Sword and sorcery

:This article is about a fantasy sub-genre. For information on the game company, see Sword & Sorcery.

S&S Heroines

Despite the early work of C. L. Moore and others, S&S has had a strongly masculine bias. Female characters were generally distressed damsels to be rescued or protected. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Sword and Sorceress anthology series (1984 onwards) attempted to redress the balance. Bradley encouraged female writers and protagonists: the stories feature skillful swordswomen and powerful sorceresses. The series was immensely popular and Bradley was editing the final volume at the time of her death. Today, active female characters who participate equally with the male heroes in the stories are a regular feature in modern S&S stories, though they are also relied upon for sex appeal.

Related Topics:
Marion Zimmer Bradley - Sex appeal

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Introduced as a minor character in a non-fantasy historical story by Robert E. Howard, "The Shadow of the Vulture," Red Sonya of Rogatine would later inspire a fantasy heroine named Red Sonja, who first appeared in the comic book series Conan the Barbarian written by Roy Thomas and illustrated by Barry Windsor-Smith. Red Sonja received her own comic book title and eventually a series of novels by David C. Smith and Richard Tierney, as well as an unsuccessful film, Red Sonja (1985), directed by Richard Fleischer. A popular misconception (which even extends to the credits of the movie) holds that Robert E. Howard invented the character of Red Sonja in a Conan story.

Related Topics:
Red Sonya - Red Sonja - Comic book - Conan the Barbarian - Roy Thomas - Barry Windsor-Smith - Film

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