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Sacred legends
Sci-fi/Fantasy heroines
Characters from movies, television, and literature, honored as having special significance by
Here is a list of fictitious characters that we feel deserve special honor and special consideration, to be used as role models for teaching our values to children. To qualify, a character must be female (though not necessarily human), and must either exhibit supernatural powers or fight against evil beings who do. Furthermore, they must also use these powers for good rather than evil.
We invite suggestions on other names to add to the list.
Adala [Face in the Abyss by Abraham Merritt, 1923] Also known as "Snake Mother," she has the head and torso of a woman but the tail of a snake. She is the last of her kind, possessing wisdom far beyond that of ordinary humans.
Alianora [Three Hearts & Three Lions by Poul Anderson, 1953] Winged creature, half woman, half swan, who helps defeat giants, trolls, dragons, and other nasty creatures.
Andromeda Ascendant. [tv show Andromeda, current] Powerful space ship with intelligence and feelings, creating a holographic image representing herself and interacting with her crew. This image is referred to on the show as an avatar, which is the Sanskrit term for incarnation of a deity.
Ariel, the Little Mermaid [book by Hans Christian Andersen, 1835] Mermaid falls in love with a human sailor, sacrificing her own life to save his. Original is much more respectable than more recent versions, especially considering the time period in which it was written. At that time, the very thought of a young woman bravely risking her life ran contrary to the meek and timid stereotype of femininity.
Aurore [Witch of the Andes by R. Shaver, 1947] Giantess 5 meters (15 feet) tall, originally living high in the Andes of South America. She uses her courage and wisdom to save the Earth from enslavement by a giant artifical brain.
Hilfy Chanur, Pyanfar Chanur; Chur Anify, Geran Anify, Haral Aurun, Tirun Aurun; Banny Ayhar. -- All from the Chanur Chronicles book series by C.J. Cherryh. They are all hani, sentient female lions, who maintain commerce and protect the more "fragile" males, and have all contact with aliens off-planet. Groups of sisters and cousins pilot trading ships around the galaxy.
C'Mell [Ballad of Lost C'Mell by Cordwainer Smith, 1962] Catlike parahuman who helps achieve full human status for her kind.
Dian [At the Earth's Core by E.R. Burroughs, 1922] Queen of Pellucidar, a savage realm inside the Earth.
Ellen Ripley [movie Alien, 1979, and two sequels so far] Space traveller who repeatedly encounters aliens who use humans as incubators for their larvae. She fights them off repeatedly, only to have one or more escape destruction, thus ensuring yet another sequel.
Gabrielle -- see under Xena, below
Galadriel [Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien] Queen of the enchanted forest of Lothlorien, possessor of one of the three elvish rings of power. She has power to see things from afar, and the power to cause time to run more slowly in her forest, isolating it from the outside world. In one of the wisest moves in modern literature, she turns down Frodo's offer to give her the Ring of Power, with which Galadriel could rule the world. She knows, however, that such power would make her evil, and she nobly declines. She opts instead to take up arms against the evil Sauron, distracting him so that Frodo can destroy the Ring. This leaves noone with that evil power but brings an end to Galadriel's realm. Click here for a fuller discussion.
Glinda [movie Wizard of Oz, 1939] Also called the Good Witch of the North. Flies around in a large bubble, protecting the Munchkins from the Wicked Witch of the West and helping Dorothy and her dog Toto find their way from Oz home to Kansas.
James [Fear of Fly by Lynn Mims, 1980] A woman despite her name, James rescues a prince held captive by a giant dragonfly.
Jane [Tarzan the Untamed by E.R. Burroughs, 1920] Tarzan is a man raised by apes in the African rainforest. Jane is an English woman who falls in love with him and lives with him in the jungle. The original book portrays her as much more assertive and independent than the various movie versions.
Kes [tv Star Trek Voyager, 1990's] Sweet, likeable young woman from the planet Ocampa on the other side of the galaxy. Ocampans while on Ocampa have lifespans of only 9 Earth years and have limited telepathic prowess. After her planet is destroyed, Kes joins the crew of the Voyager. As the ship moves farther away from Ocampa, her telepathic and telekinetic powers grow to the point where has trouble controlling them. She comes to fear that she is putting the ship in danger. She leaves to travel to other planes of existance, assuming goddess-like powers in the process.
Kimberly Ford -- from the book "Summer Tree," part of the Fionavar Tapestry series. 24-year-old intern, living in Toronto, is brought to Fionovar, the first of all the worlds, by the Mage Loren Silvercloak and his source, Matt Soren. She becomes the white-haired Seer of Brennin, wielder of the Baelrath, the war-stone of power. It is her doom and power to walk the coils of time, to dream the dreams of prophecy during the final war against Rakoth Maugrim, the Unraveller. It is she who compells the ghost of one king to reveal the name by which the Warrior can be called; calls both the Warrior and the Wild Hunt from their sleep under rock; and who rescues the Giants from their imprisonment by the Unraveller's hordes so that the Giants may be part of the final battle. She, through the Baelrath, can travel between worlds and see through time, but the Baelrath is of wild magic and cannot be compelled. Thus, she is burdened by a gift which is erratic, capricious, and almost overwhelming in its power. It was charged to power by the rising of the red moon, the War moon, the Goddess Dana's answer to the challenge of Rakoth Maugrim at the beginning of the war.
La-Ja [Back to the Stone Age by E.R. Burroughs, 1936] Inhabitant of Pellucidar, a savage realm inside the Earth. She exhibits extrordinary courage and wisdom in helping a visitor from the surface.
Leia Organa [movie Star Wars, 1977, and two sequels] Daughter of Queen Amidala of Naboo and former Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker (= Darth Vader). Has psychokinetic and telepathic powers enabling her and her brother Luke Skywalker to defeat their father and his allies in battle, freeing their father and the galaxy from the evil that has long enslaved him.
Lessa [Dragonflight by A. McCaffrey, 1967] Telepath who helps liberate herself from near-slavery in an intensely male-dominated society.
Luthien Tinuviel [Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien; brief summary in the Silmarillion] Her father is an elvish king; her mother one of the Maia (minor angelic deities). She is the most beautiful creature ever to grace Middle-Earth. A human hunter named Beren sees her dancing and falls madly in love with her. Luthien is initially hesitant, but then falls in love with Beren. Immense bliss follows until her father finds out what species her new boyfriend is. The King angrily decrees that Beren can marry Luthien only if he brings to the king one of the shining jewels from the crown of the evil god Morgoth. Morgoth (master of Sauron), lives in an underground fortress surrounded by thousands of vampires, ogres, werewolves, balrogs, goblins, and other such fun party animals. Together, Beren and Luthien accomplish this seemingly impossible task, only for Beren to die just as he is handing the jewel to Luthien's father. Luthien dies of grief. The Valar (gods) take pity on the two and decide to resurrect them on the condition that Luthien give up her elven immortality and die when Beren's natural lifespan ends. She agrees.
Meg [Priestess Who Rebelled by N. Bond, 1939] Member of an amazon-like culture on post-apocalyptic Earth. In studying for the priestesshood, she visits the "Place of the Gods," a mountain in which are carved the heads and faces of four long-forgotten men (a place once called Mount Rushmore). She comes to realize that the separation of sexes that she has long accepted is unwise and dangerous, and works toward peace and reconciliation.
Morgaine, of C.J. Cherryh's Morgaine cycle. She is a time traveler, trying to seal the time-travel gates of various worlds, and trying to thereby prevent the collapse of space-time. She offers shelter to a 19-year-old outlaw named Vanye, and, by the rules of that world, becomes his de-facto liege lord. He follows her through battles on at least four different worlds, battling armies and other foes. She does not define herself as a warrior; she was one of 100 who started out on this quest; she is the last of her kind, and is driven--even desperate--to close gate after gate after gate until the last one is shut down. Both characters are deeply flawed and deeply driven; several secondary characters are drawn with care and complexity. Highly recommended: "The Gate of Ivrel," which is the first.
Mothra [movie Mothra, 1962; Godzilla vs. Mothra, 1964] Giant moth-like creature worshipped as a goddess by priestesses 15 cm (6 inches) tall. She flies to Tokyo to rescue two princesses who have been kidnapped and taken there to be exhibited as attractions in a nightclub. In a later movie, she helps protect Japan from Godzilla.
Fa Mulan [Disney animated movie Mulan, 1999] Young woman who bravely joined the army, thus saving China from being conquered by the Huns. She did this under penalty of death, not only from the enemy, but also from her own commanders if they were to discover her gender.
Nadara de la Valois [Cave Girl by E.R. Burroughs, 1913] Woman stranded on a desert island for 20 years, using wits and cunning to survive. Very much a female Tarzan, by the same author.
Nais [Lost Continent by C.J. Cutliffe Hyne, 1899] Survivor of Atlantis, who survives by defeating a huge saber-toothed tiger and many other monsters.
Phoebe, Pru, Piper, and Paige Halliwell [tv show Charmed] Sisters living in present-day San Francisco. They have magical powers including the ability to cast spells, create magic potions, and transport themselves and various objects to other localities [called "orbing"]. They use these powers to protect innocent strangers from attacks by demons living in the Underworld. The sisters frequently place their own lives in danger in their attempts to save others.
Rhoda [Moon Maker by A. Train & R. W. Wood, 1916] One of the first female astronauts in scifi history. She helps save the Earth from an asteroid on a collision course with it.
Romilly [Hawkmistress by Marion Zimmer Bradley, 1982] Can communicate telepathically with animals. She rebels against the male-dominated society in which she lives and joins the Sisterhood of the Sword, later called the Guild of Free Amazons.
Rosie the Riveter - Used as symbol by US government during World War II, in an effort to encourage women to take industrial jobs to help the war effort. Click here for a fuller discussion.
Sabrina Spellman - Television show "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" in the USA. Uses incantations and magical spells to ease the lives of those around her. Show has nothing to do with Wicca, but is a fun show for children, expanding their imaginations as to what is possible. All witches on the show are goverened by a strict code of ethics; one character, Salem, broke the code and was therefore sentenced to spend 100 years as a cat.
Soren [Star Trek Next Generation, episode 217: "The Outcast"] Female in a society where gender is considered a disease. Gives a passionate defense of her femininity before being brainwashed into agreeing with the majority. Click here for a fuller discussion.
Violet Ray [Golden Amazon series by J.R. Fearn, 1939-54] Woman living on the Planet Venus. The atmosphere there has given her superhuman strength.
Tinkerbell [Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, 1904] Tiny fairy who flies and glows in the dark. Can enable people to fly by sprinkling fairy dust in their paths. Sacrifices her own life to save that of Peter, the boy she loves.
Xena Warrior Princess and her associate Gabrielle [tv, now] -- Tv show very loosely based on ancient Greek mythology. Xena was once a fierce warrior burning villages and terrorizing farmers for sport. Gabrielle is a young woman on a spiritual quest for enlightenment, intent on preaching peace and justice to the world. The two of them team up and fight for justice. Xena is reformed, fighting evil wherever she and Gabrielle can find it. Click here for a fuller discussion.
Wonder Woman [long-running series of children's comic books] -- Uses superhuman strength to fight crime and injustice.