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Cave Girl #13, 1954. Art by Bob Powell

#comic books #amazons #cave girl #1950s #bob powell

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𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐊𝐎𝐊𝐇𝐕𝐀𝐊𝐊𝐎 🏆𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧🥇𝐱𝟒⠀

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Space busters #1, 1952

#1950s #comic books #amazons

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June, 1949

#pulps #1940s

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Amazons are a race of warrior women that have been a mainstay of popular Western culture since they began to appear in several Greek myths and sagas like the stories of Herakles and the Illiad. They became especially well known after the creation of DC Comics’ Wonder Woman, who comes from an island of Amazons. In the DC movie (picture 1) and comics versions (picture 3 art by Nicola Scott), Amazons are immortals. However, although there are many different stories about Amazons, in the original mythology they were not immortal but generally portrayed as a group of women who lived apart from men (not necessarily on an island) and would only interact with men once a year when they needed to reproduce. Depending on the story they would either kill their male offspring or return them to the men who had impregnated them. They raised their daughters to be warriors. 

The most recent research suggests that if the Greeks were basing the stories on real women, their most likely inspiration were Scythian women. Scythians were themselves both a nomadic group as well as the overall name given to various nomadic groups that were scattered throughout eastern European/Eurasian areas where countries like Iran are now located. 

Interestingly, Scythians did not only possibly inspire the creation of the Amazon myths, but Robert E. Howard made his most famous creation, Conan, a Cimmerian. Cimmerians are also a Scythian tribe, although Conan’s Cimmeria exists in Howard’s more fantasy-based world. 

Scythian tribes included both men and women, but, unlike Greeks, Scythian females were taught archery and how to ride, fight and hunt from an early age. Seeing women on horseback carrying weapons would have probably made quite an impression on any Greeks who happened to see them, and thus legends are born. Archeologists have unearthed over 300 burial grounds with female skeletons (revealed through DNA) that were buried with weaponry. In addition to the weaponry, closer examination of the remains shows that the females had the kinds of wounds associated with warriors who see combat (cracked ribs and skulls). 

Pictures 4 and 5 give an approximation of what these women most likely looked like. Picture 4 is from a 2019 Kazakhastani film about Tomiris, queen of the Massagatae (another Scythian tribal confederation), who united many of the tribes together to do battle with Persia’s King Cyrus. 

#myths #greek myths

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November, 1933 Art by Margaret Brundage

#margaret brundage #1930s #pulps #supernatural

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Weird Tales, May 1952

#pulps #1950s #supernatural

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The Blood Countess is a character inspired by a horrifying reality. Based on the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Ecsed, who was accused of torturing and murdering hundreds of young women and girls between 1590 and 1610, her legend eventually led to stories of Bathory being a vampire and bathing in the blood of young women to maintain her youth.  The real Bathory and her vampiric version have been characters in innumerable works throughout the centuries and although it’s unclear if she inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, she certainly inspired plenty of vampire stories. Above are several iterations of the character/woman: starting with actress Delphine Seyrig (wrapping Danielle Ouimet up in her cloak) in 1971′s Daughters of Darkness, a film with overtly lesbian seduction themes (pics 1-3); a portrait of the real Bathory (5th pic); and Ingrid Pitt in Hammer Films’ Countess Dracula (1971) (pics 6 & 7). 

#elizabeth bathory #16th century #vampire #serial killer #blood countess #literature #movies #Delphine seyrig #Daughters of Darkness #Hammer Films #Countess Dracula #Ingrid Pitt

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Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Released in 1865 it is unequivocally one of the most important and popular stories ever written, influencing every fantasy story that would follow. The original story revolves around 7-year old Alice who descends into a world of the bizarre and impossible. There have been innumerable adaptations in film, literature and tv. Here are some of the John Tenniel drawings from the early book versions (pics 1 and 10), a still from Disney’s animated version (pic 6), actress Anne-Marie Mallik in a 1966 BBC version (pics 3-5) and actress Mia Wasikowska in Tim Burton’s 2010 version. 

#Alice in wonderland #19th century #literature #film #tv #Anne-Marie Mallik #Mia Wasikowska #fantasy #Lewis Carroll #John Tenniel #1860s

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1953 novel by legendary DC comics writer Gardner Fox who co-created characters like the Flash; and then brought heroes together in the Justice Society of America and, later, Justice League of America. 

#1950s #novel #pirates

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Pirates Anne Bonny & Mary Read. Statue in the Bahamas; Anne Bonny played by actress Clara Paget on the tv series, Black Sails; painting of Mary Reid, Anne Bonny and Bonny’s husband, Calico Jack Rackham by Chris Collinwod; and A General History of the Pyrates by Captain Charles Johnson (possibly a pseudonym for Robinson Crusoe author, Daniel Defoe) published in 1724 - where much of the information about the two women is drawn. For more info:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/if-theres-a-man-among-ye-the-tale-of-pirate-queens-anne-bonny-and-mary-read-45576461/

#18th century #movies #tv #books #anne bonny #mary read #pirates

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August, 1942

#pulps #1940s #vikings #myths

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Viking legend, shieldmaiden Lagertha, portrayed by actress Katheryn Winnick, and in a lithograph by Morris Meredith Williams. According to the 12th century legend by Christian historian, Saxo, she was an Amazon who met fellow Viking legend - and future husband - Ragnar when she helped him defeat Swedish invaders. 

#Lagertha #12th century #myths #legends

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January, 1932

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Not a fictional character from the fantasy/sword & sorcery genre, but could certainly serve as inspiration for one (and sort of did - Robert E. Howard dedicated his first Dark Agnes story to her and several other “sword women”.) In 1472 the town of Beauvais, France was under siege. There were only 300 soldiers defending it, but the women of the town surprised the enemy. When one of the invaders planted their flag on the battlements, Jeanne Laisne attacked him with an axe, threw him into the moat and removed the flag, inspiring everyone to continue fighting. She became known as Jeanne Hatchette and King Louis XI rewarded her. He married her to her chosen companion and the couple never had to pay taxes. In addition, the town celebrated her act with a parade for the next 400 years and a statue was raised in her honor. 

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Eowyn, shieldmaiden of Rohan, from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. As played by actress Miranda Otto and painted by David Demaret and Craig J. Spearing. 

#eowyn #lord of the rings #fantasy #books #1950s

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October, 1937

#1930s #pulps #supernatural