THE NINTH LABOR--THE GIRDLE OF HIPPOLYTE
Eurystheus, as we have seen, sent Herakles a little farther every time
in hopes of never seeing him again. It would take you a whole day
going on the best steamer to get to Crete from Athens, and in those
days, when steamers had not been thought of, the sailing must have
been slow indeed. Eurystheus now sent the hero yet farther off to the
Black Sea, on the southern shore of which there lived the Amazons, a
nation of warlike women.
The Amazons were brought up like men. Their main occupation was war,
and they were excellent horsewomen. They were sharpshooters with the
bow and arrow. Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons, was a brave and
handsome woman. She wore a celebrated girdle, the gift of Ares, as a
sign of her queenly rank.
Eurystheus had a daughter who had heard of the beauty of the famous
girdle which was worn by the Amazon queen. She begged her father to
send Herakles to bring it to her. Then Eurystheus ordered Herakles to
fetch the girdle, and he manned a ship and sailed away, taking several
companions with him.
After many wanderings they reached the Black Sea and sailed to the
Amazon country. Queen Hippolyte was at once informed that some
strangers had arrived from a far-off land, and she came down to the
shore to learn why they had come. Herakles told her that a princess
had sent him to get the girdle given her by Ares. Hippolyte admired
the bold hero for his frankness and promised that she would give it to
him.
But Hera changed herself into an Amazon and rushing into the midst of
an army of them cried out, "The strangers are carrying off our queen!"
Then all the Amazons snatched up their arms and rushed on horseback
to the ship. When Herakles saw them coming armed to attack his men, he
thought Hippolyte had betrayed him and he slew her and took her
girdle.
Then he attacked the rest of the Amazons and put them to flight. When
the battle was over, Herakles and his companions went on board the
ship and sailed for home.
Soon after they had started on their way to Mykenæ they found Hesione,
the daughter of Laömedon, on the shore chained to a rock. Laömedon was
at that time king of Troy, and Herakles and his companions stopped to
find out why the daughter of a great king had to suffer such a
terrible punishment. She told Herakles that Apollo, the sun god, and
Poseidon, the god of the sea, once took on the form of man and began
to build walls around the city of Troy. Her father promised to aid
them but neglected to keep his promise. This conduct made the gods
indignant and Apollo sent a pestilence to rage in the city while
Poseidon sent a sea-monster which came up out of the ocean and
devoured the people.
Laömedon asked the priest of Apollo how he might appease the wrath of
the gods. The priest answered that the city would be freed from the
double plague if Laömedon would chain his daughter to the rock on the
shore where the monster might devour her.
Laömedon obeyed the oracle and had her chained to the cliff near the
sea. Just then Herakles arrived and stopped near the shore, when
Laömedon with hot tears entreated him to save his daughter. Herakles
promised to do it under the condition that Laömedon should give him as
a reward a famous horse in his possession.
Herakles killed the sea-monster, but Laömedon again did not keep his
promise and Herakles left Troy, his heart filled with scorn for the
faithless king. On his return to Mykenæ he gave the girdle of the
Amazon queen to his cousin, the daughter of Eurystheus.