Crimean Legend - Hikiya - the heroine of Hersonnes

There was the time when the chief arkhont Lamah ruled the prosperous Hersonnes. Hikiya was the only daughter of Lamah.

At the same time the neighbouring country Bospor was ruled by king Asandr who could do nothing but to think of the wealth of Hersonnes. He had failed to seize Hersonnes by force and now resorted to cunning. He offered his son to marry Hikiya in hope that after Lamah's death the power over Hersonnes would be given to next-of-kin Hikiya and after her to his son.

 

Hersonnesians permitted son of king Asandr to marry Hikiya on condition that after marriage he would never leave Hersonnes to meet his father.

In a two years Lamah died. Council of eminent citizens elected not son of the Asandr but Zif to rule Hersonnes.

Though Asandr's son seemed to be a modest man and one of the devoted citizens of Hersonnes, really, he did not give up his low plans.

Since Lamah's death Asandr start to send to his son by sea ten or twelve courageous young men from time to time. They were hidden in the basement of Hikiya's house. The third anniversary of Lamah's death was to be a day when Asandr's son intended to carry out his low plans. He supposed that when all Hersonnesians would have a lot of drink and went to bed he and his men would kill them all. He gathered nearly 200 of Bospor men within a couple of years.

Hikiya herself did not know anything about her husband's plans. But accidently she discovered what was going to happen. As Hikiya was a patriotic woman so, with no doubt, she decided to kill the enemies and her husband also who turned to be a traitor.

She ordered to fire a house with all sides. Those who tried to escape from burning house were killed.

In such a way Hikiya saved her native Hersonnes from danger to be seized by Bospor king Asandr.

In reward for her courageous actions Hikiya asked to burry her within Hersonnes (Hersonnes' cemetery was far away from town, they had never burried anybody near their homes or within town walls). But they permitted Hikiya to choose a burial-place and marked it by putting there a copper gilted statue of Hikiya.

Hersonnes - (in greek) peninsula, was situated on Heraklian peninsula a couple of km away from present-day Sevastopol. Town appeared in period of greek settlement on the Black Sea coast in 5 c. BC;

Bospor - a large state that appeared in 4-5 c.c. BC on both sides of Kerch channel; Pantikapey was the capital of Bospor state (present-day Kerch);

arkhont - an elective officer ruling the republic.