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Lampedo, meaning "burning torch", was an Amazon queen of a mythic race of warrior women.[1] She ruled with her sister Marpesia ("snatcher") [2] and called themselves daughters of Mars to put terror in the heart of their enemies to show they were incredible warriors to be feared. [3] Her name refers to the traditional New Moon torchlit processions in honor of Artemis, goddess of the hunt. [4]

The story of the development of the Amazon nation follows the history recorded by Ephorus, a writer of the fourth century B.C. An aristocratic faction sent Sylisios and Scolopicus, men of royal blood from Scythia, into exile. With the faction they all ultimately came to the Thermodon River in Cappadocia and took over the lands of the Cyrian people. They pillaged and robbed the people of the area. Most of the males were killed by the men of Scythia and their faction. The widows that were left found their stituation deplorable. They then banded together in a tribe with the remaining few young males and took out their enemy and continued to rage war then against their neighboring countries. The warring women then banded together and killed the remaing husbands of the Scythians' massacre to remove the appearance that destiny had somehow treated these other married women differently and that they were special.

Afterwards they then sued for peace with their enemies. To assure royal succession they then had intimate relations with the men of the adjacent areas and returned home after they knew they were pregnant. The babies that were males were killed immediately and the females were raised carefully to become outstanding warriors. The right breast of the young girls were hindered (medically or by other means) so that it did not hinder them from being an excellent archer. The left breast was left intact for their future babies. This practice is where the name "Amazon" comes from. [5]

Scythian bowmen
Scythian bowmen


The normal work that we think of today as that of a women's duty was not how they raised their children. They became instead young strong warriors and held the Cyrian lands that was once held by their ancestors. Because of their reputation they then selected Lampedo and Marpesia to become their leaders as the queens of the new tribe of Amazons.

Describing the records of the Scythians Diodorus of Sicily has a similar history of the founding of the Amazon nation. The same story was told by Xenophon, who wrote nearly four centuries earlier and is repeated by Paulus Orosius and the Latin historian Justin. Even the famous modern writer of children encyclopedias Donald J. Sobol tells a very similar version.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Amazonians The Scythian Amazons, pages 25 and 26
  2. ^ Lampedo Section 7 Paragraph 49 and 50
  3. ^ Giovanni Boccaccio’s Famous Women translated by Virginia Brown 2001, p. 25; Cambridge and London, Harvard University Press; ISBN 0-674-01130-9
  4. ^ Lampedo name meaning "burning tourch"
  5. ^ Brown, p. 26

[Category:Greek Mythological Amazons| ]] [Category:Mythological peoples]] [Category:Eurasian nomads]] [Category:Women in war]] [Category:Ancient peoples]] [Category:Ancient peoples of Armenia]]