this she prays to her god Gaea saying: "Gaea, I pray to you. Grant me your strength. You are the Earth who suckled me, who nurtured and bred me. Through you all life is renewed. The circle which never ends. I pray you, mother Gaea, take me into your bosom. Please, let me be worthy." This is a very sacred ritual to the Themyscirians, only to be used in the most dire of circumstances. The Victor's Circle Created by Antiope in 1041 BCE, the Victor's Circle is a secret, quasi-official fighting organization where Amazons compete in unarmed combat (implied to be a form of pankration), either as a way to resolve disputes or simply to "[blow] off some extra steam." Fights are conducted in a cavern hidden behind a waterfall, within a small circular arena with semicircular seating both hewn out of the rock. Within the ring, all ranks and titles are considered irrelevant, and combatants fight as equals. At any given session, an Amazon may fight multiple times, such as a winner of a bout issuing a challenge to or being challenged by an audience member. A number of notable Amazons hold records in the Victor's Circle, such as Diana holding the record for most submissions, Nubia holding the record for most knockouts, and Philippus the record for most fights. Death Originally a cavern was built under the Amazons' Temple of the Dead, which is where those dead are remembered. After an Amazon's funeral is completed, the body is lowered into the cavern where it is laid to rest in a city of the dead. Queen Hippolyta assigns the chief temple priestess to remain alone in the city to watch over the dead for a thousand years before a replacement is made. This tradition was later changed as the Amazons discovered that the priestess often went mad in her solitude. One such priestess brought the dead to life through the use of magic during a mad outburst. The Amazons soon after burned their dead, during which the souls of the slain Amazons took form among the flames before traveling onto the plane of afterlife called the Elysian Fields. Inherent abilities All Themyscirian Amazons are themselves wonder women and possess various degrees of incredible superhuman strength, speed, stamina and extraordinarily acute senses and the ability to glide on aircurrents, as seen in the second competition for the title of Wonder