The Travels of Sir John Mandeville by John Mandeville

Author:John Mandeville
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Adventurers & Explorers, History, Europe, Medieval
Publisher: Wyatt North Publishing, LLC
Published: 2020-01-27T05:03:48+00:00

Next to Chaldea is the land of Amazoun [the Amazons], which we call the Maiden Land or the Land of Women; no man lives there, only women. This is not because, as some say, no man can live there, but because the women will not allow men to rule the kingdom. There was once a king in that land called Colopheus, and there were once men living there as they do elsewhere. It so happened that this king went to war with the King of Scythia, and was slain with all his great men in battle with his enemy. And when the Queen and the other ladies of that land heard the news that the King and the lords were slain, they marshalled themselves with one accord and armed themselves well. They took a great army of women and slaughtered all the men left among them. And since that time they will never let a man live with them more than seven days, nor will they allow a boy child to be brought up among them. But when they want to have the company of man, they go to that side of their country where their lovers live, stay with them eight or nine days and then go home again. If any of them bears a child and it is a son, they keep it until it can speak and walk and eat by itself and then they send it to the father – or they kill it. If they have a girl child, they cut off one of her breasts and cauterize it; in the case of a woman of great estate, the left one, so that she can carry her shield better, and, in one of low degree, they cut off the right, so that it will not hinder them shooting – for they know very well the skill of archery. There is always a queen to rule that land, and they all obey her. This queen is always chosen by election, for they choose the woman who is the best fighter. These women are noble and wise warriors; and therefore kings of neighbouring realms hire them to help them in their wars. This land of the Amazons is an island, surrounded by water, except at two points where there are two ways in. Beyond the water live their lovers to whom they go when it pleases them to have bodily pleasure with them. Next to the land of the Amazons is a country called Termegutte [Terra Margine, east of the Caspian], a fair and pleasant country; because of the great beauty and richness of this land King Alexander wanted to build there his first city of Alexandria. For in that land he built twelve Alexandrias, of which this was the first; but it is now called Celsite [Seleucia, now Merv].

On the other side of Chaldea, to the south, is the land of Ethiopia, which is a great country, reaching as far as Egypt. Ethiopia is divided into two main parts, that is, the southern and the eastern parts.

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