Callisto, A Speculative Biography
Part Two
The Documented Years
aka
What We Do Know
Before we go into those parts of Callisto’s life we do know about (from the first-person accounts penned by Xena’s companion, Gabrielle), we should clarify something. Rather than being a straight historical narrative with names and events, Gabrielle wrote her scrolls almost in story form, meaning that there were details left out that she probably felt were unimportant, but obviously embellished and exaggerated other aspects, such as some of Xena's and Callisto's fighting abilities.
Also, we should clarify exactly what we mean when referring to Callisto’s and (Xena's) “army.”
When speaking of the armies of ancient times, such as those of the city states of Athens or Sparta, or of the Roman legions, and even the Barbarian hordes from the east, we are referring to soldiers numbering in the hundreds or thousands, with the accompanying support wagons and personnel, such as those providing food, water, additional weaponry, and medical assistance.
And if there was a cavalry, it would have been supported by the farriers, the saddle and bridle craftsmen, and those wagons with hay and grains for the horses. With such support, the total number (including slaves) could easily increase by one hundred percent if not more.
So it is very unlikely that the so-called “armies” of these two female warriors ever numbered more than twenty to thirty men. And it would be up to the individuals to provide their own weapons, horses, saddles, etc. Of course there would be a temporary camp from which to base their attacks, and to return to afterward. It is a certainty there were those who remained behind (the wounded or less capable fighters) to guard the campsite and to provide the meals.
The taking of prisoners would not be part of their strategy since it unquestionably would put a drain on their limited resources. And unless there was a ready market for slaves, even they would not be taken.
Also, if either warrior had enough men considered to be called a true army, there would be descriptions of them in other Greek and possibly Roman writings from those times.
Many have wondered why Callisto’s warrior skills were so similar to Xena’s, even wearing her sword and scabbard on her back as Xena did. The obvious answer is that she must have secretly followed Xena for years, studying her battle tactics and copying her fighting styles until she felt she was Xena’s superior before she made her move.
In the previous section, there was the question of how Callisto was able to raise an "army" being that she was very young, and a woman. It is possible that it may have been due to her fighting ability, along with her bloodthirsty ruthlessness and ferocity, that certain individuals were drawn to her: Those looking for something more than a day-to-day existence of stealing and robbing, and wanting to be associated with other like-minded "warriors".
As for Callisto’s attacks on Xena, the first one seems to be when she managed to shoot Xena with a poisoned dart while Xena and Gabrielle were in yet another of those so many now forgotten villages dotting the Grecian countryside. The dart was coated tolmic poison, which works its way up from the feet to the heart, paralyzing the muscles as it does so. It didn’t kill Xena, but she was so incapacitated, Gabrielle thought she had died. Fortunately, Xena made a complete recovery. However, at this time the person responsible, Callisto, was still unknown to them.
Their next encounter occurred when Xena arrived at a village that Callisto and her men were attacking. They had a brief confrontation before Callisto escaped. Xena, by interrogating one of Callisto’s men, possibly the above mentioned Theodorus, found out that Callisto intended to kill the Oracle of Delphi during a sacrifice to Apollo the very next day.
Xena stopped the attempted assassination, chased after Callisto and captured her. She then took her to the nearest jail, but an angry mob stormed it, setting it on fire, allowing Callisto to escape when Xena kept her from being killed in the fire (yes, there is irony there). Xena caught up to her again, recaptured her, and this time Callisto went to prison for an undetermined period of incarceration.
The next time Callisto and Xena meet is after Callisto’s daring escape from prison. And once again, Theordorus is at Callisto’s side, and she again has an army.
Gabrielle and her childhood sweetheart marry with Xena as a witness. Afterward, Xena leaves them to live their lives as husband and wife. However, the next morning Callisto finds the newlywed couple and confronts them. Xena returns in time to keep Gabrielle from being murdered, but as she makes her escape Callisto stabs and kills Gabrielle’s new husband.
Xena chases after Callisto. After a hard ride, Xena catches up with her, and they both end up rolling down a hill into quicksand. Xena manages to pull herself free, but Callisto was unable to do so, and she dies.
There has been speculation that Xena deliberately let Callisto die when she could have saved her. But there is no evidence to either prove or disprove this theory.
And this is the end of Callisto’s story. Or so you would think. But there is more.
As stated above, everything we know about Callisto comes from the many scrolls written by Gabrielle, Xena’s companion (and as many have suggested, her lover). As time went by, Gabrielle wrote fewer of them, but the ones we have recovered from the later years do include Callisto, but in these she has become immortal, even to the point of becoming a goddess, and more.
And while such stories surely fall into the realm of fantasy, in order to present a more complete picture of this blonde warrior, we will recount these tales in the next section.