The Warrior Queen That Stuffed Her Enemy’s Head Into A Bag Of Wine.
Tomyris was a widowed queen that ruled over the nomadic Eastern Iraian tribe called the Massagetae. This tribe covered regions known today as modern-day Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, western Uzbekistan, and southern Kazakhstan. They were a warrior tribe notable for their battke skills and cannibalistic tendencies. Believed to have originated from the Scythian tribes, the prefix “massa” translates to strong or great, thus making their name Strong Getae. And strong they were.
The Massagetae people were fearsome warriors who preferred to wield battle-axes in combat. Skilled with horseback archery, hand to hand combat and brassworking, the tribal warriors were not to be taken lightly. According to Herodotus, an ancient Greek writer, geographer and historian, it was at the hands of these people that Cyrus the Great finally met his fate. It was said that Cyrus the Great, the powerful king of Persia, sought to take control of the Massagetae’s territory.
After intially proposing to Tomyris as a thinly veiled attempt to seize her land, She rejected him and declared war against Cyprus. According to the accounts of Greek historians, Cyrus was victorious in his initial assault on the Massagetae. Cyprus set a trap by sending his weakest soldiersr to lay out a fancy banquet. This was used to lure the Massagetae into drinking themselves to stupor on wine. The Persians attacked while the Massagetae were intoxicated. Eventually, the Persians abducted Tomyris’ son, Spargapises.
Tomyris was angered and ordered for the immediate release of her son. She also ordered that the Persians leave her land. These demands made Cyprus angry. Spargaises killed himself which further fuelled Tomyris’ rage. She retaliated by attacking Cyprus’ army. This attack lead to Cyprus’ decapitation and crucifixtion.
Legend has it that she stuffed his head into a wine bag full of human blood and laughed;
I warned you that I would quench you thirst for blood, and so I shall
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