Overturning Gender Roles: The Amazons
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Name: [Pseudo]Apollodorus Date: 1st – 2nd century CE Region: Unknown Citation: Library
2.5.9 |
Often, authors will use depictions of other nations as a mirror for
their own society. The Amazons were used as a foil for Greek [and later, Roman]
gender roles for wives and mothers.
The Amazons excelled in waging war, and trained in all of the “manly” arts. And if
they conceived a child from their dalliances with men, they only raised their
female offspring. They would remove their right breast so that it wouldn't
interfere with their spear throwing ability, but their left breast remained
intact, so they could still be able to nurse their children.
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ἔθνος μέγα τὰ κατὰ πόλεμον: ἤσκουν
γὰρ ἀνδρίαν, καὶ εἴ ποτε μιγεῖσαι γεννήσειαν, τὰ θήλεα ἔτρεφον, καὶ τοὺς μὲν
δεξιοὺς μαστοὺς ἐξέθλιβον, ἵνα μὴ κωλύωνται ἀκοντίζειν, τοὺς δὲ ἀριστεροὺς
εἴων, ἵνα τρέφοιεν. |
Haec gens erat bello gerendo
praestantissima, quippe quae viriliter fortitudinem exercebant: ac si quando
viris admistae peperissent, partus femineos educabant. Dextras ad haec
mammas, ne iaculis emittendis impedimento forent, exterebant; laevas autem
alendi filiorum gratia succrescere patiebantur. Translated into
Latin by Thomas Gale |
Apollodorus [1st – 2nd century CE] is the name of the author of a
famous collection of myths called the Bibliotheca / Library. Little is
known about the author’s background or history.