Amazons

Quotes by Herodotus

The quotes in this section are retrieved from the George Campbell Macaulay translations that can be found at the Gutenberg Project, see: http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/authrec?fk_authors=828 (Note: in that translation The Histories Book I-IV are in volume 1; Book V-IX are in volume 2)

The Histories, book IV - N° 110 - 117

110. About the Sauromatai the following tale is told:--When the
Hellenes had fought with the Amazons,--now the Amazons are called by
the Scythians /Oiorpata/, which name means in the Hellenic tongue
"slayers of men," for "man" they call /oior/, and /pata/ means "to
slay,"--then, as the story goes, the Hellenes, having conquered them
in the battle at the Thermodon, were sailing away and conveying with
them in three ships as many Amazons as they were able to take
prisoners. These in the open sea set upon the men and cast them out of
the ships; but they knew nothing about ships, nor how to use rudders
or sails or oars, and after they had cast out the men they were driven
about by wave and wind and came to that part of the Maiotian lake
where Cremnoi stands; now Cremnoi is in the land of the free
Scythians. There the Amazons disembarked from their ships and
made their way into the country, and having met first with a troop of
horses feeding they seized them, and mounted upon these they plundered
the property of the Scythians.

111. The Scythians meanwhile were not
able to understand the matter, for they did not know either their
speech or their dress or the race to which they belonged, but were in
wonder as to whence they had come and thought that they were men, of
an age corresponding to their appearance: and finally they fought a
battle against them, and after the battle the Scythians got possession
of the bodies of the dead, and thus they discovered that they were
women. They took counsel therefore and resolved by no means to go on
trying to kill them, but to send against them the youngest men from
among themselves, making conjecture of the number so as to send just
as many men as there were women. These were told to encamp near them,
and do whatsoever they should do; if however the women should come
after them, they were not to fight but to retire before them, and when
the women stopped, they were to approach near and encamp. This plan
was adopted by the Scythians because they desired to have children
born from them.

112. The young men accordingly were sent out and did
that which had been commanded them: and when the Amazons perceived
that they had not come to do them any harm, they let them alone; and
the two camps approached nearer to one another every day: and the
young men, like the Amazons, had nothing except their arms and their
horses, and got their living, as the Amazons did, by hunting and by
taking booty.

113. Now the Amazons at midday used to scatter abroad
either one by one or by two together, dispersing to a distance from
one another to ease themselves; and the Scythians also having
perceived this did the same thing: and one of the Scythians came near
to one of those Amazons who were apart by themselves, and she did not
repulse him but allowed him to lie with her: and she could not speak
to him, for they did not understand one another's speech, but she made
signs to him with her hand to come on the following day to the same
place and to bring another with him, signifying to him that there
should be two of them, and that she would bring another with her. The
young man therefore, when he returned, reported this to the others;
and on the next day he came himself to the place and also brought
another, and he found the Amazon awaiting him with another in her
company. Then hearing this the rest of the young men also in their
turn tamed for themselves the remainder of the Amazons;

114, and after
this they joined their camps and lived together, each man having for
his wife her with whom he had had dealings at first; and the men were
not able to learn the speech of the women, but the women came to
comprehend that of the men. So when they understood one another, the
men spoke to the Amazons as follows: "We have parents and we have
possessions; now therefore let us no longer lead a life of this kind,
but let us go away to the main body of our people and dwell with them;
and we will have you for wives and no others." They however spoke thus
in reply: "We should not be able to live with your women, for we and
they have not the same customs. We shoot with bows and hurl javelins
and ride horses, but the works of women we never learnt; whereas your
women do none of these things which we said, but stay in the waggons
and work at the works of women, neither going out to the chase nor
anywhither else. We therefore should not be able to live in agreement
with them: but if ye desire to keep us for your wives and to be
thought honest men, go to your parents and obtain from them your share
of the goods, and then let us go and dwell by ourselves."

115. The
young men agreed and did this; and when they had obtained the share of
the goods which belonged to them and had returned back to the Amazons,
the women spoke to them as follows: "We are possessed by fear and
trembling to think that we must dwell in this place, having not only
separated you from your fathers, but also done great damage to your
land. Since then ye think it right to have us as your wives, do this
together with us,--come and let us remove from this land and pass over
the river Tanaïs and there dwell."

116. The young men agreed to this
also, and they crossed over the Tanaïs and made their way towards the
rising sun for three days' journey from Tanaïs, and also towards the
North Wind for three days' journey from the Maiotian lake: and having
arrived at the place where they are now settled, they took up their
abode there: and from thenceforward the women of the Sauromatai
practise their ancient way of living, going out regularly on horseback
to the chase both in company with the men and apart from them, and
going regularly to war, and wearing the same dress as the men.

117.
And the Sauromatai make use of the Scythian tongue, speaking it
barbarously however from the first, since the Amazons did not learn it
thoroughly well. As regards marriages their rule is this, that no
maiden is married until she has slain a man of their enemies; and some
of them even grow old and die before they are married, because they
are not able to fulfil the requirement of the law.

From The Histories, book IX - N° 27

27. (...) the Athenians
replied as follows: "Though we know that this gathering was assembled
for battle with the Barbarian and not for speech, yet since the Tegean
has proposed to us as a task to speak of things both old and new, the
deeds of merit namely which by each of our two nations have been
achieved in all time, it is necessary for us to point out to you
whence it comes that to us, who have been brave men always, it belongs
as a heritage rather than to the Arcadians to have the chief place.
First as to the sons of Heracles, whose leader they say that they slew
at the Isthmus, these in the former time, when they were driven away
by all the Hellenes to whom they came flying from slavery under those
of Mykene, we alone received; and joining with them we subdued the
insolence of Eurystheus. having conquered in fight those who then
dwelt in Peloponnesus. Again when the Argives who with Polyneikes
marched against Thebes, had been slain and were lying unburied, we
declare that we marched an army against the Cadmeians and recovered
the dead bodies and gave them burial in our own land at Eleusis. We
have moreover another glorious deed performed against the Amazons who
invaded once the Attic land, coming from the river Thermodon: and in
the toils of Troy we were not inferior to any. But it is of no profit
to make mention of these things; for on the one hand, though we were
brave men in those times, we might now have become worthless, and on
the other hand even though we were then worthless, yet now we might be
better. Let it suffice therefore about ancient deeds; but if by us no
other deed has been displayed (as many there have been and glorious,
not less than by any other people of the Hellenes), yet even by reason
of the deed wrought at Marathon alone we are worthy to have this
privilege and others besides this, seeing that we alone of all the
Hellenes fought in single combat with the Persian, and having
undertaken so great a deed we overcame and conquered six-and-forty
nations. Are we not worthy then to have this post by reason of
that deed alone? However, since at such a time as this it is not
fitting to contend for post, we are ready to follow your saying, O
Lacedemonians, as to where ye think it most convenient that we should
stand and opposite to whom; for wheresoever we are posted, we shall
endeavour to be brave men. Prescribe to us therefore and we shall
obey." They made answer thus; and the whole body of the Lacedemonians
shouted aloud that the Athenians were more worthy to occupy the wing
than the Arcadians. Thus the Athenians obtained the wing, and overcame
the Tegeans. (...)