The 8th Labour of Hercules

The Girdle of Hippolyta

For his 8th labour, King Eury told Hercules that he had to bring back the golden girdle of the Amazon queen. The Amazons were a tribe of fierce women. They were very warlike. Any men they met, they captured and kept as slaves.

This was not King Eury's idea actually. It was his daughter's. Hera had told her that wearing the girdle would make her as strong as an Amazon. That was pretty strong. King Eury's daughter wanted to wear the girdle. She wanted to be as strong as the Amazon queen. King Eurystheus' daughter did not care that this was an especially difficult mission, even for Hercules. She thought only of herself.

Hercules also thought this might be a difficult labour, but he was surprised. It was not difficult, not at first anyway. Hippolyta, the Amazon queen, had heard tales of the mighty Hercules. She knew Hercules would be a good friend to have in times of war. In the spirit of friendship, she willingly gave the girdle to Hercules to take back to King Eury's daughter.

As Hercules reached for the golden girdle, the Amazon women thought Hercules was reaching for their queen. They attacked him. During the fight, Hippolyta was accidentally killed by her own people. That started a big fight among the Amazon women. While they were fighting among themselves, Hercules managed to escape with the golden girdle.