Sisters of Hippolyta

*It's a shame to miss seeing the people who need help. It's a crime to see them and do nothing.*

Why is God so often considered a man? What happened to reverence for the female – or for that space between polarities where there’s room enough for everyone? It’s a clichéd question, yet no less valid for its overuse. What the hell is up with constant, pervasive denigration of mothers, lovers, sisters, daughters, friends? Why are so many people still terrified by the idea of female power? The Sisters have been asking that question for over 2000 years, and the world still hasn’t answered it to their satisfaction.

Sacred warriors of life, the Sisters of Hippolyta (more commonly, Sisters or Hippolytoi) trace their origins to the legendary Amazons. Fed up with the violence directed at their sex, these women isolated themselves from those people, male or female, who would not respect them. Yet despite their ferocious reputation, these women often did love and bond with men. Hippolyta herself – the fiercest member of a warlike people – was supposedly so impressed with Herakles that she gave him her prized possession: a girdle passed down from her father, Ares, symbolizing prowess with craft and war. But one of the hero’s companions, Theseus – overcome with desire – took Hippolyta back to Athens to be his… er, “wife.”

The Amazons set out to retrieve Hippolyta. According the Sisters’ version of the legend, the warriors fought Theseus and his Athenians to a standstill but failed to rescue Hippolyta. Many of the warriors perished. With their queen in sight but their strength flagging, one Amazon loosed an arrow into Hippolyta’s breast. The legend reinforces a core belief: bondage is anathema. If a sister gets captured, her conclave will risk everything to win her release – even if the only possible escape is extinction. Death over slavery has been their creed since the very beginning. And although the Sisters forged their new fellowship (literally, some myths claim) from the ashes and bones of their warlike society, the option of force has always been regarded as a necessary tool of peace.

First and foremost, however, the Sisters hold a reverence for life – though that life must also be free, not abused or enslaved. Historically, they’ve been healers, liberators, and advocates for women and children around the world. Nonaggression provides a key to the group’s beliefs… although defensive violence is, by their definition, not aggressive. Mutual respect is essential as well, although like most ideals, it’s more difficult to uphold in real life.

Given their focus on the Divine Feminine and the Arts of Life, many people wonder why this Craft didn’t merge with the Verbena long ago. Traditionally, though, the Sisters avoid collaboration (much less alliance) with other sects because such efforts often come back to bite them. Recent events, though, have changed the situation. As all struggles do, the Ascension War has left behind casualties and wreckage… and in the wake of the 20th century, such casualties and wreckage are higher than usual. Beyond the obvious damage to the Awakened community, the massive shifts of that century have unearthed new possibilities of gender and recognition. For the first time in millennia, the voiceless have a voice… and in response, certain forces work harder to silence that voice and those people. And so, a group that’s spent ages in seclusion has become activist instead. Their current affiliation with the other Disparates marks a cautious new step for a very old Craft.

## Organization

Most Hippolytoi live together in conclaves that contain only women and children; Sisters who choose relationships with men must meet them outside the confines of the conclave. An elected council of seven Sisters known as the epitropi guides and governs each conclave. Within a group, this council forms the final authority about everything from that conclave’s long-term direction to the role of its youngest member. Unlike most Awakened fellowships, the Hippolytoi don’t discriminate between Awakened and unAwakened members. Everyone has a voice, and all voices are respected.

## Initiation

Joining a society as secretive as the Sisters of Hippolyta is neither quick nor easy. A Sister might spend weeks or months getting to know a prospective initiate. Occasionally, a woman gets brought into a conclave for healing or sanctuary. If the prospect’s personality and philosophy fit in with the Sisterhood, the epitropi might decide to offer her membership. If she accepts, she lives at the conclave for a month. During this time, the woman learns about the good and bad elements of life within the Craft (though none of their secrets), while the Sisters discern the probationary member’s commitment and trustworthiness. If, by the end of this probation, all parties are satisfied, then the initiate begins her new life in a short ceremony in which she swears oaths to the Sisters of Hippolyta.

## Focus

Though all Sisters, Awakened or not, study the magickal Arts, they view magick as an intuitive connection rather than a metaphysical discipline. Creation’s Divine and Alive, and although Might is (often) Right, It’s All Good when you have courage, faith, and sisterhood.

Essentially a Pagan form of medicine-work with modern applications, the Hippolytan practices look like witchcraft, shamanism, High Ritual, craft work, and martial arts, although few Sisters would describe their Arts in those terms. Whenever possible, Hippolytoi prefer to do their willworking through group rituals. Typically, they enact these rites in their home language, although formal Sisters perform rituals in ancient Greek.

## Glossary

* **Chorodia:** A group of seven Sisters who create their magick collectively; also, any group of Sisters working together toward a common goal.
* **Conclave:** The place where groups of Sisters live and work together; often used interchangeably with the term "community."
* **Epitropi:** The elected septarchy, which rules each conclave for seven years.
* **Patriarchy:** General term for the forces of masculine oppression. Seen by some as an actual spirit entity (an Incarna).
* **Samantha:** Derogatory term for a Sister who has left the conclave to pursue a so-called "normal life."
* **Themiscryain Compact:** The oath that proclaims that no Sister shall be taken alive into slavery, even if it means the entire conclave must die to prevent it.