Hippolyta | |
---|---|
Member of the Amazons | |
![]() Hippolyta on a late antique mosaic | |
Artifacts | Hippolyta's belt |
Gender | Female |
Genealogy | |
Parents | Ares (father) Otrera (mother) |
Siblings | Antiope (sister) Melanippe (sister) Penthesilea (sister) |
In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte[1] (/hɪˈpɒlɪtə/; Greek: Ἱππολύτη Hippolytē), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,[2] queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' zoster, the Greek word found in the Iliad and elsewhere meaning "war belt".[3][4] Some English translations prefer "girdle".[1] Hippolyta figures prominently in the myths of both Heracles and Theseus. The myths about her are so varied it is thought that they may be about different women.[5] The name Hippolyta translates as "she who unleashes the horses", deriving from two Greek roots meaning "horse" and "let loose".[6][7]
The other thing that Amazons have are war belts. A war belt – the word in Greek is zoster and they are worn my men in the Iliad...The word for a woman's belt in Greek is zoneid, a different word.