Penthesileia

An Amazon queen. Penthesileia was the daughter of the war god Ares and Otrere. Penthesileia was as superb and fierce a warrior as she was beautiful.

Penthesileia killed another Amazon queen named Hippolyta or Hippolyte. Priam, the king of Troy, purified her for the killing, in return for her support in later years.

Penthesileia led the Amazons to Troy during the last year of the Trojan War. Penthesileia killed many Greeks in battle, including the Greek healer named Machaon. However, she was no match for Achilles, who killed her.

As Achilles set about disarming his enemy, he fell in love with her beautiful face, and immediately regretted facing her. Achilles killed Thersites, who had mocked him for loving his dead enemy. Diomedes was the only man to mourn for Thersites, so he angrily tossed Penthesileia's body into the river, so neither side could give her a decent burial. (See Troy's Final Days about her part in the Trojan War.)