Evening star., 1915-11-28
AMAZON WOMEN DID NOT
LIVE ON AMAZON RIVER

story. It is said that when the Amazons
invaded Lycia Bellerophontes treated
them in a most ungentlemanly way
actually butchered a horde or them
The Amazons are said to have fought
the Trojans in the youth of Priam. and
the Trojans very likely complimented
the women on their ability as nShters
There was one very serious trouble
that the Amazops got into and that
was on the Island of Leuce. at the
mouth of the Danube. II is a matter
of history. as history was written sew
eral thousand years ago. that the ANA
IONS were expelled from Leuce by the
ghost of Achilles. The ancient chron-
iclers say that the Amazons were eA-
PEELED from and not scared OFT OF
Leuee by Achilles ghost.
1t was the ninth labor of Hercules to
take the AmaZonian queen, Hippolyte.
and get from her the girdle which was
the emblem of her authority and which
had come down from the war god.
Ares. Theseus also had a .'run-in''
with the Amazons and drove them back
to Asia, but then Theseus could do al
most anything he set his hand TO.
The fourth book of Herodotus says
When the Grecians had fought with
the Amazons tthe Scythians call the Anna
IONS Aiorpata, and this name in the
the story goes that the Greeks. having
been victorious in the battle of Thermodon.
sailed away, taking with them in three
ships as many of the Amazons as they
had been able to take alive: but the ANA
IONS, attacking them out at sea, cut the men
to pieces However. as they had no
knowledge OF navigation. nor any skill in
the use of the rudder. sails or oars, when
they had cut the men to pieces, they
were carried by the waves and wind and
arrived at Cremni. on the Lake Maeotis.
but Cremni belongs to the Scythians. Here
the Anna IONS, landing from the vessels.
marched to the inhabited parts and seized
the first herd OF horses they happened to
fall in with. and mounting them. plundered
the land of the Scythians.
Though it is believed that all the Anna
IONS of which Homer and Herodotus wrote
have passed to their reward. it Is also
believed that they have worthy descend
ants in the world today.
1t was wonderful region the Amazons
dwelt in. IL a man can comprehend and
have perfect faith in all the remarkable
happenings in that wonderland he may
also accept without suspicion the hoary
and antique story of the Amazons The
marvels Of the region furnished themes
for many of the old writers, a knowledge
of whose very names and ability to pro-
nounce them are in some ways accepted
dTlOHk lbs eS oic VI tiic nan NS
of culture. For one thing. it was the
region Of the golden fleece. The ram OF
the golden fleece flying through the air. per-
haps at greater altitude than aero
planes reach now. and carrying Helle and
Phrixus on his back, dropped poor Helle
into that narrow body of water which to-
day, in memory of that accident, is called
the Hellespont
The golden fleece was nailed to beech
tree in the war gods grove in Colchis, a
land by the Black sea. or the Points. or
the Euxine which We now call Circassia.
The ram of the golden fleece came from
somewhere in the clouds when Ino. who
was a cruel woman, was about to slay her
stepchildren. Helle and Phrixus. who. We
are assured, were the children of a cloud
nymph and a Minuan king
They used to call the Gallipoli peninsula
the Thracian Chersonese. and scattered
around in that part of the old world were
the lands of Scythia, Thrace, Bithynia,
Paphlagonia, Colchis. Media, Parthia
Aria, Sogdiana. Dactriana, Gedrosia and
other lands whose names have strange
sound today.
1t was into the land of Colchis and the
realm Of Ares. associated with the early
Amazons that Jason. Heracles. Hylas.
Tiphys, Butes. Castor. Polydeuces. Caine,s.
Peleus, Thetis. Zetes. Argos, Orphe,ls and
other old friends of the good ship Argo
went for the golden fleece, and. in spite
of brazen-footed bulls breathing fire, SER
pents teeth that sprang into armed men
and a serpent thicker than big pine tree
they got that fleece.