Episode 1 – Tomyris: Savage Queen

Episode Summary

This episode is about Tomyris, the 6th century BC queen who with her small army of men and women brought down the greatest ruler of her time, Cyrus the Great.

Original Air Date: September 29, 2021

Episode Notes

In the 6th century BC, Tomyris rises to become Queen of the Massagatae, a confederation of nomads who roam the Eurasian steppe just east of the Caspian Sea. The culture of these fierce Scythians insists that women fight alongside men in battle.

When her husband is killed in battle Cyrus the Great, leader of the Persian Empire, who has amassed lands from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River, attempts to force Tomyris into a marriage and a merger. She not only refuses, but battles and defeats the world’s greatest warrior. “In order to survive now so that our people may thrive later, I must be brutal. That is how men have ruled. That is how they have thrived, and it is time for this woman to do the same.”

Episode Transcript

Opening

At the edge of the Araxes River, the mighty Persian army is backed into a corner by the Massagatae, once nomadic Scythians. Women fight alongside men in the Massagatae army, and among these Scythians, the queen fights alongside her soldiers. This leader, this warrior queen Tomyris cries out from the depths of her heart, the depths that seek justice and revenge. Bring me Cyrus!

Tomyris’ opponent is Cyrus the Great, the most triumphant ruler the earth has known amassing land from the Nile and Anatolia in the west to the Indus River in the east. A man known for his benevolent leadership. His army has been ravaged by these savages of the Eurasian steppe.

Stop! he cries, as he moves through his bloodied men. But before he can say more, he is grabbed and dragged by Tomyris’s best female soldier. Helia drags Cyrus before Queen Tomyris, while his soldiers beg her to accept his surrender and spare his life. One of the more compelling, a young Persian soldier with piercing green eyes, speaks lovingly of Cyrus and attests to all his good deeds. He tells Tomyris that Cyrus is revered around the world for his humane rule and reminds her that Cyrus the Great originally arrived in this land to ask for her hand in marriage but she refused. Tomyris listens to the soldier, mulling over whether to spare Cyrus, imprison him, or chop his head off with an ax.

Before she’s uttered a decision, the pleading soldier suddenly drops to the ground, shot through the heart with an arrow. Both armies look to find the shooter of this stealthy kill and spot the 15-year-old Panthia who was thought dead. Young Panthia’s eyes pierce through Tomyris, giving the queen renewed energy, strength, and more importantly, resolution. She knows at once that she cannot afford to spare the supposed great ruler’s life.

As she raises her battle ax to command attention, an elder woman Massagatae speaks out:  Dear Tomyris do not let his violence and vitriol quell the compassion that rests in your heart. You will be the greater leader if you spare his life. Remember you were strongest when you were most just and gentle. Cast aside this renewed rage and thirst for blood.

Tomyris considers the elder’s warning and replies: Do you think I do not have compassion? Do you think that I do not second guess myself and wonder what kind of nurturing Cyrus must have had to be so cunning and cruel? I do. But as a ruler, a leader and most importantly as the protector of my people I know that I must quell such thoughts because they do not serve us at this point. They do not serve our future. In order to survive now so that our people may thrive later, I must be brutal. That is how men have ruled. That is how they have thrived, and it is time for this woman to do the same.

Introduction

I’m Rahaleh. And This is Violent Femme.

History is filled with hellbent heroines whose stories have yet to be told. We’re going to resurrect them, one brutally brave woman, one episode at a time.

This episode is about Tomyris, the 6th century Queen who with her small army of men, and women, brought down the greatest ruler of her time.

Story

In the 6th century BC, Tomyris is daughter to the King of the Massagatae, a confederation of nomads who roam the Eurasian steppe just east of the Caspian Sea in what is modern day Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and other istans. The culture of these Scythians, later known as the Huns, allows, or rather insists, that women fight alongside men in battle.

As a teenager, Tomyris spends much of her time perfecting her equestrian skills, which include moves like hanging upside down off one side of a horse as her hands graze the ground below. Or standing atop two horses, one foot on the back of each, as the horses gallop alongside one another. Tomyris is even able to shoot an arrow precisely through the heart of her target as she stands exquisitely upright atop a galloping horse. She’s a talented yet reluctant warrior, mostly because she despises her tribe’s penchant for ravaging every village they come across, killing the people, pillaging the lands, and taking over meticulously built huts for their own use, until necessity, or boredom, or a change of season leads them to the next village.

Tomyris longs for a peaceful settled existence and when she’s not busy fighting off the sexual advances of several young men of her tribe, including unfortunately her older brother, which was not uncommon at the time, she can be found planting vegetables like konjac root, yams and cabbage, in a small garden. Her pet wolf Kachtaba, keeps her company.

One night, she has a heated exchange with her father about her incessant objections to their tribe’s violent ways, particularly their practice of invading settlements and taking over the homes. Afterwards, she sulks outside her yurt wondering if she should run away to escape her family and tribe. It wasn’t that her father didn’t respect her uncommon passion for peace. He just couldn’t see another way for their people. His voice rings in her head: Our people cannot change their ways to build permanent homes, and remain in one place. We are hunters. We are nomads. It goes against our culture, our nature. I cannot, from one day to the next, ask our people to sit around planting konjac like idle farmers.

As she stares at the full moon, wishing she could find a way to change her people’s way of life, she’s suddenly attacked from behind and pulled down low to the ground, face pressed against the dirt. She tries hard to fend off the assault, but she’s been caught off guard and is held in an indefensible position. Her wolf Kachtaba senses that his master is in danger and howls from behind a hill, quickly racing to defend Tomyris. The attacker, forced to fight off a big bad wolf, loses his hold on Tomyris as she regains footing, and in one fluid move, Tomyris wraps one arm around her attacker’s chest as she slits his throat with a dagger.

His artery sputters blood, and Kachtaba growls, as Tomyris lets the attacker drop dead to the ground. She is shocked to find, under the bright light of the full moon… that she has killed her brother.

Tomyris’ mother roars at her daughter, moaning the loss of her son, insisting that every female Massagatae has to fend off a brother or an uncle. That’s how we learn to fight! Her view, apparently, is that it’s a right of passage and so… The queen mother lobbies for Tomyris to be banished for the crime of killing her father’s heir.

The King does not agree. I never attacked my sister or any woman. Our son was a scoundrel and it is too bad for him that she is the better fighter. Tomyris is now our only surviving child, five others now dead. She must rule after I am gone.

And that she does. Tomyris becomes queen and changes the course of her tribe, eventually easing her people into a more rooted existence. She marries and gives birth to a son named Spargises, named after his grandfather. Like many children of the Massagatae, Spargises survives and even thrives thanks to their new settled ways.

But warriors crave battle. The Massagatae men, including her husband, become restless, itching to roam and fight. And so a faction opposing her rule arises. Tomyris’ husband betrays her by joining them and setting off on a rampage to conquer and kill neighbors. It is not long before a messenger brings word to the Queen that her husband has died in battle. Soon word spreads across the Eurasian steppe that the Massagatae are fractured, vulnerable, and Tomyris herself is forced to take up arms once again to defend her people from multiple attacks, most notably a menacing Mongol invasion from the east.

West of all this drama, Cyrus the Great, founder of the first Persian Empire has amassed lands from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indus River. It is the largest empire the world has known to date.

And no sooner had the Massagatae beaten back the Mongols than Cyrus the Great arrives, having heard all the news about the death of her husband and newfound troubles. He arrives as a savior. Cyrus sends her a message extolling her beauty and intelligence and asks for Tomyris’ hand in marriage, ostensibly as a means to protect her people from war.

She refuses.

He asks again.

She refuses again.

And so for the third ask, he summons her across the Araxes River, where he and his army have set up camp.

It’s important to understand Cyrus’ power and renown across the globe. He is touted, no doubt by means of a very savvy “ahead of its time” propaganda machine, to be a benevolent ruler. It is well known around the world that he respects the customs and religions of the lands he conquers. His subjects are not forced to pay taxes for fear of brute force coming down on them, but rather willingly travel expanses of scorched desert and treacherous mountains, to happily offer their treasures to Cyrus.

Because of this grand reputation, Tomrys’ advisors and her people urge her to accept his proposal. Who wouldn’t want to be married to the ruler of all he surveys? And if their going to be annexed by anyone, it might as well be Cyrus.

Tomyris is flabbergasted by the response. Do you want to be subjects of Cyrus? 

Their general response is: Why not? He is just, powerful, and reportedly, quite easy on the eyes.

You will have no freedom. Everything you earn will be taxed by him. And after he takes me, he will come for all our women and children. He’ll make slaves of our men and hide our women behind curtains. We won’t be allowed to roam, hunt, or fight, women alongside men.

This was not entirely true, because there were several notable military women in the Persian army, as far back as 480 BC, 50 years before this moment. But it it was not common and if Cyrus could massage information to his benefit, so too could Tomyris to get her citizens off her case about marrying Cyrus.

She adds The Persians believe women are made to bear and rear children. They don’t understand that children should rear themselves if they are to survive in this world. One Massagatae in the crowd speaks up, albeit sheepishly: Cyrus will attack us if you don’t submit, and since you are generally an unwilling fighter, we’re doomed to die if you don’t marry him.

Not a bad point.

True, I don’t believe we should sack established villages and take over their homes just because our culture is nomadic. But I am not and have never been an unwilling defender. I defended you against the Mongols and I will not stand idly by as our people are slaughtered now.

Undaunted, she resolves to meet Cyrus and promptly leaves with some of her advisors and guards on the journey across the river to his camp.

Of course, being the arrogant ruler that he is, Cyrus arrives to the private meeting tent just after a staged joust with one of his trainers, so he essentially doused in sweat and wears only tight leather knickers accessorized with an armband of ruby and citrine jewels. Presuming himself to be irresistible Cyrus tries to seduce Tomyris.

She, in turn, responds with laughter and knocks him to the ground when he attempts to force a kiss. I see your marriage proposal for what it is: a blatant attempt to occupy the lands I fought so hard to gain so that my people could live a peaceful settled life. She knew Cyrus didn’t want her so much as he wanted to expand his territory. She exits the tent, mounts her horse and leaves him with this:I warn you. If you persist, I promise, you will have the opportunity to see my savage side.

And with that she rides away from Cyrus’ camp, and returns to her people.

Cyrus, needless to say, is livid! He is not accustomed to rejection. Yet, this Massagatae, this two-bit nomad woman has the audacity to say no to him? And so he resolves to build a bridge across the Araxes River in order to attack her on her own soil.

But before the bridge is complete, Cyrus has what he believes is a prophetic dream that one of his general’s sons is victorious over Eurasia. He wakes convinced that this general’s son, Darius, is plotting against him. Paranoid, and against the advice of the majority of his advisors, he listens to the one and only dissenting view of Croesus.

Croesus had once been the wealthy King of Lydia until he was conquered by Cyrus. Once defeated, Croesus had actually attempted to commit suicide, but was saved by Cyrus himself and had since become a trusted advisor to the emperor. Croesus convinces the ruler to forget the bridge and cross the river immediately to attack the Massagatae without warning.

Meanwhile, Helia, one of the rising stars of the Massagatae army, a handsome and strong 16-year-old girl loved by Tomyris’ son Spargises, if not so much by his mother the Queen. She crosses the river on a spy mission and returns with the news that the Persian forces are indeed building a bridge across the Araxes, which Tomyris had not known before. Tomyris appreciates the crucial information, but it does not sway her to consider Helia as a bride for her beloved son. Not yet.

Tomyris sends Cyrus a message:

Forget your silly bridge. Let’s get on with the battle already. To make it easier for you, I’ll even let you choose on which side of the river you wish to fight.

This of course pisses Cyrus off! And so back and forth messages ensue. Cyrus insists it would be unfair, to her lesser army, unless they fight on the Massagatae side. Tomyris retorts, fine we can fight on our side, but we insist on pulling our army back a bit to make it easier for you.

Most of Cyrus’ advisors believe to assure victory, Cyrus should choose to fight on his own side of the river. But Croesus says: Under no circumstance should you agree to give the enemy entrance into your country. Consider the risk! Lose the battle, and your whole kingdom is lost. Surely, if the Massagetae win the fight, they will not stop there. They will not turn around and go home. They’re nomads! They will push forward against the states of your empire. And if you win the battle, why, then you win far less than if you were across the river, where you might follow up your victory.

You must thrash their army on the other side of the river, so you can follow it up at once into the heart of their country. Let’s not forget, it would be an unfathomable disgrace for Cyrus, son of the great Cambyses, to be defeated and forced to yield ground to a woman.

Some believed Croesus was still bitter after losing his kingdom to Cyrus years earlier, and was giving him bad advice. Others, including Cyrus himself, believed Croesus was a loyal and astute advisor.

In the back and forth messages between the two leaders, Tomyris sends a message that also contains a gift of hasheesh and fermented milk, which gives Cyrus an idea and he plans his first attack.

The Persians set up a banquet with copious amounts of food and even more wine and they engage the Massagatae in battle not far from the staged banquet. Cyrus moves his army forward and the Massagatae, led by Spargises, attack them from behind and slaughter the limited number of soldiers set up as decoys near the banquet. As expected, the Massagatae celebrate by gorging themselves on the food and wine. Cyrus, knowing the nomads did not have wine, only fermented milk, and would not have any tolerance to it, moves the rest of his army in and manages to capture a third of the Massagatae, mocking the heaving Scythians for not being able to handle their drink. Among the captives is Tomyris’ son Spargises.

With this win and Spargises as his prisoner, a triumphant Cyrus sends the message: Submit now and I’ll let your son live.

Queen Tomyris is enraged over the capture of her son and demands the release of Spargises immediately, since as far as she’s concerned he was captured by trickery and not in a battle of strengths. She tells Cyrus to content himself with having overtaken a third of her army and gives him this famous warning: “Refuse and I swear by the sun that rules the Massagatae, bloodthirsty as you are, I will give you your fill of blood.”

Cyrus refuses to free her son. Why would he give in now? He’s winning. And so the shamed Spargises, unwilling to cause his mother more torment, commits suicide. With a dead son and nothing left to lose, Tomyris, united with Helia for the first time, vows to wreak havoc on the Persians.

According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the bloodiest battle the earth had ever known ensues and the unrelenting savagery of the Massagatae and their once reluctant but now clamorous leader, prevails.

A victorious Tomyris stands on a rocky hill in the aftermath of the battle. She screams, Bring me Cyrus. A cry borne of her deep resentment and loss, it echoes again and again Bring me Cyrus until Cyrus himself weaves through his bloodied men and stands before her.

Stop Tomyris Stop! but before he can say more, he is grabbed by his black locks and dragged by the bitter Helia before Queen Tomyris. His soldiers wail, begging her to accept his surrender and spare his life. One particular young soldier, whose green eyes remind Tomyris of her son, makes a convincing emotional plea.

Unfortunately for him, before Tomyris can utter a decision, the green-eyed soldier drops dead to the ground, shot through the heart with an arrow. All eyes search for the shooter and find the 15-year-old Panthia, who was believed to have been captured in the first battle along with Spargises.

She looks different, and it’s evident she has been tortured. Young Panthia’s eyes pierce through Tomyris and give the queen new resolve, but she is interrupted once more when an elder Massagatae woman speaks out to remind Tomyris of her former capacity for peace and forgiveness. You will be the greater leader if you spare his life. Remember you were strongest when you were most just and gentle.

Do you think I do not have remorse or compassion? I do. But as a ruler, a leader and most importantly as protector of my people I know that I must quell such thoughts because they do not serve us at this point. In order to survive now so that our people may thrive later, I must be brutal. That is how men have ruled. And it is time for this woman to do the same.

I sacrifice my own humanity so that our daughters do not have to.

And with that, She raises her battle ax and bellows: Cut off his head. I promised that man I’d give him his fill of blood and I will not falter!

Helia charges forward with a battle ax, grabs hold of Cyrus’ thick black mane and chops at his neck.

The crowd is stunned as she lifts the Persian ruler’s head triumphantly to the sky. She then lowers and dips the head in the pool of battle blood that covers the ground, then offers it to Tomyris.

The queen takes hold of the head of Cyrus the Great, mounts her horse and rides off victorious standing atop her galloping horse like she did when she was a young girl. She holds Cyrus’s severed head aloft, as blood trails behind her.

Commentary

Who knows how many more wars Cyrus would have fought to expand his empire if Queen Tomyris had not stopped him. Tomyris risked everything to stop a warmonger. Today Cyrus has a grand tomb carved on the side of a mountain and is known as Cyrus the GREAT. There is very little known about Tomyris and the world has forgotten that she defeated him. There is no tomb for Tomyris. Can you invade, kill, and annex to expand your empire and still be thought of as a benevolent ruler? You can. If you are a man.

Outro

Violent Femme is a production of HaiBrau Entertainment. It is written and hosted by Rahaleh Nassri. Original music by Ryan Rumery. Some characters depicted are fictional and some scenes and dialogue are invented for creative and storyline purposes.