his comrade

Menippus Menippus of Gadara (; ''Menippos ho Gadareus''; fl. 3rd century BC) was a Cynic satirist. The Menippean satire genre is named after him. His works, all of which are lost, were an important influence on Varro and Lucian, who ranks Menippus wi ...

Ajax the Lesser Ajax ( ''Aias'' "of the earth") was a Greek mythology, Greek mythological Greek hero cult, hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris. He was called the "Ajax the Less", the "lesser" or "Locrian" Ajax, to distinguish him from Ajax the Great, son ...

killed

Derinoe In Greek mythology, Derinoe (Ancient Greek: Δηρινόη) was one of the Amazons, a race of warrior-women. She came with their queen, Penthesilia to the Trojan War. Mythology During the siege of Troy, Derinoe killed the Achaean warrior Lao ...

after she had killed

Laogonus In Greek mythology, Laogonus (Ancient Greek: Δαογόνον or Λαόγονον) may refer to the following personages: * Laogonus, an Achaean warrior who participated in the Trojan War. He was slain by the Amazon Derinoe. * Laogonus, the "bold" ...

, and Meriones killed Evandre and Thermodosa.

, ''

'

/ref>

Other named Amazons

* Agave (mythology), Agave *

Alke In Greek mythology, the name Alke or Alce (, "prowess, courage") may refer to: *Alke, the spirit and personification of the abstract concept of courage and battle-strength. In the ''Iliad'', she was depicted on Athena's aegis alongside Ioke, ...

Dioxippe Dioxippe (Ancient Greek: Διωξίππη) is a name in Greek mythology that may refer to: *Dioxippe, one of the Heliades. *Dioxippe, one of the Danaïdes. *Dioxippe, an Amazon. *Dioxippe, wife of Agenor and mother of Sipylus who killed her unwitti ...

Euryale In Greek mythology, Euryale ( ; ) was the name of several mythological figures, including: * Euryale, one of the three Gorgon sisters. * Euryale, daughter of Minos, mother of the great hunter Orion. * Euryale, one of the AmazonsParada, Eurya ...

Glauce In Greek mythology, Glauce (; Ancient Greek: Γλαύκη ''Glaukê'' means 'blue-gray' or 'gleaming'), Latin Glauca, refers to different people: *Glauce, an Arcadian nymph, one of the nurses of Zeus. She and the other nurses were represente ...

Lysippe Lysippe (; Ancient Greek: Λυσίππη ''Lusíppē'') is the name of several different women in Greek mythology: * Lysippe, the Amazon mother of the river god Tanais. *Lysippe, other name for Cydippe, daughter of King Ormenus of Rhodes and wife ...

Melanippe :''The name Melanippe is the feminine counterpart of Melanippus.'' In Greek mythology, the name Melanippe () referred to several different people: * Melanippe, daughter of the Centaur Chiron. Also known as Hippe or Euippe. She bore a daughter to ...

* Menippe *

Molpadia In Greek mythology, Molpadia (Ancient Greek: Μολπαδία means 'divine song') may refer to the two different women: * Molpadia, an Amazon who was said to have fought for both Antiope and Orithyia. She was a participant in the Attic War, ...

Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...

* Xanthe

Amazons named in non-literary sources

Some Amazons are not known from literary sources, but only from inscriptions on vases. Areto is depicted on an

Attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. It is also known as a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because they fill the space between the ceiling of a building's t ...

black-figure Black-figure pottery painting (also known as black-figure style or black-figure ceramic; ) is one of the styles of Ancient Greek vase painting, painting on pottery of ancient Greece, antique Greek vases. It was especially common between the 7th a ...

vase. Blok, Josine H. The early Amazons: modern and ancient perspectives on a persistent myth. BRILL, 1995
page 218
(with a reference to ''

Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae The ''Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae'' (abbreviated ''LIMC'') is a multivolume encyclopedia cataloguing representations of mythology in the plastic arts of classical antiquity. Published serially from 1981 to 2009, it is the most ex ...

'', "Amazones" entry, vol. 1, p. 653)

Creusa In Greek mythology, Creusa (; ''Kreousa'' "princess") may refer to the following figures: * Creusa, a naiad daughter of Gaia. * Creusa, daughter of Erechtheus, King of Athens and his wife, Praxithea. * Creusa, also known by the name Glauce, was ...

is known from a vase from

Cumae Cumae ( or or ; ) was the first ancient Greek colony of Magna Graecia on the mainland of Italy and was founded by settlers from Euboea in the 8th century BCE. It became a rich Roman city, the remains of which lie near the modern village of ...

. Iphito is only known from inscriptions.

Xanthippe Xanthippe (; ; fl. 5th–4th century BCE) was an Classical Athens, ancient Athenian, the wife of Socrates and mother of their three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. She was likely much younger than Socrates, perhaps by as much as ...

is known from a

red-figure vase Red-figure pottery () is a style of ancient Greek pottery in which the background of the pottery is painted black while the figures and details are left in the natural red or orange color of the clay. It developed in Athens around 520 BC and rem ...

Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher (12 February 1845, in Göttingen – 9 March 1923, in Dresden) was a German classical scholar. He specialized in studies of Greek and Roman mythology. He received his education at the Universities of Göttingen and L ...

(ed.): ''Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie''. Band VI (U-Z), Hildesheim, 1965, s. 518

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amazons * Greek mythology-related lists

Mythology

Labour of Heracles

Trojan War

Other named Amazons

Amazons named in non-literary sources

See also

References