| In the early days of epic fantasy women were | | | | alternatives to the typical stereotypical roles of |
| often characterized as damsels in distress and | | | | women in fantasy and it has become a force that |
| nothing more than window dressing for heroes to | | | | remains to this day. The series of anthologies is |
| rescue. This didn't last long as a host of writers | | | | currently 22 volumes and the most recent |
| created memorable female characters that were | | | | volume was just published this year (2007). |
| skilled swords women, capable world conquerers, | | | | Bradley herself, aside from the Swords and |
| and adventurers in their own right - yet still | | | | Sorceress anthologies did much to promote the |
| alluring. This article introduces you to some of the | | | | image of woman as heroine in her own novels |
| best heroines that have appeared in epic fantasy | | | | and one of the best examples of this can be |
| over the past several decades. | | | | found in her Mists of Avalon books. The first |
| The presence of heroic women has been felt all | | | | book, which was published in 1979, was a re-telling |
| throughout the history of fantasy literature and | | | | of the Arthurian Legends from the perspective of |
| this can be easily displayed in the tales of the | | | | the women involved in the legend of the round |
| Arabian Knights where Sheherezade uses her | | | | table. These books are often credited by many |
| sensuality and her wits to survive. This | | | | now successful women as being inspiration for |
| characterization of the woman as witty, wily, and | | | | them to pursue a career in fantasy writing. |
| sensual was pretty much the norm, and it was | | | | Some other authors who have had tremendous |
| the stereotype for the first thousand years of | | | | success in a similar way to Bradley are Lin Carter, |
| fantasy literature. | | | | Mercedes Lackey, and Anne McCaffrey. Each has |
| But women took on a new, and more powerful, | | | | created all encompassing fantasy worlds complete |
| role in epic fantasy in 1934 with the creation of | | | | with strong heroic women characters. |
| the Red Sonya of Rogatino character in the | | | | Every archetype that was previously the domain |
| Robert E. Howard short story The Shadow of the | | | | of men has now been explored with female |
| Vulture. In this story Red Sonya was a | | | | protagonists and one of the most powerful of |
| swashbuckling heroine who was capable with both | | | | these archetypes is the coming of age story. It is |
| the pistol and the sword. (Howard is also the | | | | a very familiar story and usually follow a young |
| creator of the famous Conan character). | | | | boy as he grows painfully into manhood and |
| This Red Sonya character was inspiration for the | | | | follows a destiny that is loosely laid out before |
| 1974 creation, and now famous, Red Sonja who | | | | him. This archetype has now been fully explored |
| fulfills two very important archetypes in traditional | | | | from a woman's perspective and one of the best |
| epic fantasy. The first archetype is that of the | | | | examples of this is found in Ursula K. LeGuin's The |
| fierce yet savagely beautiful warrior who often | | | | Tombs of Atuan which is a coming of age telling |
| times wears nothing more than some kind of a | | | | of the main character Tenar. The Tombs of |
| metal bikini. It's an overused, yet wildly successful | | | | Atuan is the second novel in LeGuin's Earthsea |
| stereotype. The second archetype she fulfills is | | | | Cycle books. In the first book A Wizard of |
| one that is used very often in the development | | | | Earthsea we experience the coming of age of a |
| of the typical hero in epic fantasy. That is the | | | | young man named Ged. This young woman |
| archetype of the young boy who witnesses the | | | | coming of age and following her destiny to make |
| killing of his family and the destruction of his village | | | | the world right can also be found in the currently |
| then grows up to become a powerful warrior that | | | | popular Golden Compass books the first of which |
| exacts revenge on the pillagers. This is a very | | | | is now a major motion picture. |
| familiar archetype and it has been done many | | | | The heroine has taken her rightful place in the |
| times with male characters and Red Sonya is the | | | | world of epic fantasy and there are now lots of |
| first woman to take on the role successfully. | | | | wonderful works out there that explore the |
| In the 1980's the genre of woman as protagonist | | | | challenges of our world and other worlds from the |
| and heroine was taken to new heights with the | | | | perspective of a woman who is more than just a |
| publication of the first book in the Swords and | | | | damsel in distress but a person ready and capable |
| Sorceress series edited by Marion Zimmer | | | | of taking up a sword to face her destiny. |
| Bradley. This anthology was created to offer | | | | |