29. In Ancient Greek Mythology, the Amazons Were Far From Ares’ Mortal Enemies
According to ancient Greek mythology, the Amazons were a mythical nation of warrior women who came into existence before the Trojan War. They were supposed to have lived at the outer edge of the ancient Greek world, north and east of the Black Sea. A female-only society, they only welcomed men on occasion for breeding purposes. Of the resultant babies, only the females were kept: male babies were eliminated. The Amazons were known for their horsemanship, courage, and pride. Homer described them as “the equal of men“, and they went toe to toe against many famous Greek heroes, whose numbers include Heracles, Theseus, and Bellerophon.
A key driver of the plot of 2017’s Wonder Woman is the unceasing enmity between the Amazons and the ancient Greek god of war, Ares. However, according to ancient Greek mythology, the Amazons were anything but Ares’ undying foes: they were his daughters and descendants. In the original source mythology, the queen and founding mother of the Amazon nation was Otrera, a consort of Ares. She bore the god of war two daughters, one of whom was Hippolyta, mother of Princess Diana, or Wonder Woman. Thus, Wonder Woman would actually be Ares’ granddaughter if the movie had stayed true to the source mythology.
