Cyane was a 20th century high school girl who was magically transported to ancient Greece, to a time before the Amazons were known by that name. She gave the Amazons their name, taught them to tame and ride horses, and lead them in battle. Eventually, she was made the first queen of the Amazons. From that time on, each successive queen would take the name as her own. When the Amazons broke into many tribes and scattered accross greece, the Northern Amazons retained this tradition. The reason so many different actresses have played this role is that it is not one character, but a line of successive characters.