OTRERA

Real Name: Otrera

Occupation: Warrior, Patron Goddess of the Amazons

Legal Status: Citizen of Themiscyra

Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Otrera except as a mythological deity.

Other Aliases: None known

Place of Birth: possibly Samothrace (now part of modern Greece)

Marital Status: Single

Known Relatives: Zeus (possible father), Harmonia (possible mother), Otreus (possible half-brother), Hippolyta, Antiope, Penthesilia, Hiera (daughters by Ares), Diana (grand-daughter, alias Wonder Woman)

Group AffiliationsThe Gods of Olympus

Base of Operations: Olympus, formerly Themiscyra

First Appearance: Otrera has not yet appeared in Marvel or DC Comics

History: Otrera is the ancestral mother-goddess of the Amazon tribes of Earth. Her exact parentage is unrevealed, but by one account, she is the daughter of Zeus, ruler of the gods of Olympus, and Harmonia, the goddess of order, and future Queen of Thebes. In one account, she is referred to as the daughter of Gaea, the ancestral mother of all the gods of Earth. Another tradition links her to the throne of Phrygia, either the sister or daughter of King Otreus, a son of Poseidon. Some of her accounts are possibly apocryphal; she is also credited with teaching the art of warfare to Ares and the divine twins, Apollo and Artemis.

As an adult, Otrera lived a relative solitary existence on Earth as a warrior seeking adventure and engaging in wars. Ares, the god of war, sought her as a mate, and Otrera clashed with him to test his worthiness to seduce her. He proved to be nearly her match in combat and she shared her bed with with him. She conceived him a number of daughters, Hippolyta, Antiope, Penthesilia and Hiera. Unaffected by her female progeny, Otrera taught her children in the art of warfare, and Ares gave them weapons and armor crafted by the god Hephaestus. Among their gifts, Ares gave them golden girdles intricately linked to each daughter to remind them of their godly heritage. As the divine leaders of the Amazon race, they defended the rights of women abused by men and later came to believe that women were superior to men, eventually preferring the goddesses of Olympus over the male gods. They forged the city of Themiscyra near the mouth of the Thermodon River on the Black Sea, a region possibly granted to them by Ares. According to legend, they increased the size of the Amazon race by abducting female children from neighboring villages to raise into adulthood and slaughtering men and young boys before they could become warriors.

Otrera departed the Amazons after the founding of Themiscyra. Whether she died or was transformed into a goddess is unrevealed, but she departed Earth and took a role of lesser importance by Ares on Olympus, later fighting by his side against the Asgardian and Celtic Gods of the North. In her absence, the Amazons were invaded by Hercules on his ninth labor for the girdle of Hippolyta. They loss more of their number in war with Athens but were granted asylum by King Priam of Troy to fight on his side against the Greeks. Penthesilia became lovers with Achilles after he defeated her in combat. Eventually, Aphrodite turned them away from war and granted them custody of of an island far beyond Greece. Hippolyta became the mother of Diana, known to the public as the costumed adventurer named Wonder Woman.

Otrera's recent activities are unrevealed.

Height: 6' 0"
Weight: 310 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

Strength Level: Otrera possesses superhuman strength enabling her to lift (press) 60 tons under optimal conditions.

Known Superhuman Powers: Otrera possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Olympian gods. Like all Olympians, she is immortal: she has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. She is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If she were somehow wounded, her godly life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her bodily molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive her. Otrera also possesses superhuman strength and her Olympian metabolism provides her with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman strength and weight.)

Otrera has greater strength, speed, stamina and resistance to injury over the majority of the Olympian gods, except perhaps for Artemis, Athena or Discord. She can perform strenuously for extended periods of time with taxing her abilities or succumbing to fatigue. She can move faster than normal human being. Her reflex time is three times faster than normal.

Abilities: Otrera is a brilliant warrior and huntress of exceptional ferocity, strength, cunning and expertise.

Weapons: Otrera carries a sword. She is also adept at a bar and arrow. She is known to wear armor, including a helmet designed to disguise herself from being recognized as a woman.

Comments: Otrera has yet to appear in the Marvel or DC Universes.

It should be noted that in the DC Universe that Hippolyta and the Amazons are considered as being created from clay by the Olympian Gods. This seems most likely because of some sort of plot device rather than ignorance of the mythology. Hypothetically, this alternate origin can be considered an Amazonian myth to separate them from the Olympians.

Thanks to Michael Powell for contributing part of the research he suggested for this profile.

Clarifications: Otrera is not to be confused with:  

Last updated: 07/31/11

 

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