Hippolyta Hippolyta In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta (; "Hippolyte") was the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle that was given to her by her father, Ares, the god of war. The girdle was a waist belt that signified her authority as queen of the Amazons. She figures prominently in the myths of both Heracles and Theseus. The myths about her are varied enough that they may therefore be about several different women. The name "Hippolyta" comes from Greek roots meaning 'horse' and 'let loose'. In the myth of Hercules, Hippolyta's girdle (ζωστὴρ Ἱππολύτης) was the object of his ninth labor.
Labours of Hercules reassembled from many sources. Ruck and Staples assert that there is no one way to interpret the labours, but that six were located in the Peloponnese, culminating with the rededication of Olympia. Six others took the hero farther afield, to places that were, per Ruck, "all previously strongholds of Hera or the 'Goddess' and were Entrances to the Netherworld." In each case, the pattern was the same: Hercules was sent to kill or subdue, or to fetch back for Eurystheus (as Hera's representative) a magical animal or plant. A famous depiction of the labours in Greek sculpture is found on