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Scythian Warriors

Tattooed Scythian Warriors, Descendants of the Amazons? - Part Four

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(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) Just as the Pazyryk culture greatly resembled the Scythian culture to their west, I think we can also see cultural similarities in the Norse and Celtic peoples to the east of Scythia who, whether from intermingling in trade or migration, exhibited the same treatment of women until the spread of Rome and Christianity across Europe destroyed the native culture and purposefully erased any pagan history especially Goddess worship. I will also go as far to say that Rome and the church at the time began the systematic persecution of women taking away any power they had in society including, medicine, religion, brewing and warfare.

The Sarmatians, the people Herodotus believed were the mix of Amazons and Scythians, are known to have invaded Gaul and pushed out the Picts and there are many Roman accounts of the women warriors among the Gauls. The Norse shield maidens are not myth and accounts of their participation in known battles is generally not disputed unlike those of the Amazons. Queen Boudicca, trained as a warrior when she was a child went on to led an army of over 10,0000 many of them women against the Romans in Briton. Of course the Romans described her as a woman who was smarter than most of her gender which explained her successes but they still considered her a person not to be dealt with lightly.

Of her own part Boudicca said “ We British are used to women commanders in war; I am descended from mighty men! But I am not fighting for my kingdom and my wealth now. I am fighting as an ordinary citizen for my lost freedom, my bruised body and my outraged daughters…Consider how many of you are fighting and why! Then you will win this battle or perish. That is what I, a woman, plan to do, let the men live in slavery if they will.”(Boudicca according to Tacitus)

In 61 AD Boudicca died when she took her own life instead of being captured and with her died the hope of women all over Europe for social equality in the face of the Roman invasion and the subsequent spread of Christianity. Perhaps Boudicca represents the last great stand of the descendants of the Amazons and the tattooed warriors of the steppes who rode into battle together, man and woman side by side, against the new societies where woman were seen as weak and inferior and their great deeds in history were turned into myths.

References        

J. A. Salmonson, The Encyclopedia of Amazons (1991), ISBN 0385423667

F. G. Bergmann, Les Amazones dans l'histoire et dans la fable (1853)

http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/Amazons.

 J.Harmatta: "Scythians" in UNESCO Collection of History of Humanity – Volume III: From the Seventh Century BC to the Seventh Century AD. Routledge/UNESCO. 1996.

The Real Scythians of Messopotamia, Fred Hamori, based on a work by Gyula Meszaros

The History of Herodotus, George Rawlinson, ed. and tr., vol. 3, Book 4, Chapters 2-36, 46-82. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1885]

Scythians in the Ancient World by Gill, Education About.com Ancient / Classical History Herodotus History Book IV

Scythian tumuli : Bouzek Jan (2/22/2008) "Scythian tumuli", 2008, Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World, Black Sea

Origins of the Picts and Scots, Hal MacGregor, Origins of the Clan Gregor

The Boudicca Chapters, Isha Bassi, Heroines of History. Wikispaces

 

Comments

surprised to see no reference to Rudenko's The Frozen Tombs of Siberia!!! this book documents his 'discovery' and opening of several burial mounds, in the 1940's... of course his work is plagued by the male archeologist bias that women were of no significance... but the tome is highly detailed as to placement, findings &c

Roberto Peron's picture

Had it not been for women no one would have known of the Resurrection of Christ as they were the ones who went to the tomb.  Had it not been for women Christianity may well have NOT survived following the crucifixion of Christ as it was women who opened their homes and gave money to the apostles so they could continue preaching.  As for the Roman Church?  Ha!  If you've never read any of the writings by the so called early church fathers you should.  Their hatred of and spite for women is made abundantly clear with one even stating that women are the "gateways to Hell itself!".  In essence what happened is that the sacred feminine was axed and women were plundered into a postion of servitude and amid all this the TRUTH was hidden.  And that truth that could not be hidden was simply changed via great LIES!  Perhaps when and IF humanity returns to TRUTH then things on this planet might begin to improve instead of going down the road to self destruction we are on now.

Great series of articles Margaret !!

 

I have been learning about language and how words and their origin can be connected to older and more occult traditions and folklore and myths and legends. I would wonder how the Cathars who were siad to be Gnostics ( and executed to extinction or almost extinction by the RCC ) might possibly be connected to the real Jesus and maybe the Scythians themselves. And what connection there may possibly be amongst the Phoenitians, The Cathars and the Hyksos. I realize that many centuries or eons separate many of these cultures but I would believe some connection or common root due to the equality between men and women in Cathar society. I even read that women were traditionally bisexual and this was accepted throughout the Cathar society. It is unknown as to men being exclsuively straight or if they were permitted men to men relations but the idea of the women and matriarchal societies teaching that women were naturally bisexual seems to be part of the divine feminine from what I have gathered. Men may have been considered as 'equals' but i would suspect that women were more the elevated in status as they gave birth in these cultures and the idea of the Divine feminine was so prominent among Pagan beliefs and even had much influence on the Cathars.

In my studies I have determined that many names and words are mispronounced. In this case, it appears to me that Scythians are better pronounced Scotians. And these people do tie with the Norse, and Scots as well. Digressing a bit: another example is Jericho which should be pronounced Eureka.

Well we all know that Jesus didn't write the bible so the church isn't really his teachings anyways.

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margaretmoose

Margaret Moose

Margaret F. Moose is a native North Carolinian. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where she studied cultural and physical anthropology and fine art. She then attended the University of Pittsburgh and did graduate... Read More

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