Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of

Ares Ares (; , ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek deities, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for ...

and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of 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''. ...

, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word found in the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; , ; ) is one of two major Ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odyssey'', the poem is divided into 24 books and ...

and elsewhere meaning "war belt". Some English translations prefer " girdle". Hippolyta figures prominently in the myths of both

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 ...

and

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

. The myths about her are so varied it is thought that they may be about different women. The name ''Hippolyta'' translates as "she who unleashes the horses", deriving from two Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose".

Legends

Ninth Labor of Heracles

In the myth of Heracles, Hippolyta's belt (, ''zōstḗr Hippolytēs'') was the object of his ninth labour. He was sent to retrieve it for

Admete Admete ( means 'the unbroken, unwedded, untamed') or Admeta, was in Greek mythology, a Mycenaean princess. She was the daughter of King Eurystheus and Antimache Apollodorus2.5.9/ref> and sister to Alexander, Iphimedon, Eurybius, Mentor, Pe ...

, the daughter of King

Eurystheus In Greek mythology, Eurystheus (; , ) was king of Tiryns, one of three Mycenaean Greece, Mycenaean strongholds in the Argolid, although other authors including Homer and Euripides cast him as ruler of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos. Family Eurysthe ...

. Most versions of the myth indicate that Hippolyta was so impressed with Heracles that she gave him the belt without argument (In some versions she engaged in sexual intercourse with

), perhaps while visiting him on his ship. Then, according to Apollodorus, the goddess

Hera In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; ; in Ionic Greek, Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women, and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she is queen of the twelve Olympians and Mount Oly ...

, making herself appear as one of the Amazons, spread a rumour among them that Heracles and his crew were abducting their queen, so the Amazons attacked the ship. Among Hippolyta's warriors was Aella, who was the first to charge at Heracles during the battle. Despite her courage, she fell to Heracles, who, clad in the invulnerable skin of the Nemean lion, defeated her and the other Amazons. Ultimately, he overpowered Hippolyta, stripped her of the belt, and sailed away, thus fulfilling his labor.

Adventure of Theseus

In the myth of

, the hero joined Heracles in his expedition or went on a separate expedition later, and was the one who had the encounter with Hippolyta. Some versions say he abducted her, some that Heracles did the abducting but gave her to Theseus as spoils, and others say that she fell in love with Theseus and betrayed the Amazons by willingly leaving with him. In any case, she was taken to Athens where she was wed to Theseus. In some renditions, the other Amazons became enraged at the marriage and attacked Athens. This was the Attic War, in which they were defeated by Athenian forces under Theseus or Heracles. In other renditions, Theseus later put Hippolyta aside to marry Phaedra. So Hippolyta rallied her Amazons to attack the wedding ceremony. When the defenders closed the doors on the attackers, either Hippolyta was killed, Theseus directly killed her in the fight, she was accidentally killed by another Amazon,

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, ...

, while fighting by Theseus' side, or was accidentally killed by her sister Penthesilea during this battle or in a separate incident. This killer was in turn slain by Theseus or

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, ...

. Some stories paint Theseus in a more favorable light, saying that Hippolyta was dead before he and Phaedra were wed, and this battle did not occur. Further complicating the narratives, several ancient writers say the Amazon in question was not Hippolyta at all, but her sister Antiope, Melanippe, or

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 ...

. Moreover, there are combined versions of the tale in which Heracles abducts and kills Hippolyta while Theseus, assisted by

Sthenelus In Greek mythology, Sthenelus (; Ancient Greek: Σθένελος ''Sthénelos,'' "strong one" or "forcer", derived from "strength, might, force") was a name attributed to several different individuals: * Sthenelus, son of Perseus and Andromeda. ...

and Telamon, abducts and marries Antiope. There are also stories that Hippolyta or Antiope later bore Theseus a son, Hippolytus of Athens.Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Posthomerica'', I. 18 ''sqq''., 227 ''sqq''., 538 ''sqq''.

Shakespeare character

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'', Hippolyta is engaged to Theseus, the duke of Athens. In Act I, Scene 1, Theseus and Hippolyta discuss their fast-approaching wedding, which will take place under the new moon in four days (I.i.2). Theseus declares to Hippolyta that, although he "wooed her with his sword," he will wed her "with pomp, with triumph, and with revelling" and promises to begin a celebration that will continue until the wedding (I.i.19). The characterization of Hippolyta in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (as well as that of Theseus), like many other mytho-historical characters found in Shakespeare's plays, is based on ancient biographical accounts found in

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

's work ''

Parallel Lives * Culture of ancient Greece Culture of ancient Rome Ancient Greek biographical works Ethics literature History books about ancient Rome Cultural depictions of Gaius Marius Cultural depictions of Mark Antony Cultural depictions of Cicero ...

''. In ''The Life of Theseus'', according to Plutarch, it was Hippolyta who concluded a four month long war between Athens and the Amazons with a peace treaty, resulting in the marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta. The representation of Hippolyta and Theseus in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' appears to be the playwright's invention. The character Hippolyta appears in '' The Two Noble Kinsmen'', a play co-written by Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

Classical literature sources

Chronological listing of classical literature sources for Hippolyte's belt: *

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

, ''Iliad'' 2. 649 ff (trans. Murray) (Greek epic poetry C8th BC) *

Euripides Euripides () was a Greek tragedy, tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to ...

, ''Heracles Mad'', 408 ff (trans. Coleridge) (Greek tragedy C5th BC) * Euripides, ''Ion'', 1143 ff (trans. Way) * Euripides, '' Histories'', 214 ff (trans. Coleridge) *

Herodotus Herodotus (; BC) was a Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus (now Bodrum, Turkey), under Persian control in the 5th century BC, and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria, Italy. He wrote the '' Histori ...

, ''Histories'' 4. 9-10 (trans. Godley) (Greek history C5th BC) * Herodotus, ''Historiae'' 4. 82 * Apollonius Rhodius, ''The Argonautica'' 2. 750 ff (trans. Coleridge) (Greek epic poetry C3rd BC) * Apollonius Rhodius, ''The Argonautica'' 2. 777 ff * Apollonius Rhodius, ''The Argonautica'' 2. 966 ff * Lycophron, ''Alexandria'' 1327 ff (trans. Mair) (Greek epic poetry C3rd BC) *

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental Universal history (genre), universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty ...

, ''Library of History'' 2. 46. 3-4 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek history C1st BC) * Diodorus Siculus, ''Library of History'' 4. 16. 1–4 * Philippus of Thessalonica, ''The Twelve Labors of Hercules'' (''The Greek Classics'' ed. Miller Vol 3 1909 p. 397) (Greek epigram C1st AD) * Seneca, ''Agamemnon'' 848 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st AD) * Seneca, ''Hercules Furens'' 245 ff (trans. Miller) * Seneca, ''Hercules Furens'' 542 ff * Seneca, ''Hercules Oetaeus'' 21 ff (trans. Miller) * Seneca, ''Hercules Oetaeus'' 1183 ff * Seneca, ''Hercules Oetaeus'' 1450 ff * Seneca, ''Hercules Oetaeus'' 1894 ff *

, ''Theseus'' 26 ff (trans. Perrin) (Greek history C1st to C2nd AD) * Pseudo-Apollodorus, '' The Library'' 2. 5. 9 (trans. Frazer) (Greek mythography C2nd AD) * Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'' 5. 10. 9 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd AD) * Pseudo- Hyginus, ''Fabulae 30'' (trans. Grant) (Roman mythography C2nd AD) * Quintus Smyrnaeus, ''Fall of Troy'' 6. 240 ff (trans. Way) (Greek epic poetry C4th AD) * Nonnus, ''Dionysiaca'' 25. 148 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic poetry C5th AD) * Nonnos, ''Dionysiaca'' 25. 242 ff *

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 ...

, ''Chiliades'' or ''Book of Histories'' 2. 309 ff (trans. Untila et al.) (Grec-Byzantine history C12 AD) * Tzetzes, ''Chiliades'' or ''Book of Histories'' 2. 497 ff

References

External links

* {{Authority control Labours of Hercules Queens of the Amazons Children of Ares Characters in A Midsummer Night's Dream Female Shakespearean characters Theseus Deeds of Hera