Tomyris

Family: Massagetai · Role: queen · First appears: Book 1 · §204–211

Life events

• Tomyris rejected Cyrus’s marriage proposal.(Book 1 · §204–211)
  • With: Cyrus
  • “Tomyris understanding that he was wooing not herself but rather the kingdom of the Massagetai, rejected his approaches”
• Tomyris demanded that Cyrus return her son and leave her land, threatening to give him his fill of blood if he refused.(Book 1 · §212–216)
  • With: Cyrus
  • “Restore to me my son and depart from this land without penalty, triumphant over a third part of the army of the Massagetai: but if thou shalt not do so, I swear to thee by the Sun, who is lord of the Massagetai, that surely I will give thee thy fill of blood, insatiable as thou art.”
• Tomyris gathered her forces, fought Cyrus, and the Massagetai defeated the Persians, killing Cyrus.(Book 1 · §212–216)
  • With: Cyrus
  • “but at last the Massagetai got the better in the fight: and the greater part of the Persian army was destroyed there on the spot, and Cyrus himself brought his life to an end there”
• Tomyris found Cyrus’s corpse and lowered his head into a skin filled with human blood.(Book 1 · §212–216)
  • With: Cyrus
  • “and when she found it, she let his head down into the skin and doing outrage to the corpse she said at the same time this:”

Book 1 · §204–211

• admirer: Cyrus “To her Cyrus sent and wooed her, pretending that he desired to have her for his wife: but Tomyris understanding that he was wooing not herself but rather the kingdom of the Massagetai, rejected his approaches”
• child: Spargapises “and among these the son of the queen Tomyris, who was leading the army of the Massagetai; and his name was Spargapises.”
• enemies with Cyrus “Cyrus had become eager to march; for there were many strong reasons which incited him to it and urged him onwards”

Book 1 · §212–216

• child: Spargapises (Tomyris is Spargapises's mother.) “the son of the queen Tomyris, Spargapises”
• enemies with Cyrus “but Tomyris, as Cyrus did not listen to her, gathered together all her power and joined battle with Cyrus.”

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Extracted from the original text of The Histories. Made with Rho MD.