A photo from open sources
Legends about the Amazons exist all over the world, however, in different the places of these brave warriors are called differently. Reached us written testimonies of the life of Amazon women – as an echo from ancient times when women ruled the world.
North Amazons
It is generally accepted that the location of European Amazons was Northern Europe, including the Baltic lands. The first author who reported them in his travel notes (965), was Ibrahim Ibn Yakub, Arab traveler of Jewish descent. is he writes: next to the Russians there is a city of women who own slaves and lands. These women conceive children from their own slaves, and if give birth to sons, then kill them. They are distinguished by their courage, jumping on horseback and waging wars.
A photo from open sources
Famous Arab traveler and geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi (first half of the 12th century) talked about two “islands of the Amazons” in The North Ocean, and Adam of Bremen, a North German historian, the geographer and chronicler, describing the European north in the 11th century, says: Amazons live on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, which is why this the land is called the land of women. Amazons avoid chatting with men, and if they appear, then courageously drive them away …
The old Norwegian chronicle also tells of the “land girls “, located on the wild, foggy coast of the White Sea. The chronicle is echoed by an old Russian book Azbukvin, which refers to Amazons from the Murk countries. Scientists believe that under the “Mur countries “should mean the Murmansk lands located on Kola Peninsula.
Slavic Amazons
The Slavs, who lived next door to the Karelians, also have legends about Amazons. In them, these women warriors are called polar forests. By skill to fight and their remoteness the polar forests were not inferior to the male heroes, and sometimes superior to them, which is why they preferred not to mess with so warlike ladies. However, well-known to us Dobrynya Nikitich managed to marry the clearing Nastasya Mikulishne, who accounted for the daughter of the hero-plowman Mikula Selyaninovich.
A photo from open sources
Russian chronicles also report brave warriors, who helped men defend cities from the Tatar-Mongols, Crusaders, Lithuanians and Poles. Moreover, they not only offered arrows warriors either poured enemies with hot tar and boiling water, but fought with weapons in their hands.
It is also known that in 1641, during the defense from the Turks of Azov Don, Zaporizhzhya Cossacks, took part in the battles Cossack riders. Perfectly shooting from bows, they applied significant damage to enemies, even by conservative estimates. However, Cossacks did not get used to fighting seriously …
Byzantine evidence of the valor of Slavic women manuscripts. Chroniclers narrate that during the war with the Greeks, the prince Svyatoslav, after a fierce battle, the Greeks began to undress the dead enemies and found many female corpses …
The greatness and wisdom of the Amazons
What is surprising for us in the legends of fearless Amazons? Of course, the fact that women committed men’s actions. But also more surprisingly, contemporaries did not consider such behavior to be something special. Masculinity was a common feature in that distant era. glorious deeds, strength and courage.
A photo from open sources
In one of his books, the famous Russian historian Ivan Zabelin writes: in those days, wisdom and courage were not only positive qualities of the mind and character, but also prophetic power, which brought people closer to the gods. According to the pagan ideal a female person is a mythical creature with a gift prophecies, charms and fortune-telling. She is subject to the secrets of nature, not by chance in her hands is stored witchcraft, healing, spells and conspiracies. She is close to mythical forces and can use good and the evil of these forces …
… Nowadays, historical evidence of Amazons attracts special attention of specialists. Of course, studying this topic significantly enrich our ideas about the past, including about the history of peoples who once lived in the territory of the present Russia …
War time
