Did Amazon women mutilate their right breast to become better hunters?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

If the Amazons existed, and there is some debate about it based on ancient texts, I can't see why they would have removed one or both breasts, there doesn't seem any logic at all to it.

Modern female archers don't need to do this to achieve accuracy, and even if their breasts got in the way, binding them would have worked as well for Amazon hunters, who would also have been conscious of the need to build the tribe's wealth and strength through creation and feeding of children.

It's more likely that as part of a warrior culture, women warriors in ancient times would have undergone the usual rituals of scarrification, mutilation, tattooing and etc with which tribes around the world tested those who would become members of the warrior caste.

'Reporters' from other cultures (such as Greek scribes who travelled with armies to report their glorious conquests) had a vested interest in making the enemy seem as fearsome as possible and the home team in a favourable light. And, let's face it, they were also the ancestors of today's tabloid writers!

Stories from the front lines about hordes of grand and savage warrior women who lopped off their breasts in order to fight is a MUCH better story than a hundred desperate and starving flatlands tribal warriors who comprised male and female, as many did. Some also used child warriors, much as we read about child soldiers in some places today.

Cheers :-)

Answer 3

It is likely a myth, as mentioned. Not only were the Greeks prone to hyperbole, often mixing reality with super powers and divine lineage, but there would have been no way to perform such mastectomies at the time without a rather high loss of life. The more recent archaeological discoveries of Scythian and Samartian warrior graves containing women in full battle gear suggests they were fighting alongside the men. There is often a kernel of truth in the old myths. Troy was long thought to be a fictional place, until it was 'found' again.

Answer 4

No, this is very unlikely, as the Amazons were always depicted with both breasts. This was folk etymology, an assumption that 'amazon' meant 'breast-less', but it could just as likely have meant, 'big breasted'. The fact is that we do not know what 'amazon' meant, although there are several speculations that are listed here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons

Answer 5

The Amazon Women

Answer 6

Amazonian Woman

Answer 7

Yes, they did that in order to be able to use a bow and arrow without any obstructions in the way. They were very serious warriors! Hippolyta was the Queen of the Amazons but was later assassinated by Hercules.

Answer 8

According to legend yes, cutting off one breast, depending on which hand was dominate, helped in making archery more accurate, sometimes breast just get in the way.

Answer 9

Legend says yes. That it was done to
facilitate the use of the short bow.
As there are none around today, we really
don't know for sure.
Many of the Greek legends were allegorical
rather than strictly true.

Answer 10

The real scary part is a lot of people seem to think the Amazons are real, and lived on the Amazon river in South America, when in reality, they were just a myth created by Greeks, and supposedly lived near the Black Sea in modern Russia.

The river in South America was named after the legendary women, not vice versa.

Answer 11

According to Greek myth, yes. But there never were any actual Amazons, just like there's no Zeus and no Hades.