An Exploration of the Myth and Imagination: The Amazon Women

This essay delves into the Greek myth of the Amazon women, exploring their portrayal as brave and independent warriors. It discusses their societal structure, characterized by female dominance and exclusion of men, highlighting their resistance to male-dominated societies. The essay examines the historical context, though acknowledging the mythical nature, and emphasizes the Amazon women's impact as a symbol of women's empowerment and a source of inspiration for modern society. It analyzes their roles in Greek mythology, their interactions with heroes, and their lasting legacy as a symbol of courage and defiance against societal norms, drawing parallels to contemporary discussions on feminism and gender roles. The conclusion emphasizes the enduring influence of this myth in shaping perceptions of women and their potential for strength and independence.

Running head: MYTH AND IMAGINATION
Myth and Imagination
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MYTH AND IMAGINATION
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to discuss about the myths of Greece or Rome. The Greek
myths are regarded as the incidents or the stories that are told in the Greek mythology. The
myths are indeed important resources for thee life to follow. The myth that has been chosen here
in this paper is that of the Amazon women recorded in the Greek myths. People in this world
believe in several things and they lead their life by believing in certain things (Bremmer, 2014).
Sometimes these certain things are made up of some of these myths.
The people generally read out these myths in their childhood and get impressed by them.
They try to follow those myths in their lives forever. This is how these mythical stories get into
the proper spotlight. The Greek tradition of the myths is a very useful source for the development
of the certain ideas. The chosen tradition of the Amazon women is an explicit example of the
women empowerment that could be transformed into the modern society. Some moral lessons
could also be learnt from some of these myths. This myth has been very useful for arousing the
interest of all the people for its brave tradition (Napoli, 2014).
Discussion about the myth
In this myth the idea about the chosen myth will be presented. According to the Amazons
myth of the Greek mythology, these women have been considered as one of the bravest and most
courageous women in the history. They have been regarded as the ancient tribal women who
were independent (Bremmer, 2014). They believed that they wanted to be the free people as they
were mighty ones. They also get out of the male-dominated society to be the masters of their
own will. The term ‘feminism’ might have come from their struggles only. This is why they are
considered as the first extreme feminists (Powell, 2012).

2MYTH AND IMAGINATION
The story or plot regarding this Amazons myth could be taken as an example how the
women began their journey against this male-dominated society properly (Napoli, 2014). These
women did not want to abide by the rules of the society that were designed by the males. They
used to live in the isolated places that gave them the independence they needed (Powell, 2012)..
These women began their journey of protests by excluding the men from their society. This was
done as they had to fight the wars against those men multiple times. The story of the Amazon
tradition has been recorded through the myths as very little information has been found about
their historical existence (Dowden, 2014). However, some people have also claimed that these
traditions are only the stories that had been told to give relief to the tortured and oppressed
women of the society. So this myth can be taken as partially true. The characters of the plot are
really interesting as the bravery of these women has inspired the modern society women to be
rebellious against the dominance of men in the society (Dowden, 2014).
The term Amazon has been derived from the classical Greek word ‘Amazoi’. According
to the mythology, the Amzazon tribal women used to live in the city of Themiscyra near the
Thermodon River in the Asia Minor (Foreman & Woman, 2014). The governance of this city
and the society was completely in the hands of the women. The women of the Amazon tribe did
not even want to get married since they thought it would be similar to be the slaves of the males.
The men were only allowed to get into the society if the purpose was for mating (Dowden,
2014). The Amazon women were so fearless and brave that they were the experts in horse
taming and riding. Thus it shows the ultimate courage of these Amazon women could be taken as
a positive aspect for the development of the society. They had liked to mate with the handsome
prisoners of the war. These Amazon women had built up the relationships with the famous
heroes of the Greek mythology (Foreman & Woman, 2014).

3MYTH AND IMAGINATION
Personal reflection
I would like to share my thoughts in this discourse since this myth has also fascinated me
as well. In the real life I have questioned in favor of the women empowerment as I believe the
women do have many talents and they should always be given the opportunities to express those.
Such mythical stories about the valiance of the Amazon women when they attacked Athens to
rescue the abducted Antilope were indeed inspiring. This is why I believe that this mythical story
of the Amazon women could be a very important resource for encouraging the women to achieve
their dreams.
In the present scenario, some of the women are oppressed as well because of the male
dominance in their families and society (Mayor, 2014). I think the women do have their own
identity and they should be given the scope to utilize their talents. This myth does date back
thousands of years ago. I think myths are not solely for the entertainment since this myth will
work as an inspiration for the oppressed women of the society. The myths might go on to amaze
the readers for a long time as these have some supernatural elements as well Evslin, B. (2012).
Conclusion
In the concluding section, it can be said that the myths are generally the tales that are told
for the amazement of the readers. The myths do not always have to be true. Some myths are told
out of the imagination as well. However the myth that has been chosen here fits the class of the
Greek myths. One most important feature of the Greek myths is the courage and valor. This
feature has been provided in this myth regarding the empowerment of women. Their show of
strength is very evident when the stories of the wars over the male society have been discussed.
Thus the paper can be ended by saying this is a successful Greek myth.

4MYTH AND IMAGINATION
References
Bremmer, J. N. (2014). Interpretations of Greek Mythology (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Dowden, K. (2014). Death and the Maiden (Routledge Revivals): Girls' Initiation Rites in Greek
Mythology. Routledge.
Evslin, B. (2012). Gods, Demigods and Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology. Open
Road Media.
Foreman, A., & Woman, W. (2014). The Amazon Women: Is There Any Truth Behind the
Myth?. Smithsonian. com.
Jennings, K. (2014). Greek Mythology. Simon and Schuster.
Mayor, A. (2014). The Amazons: lives and legends of warrior women across the ancient world.
Princeton University Press.
Napoli, D. J. (2014). Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes
& Monsters. National Geographic Books.
Powell, B. B. (2012). Classical myth. Pearson.