Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

legendary history, Orithyia was the daughter of Marpesia, and became the queen of the Amazons. She was a key figures in the story of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

' quest for the girdle of the Amazon queen, his ninth labor.

History

In Greek and Roman mythology, Orithyia, "woman raging in the mountains", was the daughter of Marpesia. Upon the death of her mother, Orithyia became the new 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''. ...

. She co-ruled with Antiope, who some authorities say was her sister. She was famous for her perpetual virginity. Her war techniques were outstanding and brought much honor to the Amazon empire. According to Justinus's Epitome of Trogus Pompeius' ''History of the World'', Orithyia was one of the key figures in the story of

' quest for the girdle of the Amazon queen. In Pompeius Trogus' version of this story,

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 ...

, king of

Mycenae Mycenae ( ; ; or , ''Mykē̂nai'' or ''Mykḗnē'') is an archaeological site near Mykines, Greece, Mykines in Argolis, north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It is located about south-west of Athens; north of Argos, Peloponnese, Argos; and sou ...

, thought it would be nearly impossible to capture Orithyia's royal girdle in war (according to most other versions, the girdle belonged to

Hippolyte In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word fou ...

), so he passed this duty onto

, his debtor, as his ninth labor. Hercules then gathered nine warships and occupied the shores of the Amazons while Orithyia was away. Because of the confusion and the carelessness of the Amazons, their numbers were greatly reduced. Hercules was easily able then to capture

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 ...

and

, Antiope's sisters. Hercules returned Melanippe after getting the queen's girdle, however Hippolyte was taken away by

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 ...

, king of

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, as his share of the spoil. Orithyia then led the

Attic War In Greek mythology, the Attic War was the conflict between the Amazons, a race of women warriors led by the Amazon queen Penthesilea, and the Athenians, led by Theseus or Heracles. The war lasted 4 months and concluded with a peace treaty in Horeomo ...

to free Hippolyte and take revenge for the defeat of Antiope. She asked Sagillus, the

Scythia Scythia (, ) or Scythica (, ) was a geographic region defined in the ancient Graeco-Roman world that encompassed the Pontic steppe. It was inhabited by Scythians, an ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic people. Etymology The names ...

n king, for assistance, and he sent his son Panasagoras with a body of cavalry to her aid. However, some disagreement occurred between the allies, and the Scythians left the battlefield. The Amazons were eventually defeated, but managed to escape to their allies' camp and, under their protection, returned home safely In

Giovanni Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian people, Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so ...

's '' Famous Women'',

’s '' Famous Women'' translated by Virginia Brown (2001), p. 41-42; Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press; ; a chapter is dedicated to Orithyia and Antiope.

Notes

References

Primary sources

Orosius Paulus Orosius (; born 375/385 – 420 AD), less often Paul Orosius in English, was a Roman priest, historian and theologian, and a student of Augustine of Hippo. It is possible that he was born in '' Bracara Augusta'' (now Braga, Portugal), ...

''Historiae adversus paganos'' I.15.7-9 * Justinus ''Epitoma Historiarum philippicarum Pompei Trogi'' II.4.17-30

Secondary sources

*Watson, John Selby ''Justin, Cornelius Nepos, and Eutropius: Literally Translated'', pp 21–22, 547; Published 1853 H. G. Bohn, original in the New York Public Library *Williams, Henry Smith ''The Historians' History of the World: A Comprehensive Narrative of the Rise'', v.2, p. 440-441; Published 1904 The Outlook Company, New York Public Library {{end Queens of the Amazons Children of Ares

History

See also

Notes

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources