by Emily Hauser
Polyhymnia – Muse of hymns.
Poseidon – God of the ocean and brother of Zeus.
Priam – The king of Troy, husband of Hecuba and father of Hector, Deiphobus, Aeneas, Paris, Troilus and Cassandra.
*Proetus – Husband of Admete; the name is taken from the legendary king of Tiryns.
Pythia – The oracle of Delphi.
Royal Scythians, the – see Glossary of Places s.v. Royal Scythians, Land of the
Sagylus – Father of Panasagoras, who leads the Saka tribes in alliance with Melanippe; the name is given in Diodorus and Justin.
Saka, the – see Glossary of Places s.v. Saka, Land of the
Sarmatians, the – see Glossary of Places s.v. Sarmatia
Scythians, the – see Glossary of Places s.v. Scythia
*Sitalkes – Amazon councillor. Attested Scythian name (Herodotus).
Skoloti, the – see Glossary of Places s.v. Skoloti, Land of the
Solois – Brother of Thoas and Euneos of Athens. Companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta.
Sthenelus – Brother of Perses of Paros. Companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta.
Tabiti – Scythian goddess of fire (equivalent to Greek Hestia), given in Herodotus.
Talthybius – One of the heralds of King Agamemnon.
Tar – Scythian god of storms and war (equivalent to Greek Zeus, Ares), given in Herodotus.
*Telemus – Son of Aeacus of Salamis. Companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta (name adjusted from the Greek Telamon).
Terpsichore – Muse of dance.
*Teuspa – Husband of Melanippe. Attested Scythian name.
Thalia – Muse of comedy.
*Theia – Cousin and handmaid of Theseus.
Thermodosa – One of the band of twelve Amazons to accompany Hippolyta to Troy. Attested Amazon name (in Greek).
Theseus – Son of Aegeus and king of Athens; companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta. One of the Argonauts; also famous for defeating the Minotaur in Crete with the help of Ariadne.
Thoas – Brother of Solois and Euneos of Athens. Companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta.
*Thraso – Amazon councillor. Attested Amazon name (in Greek).
*Timiades – Son of Pheidon of Argos. Companion of Hercules on the voyage for the war-belt of Hippolyta.
*Toxis – Amazon warrior. Attested Amazon name (in Greek).
Urania – Muse of astronomy.
*Xanthippe – Amazon warrior. Attested Amazon name (in Greek); means ‘pale horse’.
Zeus – King of the gods, Zeus is the god of thunder and husband of Hera.
Glossary of Places
Aegean (Sea), the – The part of the Mediterranean Sea that separates the mainland of Greece from what is now the mainland of Turkey.
Anatolia – The region later known as Asia Minor, encompassing all of modern Turkey and some of modern Syria and Iraq, bordered on the west by the Aegean Sea and to the east by the Euphrates river, to the north by the Black Sea and to the south by the Mediterranean. It was peopled in the thirteenth century BCE (late Bronze Age) by a number of different groups, from the Masians and Kaskaeans in the north to the vast Hittite Empire that spread across the Anatolian Plateau, to the Trojans, Mysians, Maeonians and Lycians on the western and south-western coast of the Aegean.
Argolid, the – The area around the ancient city of Argos.
Argos – A city state on the north-east of the Peloponnese in Greece, ruled by Diomedes. The ruins of Argos can still be visited today.
Athens – The major city of Attica, a city state on the Attic peninsula; settled in the Bronze Age and legendary home of Theseus, but not the centre of democracy until the fifth century BCE.
Attica – The area around the ancient city of Athens.
Borysthenes, the – The ancient Greek name for the modern Dnieper river (Scythian: Danu Apara), which flows through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine into the Black Sea; see also Danu Apara
Bosphorus, the – The strait lying between the Propontis and the Black Sea, separating the kingdom of Thrace to the west and Anatolia to the east.
Carpathian Mountains, the – A range of mountains crossing central and eastern Europe.
Caucasus Mountains, the – The great mountain system that spans the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
Crete – The largest of the Greek islands and home to a flourishing Bronze Age Greek culture, most famously at Knossos (the site of which was excavated by Sir Arthur Evans; impressive, if vastly reconstructed, ruins can still be visited today). Crete was also said to be the location of the wedding of Zeus and Hera, where the gift of the golden apples was given by Earth.
Danastris, the – The Scythian name for the modern Dniester river (Greek: Tyras), which flows through Ukraine and Moldova into the Black Sea; the name possibly means ‘near river’ in Scythian.
Danu Apara – The Scythian name for the modern Dnieper river (Greek: Borysthenes), which flows through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine into the Black Sea; the name possibly means ‘far river’ in Scythian. See also Borysthenes
Delphi – Said by the Greeks to be the ‘belly button of the world’ and the home of the oracle, who was thought to relay the words of Apollo to mortals, Delphi is still an imposing and beautiful site.
Egypt – One of the most powerful ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, builders of the famous Pyramids and a key player in Bronze Age politics and trade, the Egyptian pharaohs exported grain, paper, gold and linen around the Mediterranean.
Garden of the Hesperides, the – Mythical garden in which the golden apples, a wedding gift to Zeus and Hera, were guarded by the Hesperides. Two different traditions in antiquity place them either in the far west of the Greek world, around Libya (Pliny, Virgil, Pomponius Mela), or to the far north beyond the Hyperboreans (Aeschylus, Apollodorus), which is the tradition I have followed.
Greece – Homeland of the Greeks, comprising the city states of Argos, Ithaca, Mycenae, Phthia, Pylos and Sparta, among others.
Hades – Both the god of the Underworld and the name of the Underworld itself, where the ancients believed that the spirits of the dead went to spend eternity. It was reached by crossing the river Styx in a boat ferried by a man called Charon. There were several different parts to the Underworld: Tartarus, where the wicked were punished, the Elysian Fields, where the heroes went, and the Isles of the Blessed, the ultimate destination and eternal paradise.
Hellespont, the – The narrow strait opposite the ancient city of Troy, now called the Dardanelles.
Hialea – Location of an ancient Scythian tribe (Greek: Hylaea), probably on the modern Crimean peninsula.
Hittites, Land of the – One of the largest empires of the Bronze Age, the Hittite Empire reached its zenith in the mid-fourteenth century BCE. It endured until its sudden collapse around 1200 BCE, about the same time as the destruction of the Bronze Age kingdoms in Greece and the fall of Troy. Its capital was at Ḫattuša (modern Boğazköy in Turkey).
Hylaea – Location of an ancient Scythian tribe (Scythian: Hialea), probably on the modern Crimean peninsula.
Hyperborea – Mythical land at the extreme far north of the world, beyond the home of the north wind in the Rhipaean Mountains; blessed with eternal spring, fertile land, and sacred to Apollo.
Ida, Mount – The largest mountain on the Trojan plain and the home of the gods.
Ithaca – A rocky island to the west of mainland Greece ruled by Odysseus.
Maeotis, Lake – The ancient Greek name for the modern Sea of Azov (Scythian: Temarunda), at the far north-east of the Black Sea. See also Temarunda
Melanchlaeni, Land of the – An ancient Scythian tribe located by Herodotus north of the Royal Scythians (Scyth. Skoloti); the name means ‘black cloaks’ in Greek.
Mycenae – A city in the Peloponnese, one of the largest in the ancient Greek Bronze Age world. It was ruled by King Agam
emnon and was rediscovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1876. The ruins of the impressive palace can be seen today. Mycenae was famous for its gold: Homer calls it ‘rich in gold’.
Mysia – A region to the east of the Troad.
Ocean – The ancient Greeks believed that the ocean encircled the whole world like a river around a flat disc of land. The sun and moon were thought to rise and set from the waters of the ocean.
Olympus, Mount – A mountain in northern Greece and the home of the Olympian gods.
Parnassus, Mount – The mountain above Delphi, said to be home of the Muses.
Phthia – A city state in the north of Greece, in the southernmost part of Thessaly, and home to Peleus and Achilles.
Pnyx, the – A hill to the west of the Acropolis in Athens, later used as the assembly-place during Athenian democracy.
Propontis, the – The ancient Greek name for the Sea of Marmara, the inland sea that connects the Aegean to the west and the Black Sea to the east. The strait to its south-western end was called the Hellespont (modern Dardanelles), and to the north-east, the Bosphorus.
Pterophoros – Mentioned in Pliny and Herodotus as a dark land of endless snowfall and cold winds to the far north; the name means ‘wing-bearing’ or ‘feather-bearing’ in Greek.
Pylos – The ancient kingdom of Nestor in the south-west of the Peloponnese; impressive ruins of a Bronze Age palace were discovered nearby, at modern Ano Englianos, and you can still visit them today.
Rhipaean Mountains – Mythical mountains to the far north, beyond the land of Pterophoros and bordering the south of Hyperborea; home of the north wind, which gives them their name, from the Greek rhipai, ‘hurricanes’.
Royal Scythians, Land of the – An ancient Scythian tribe located by Herodotus east of the modern Molochna river, extending to the river Don (Greek: Tanais; Scythian: Silis), said to be the largest and bravest of the Scythian tribes. See also Skoloti, Land of the
Saka, Land of the – Known in Greek as Scythia, a large portion of central Eurasia stretching east over the Black Sea from Ukraine into Russia, occupied in antiquity by many different nomadic tribes. The name Saka is the later Persian word, which is adopted here. See also Scythia
Sarmatia – An ancient nomadic tribe closely related to the Scythians, placed in various locations; I follow Strabo in locating them north of the Scythians.
Scythia – A large portion of central Eurasia stretching east over the Black Sea from Ukraine into Russia, occupied in antiquity by many different nomadic tribes. See also Saka, Land of the
Silis, the – The Scythian name for the modern Don river (Greek: Tanais), which flows through Russia into the Sea of Azov; its Scythian name is given in Pliny. See also Tanais, the
Skoloti, Land of the – An ancient Scythian tribe located by Herodotus east of the modern Molochna river, extending to the Don river (Greek: Tanais; Scythian: Silis), said to be the largest and bravest of the Scythian tribes. The name comes from Herodotus, who says that this is what the Royal Scythians called themselves. See also Royal Scythians, Land of the
Skyros – A Greek island in the centre of the Aegean, where Achilles’ mother Thetis was said to have attempted to hide him from the Trojan War.
Sparta – A city in the south of Greece ruled by Tyndareus, father of Helen of Sparta (later Helen of Troy).
Styx, the – The river that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld; to enter the Underworld the ferryman Charon had to be paid to take the dead across. It was seen as sacred by the gods: they would often swear oaths by the Styx. Its waters were thought to confer immortality, and it is into the Styx that Thetis dips her son Achilles in the hope of making him immortal.
Tanais, the – The Greek name for the modern Don river (Scythian: Silis), which flows through Russia into the Sea of Azov; its Scythian name is given in Pliny. See also Silis, the
Temarunda – The Scythian name for the modern Sea of Azov (Greek: Lake Maeotis), at the far north-east of the Black Sea. The Scythian name, meaning ‘mother of the sea’, is given in Pliny. See also Maeotis, Lake
Thebes – A city of Boeotia, north of Athens, where Alcmene and Amphitryon (parents of Hercules) took refuge.
Thessaly – A large region to the north of Greece, incorporating Mount Olympus, Mount Ossa and Mount Pelion, as well as the cities of Pagasae and Iolcos.
Thrace – The mountainous region to the north of Thessaly in Greece.
Tiryns – The city of Eurystheus in the Argolid; Tiryns has one of the best-preserved Bronze Age palaces, which can still be visited today, and archaeological artefacts including the stone throne of Tiryns’ king can be seen in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Troy – The ancient city of King Priam, which was besieged by the Greek forces of King Agamemnon around the twelfth century BCE. It was rediscovered by Heinrich Schliemann in 1871 on the hill of Hisarlık in north-western Turkey. Its ruins can be visited today.
Underworld, the – Also called Hades, this was where the ancients believed that the spirits of the dead went to spend eternity. It was reached by crossing the river Styx in a boat ferried by Charon. There were several different parts to the Underworld: Tartarus, where the wicked were punished, the Elysian Fields, where the heroes went, and the Isles of the Blessed, the eternal paradise.
Glossary of Scythian Terms
halinda a type of wild cabbage, which is said to grow along the banks of the Tanais (modern Don, Scythian Silis) River
ippa horse
koumiss a fermented drink of mare’s milk
Oiorpata Amazon; man-slayer/man-lord
paralati common people, non-warriors (here extended to mean ‘foreigner’)
pelamys a fish (probably a kind of tuna) found at the mouth of the Borysthenes (modern Dnieper, Scythian Danu Apara) River, according to Herodotus
pelta sickle-shape shield
sagaris battle-axe
Saka Scythian(s)
tamga sign, seal
uran battle-cry
About the Author
Born in Brighton and brought up in Suffolk, EMILY HAUSER studied Classics at Cambridge, where she was taught by Mary Beard. She attended Harvard as a Fulbright Scholar before going on to Yale to complete her PhD. She has now returned to Harvard as a Junior Fellow and is joining the University of Exeter as a lecturer in the Department of Classics and Ancient History in 2018. For the Most Beautiful – the first book in the Golden Apple trilogy – was her debut novel and retells the story of the siege of Troy. Her second, For the Winner, is a brilliant reimagining of the myth of Atalanta and the legend of Jason, the Argonauts and the search for the Golden Fleece. For the Immortal brings the trilogy to a thrilling close.
To find out more, visit www.emilyhauser.com
Also by Emily Hauser
FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
FOR THE WINNER
For more information on Emily Hauser and her books, see her website at www.emilyhauser.com
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Author’s Note
fn1 All translations are my own.
fn2 Burney MS 86, known as the Townley Homer.
fn3 Arctinus, Aethiopis fr. 2; scholiast on Iliad 24.804, Schol. (T) Il. 24.804a.
fn4 Other ancient sources referred to in this book include: Aeschylus, Eumenides; Apollodorus, Bibliotheca and Epitome; Apollonius, Argonautica; Arctinus, Aethiopis; Dictys Cretensis, Chronicles; Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica; Euripides, Hercules Furens; Hellanikos, FGrH 4 F 149; Herodotus, Histories; Hippocrates, De Aeribus Aquis Locis and De Morbis Popularibus; Homer, Iliad and Odyssey; Hyginus, Fabulae; Justin, Epitome; Nonnus, Dionysiaca; Orosius, Historiae; Ovid, Heroides; Pausanias, Description of Greece; Pliny, Historia Naturalis; Pindar, Carmina; Plutarch, Vita Thesei; Polyaenus, Strategmata; Proclus, Chrestomathia; Propertius, Elegiae; Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica; Statius, Achilleid; Strabo, Geographica; Theophrastus, Historia Plantarum; John Tzetzes, Scholia in Lycophronem, Chiliades, and Posthomerica.
fn5 This is probably derived from William Painter’s ‘Novel of the Amazones,’ which begins Book 2 of The Palace of Pleasure (1575): ‘but Theseus for no offer that she coulde make, woulde he deliver Hippolyta, with whom he was so farre in love, that he carried her home with him, and afterward toke her to wyfe, of whom hee had a sonne calle Hipolitus’ (The Palace of Pleasure 2.163). It is perhaps also traceable to Plutarch’s Vita Thesei 27, which Shakespeare would have read in North’s translation (Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romanes, trans. Thomas North (1579): The Tudor Translations, 2 vols. (1895; rpt., New York, 1967), vol. 1, p. 116).