Dahomey Amazons The Dahomey Amazons or Mino were a Fon all - female military regiment of the Kingdom of Dahomey in the present - day Republic of Benin which lasted until the end of the 19th century . They were so named by Western observers and historians due to their similarity to the semi - mythical Amazons of ancient Anatolia and the Black Sea . Origin . King Houegbadja ( who ruled from 1645 to 1685 ) , the third King of Dahomey , is said to have originally started the group which would become the Amazons as a corps of elephant hunters called the " gbeto " . Houegbadja ' s son King Agadja ( ruling from 1708 to 1732 ) established a female bodyguard armed with muskets . European merchants recorded their presence . According to tradition , Agadja developed the bodyguard into a militia and successfully used them in Dahomey ' s defeat of the neighbouring kingdom of Savi in 1727 . The group of female warriors was referred to as " Mino " , meaning " Our Mothers " in the Fon language , by the male army of Dahomey . From the time of King Ghezo ( ruling from 1818 to 1858 ) , Dahomey became increasingly militaristic . Ghezo placed great importance on the army , increasing its budget and formalizing its structure from ceremonial to a serious military . While European narratives refer to the women soldiers as " Amazons , " they called themselves " ahosi " ( king ' s wives ) or " mino " ( our mothers ) . Recruitment . Ghezo recruited both men and women soldiers from foreign captives , though women soldiers were also recruited from free Dahomian women , some enrolled as young as 8 years old . Other accounts indicate that the " mino " were recruited from among the " ahosi " ( " king ' s wives " ) of which there were often hundreds . Some women in Fon society became soldiers voluntarily , while others were involuntarily enrolled if their husbands or fathers complained to the king about their behaviour . Membership among the " mino " was supposed to hone any aggressive character traits for the purpose of war . During their membership they were not allowed to have children or be part of married life ( though they were legally married to the king ) . Many of them were virgins . The regiment had a semi - sacred status , which was intertwined with the Fon belief in Vodun . The " mino " trained with intense physical exercise . Discipline was emphasised . Serving in the " mino " offered women the opportunity to " rise to positions of command and influence " in an environment structured for individual empowerment . Combat and structure . The women soldiers were rigorously trained , given uniforms , and equipped with Danish guns ( obtained via the slave trade ) . By the mid - 19th century , they numbered between 1 , 000 and 6 , 000 women , about a third of the entire Dahomey army , according to reports written by visitors . The reports also noted variously that the women soldiers suffered several defeats , but that the women soldiers were consistently judged to be superior to the male soldiers in effectiveness and bravery . The women soldiers were said to be structured in parallel with the army as a whole , with a center wing ( the king ' s bodyguards ) flanked on both sides , each under separate commanders . Some accounts note that each male soldier had a " mino " counterpart . In the latter period , the " mino " were armed with Winchester rifles , clubs and knives . Units were under female command . Captives who fell into the hands of the " mino " were often decapitated . Conflict with France . European encroachment into West Africa gained pace during the latter half of the 19th century , and in 1890 King Behanzin started fighting French forces in the course of the First Franco - Dahomean War . According to Holmes , many of the French soldiers fighting in Dahomey hesitated before shooting or bayoneting the Mino . The resulting delay led to many of the French casualties . However , according to some sources , the French army lost several battles to them — not because of French " hesitation , " but due to the female warriors ' skill in battle that was " the equal of every contemporary body of male elite soldiers from among the colonial powers " . Ultimately , bolstered by the Foreign Legion , and armed with superior weaponry , including machine guns , along with cavalry and Marine infantry , the French inflicted casualties that were ten times worse on the Dahomey side . After several battles , the French prevailed . The Legionnaires later wrote about the " incredible courage and audacity " of the Amazons . The last surviving Amazon of Dahomey is thought to be a woman named Nawi who died in 1979 . In popular culture . Dahomey Amazons were represented in the 1987 film " Cobra Verde " by German director Werner Herzog . Ghezo ' s Amazons play a significant role in the novel " Flash for Freedom ! " by George MacDonald Fraser . The unit is also depicted in ( a special edition of , and now DLC of ) PC game " " . A segment of " QI " Series 7 Episode 7 discussed Dahomey Amazons and showed a photo . Referenced in Stieg Larsson ' s novel The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet ' s Nest in the prelude to Part 4 " Rebooting System " . The warriors are also mentioned in Patrick O ' Brian ' s novel The Commodore , book 17 of the Aubrey - Maturin series . The main character of Charles R . Saunders fantasy novel " Dossouye " , an ahosi of Abomey , is closely modelled on the Dahomey ahosi .