For his ninth labor, Hercules was sent to capture the belt belonging to and worn by Hippolyte [hi-POL-i-ta], the queen of the Amazon women who lived along the coast of the Black Sea. These women were a tribe of fierce warriors who defeated every tribe they fought. They had little use for men except to serve as servants and slaves. Their helmets, clothes and belts were made from the skins of wild beasts. The Amazons worshipped Artemis, goddess of the moon and the hunt. She was the twin sister of Apollo and decided to never marry. Like their goddess, these women also did not marry. To perpetuate their race, young Amazons would meet every spring with a specific tribe of men for the sole purpose of procreation.
Hercules set sail from the Peloponnesus for the Bosphorus with a band of his friends and compatriots. When he arrived at the mouth of the Thermodon river, he anchored his ship and was visited by Hippolyte herself. She was quite enamored of him and gave him her belt, or girdle as a token of her affection. Hera, in the meantime, was once more at work to try to destroy her husbands son. She disguised herself as an Amazon and spread a rumor that Hercules had come to kidnap their leader. Angry warrior-women attacked the men on the ship and in the battle, Hippolyte was killed. In addition to her belt, he took her battle axe and other weapons.
During his return to Mycenae, Hercules made numerous stops along the way, including one at Troy. He faced many challenges along this journey, but finally managed to arrive back at his home. He gave the belt to Eurystheus who gave it to his daughter Admete. The king wasted no time in devising still another labor for our hero.
____