Sexual life in ancient Greece : with thirty-two full-page plates

RELIGION AND EROTIC

particularly represented in the story of the beautiful Hippolytus spoken of before; we have also mentioned Artemis Orthia and the scourging of boys at her altar.

The story of the beautiful hunter Actzon, who, having the doubtful good fortune of spying upon Artemis in the midst of her nymphs while bathing, was afterwards changed into a stag by the enraged goddess and torn to pieces by his own dogs, is well known. It is less known that for the same reason she changed Sipretes (Antoninus Liberalis, 17) into a woman.

The cult of the famous Artemis of Ephesus is mixed with Asiatic ideas. Here she is not thought of as a maiden, but as a nurse and all-nourishing mother, as is indicated by the numerous breasts of her cult-image; among her numerous priests are also many hieroduli (temple-slaves) and eunuchs. According to Asiatic story the service of Ephesian Artemis was founded by the Amazons, whom the Greeks thought to be warlike women of foreign stock, who fight with the most famous heroes of antiquity ; thus Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons of Thermodon (the north coast of Asia Minor), went to the aid of the Trojans and after fighting bravely was slain by Achilles. Heracles undertook a victorious campaign in the land of the Amazons.

Homer long ago called the Amazons “a match for men”, but it was not until later that legend made of their state a perfect gynaikokratia (rule of women). Their superiority to men was based upon a severe defeat of the latter in a campaign, caused, according to some by climatic, according to others by astronomical, conditions. Boys were blinded or lamed after birth, or at least theiz bodily development was neglected; only the girls were trained for the chase and war by gymnastic exercises. Callimachus describes dances of the Amazons of a warlike character. From their name (4, privative, and Hales, breast) it was thought in

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