Hippolyte
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In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη) is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle she was given by her father Ares, the god of war.
This woman of many names was one of the queens of the Amazons. The Amazons were a warrior race of women who were descended of Ares, the god of war. They would sometimes mate with men of other nations to create future generations, but they would raise only the girls, killing the boys.
Hippolyta first appears in myth when she is kidnapped by Theseus, who was accompanying Heracles on his quest against the Amazons. When Theseus first arrived at the land of the Amazons they expected no malice, and so Hippolyta came to his ship bearing gifts. Once she was aboard Theseus set sail for Athens, claiming the queen as his bride.
Theseus' brazen act sparked an Amazonomachy, a great battle between the Athenians and Amazons. The Amazons made camp in Attica on a hill that has been described as "bare and rocky", the Areopagus. It would become the most famous court of law of ancient times. The apostle Paul gave one of his best known speeches on the Areopagus.
Even though Hippolyta bore a son to Theseus, who was called Hippolytus, she was cast off when Theseus had eyes for Phaedra. Scorned, Hippolyta went back to the Amazons, while Hippolytus had problems of his own with his new stepmother. (Some sources paint Theseus in a more favorable light, saying that Hippolyta was dead before he and Phaedra were wed.)
Hippolyta also appears in the myth of Heracles. It was her girdle that Heracles was sent to retrieve for Admeta, the daughter of king Eurystheus. The girdle was a waist belt from Ares that signified her authority as queen of the Amazons.
When Heracles landed the Amazons received him warmly and Hippolyta came to his ship to greet him. Upon hearing his request, she agreed to let him take the girdle. Hera, however, was not pleased, as was often the case with Heracles. To stop him, Hera came down to the Amazons disguised as one of their own and ran through the land, crying that Heracles meant to kidnap their queen. Probably remembering all too well what Theseus had done, the Amazons charged toward the ship to save Hippolyta. Fearing that Hippolyta had betrayed him, Hercules hastily killed her, ripped the girdle from her lifeless body, and set sail, narrowly escaping the raging warriors.
An alternate story of Hippolyta's death is a direct result of Theseus' marriage to Phaedra. With an army of Amazons behind her, Hippolyta returned to Athens and stormed into the wedding of Theseus and Phaedra. She declared that anyone partaking in the festivities would perish, but in the melee that ensued she was killed, either accidentally by her companion Penthesileia or by Theseus' men.
A third story of Hippolyta's death involved her sister, Penthesilea. Penthesilea had killed Hippolyta with a spear by accident when they were hunting deer; this accident caused Penthesilea so much grief that she wished only to die, but, as a warrior and an Amazon, she had to do so honorably and in battle. She therefore was easily convinced to join in the Trojan War, fighting on the side of Troy's defenders.
Since Hippolyta obviously could not die three times (there are no stories of divine intervention or resurrection) there exists a strange paradox in Hippolyta. Some sources explain away this paradox by saying that at least one of the stories involved Antiopê, rather than Hippolyta. Antiopê and Hippolyta are not the same woman, but, rather, are two separate queens of the Amazons, with different names and leading different lives.
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Hippolyte (hĭpŏl`ĭtē), in Greek mythology, an Amazon queen. One of the 12 labors of Hercules was to take the golden girdle of Ares from her.
Hippolyte definition of Hippolyte in the Free Online Encyclopedia.
In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη) is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle she was given by her father Ares, the god of war.
Hippolyta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hippolyte Adolphe Taine (April 21, 1828 - March 5, 1893) was a French critic and historian. He was the chief theoretical influence of French naturalism, a major proponent of ...
Hippolyte Taine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hippolyte's Belt Hercules Fights the Amazons. For the ninth labor, Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the belt of Hippolyte [Hip-POLLY-tee].
Hercules' Ninth Labor: Hippolyte's Belt
In Greek mythology, a queen of the Amazons. She wore a girdle given to her by her father Ares, which Heracles took after killing her as his ninth labour.