| Hippolyta | |
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 | |
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Real Name |
Hippolyta |
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First Appearance |
Greek mythology, Classical period |
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Created by |
The Greeks |
Origin[]
Hippolyta was the daughter of Ares, the God of War and Otrera, the former Queen of the Amazon Warriors. Ares eventually gave Hippolyta a girdle that signified her authority as the new Queen of the Amazons. Hippolyta may have had several different names, or she may have had sisters named Antiope, Melanippe, and Penthesilea who were also Queens of the Amazons.
The ninth labor of Heracles was retrieving Hippolyta’s girdle.
In another myth, Queen Hippolyte was abducted by Theseus, who took her to Athens, where she was married to him and bore him a son, Hippolytus. In other versions, the kidnapped Amazon is called Antiope, the sister of Hippolyte.
In revenge, the Amazons invaded Greece, plundered some cities along the coast of Attica, and besieged and occupied Athens. Hippolyte, who fought on the side of Athens, according to another account was killed during the final battle along with all of the Amazons.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- “The Knight's Tale,” in The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, 1390s.
- Palamon and Arcite, by Richard Edwardes, 1566.
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare, 1595–96.
- The Two Noble Kinsmen, by John Fletcher and William Shakespeare, 1613–14.
- “Palamon and Arcite,” in Fables, Ancient and Modern, by John Dryden, 1700.
Public domain movie appearance[]
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by Eugene Mullin and William Shakespeare, dir. Charles Kent, prod. J. Stuart Blackton, Vitagraph Studios, 1909.
Public Domain Comic Appearances[]
- Captain Marvel Adventures #18: Hippolyta lends her strength to Mary Marvel, becoming the H in SHAZAM! The wizard Shazam claims she is an old friend.
- (as Hippolyte) Boy Comics #9: Hippolyta meets the time traveler, Yankee Longago who teaches her how to be more feminine.