PENTHESILEA GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Penthesilea, in Greek mythology, was a legendary queen of the Amazons, and a warrior of some note. Penthesilea would famously be found at Troy, fighting alongside the forces of King Priam against the Achaeans.
The Amazon Penthesilea
Penthesilea was a daughter of Ares and the Amazon queen Otrera. Penthesilea had three sisters, Antiope, Hippolyta, and Melanippe, all of whom were relatively famous in Greek mythology.
Penthesilea and the Death of Hippolyta
Stories concerning the various Amazon daughters of Otrera are confusing, but Penthesilea comes to prominence because of the death of Hippolyta.
Now some say Hippolyta was killed by Heracles when he came to retrieve her girdle, and some tell of her being killed by Theseus, when she attacked Athens, but some tell of how it was neither Greek hero who killed Hippolyta in battle, because Hippolyta was accidentally killed in the fight (either fight) by Penthesilea.
Alternatively, Hippolyta did not die in battle, but died in a hunting accident, when Penthesilea threw a spear at a deer.
Now some say Hippolyta was killed by Heracles when he came to retrieve her girdle, and some tell of her being killed by Theseus, when she attacked Athens, but some tell of how it was neither Greek hero who killed Hippolyta in battle, because Hippolyta was accidentally killed in the fight (either fight) by Penthesilea.
Alternatively, Hippolyta did not die in battle, but died in a hunting accident, when Penthesilea threw a spear at a deer.
Penthesilea Queen of the AmazonsUpon the death of Hippolyta, Penthesilea became queen of the Amazons, but she believed herself not to be worthy of the position, having killed her sister.
But whilst other women in Greek mythology might have killed themselves, a warrior would not, and so Penthesilea sought a way that she might die in battle. |
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Penthesilea Comes to Troy
Of course there was a great battle occurring at Troy, between the Trojans and Achaeans, and so it was to Troy Penthesilea travelled.
Penthesilea did not travel alone, for according to Quintus Smyrnaeus, in The Fall of Troy;
“Clonie was there, Polemusa, Derinoe, Evandre, and Antandre, and Bremusa, Hippothoe, dark-eyed Harmothoe, Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote, and Thermodosa glorying with the spear.”
But these named Amazon heroes were just part of the Amazon force, for a huge army of foot soldiers, archers and cavalry arrived with them.
The arrival of Penthesilea and the Amazons is not told in Homer’s Iliad, for the Iliad ends with the death of Hector, but it was believed to be a central theme in the Aethiopis, a lost epic, as was the arrival of Memnon.
Penthesilea did not travel alone, for according to Quintus Smyrnaeus, in The Fall of Troy;
“Clonie was there, Polemusa, Derinoe, Evandre, and Antandre, and Bremusa, Hippothoe, dark-eyed Harmothoe, Alcibie, Derimacheia, Antibrote, and Thermodosa glorying with the spear.”
But these named Amazon heroes were just part of the Amazon force, for a huge army of foot soldiers, archers and cavalry arrived with them.
The arrival of Penthesilea and the Amazons is not told in Homer’s Iliad, for the Iliad ends with the death of Hector, but it was believed to be a central theme in the Aethiopis, a lost epic, as was the arrival of Memnon.
Penthesilea the Mercenary
Now Penthesilea is commonly portrayed as a warrior seeking an honourable way to die, or a queen seeking to show the prowess of her people, but others call her a mercenary, accepting the absolution of King Priam for the killing of Hippolyta, and also accepting treasure for defending Troy.
Others also call Penthesilea boastful, for she was said, by some, to have promised King Priam that she would kill Achilles, something that no other Trojan defender had even come close to doing.
Others also call Penthesilea boastful, for she was said, by some, to have promised King Priam that she would kill Achilles, something that no other Trojan defender had even come close to doing.
Penthesilea Into BattleSo when dawn came, Penthesilea donned the armour and arms given to her by her father Ares, and set out on to the battlefield; the truce after the death of Hector now having come to an end.
Penthesilea was confident in the ability of her own warriors, and so it was the amassed Amazon ranks that entered the battlefield, devoid of the Trojans. Ranks of archers, foot soldiers and cavalry formed up, and the Achaeans were forced to bring every available man to bear to meet the Amazon army. The great archers of the Achaean army, including Teucer and Odysseus, killed many Amazons, but Penthesilea killed as many Achaeans with her bow. The cavalry and the foot soldiers of the two armies would then meet, and Penthesilea would face off against Ajax the Great, one of the greatest of the Achaean heroes, but although Penthesilea could not get the better of Ajax, nor could the Achaean hero get the better of the Amazon Queen. |
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Penthesilea and Achilles
Withdrawing from the fight, Ajax the Great was replaced by Achilles, with the leader of Myrmidons now facing Penthesilea.
In the most simple versions of the tale of Penthesilea, it took but one spear for Achilles to succeed where Ajax has failed, for the spear of Achilles went through Penthesilea’s armour, killing the Queen of the Amazons.
A less common story tells of how Penthesilea lived up to her boast, and did indeed kill Achilles when the pair met on the battlefield, but Achilles was restored to life by Zeus after Thetis implored him to do so. It was then the resurrected Achilles who killed Penthesilea.
In the most simple versions of the tale of Penthesilea, it took but one spear for Achilles to succeed where Ajax has failed, for the spear of Achilles went through Penthesilea’s armour, killing the Queen of the Amazons.
A less common story tells of how Penthesilea lived up to her boast, and did indeed kill Achilles when the pair met on the battlefield, but Achilles was restored to life by Zeus after Thetis implored him to do so. It was then the resurrected Achilles who killed Penthesilea.
The Body of Penthesilea
It was then said that Achilles would have returned the body of Penthesilea to Troy unmolested, for having removed the helmet of his victim, Achilles had been taken by the beauty of the Amazon Queen; some going as far to say that Achilles was in love with the deceased Penthesilea.
For this act of charity Achilles was mocked by Thersites, who promptly gouged the eyes of Penthesilea out with his spear; and an angry Achilles thus killed Theristes. Achilles would have to be purified for the killing of a fellow Achaean by Odysseus. Some tell of this causing a feud between Diomedes and Achilles, for Thersites was a cousin of Diomedes, but this is a tale told by few, and Diomedes and Thersites were not said to be close. |
In the case where Diomedes was angry about the death of Thersites, then it was said that Diomedes threw the body of Penthesilea into the River Scamander, although it was later retrieved and given over to the Trojans for burial.
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