Samurai women, Dahomey Amazons and others: What are remembered in the history of the lady warrior

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In the wake of modern emancipation, it sometimes seems to us that women in the old days were always the "weaker sex" - they gave birth to children and served men. However, in different countries and at different times there were female warriors. Sometimes they even made up active combat units that terrified opponents not only because of the unusualness of the fighters, but also because of their unprecedented cruelty.

Sarmatians and Amazons

Two and a half thousand years ago, the vast steppes from the Danube to the Aral Sea were inhabited by the nomadic tribes of the Sarmatians. There are so many legends and traditions about the military valor of this people that its name is still often used in action films and computer games. Interestingly, the position of women in the society of the warlike tribe was very high. A lot of evidence has been preserved about this. Herodotus retold the legend of their origin from the marriages of Scythian youths with Amazons, a legendary tribe of women warriors, and also shared shocking details with descendants:

Other ancient authors talked about the fact that Sarmatian girls often remove their right breasts so that all vital juices and strength pass into the shoulder and arm, but historians believe that there may be some exaggeration here. Still, when describing "wild barbarians", the ancient Greeks were inclined to attribute to them various atrocities. There is a version that it was the Sarmatian warriors who served as the prototype for the myth of the Amazons.

Female gladiators

The cruel entertainments of the ancient Romans also, it turns out, did not do without women. Women's gladiator fights, unlike men's, are not well studied by historians, but their existence can be considered an established fact. It is known that women fought either with each other or with animals; mixed fights were not allowed. Apparently, not all men liked this kind of entertainment. So, for example, Juvenal made fun of women's fights:

The most amazing thing is that not only slaves and captives, who had no choice, but also free Roman women, sometimes even from noble families, participated in the mortal battles in the arena. Probably, at the time of the heyday of women's games - in the 1st century AD under the emperors Nero and Domitian - this entertainment became simply fashionable.

Viking Shield Maidens

The existence of female warriors among the ancient Vikings has long raised doubts among historians. However, new data allows such bold conclusions to be drawn. Back in the 19th century, a large grave was excavated in the southeast of Sweden on the territory of the ancient city of Birka. Burial Bj 581 has been described as the tomb of a noble warrior. On the last journey with him they put a sword, an ax, a spear, arrows, a combat knife, two shields, two horses and even a set of playing pieces.

However, in the 70s of the XX century, anthropologists suspected something was wrong - the bones from the burial turned out to be female. Modern DNA testing methods have confirmed this shocking fact: the courageous warrior and clear military leader was undoubtedly a woman. Scientists had to remember some "Virgins with a shield" - which were mentioned in northern legends. For example, the "Red-haired Woman", who led the Viking fleet in Ireland. Here, of course, you can also recall the Valkyries - formidable maidens who collect the souls of valiant warriors on the battlefields. The tale, of course, is a lie, but it may well reflect hints of old and forgotten traditions.

Onna-bugeisha - female samurai

It is not very well known in the West that in medieval Japan, women from samurai families were also trained in martial arts. Usually they were not warriors, but had to, in case of need, protect the house and their children from enemies. If for a samurai the main thing was serving his master, then for a woman the only goal was serving her husband.

Of the weapons, Onna-bugeisha was taught to use mainly the naginata (a cold weapon with a curved blade on a long handle), as well as a yari spear, chains and ropes. Instead of a katana, they had a tanto - a samurai's short sword. A short kaiken dagger was always hidden behind the belt or sleeve of such a formidable housewife, which, if necessary, was skillfully used. This knife was given to a girl at the age of 12, on the day of majority. Samurai women, like men, were the keepers of their family's honor, so if necessary, they too had to carry out a suicide ritual without hesitation. History has preserved to this day the names of many valiant samurai women who even commanded troops to defend their country.

Interestingly, female ninja in medieval Japan also existed, they were called kunoichi. Their main weapons were secrecy, poisons, and, of course, female charm. However, if necessary, such ladies, usually disguised as geisha or artists, could repulse a man in close combat.

African amazons

Until the end of the 19th century, the kingdom of Dahomey existed on the west coast of Africa. Today these are the territories of Benin and Togo. Back at the end of the 17th century, the third king of this state created a special detachment of "Amazons", who at first, oddly enough, hunted elephants. His son changed this unit a little, turning it into a squad of his personal bodyguards. A group of female warriors was called "mino", which means "our mothers." Later, a well-trained and well-armed detachment numbered up to 6 thousand women! This, incidentally, accounted for a third of the entire military power of Dahomey. Over time, the country was increasingly inclined towards militarization and successfully rebuffed first its neighbors, and then for some time resisted the French troops.

Interestingly, during the service, all Mino women could not have families and children, since they were formally considered royal wives. They went there voluntarily or were sent by force if the girl showed aggressive behavior and men from the family complained about her. Strict discipline and hard physical training made these women formidable killing machines. Exercises included, for example, jumping over walls lined with prickly acacia trees. And as a "final exam" served many days of "hunger games" - the girls were sent to the jungle, where they had to survive, having only cold steel with them. The "trademark" of this unit was an instant head cutoff.

In the 1890s, when Dahomey underwent French expansion, the Amazons became a powerful force: French soldiers were first disoriented by women on the battlefield, and then demoralized. They began to fear cruel killer ladies. Their negative image was even used in the French press as propaganda to justify the conquest of "barbaric" and "uncivilized" Dahomey. This state ended its existence in 1900, and the last Dahomey Amazon named Navi passed away in 1979, at the age of more than a hundred years.