Gorgo, Queen of Sparta

Gorgon (Greek Γοργώ ) was a daughter, wife and mother Spartan kings at the turn of the 6th to 5th century BC

She was the only child of King Cleomenes I of the House of Agiaden, her mother is unknown. According to tradition, Herodotus warned as nine year old child her father before the wooing of corrupt Aristagoras to participate in the Ionian revolt. Starting from this anecdote she had been born around the year 510 BC.

After her father died under unclear circumstances, Gorgo married her uncle and the new king Leonidas I.; their son was the future king Pleistarchus. Your wisdom, it was said to be due to that the Hellenes were warned of the impending attack of the Persian Great King Xerxes I.. The former King Dama Ratos, who lived at the court of the great king, had the message carved from attack on a wooden board, but they defaced with wax and then sent them to his hometown. But only Gorgo recognized the list and removed the wax. Her husband died in the battle of Thermopylae against the Persians. For her minor son Cleombrotus took over the regency.

One anecdote of the Greek biographer Plutarch According Gorgo is the question of Athenian why the women of Sparta their men dominate, thus answered, because only they could give birth to real men.

Cinematic reception

In the American movie The Lion of Sparta ( Original title: The 300 Spartans, 1960) was shown the role of the Gorgon from Greek actress Anna Synodinou. In the comic book movies 300 (2007) 300: Rise of an Empire ( 2014), this role took over the British actress Lena Headey.