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THE XENA E-XINE
Volume I, Issue 8--April 29, 2000
Today's issue includes:
1. Amazons of Xena -- "Amazon Nation"
2. Xena Quote/Xena Joke/Amazon Acronym
3. Featured Amazon FanFic and Short Reviews -- "Journey of Love,"
"Ardent Warrior, Passionate Bard, Jealous Queen," and "Hearts
Lost -- Hearts Inflamed" -- "Kidnapped" -- Frustrations"
-- "Glourious Moments" -- "Secrets" -- "Chiaroscuro"
-- "Behind Cold Eyes"
4. Xena News -- "Orlando Con: Pup Plans" -- "Lucy
Lawless Axed by New Zealand"
5. Featured Amazon Websites -- Whoosh's ALL-AMAZON Issue -- Encyclopedia
Mythica - Article: Hippolyta -- Encyclopedia Mythica - Article: Amazons -- Mysteries
of Ancient History and Archaeology *** The Amazons *** -- The Amazon Connection --
Ephiny and the Amazons Nation -- AMAZONS, Greek Mythology Link. -- Amazon
Nation, A Xena fan club for warriors -- ImerialBlonde's Amazon Bard Page
6. Episode Guide (NEW) -- "Sins of the Past"
7. Amazons of Myth -- "Amazons: A Symbol of Feminist Power And Independence"
8. Feedback
9. PRIVACY/NO SPAM POLICY!
10. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
11. Credits
12. Archives
Message from the Xine Staff
We want to apologize for the delay in this issue. We hope you enjoy it!
-- The Xena E-Xine Staff
Shameless Promoting
Books
"Amazons: Erotic Explorations of Ancient Myths" by Tammy Jo Eckhart http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1563335344/thexenaexine
"The New Amazons" -- By Margret Weis http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0886778875/thexenaexine
"Amazon Story Bones" -- By Ellen Frye http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1883523001/thexenaexine
"Islands of Women and Amazons : Representations and Realities" -- By Batya Weinbaum http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0292791267/thexenaexine
"Queen of The Amazons (Random House Paperback)" -- By Kerry Milliron http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679882960/thexenaexine
1) Amazons of Xena: Warrior Princess
| Amazon Nation By E.J. Rain April 16, 2000 |
|
Revisionism. In both myth and history. Something we've come to expect and enjoy (mostly)
from TPTB behind X:WP. Though the portrayal of the Amazons has always sent some mixed
signals. From strong independent women (Hooves and Harlots) to typical TV T&A
(the Amazon High portions of Lifeblood). The gamut. Either silly
featherheads or competent warriors. Deadly dancers or feminine fighters. Het or...not. Is
it either an unconscious or deliberate revenge to take the historical perspective of
amazons from the 'traditional' man-hating to man-hungry? If even a society of women that determinedly removes itself from male influence cannot be allowed to be perceived as lesbian...it's amazing we've gotten as much subtext as we have! But just once I'd like to see a 'normal' relationship pairing in this setting. And it's always seemed a major oversight in a show ostensibly about amazons that the one most pertinent goddess, Artemis, has never made an appearance (something fanfic has sought to remedy). In fact, I can only recall (and my memory is admittedly fading) |
| Artemis being mentioned twice
in the series. By an angry Valasca in Necessary Evil and at the start of God
Fearing Child by one of the magi-like emissaries. But this strong off-stage presence
is surely the goddess being invoked by Xena in her very rare prayer in Return of
Callisto as she begs, on bended knee, for the continued care of her best friend's
soul. A moment that remains one of the most poignant in the series' history. Variously, the term amazon was taken to mean without breasts, without men or, more romantically, moon-women. Thankfully we're not subjected to single breasted archers, a mistaken legend that probably arose from the early images of a half male/half female representation (right down the middle like the old cartoonish sideshow figure) of the twins Artemis and Apollo as a single being. Greek statues, |
|
| etc. of the amazons show no such self-mutilation. But mistaken identity aside, she is akin to "the Primal Androgyne" and seen as a woman of 'masculine' bearing, a brawny, towering female. Defined in a pejorative sense by men and 'polite society' as "virago" (just another way of saying 'bitch'...or 'dyke' for that matter) she is the precursor in myth to the Valkyries and in history to actual female Viking warriors, captains, Queens, chieftanesses...the red headed, fair-eyed invaders of Britain providing a legacy of women soldiers in Ireland | |
| till the 7th century A.D. when the
patriarchs made it illegal. Wouldn't it just be oh so fittingly, ironically perfect if ROC
and LL, as Celts, are their descendants? Tribes of amazons were said to inhabit Asia,
Africa, Greece (with Lesbos singled out as an obvious locale), and, later, South America.
At their worst they were said to sacrifice men and nail their heads to crosses, to kill
all male babies (sounds like some man's nightmare of PMS), at their best they merely sent
any male offspring to be raised by the fathers. Hooves and Harlots (what a title!), our introduction on X:WP to the amazons and their classic (here decidedly revisionist) war with the centaurs, was also our introduction to everyone's favorite amazon, Ephiny. Through her and the more rugged Melosa et. al. we were given an 'accurate' picture of amazon |
| life as we might wishfully think it to
be...on the surface...without dealing with that 500 pound gorilla of the embarrassing
question regarding sexuality. Things are more complicated by the time of The Quest in which are heroines' love for each other is unequivocally stated. Gabrielle gained her staff, a defensive manner of taking care of herself, someself-confidence and an amazon title she wasn't ready to take seriously until the apparent death of her companion. She would stay on as Queen, a place she originally earned by doing "something only an amazon would do for another amazon," i.e. be willing to give her own life in defense of another. She becomes the sister, |
| the daughter...the heir. It's a serious, soulful expression of sisterhood, by and large, and the ritualized trappings aren't too silly at this point. The internecine amazon politics espoused by the nasty Valasca in Necessary Evil are in fascinating counterpoint. The devolution to the Joxerian antics of Kindred Spirits or the badly edited (but cost-effective?) Lifeblood was a long fall from a fairly graceful tradition. Ultra violence to be depicted for a younger target audience vs. The Way of Love (or friendship for that matter, the same thing in my book)...at least, the way of love between two women, as it is apparently more |
| blessed to kill than to love someone of
the same gender. Ironic, since this 'homoerotic' love is very much in the classical
tradition. And labelling the amazons as man-haters, of course, was just another way of
saying 'you know what' (and will they ever have the guts to do the Sappho episode?!) A
much truer picture of amazons would be as the female equivalent to the Greco/Roman concept
of the Regiment of Lovers, male partners who would go into battle together, fight and die
for each other. And, as Xena is Ares' chosen, wouldn't it have made perfect sense for
Gabrielle to have been the chosen of Artemis? That would've provided a literal and
provocative deus ex machina for her miraculous delivery from Dahok's fiery furnace (which
they have never adequately explained; something else where the fanfic must take up the
slack). And they've killed off all the most interesting amazons besides! The unexpected (even though TV Guide itself provided the major spoiler) and shockingly direct death of the beloved Ephiny at the hands of Brutus is, at least, an honorable revisioning of Penthesileia's demise at the hands of Achilles, romanticized in a kind of necrophilic frenzy as the male warrior delivers the fatal penetrating thrust with his sword/phallus and at that |
|
| moment falls madly, tragically, in love with the woman he has just killed. co-opted Lifeblood could have been a good episode if it had only concentrated on what should have been the main theme of the continuing story of our lead characters which was almost entirely lost in the telling (and the noise and frenetic senselessness of the intrusive footage of a rightfully failed pilot). It was a profound and telling event, gone largely unnoted. Gabrielle adopted Xena's daughter as her own, her heir. Eve has two | |
| mothers now. This is a prime subtext moment...or should have been. When this episode was announced and supposed spoilers were going round there were those who cautioned against a leap on to the bandwagon of the significance of Gabrielle journeying to amazon territory with her partner and the child...suggesting that Xena is an 'honorary' amazon too. This, it turned out, is indeed, still not the case at all. Despite her successful attempt to right her dreadful wrong in the slaughter of the northern amazon tribe in the time when she was under the evil influence of Alti, despite her being Gabrielle's chosen champion, her original crime against the tribe is too egregious for her to ever be accepted |
| as one of their number, a
state of affairs which doesn't seem to trouble her much. The Though, beautifully, patiently our prickly warrior was finally only too willing to stay and get used to the lifestyle and some amount of domesticity in order to remain by the side of her beloved companion in the significant better half of Kindred Spirits (a shame to see the girls become a subplot in their own show). As with so many things in the xenaverse, if you want the 'true' picture of amazon life read Missy! Taking off from the initial characterizations of Ephiny et. al., Melissa Good is the one who presents the amazon nation with an internal consistency that makes perfectly beautiful sense. Where Ephiny and Pony are an adorable couple. And Paladia andCait provide a sort of younger, wilder counterpoint to Queen Gabrielle's union with her consort Xena. These are among the best amazon tales you will ever read. |
|
| Recently, when Them Bones, Them Bones was rerun, I had occasion to reflect back upon my initial horrified reaction to Adventures in the Sin Trade as well as this follow-up venture with Alti and the northern tribe. Ew, I said, how can they make up such ridiculous and nasty stuff? Sacrificing horses, drinking their blood...! And then the best science program on tv, Nova, ran an amazing documentary called "The Ice Maiden," an archeological dig taking place in Siberia, the steppes, the Altai (!) mountains. A Russian woman has discovered the unprecedented remains of a shamaness, an unusually tall, tattooed woman with an antlered headdress and the remains of sacrificial horses. Involuntary shudder. Either someone did their | |
| homework or the revisionism had a
particularly lucky hit on this one. And luckily for me, Nova reran that program the same
week Them Bones, Them Bones was shown again...and so I taped them on the same
video for posterity. And, so, truth may be even stranger than fanfic... © 2000 |
Source Material: two books every self-respecting amazon should have on her bookshelves: Barbara Walker's huge tome, "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" Harper & Row, 1983; Antonia Fraser's "The Warrior Queens," (from Boadicea to Elizabeth I to Catherine the Great, etc.) Knopf, 1988...
2) Xena Quote/Xena Joke/Amazon Acronym
Xena Quote
Xena: "What's this?"
Gabrielle: "I'm an Amazon Princess?"
From Hooves and Harlots
Xena Joke
(In honor of the Amazon Queen)
How to be a good sidekick
1. Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night
before, to have a delicious meal - on time. This is a way of letting her know that you
have been thinking about her, and are concerned about her needs. Most Warrior Princesses
are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm
welcome needed.
2. Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when she arrives.
Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. She has just been
with a lot of war-weary soldiers. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. Her grim
day may need a lift.
3. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the camp just
before your Warrior Princess arrives, gathering up scrolls, erotic toys, pots, pans, etc.
Your Warrior Princess will feel she has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will
give you a lift too.
4. Prepare Joxer: Take a few minutes to wash his hands and face, comb his hair, and if
necessary, change his clothes. He is a little treasure and your Warrior Princess would
like to see him playing the part.
5. Minimize the noise: At the time of her arrival, eliminate all noise of Joxer singing
and stop playing the pan flute. Try to encourage the baby to be quiet. Be happy to see
her. Greet her with a warm smile and be glad to see her. Don't greet her with problems or
complaints. Don't complain if she's late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with
what she might have gone through that day.
6. There is no number six.
7. Make her comfortable: Have her lean back on a comfortable log or suggest she lie down
on the bedroll. Have a cool or warm drink ready for her. Arrange her pillow and offer to
take off her warrioress boots. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow
her to relax and unwind.
8. Listen to her: You may have a dozen things to tell her, but the moment of her arrival
is not the time. Let her talk first.
9. Make the evening hers: Never complain if she does not take you out to dinner or to
other places of entertainment; instead try to understand her world of violence and
bloodshed and her need to be home and relax.
10. The Goal: Try to make your camp a place of peace and order where your Warrior Princess
can relax.
Amazon Acronym
Assertive
Majestic
Amazing
Zestful
Outstanding
Noble
Strong
Submitted by PriestessAlia
3) Featured Amazon Fan Fiction
The Amazon Trilogy -- By ArdentTly
Journey of Love -- http://www.whitefearn.com/ardenttly/journey.htm
Ardent Warrior, Passionate Bard, Jealous Queen -- http://www.whitefearn.com/ardenttly/awpbjq.htm
Hearts Lost -- Hearts Inflamed -- Part 1 http://www.whitefearn.com/ardenttly/hlhi1.htm,
Part 2 http://www.whitefearn.com/ardenttly/hlhi2.htm
Review by the Goddess: Xena and Gabrielle discover and explore their love among the Amazons. This marvelous trilogy is beautifully written and gives an interesting view of Amazon life. We get to see some of our favorite Amazons as well as some new ones! Of all the Amazon FanFic I've read, this haa always been my favorite. (I haven't read Missy's yet...yes, shame, shame.)
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give ArdentTly's Amazon Trilogy *****
Kidnapped -- By XenaSlaves
http://members.aol.com/xenaslaves/kid1.html
Review by Bacchae2: Not for the faint of heart, some serious s&m in a long saga in which Callisto captures our heroines and works out her own kinks.
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give Kidnapped ***
Frustration -- By XenaSlaves
http://members.aol.com/xenaslaves/frustrations.html
Review by Bacchae2: Appropriately named tale in which Queen Gabrielle drives herself crazy with wildly erotic fantasies re her best friend while surrounded by the amazon lifestyle.
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give Frustration ***
Glorious Moment -- By XenaSlaves
http://members.aol.com/xenaslaves/glorious.html
Review by Bacchae2: A surprisingly tender and memorable 'first time' story with a twist.
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give Glorious Moment ****
Secrets -- By XenaSlaves
http://members.aol.com/xenaslaves/secrets.html
Review by Bacchae2: In which the clandestine relationship between X&G is reflected in that between Ephiny and her amazon lover.
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give Secrets ***
Chiaroscuro -- By SL Bowers
http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/c/chiaroscuro1.html
Review by Bacchae2: Another long, lyrical, intricate, lushly erotic piece of fanfic from Sharon Bowers (Lucifer Rising) and this one is pure X&G, not uber. Warrior women in battle, a much more palatable appearance by Marc Antony, and a highly charged 'first time' storyline between our heroines... who could ask for anything more?
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for
graphic depiction of sex and is recommened for adults.
I give Chiaroscuro *****
Behind Cold Eyes -- By Warrior Rep
http://ausxip.com/fanfic/behind.html
Review by Cated: Set after A Necessary Evil, Velaska has escaped the lava pit and has vowed vengeance on the Amazon Queen. Though she is terrified, Gabrielle persuades Xena to take her back to the Amazons only to find a demented Goddess of Chaos has followed her there. To defeat Velaska, Xena finds herself allied with very unexpected friends. It is adventure-packed and well-written! A nice read.
Warning: This story is rated NC-17 for graphic
depiction of sex between our favorite Warrior and Bard.
I give this story Behind Cold Eyes ****
| ***** | A must read if you are a Hard Core Nutball! |
| **** | It is worth your while to read. |
| *** | It's better than getting punched in the face by Xena |
| ** | Maybe a go-round with Xena isn't a bad idea.. |
| * | Shoot me...shoot me now! |
4) Xena News
Orlando Con: Pup Plans
April 29, 2000
The deadline for the RainForest dinner and the Disney breakfast have been extend until May 10. Go to http://members.home.com/merpups/ go to pup plans, print up your forms, and send them in. Hurry, space is going fast!
| Lucy Lawless Axed by New Zealand Lady Adrell April 29, 2000 |
 |
Xena's Image has become
a problem for the government agency Tourism New Zealand. Apparently the image of the
leather-clad, sword-wielding bad girl "is problematic owing to negative character
associations which are very unappealing to older travellers." The report in which
this statement was published did not ellaborate on the meaning of the statement, but it
seems clear Tourism NZ is not targetting the "type" of tourism that the well
known New Zealand native Lucy Lawless would attract. It would appear that Sam Neill, born in Northern Ireland, is a more suitable representative of the image of New Zealand. Chosen instead of Lucy "Sam Neill appears to offer the most potential as someone whose personality and values could be used to reinforce New Zealand's positioning," the report went on to say. Tourism NZ chief executive George Hickton said in defense of the decision that "Xena had image problems because of her young audience," |
| while
American tourists tended to be older. Xena was not the only one to feel the sword of discrimination. Sheep do not measure up to Tourism New Zealand's standards either. Mr. Hickton went on to say that promoting New Zealand as "a place full of sheep is not a way to get people excited about coming |
|
| here." All you over fourty Xenites, who seem to make up a good portion of Xena fans, were overlooked in this report done by Tourism NZ. Youth has become an easy scapegoat to descriminate against the less than appealing gay tourists that would certainly (heavy on the sarcasm) flock to New Zealand if Lucy were to represent the majestic country. Let us not allow Sam Neill's image to stop us from over running the Kiwis. We need to organize quick and hit them hard! |
 |
References for this article
 |
"New Zealand fires Xena and the
sheep" Copyright 2000 Agence France Presse Agence France Presse "The Dominion (Wellington): Sheep, Xena 'no drawcard'" Also see The Advocate |
5) Featured Amazon Sites
Whoosh's ALL-AMAZON Issue
http://whoosh.org/issue12/index.html
You want Amazons? Whoosh has them in this Issue from September 1997!
Encyclopedia Mythica - Article: Hippolyta
http://www.victorygardens.org/a/ae.htm
Learn about one of the legendary Amazon Queens of Greek Myth!
Encyclopedia Mythica - Article: Amazons
http://www.pantheon.org/mythica/articles/a/amazons.html
Learn more about the Amazons.
Mysteries of Ancient History and Archaeology *** The
Amazons ***
http://www.net4you.co.at/users/poellauerg/Amazons/index.html
A great referrence site for Amazons in myth and art.
The Amazon Connection
http://www.uio.no/~thomas/lists/amazon-links.html
Information and links to Amazons past and present.
Ephiny and the Amazons Nation
http://www.abbagirl.com/amazons.html
A tribute to our favorite Amazon!
AMAZONS, Greek Mythology Link.
http://hsa.brown.edu/~maicar/AMAZONS.html
More great information about Amazons of Mythology.
Amazon Nation, A Xena fan club for warriors
http://www.netrover.com/~voyager/amazon.html
A page billed as property of the Northern Amazon Tribe with some nice fan art and a good
collection of links for fanfic and amazon herstory. The hot red background may temporarily
blind you after a visit, be advised.
ImerialBlonde's Amazon Bard Page
http://members.wbs.net/homepages/i/m/p/imperialblonde/index.htm
Typical obsessed fan's tribute to our bard with some nice pics and links.
6) Xena: Warrior Princess Episode Guide
Season One -- Episode One
Sins of the Past -- Review by Bacchae2
"Journey's end in lovers meeting." The Bard
(of Avon)
"Whoever loved that loved not at first sight?" Marlowe
| Gertie Stein said something I'll try to quote from memory: "There is a solemnity about a first meeting with someone whom we know will change our lives." Xena and Gabrielle's first meeting may not have been solemn, at least not on the surface, but it was a monumental moment in tv history. And in the birthing of legendary duos. Their eyes met, if not "across a crowded room," in a bustling clearing filled with would-be slavers and innocent village girls. Xena has just literally packed it in, burying her warrior 'uniform' and her past--but then a bold, bravely beautiful young woman steps forward and into her life, into both of their |
| destinies, placing her self-sacrificing
nature in harm's way from the very first moment we and Xena see her. They are instantly
taken with the sight of one another and Xena's decision to run from her past is
immediately rescinded to perform the first rescue of the maiden in a long litany of such
events. From that moment the scenario plays more like a coming out story (and budding romance) than just another buddy sow. At the beginning they may be perceived as falling into a prototypical depiction of butch and femme roles. Xena, tall, darkly dangerous and silently handsome; Gabrielle, petite, girlish, |
| chatty, and pure sunshine. She is ready to grasp at the chance forsomething more in life that her bard's soul always fantasized lay just around the river bend. She lies awake dreaming about it, then seizes the day and runs away from home where they don't understand her, where she's not the perfectly good and obedient little girl her parents expect her to be, where she feels "different," an outsider, unwillingly betrothed to marry a hulking dullard of a farmer with whom she could never have been happy (this is before the part of Perdicus was recast in a much more tender and romantic |
| light). She runs to and away with another woman who has captured her bardic imagination (and more), returns the ultimate favor by saving Xena's life and then just keeps coming with a tenacity that wears her reluctant would-be partner down until the once fearsome warrior cannot say no to her. Sitting by the campfire they exchangeshy, tentative smiles and settle in for one of the great epic love stories ever told.* |
Subtext rating: Locked and Loaded (Significant)
* Personal Note: LL can convey so much with a far from simple glance or touch. Maybe it's
those passionately pale blue eyes,"hot ice (and wondrous strange snow,") and in
combination with ROC's natural playful ebullience there exists a catalyst between them
that is captured on film in a chemical reaction so palpable even non or anti subtexters
are unnerved by it. It's a powerful thing...
====================================================
7) Amazon of Myth
"Amazons: A Symbol of Feminist Power And Independence" -- By Lady Adrell
April 28, 2000
As a young girl growing up in the 70's and 80's, I was surrounded by male
icons of strength and virility with whom I did not and could not identify.
Subsequently, I was drawn to strong female characters such as Wonder
Woman, the Bionic Woman, Cagney and Lacey, Charlie's Angels, Red Sonja,
and Ellen Ripley. In these characters, I saw my own potential. Obviously I
was not going to be an Amazon Princess, half machine, or a sword-wielding
warrior. But it nevertheless opened doors in my own mind that I could
become anything, and anyone, I wanted to be even though I am female.
When I learned about the ancient myths of the Amazons, the tribe of
warrior women who fought like the Furies and excluded men from their
lives, for the most part, I was intrigued by them. Who were these
mysterious women who took up arms to defend their homes and land against
invaders?
The Amazons of Greek myth were said to have lived on the outskirts of the
known world on the Thermodon River in Pontus or Asia Minor where their
chief city, Themiscyra, was located on the coast of the Euxine (modern
Terme, on the Black Sea coast of Turkey), but originated from the Caucasus
Range and the surrounding area. The scholars who believe in the historical
facts of Amazon existence place them also on the shores of the Black Sea
and in Scythis as well. Later, as explorers moved into those areas and no
such women were found, their homelands were pushed ever farther away from
civilized society.
A recent burial site uncovered in the former Soviet Union, seems to prove
this theory that warrior women very well did exist in ancient times. With
men seemingly in the lesser, more domestic roles, these women took on the
functions of traditionally male roles as protectors of the tribe and were
buried with their weapons. It is easy to see how the ancient Greeks who
came in contact with such women would develop exaggerated myths about them.
The myths say that the Amazons, whose name means "breastless" in ancient
Greek, either had men amongst them as slaves and a means to procreate, or
they would spend short periods with men from surrounding areas to grow
their tribe. The male babies born from such unions were said to either be
given to their fathers to raise or were killed. The daughters, though,
were trained from a young age in the arts of weapons and war. As a result,
Amazons have taken on the image of women loving women as well as being
fierce fighters. This lesbian connection further placed them in a realm of
outcasts, hated by the Greeks and constantly put down and defeated in
literature through the ages.
It was once thought that they cut off one breast in order to use their
legendary bows more easily, but this was later found to be false. These
mysterious barbarians were so popular with artists that many pieces of art
can be found with their images upon them. The art, consisting of sculpture
relief and images on pottery, depict these warriors with two breasts, one
always uncovered, battling their enemies fiercely. It is also believed
that the Amazons were the first to use horses for riding. Bones discovered
at the burial site in the former Soviet Union of a 13 year old female
whose legs were bowed, would indicate this to be true.
Myth says that the Amazons were offspring of Ares, the Greek God of War,
yet their chief deity was Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon.
This Virgin Goddess, who shed the patriarchal constraints of Olympus, was
one who shaped her own life; so too, did her Amazons. As ruthless as their
Goddess and Father, myth says they were at constant war with Greece,
though no evidence has been found to support such stories.
Whatever the "truth" is, the Amazons have become a symbol of powerful
women to me. They embody the spirit of the Wild Woman who takes control of
her life and savagely protects what is dear to her. We can see this more
and more in the world around us, with women moving forward in greater
number into positions of power and respect. I cannot say what the future
will hold, but the Amazons have not died; they live within each woman who
heeds the call of her inner-warrior and who fights for herself, her loved
ones, and her Amazon sisters everywhere.
I'll leave you with "The Way of the Warrior" from The New AmazoNation.
1) Pay attention. Stay in the present. It is the only place anything is
really happening.
2) A warrior needs focus.
3) Keep your sense of humor. Otherwise what is the point? Humor helps us
to stretch beyond ourselves and our own limits.
4) A warrior proceeds strategically.
5) Warriors act not for profit, but for spirit.
6) To assume responsibility for one's decisions means that one is ready to
die for them.
7) Impeccability is to do your best in whatever you are engaged in.
8) A warrior is magical and ruthless, a maverick with the most refined
taste and manners, whose worldly task is to sharpen, yet disguise her
cutting edges.
9) It doesn't matter what anyone says or does...you must be impeccable
yourself. The fight is right here...in the chest.
10) Warriors do their utmost, and then, without any remorse or regrets,
they relax and let the spirit decide the outcome.
11) When a women decides to do something she must go all the way...but she
must take responsibility for what she does. No matter what she does, she
must know first why she is doing it, and then she must proceed with her
actions without having doubts or remorse about them.
12) Power is something a warrior deals with...at first it's an incredible,
far fetched affair; it is hard to even think about it. Then power becomes
a serious matter; one may not have it, or one may not even fully realize
that it exists, yet one knows that something is there, something which was
not noticeable before. Next, power is manifested as something
uncontrollable that comes to oneself. It is not possible...to say how it
comes or what it really is. It is nothing and yet it makes marvels appear
before your very eyes. And finally power is something in oneself,
something that controls one's acts and yet obeys one's command.
13) The will is a very powerful tool which can direct our acts.
14) Will, has to do with astonishing feats that defy our common sense.
15) Will is something a woman uses, for instance, to win a battle which
she, by all calculations should lose.
16) Will is what can make you succeed when your thoughts tell you that
you're defeated.
17) Will makes you invulnerable.
© 2000
References for this article
"Amazons in Greek Mythology," http://www.eliki.com/ancient/myth/amazons
"Amazons," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
"Proof of Amazons A Reality," http://www.phoenixgate.com/xena2.html
"The Way of the Warrior," http://www.amazonation.com/
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