Female warrior
Carla asked if I got the idea of using a female warrior in SoD due to the apparent female warrior burials. I certainly did wonder if the evidence was taken very literally what would the implications be? It was a big 'what if'When I started writing SoD, mostly the female warriors I'd come across in fiction were fantasy figures. I was aware of documented incidences, from the 18th century onward, of women living as men in the army, for whatever reason. There are also women of high status who took on the role defending castles/land or were power-wielders earlier than that. Not to mention Joan of Arc. In the end, there were all sorts of shades of female military involvement. It was just a case of working out what path I wanted to take with it.
posted by Alex Bordessa @ Friday, January 13, 2006
1 Comments:
I started out with the vague idea that the 12th century Norse culture might have allowed for a female warrior character, given the status of women in that society and the motive of the valkyrjar in mythology. I just wanted a strong woman as love interest for Alastair, and back then I had not yet the skill to write strong women that are not warriors or ambitious bitches. ;-)
But I think Ragnhild will survive the rewrite still wielding a sword. I can give her a background that makes it possible, and add some nice conflict when she falls in love and has do deal with the suppressed female part of herself.
Not that Alastair minds her being able to fight, though, but she doesn't know, and he's an enemy anyway. *grin*
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