[Greek heroic] 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 meet 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 either accompanying Heracles on his quest against the Amazons, or he was just bored and looking for something to do. (It is generally accepted that Theseus acted on his own.) 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. Most of the great heroes in ancient Greece fought in an Amazonomachy, and Theseus could not be left out. The Amazons made camp in Attica on a hill that has...
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