What's The Appeal?
Brains, battle scars and breastplates—female warriors are a hybrid of lethal charm, dexterous strength and keen intelligence. Never subservient to her male counterpart, this feminine superhero relies on her instincts to ensure
her success.
Able to distract the enemy with her seductive wiles, the female warrior is
also equipped to hurl opponents through windows, flex her muscles in hand to hand combat or aptly handle weaponry on a moment's notice.
Whether she be an Amazon colossus, such as Xena the Warrior Princess, or petite and nimble as the heroines in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," the female warrior is a bona fide defender of the human spirit. She embodies nobility; in her pursuit of justice, she must seek out evil—that often rivals her physically and intellectually—in order to defeat it. Often times her innocence will save her in an eleventh hour battle when it seems nothing else will.
In literature, authors such as Robert E. Howard, Sharon Green and writer/editor Jessica Amanda Salmonson have dived headfirst into these warrior waters. Robert E. Howard created "Red Sonja" as the female counterpart to his successful "Conan the Barbarian" series; romance scribe Sharon Green penned a fantasy series with this theme in Warrior Enchained and Warrior Rearmed; and Jessica Amanda Salmonson wrote Tomoe Gozen, a fantasy novel based on the real-life female samurai of the same name.
Although popular culture icons, such as TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Dark Angel, are characters based on grandiose ideology and mythological lure, history has seen its share of actual female warriors, such as the Amazons and Queen Boadicea of the Iceni.
"Over the centuries and around the world there are women who fought to preserve their lands," says author Haley Elizabeth Garwood, whose Warrior Queen series deals with sword brandishing women who changed history.
The emergence of the female warrior in television, movies and literature is an exciting step forward for society to take. She reminds us that whether we are mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, or wives, we can also fight for what we think is right. In essence, she is a woman to be celebrated and admired—one who just so happens to be able to kick your butt if you get out of line!
Authors' Thoughts...
Haley Elizabeth Garwood
"When I was a child, I loved Wonder Woman, but I always knew she wasn't real. My books have actual women warriors who fought, loved, laughed, and cried. The best part is that they aren't fantasy. These women are real." Haley recommends Defy the Eagle by Lynn Bartlett. The heroine is a close friend to Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni, who nearly fought off the Roman Empire.
Teresa Medeiros
"Warrior Women embody the ultimate fantasy of female empowerment. They
also make our heroes look good, because who can resist a man who adores a woman not only for her softness, but also for her strength. Battle on, Xena!" Theresa suggests Dream Stone by Glenna McReynolds.
Jennifer Roberson
"As women have gained independence in modern days, authors are more often creating women characters with the mindset and abilities to take on the same challenges as male protagonists. This is most evident in the fantasy genre, where heroines are proving themselves as tough as the men—without losing their femininity or romantic appeal." Jennifer enjoys Barbara Hambly's The Ladies of Mandrigyn series.
Women Warriors
Female warriors are a hybrid of lethal charm, dexterous strength and keen intelligence. They embody, in the words of author Teresa Medeiros, "the ultimate fantasy of female empowerment." However, they also remind us—whether we are mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, or wives—that we, too, can fight for what we think is right.
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