The Legend of the Gargareans, the Anti-Amazons
The Amazons are a well-known component of Greek mythology and there are many similar stories of all-women societies in folklore worldwide, as well as many real-life examples of women warriors in general throughout actual history like the Onna-Bugeisha of feudal Japan and the Dahomey Amazons of Africa. Greek mythology in particular, however, also included a mythical tribe populated solely by men. They were known as the Gargareans.
While the ancient alleged homelands of the Amazons was near the northern shore of Asia Minor, the Gargareans were believed to reside further east, in the Caucasus Mountains near the Caspian Sea. It is possible that their name comes from the word “Ghalghai” which is an ethnic group who still reside in that area today.
The connection between the Gargareans and the Amazons goes deeper than their existence as polar opposites. Some sources claim that the two groups would meet once a year for a kind of mass procreation. When the children produced from this event were born, the Gargareans would adopt the boys and the girls would become little Amazons-in-Training.
Of course, other sources claim that the Amazons would kill any male children born to members of their tribe, so the addition of the Gargareans certainly softens the image of the famous warrior women of Greek Mythology.
I thought about including the Gargareans in my novel “Califia’s Crusade”, but ultimately decided against it. One fictional people group was all I felt the novel really had time for, and I didn’t want to risk overshadowing the indigenous peoples of North America. Plus, in addition to their location and the purpose they served in taking in male children of the Amazons, I didn’t find very many myths that revolved around the Gargareans themselves. What was their culture and society like? Their power structures? Their ideologies? I still have no idea.
While the Gargareans did not make the cut, my novel "Califia's Crusade" features many real-life historical factions both well known (like the Franks and the Ottomans) as well as lesser-known (like the Timurids and Ohlone). It's available now for pre-order on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple Books, Bookshop.org and many other platforms worldwide!