Bracelets of Submission

The Bracelets of Submission are given to every Amazon at age 15, at which time they pledge themselves to the service of Aphrodite. Used primarily for defense, they were also used in the trial game known as Bullets and Bracelets, in which an Amazon would deflect bull

The Bracelets of Submission, also known as the Bracelets of Victory,^[12] are a pair of indestructible metal cuffs worn by all Amazons of Paradise Island. They symbolize the years when the Amazons were subjugated under the rule of the treacherous Hercules. After gaining their independence, the Amazons continued to wear the bracelets as a reminder of their past oppression. Wonder Woman has always worn a pair of these metal cuffs, but the design and model has varied over the years. She uses the bracelets as her primary method of defense, deflecting gunfire, blasts, small missiles and other projectile weaponry.

History

Earth-Two

The Bracelets of Submission are given to every Amazon at age 15, at which time they pledge themselves to the service of Aphrodite.^[1] Used primarily for defense, they were also used in the trial game known as Bullets and Bracelets, in which an Amazon would deflect bullets using only their bracelets.^[2] The bracelets had one serious disadvantage, however, as they would remove the wearer's strength if any man welded chains on them.^[3]

New Earth

Despite having an increased durability that allows them to withstand blunt force, the Amazons are still vulnerable against smaller projectiles. They use wear bracelets to deflect arrows and bullets.^[4] Wonder Woman has a special pair, crafted by Hephaestus from the remains of Zeus' Aegis. The shield had been destroyed in battle against Cronus, and Hera secreted the remains. The silver bracelets with red stars were meant for the champion of the Amazons, which Diana became after winning the Contest by Bullets and Bracelets.^[5]

Prime Earth

In one of Hercules countless adventures, he arrived in the land of the Amazons, the original Themyscira.^[6] Using a ruse, he tricked Queen Hippolyta and enslaved the Amazons, until such time as the Queen could free her people. Since then, the Amazons would never take off the Bracelets of Submission so as not to forget what happened when they believed in men. Hippolyta's bracelets were shattered by Herakles, and she kept the smithereens as a reminder of her mistake.^[7]

The bracelets are worn by all Amazons of Themyscira and are used for protection in combat. Created from the metal of Athena's Olympian Aegis shield, they also double as potent restraining bolts and limit an Amazon's true power,^[8] enabling a massive strength boost whenever they are relinquished. Diana had her own pair of bracelets modified by the blacksmith god Hephaestus; with these modifications, she can call up any number of weapons crafted in his forge at will.^[9]

Wonder Woman's bracelets were forged of Eighth Metal.^[10]

Notes

• The bracelets are always made of metal, though in some continuities they are steel, while in others they are made of amazonium, silver, or feminum.
• In some parallel worlds, the bracelets are the key to Wonder Woman's main weakness.
  
  

Trivia

• The history behind the Bracelets of Submission was developed by William Moulton Marston, who created Wonder Woman, and the bracelets themselves actually had real-life counterpart: Marston's lover Olive Byrne – upon whom much of Wonder Woman's original character was based – frequently wore bracelets that directly inspired the Bracelets of Submission.^[13]

See Also

• Appearances of Bracelets of Submission
• Item Gallery: Bracelets of Submission
• Images featuring Bracelets of Submission

Footnotes