Hyppolyta

"Hyppolyta" was an unnamed female gargoyle of the Wyvern Clan. She never possessed a name, but Hyppolyta is used to identify her.

History

Hyppolyta is a biological daughter of Hudson and his mate, hatched in 938, and biological sister to Broadway and True. Her rookery siblings included Goliath, Demona, Othello, Desdemona, and Iago. [1]

Greg Weisman has made some indication that Hyppolyta may have felt that Goliath's promotion to Leader of the Wyvern Clan was unwise or unfair, and that she argued with Demona on a regular basis over the matter. She died in the Wyvern Massacre of 994, smashed by the Vikings. [2]

Characteristics

Greg Weisman has said Hyppolyta was a "fine strong warrior. Fierce in battle. She was not unintelligent." Physically, he has described her as being tall, hairless, having light brown skin and burnt-red wings, and possessing two brow ridges running from above her eyes to behind her pointed ears. [3] The coloring and brow ridges seem to have come from her biological father, Hudson, while the hairlessness seems to have been a trait from her biological mother.

Real World Background

Hyppolyta - whose name obviously would not have been an official one in the 10th century - is evidently named after Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons in Greek mythology. One of the twelve labors of Heracles was to seize her girdle from her, which he did, although at the cost of Hippolyta's life. However, the most likely "immediate inspiration" for Hyppolyta's name, from Greg Weisman's standpoint, was that of a second Hippolyta, more accurately known as Antiope, who was Theseus' wife - and who appears alongside him in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Mr. Weisman has speculated that "Hippolyta" was a title for the Amazon Queen, rather than an actual name.

Other

Hyppolyta would have presumably held a role in the spinoff Gargoyles: The Dark Ages.

Links

• Hyppolyta at Ask Greg