Women in Fantasy: Leading with Courage in Any World
Winter contains both Black History Month and Women’s History Month, but for gamers and readers like me it’s also peak hibernation season. Those of us who hate the cold relish curling up with a good story that transports us—and for me, nothing does that better than fantasy.
Whether I’m in front of a computer, TV, or book, I love the escape that comes from living through the eyes of another person (or demon, elf, or hobbit) and exploring familiar struggles in unfamiliar worlds. We’re able to see ourselves in these characters, and the different powers available to them in the face of evil combined with the traits we recognize from our lives make triumph over evil seem possible.
I especially love women in fantasy. Extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary people, and I’ve found this genre to be most generous in giving women power and agency. Women in fantasy in the past century have often been the most courageous characters in their stories. It’s that courage I return to most these days. These women all inspire me with their courage, whether they’re real or not. I hope they help light the way for you, too.
1. The godmothers of fantasy and sci-fi: Octavia Butler, Mary Shelley, and Ursula K. Le Guin
It would be wrong not to start with our godmothers of fantasy and sci-fi, the real-life examples of courage on this list. Octavia Butler, Mary Shelley, and Ursula K. Le Guin all wrote during times when women achieving literary success was difficult at best and unimaginable at worst. In eschewing those expectations, they shaped their respective genres with stories that have informed modern structures, creatures, and arcs in both sci-fi and fantasy.
These women authors achieved everything by leaning into who they were, not running from it. Butler became the first Black woman to achieve notoriety in science fiction and even won the MacArthur Prize for her work. Shelley wrote under a pen name, not to gain readership under a male-sounding name but to avoid association with her famous father. Le Guin brought sci-fi and fantasy into literary culture when the Library of Congress honored her as a “Living Legend.” Their courage was in knowing their power and leaning into it, despite the obstacles in their way as women authors.
2. Maelle, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of those games that feels more like a movie. I loved exploring this world, filled with equal parts of magic and heartache. Of all the dynamic and charming characters, Maelle best exemplifies this dichotomy. Her backstory is a patchwork of loss and lack of security, but her history gives her the strength to confront the deep questions about sense of self, perseverance, loyalty, and seeking joy in the darkest times.
Ever since finishing the game, I keep thinking of Maelle and how she would move through our own world. She would recognize the collective sense of loss many of us have felt this past year, but then she would find the people, places, and things that bring her joy and lean into them.
It’s an important reminder that bravery doesn’t necessarily mean slaying dragons—courage itself can look like joy in the face of desperation.
3. Éowyn, The Lord of The Rings
Ah, The Lord of the Rings, my first fantasy love. This book is filled with A LOT of men, but my favorite character has always been Éowyn. In the world of Rohan, she is a brave, bold woman—like many other women of Middle Earth and Rohan in particular—but when faced with possible exile due to the manipulation of her uncle, she turns to caring for him instead. She wants to be on the front lines, riding into battle with her cousin, but evil forces have attacked her family and community. Éowyn serves her people in the ways available to her.
Sometimes the bravest thing we can do is go where we’re needed before we go where we want to be. Éowyn gives all she has to her family and her people, even if it’s not the way she dreamed. Courage isn’t necessarily synonymous with sacrifice, but it can be. While sacrifice is too often the patronizing crowning jewel of “femininity” for characters in other works, Tolkien turns this on its head. Éowyn shows us that sacrifice doesn’t mean abandoning your identity or dreams. After all, she is only one of two fighters not to flee in the face of the Witch King (second biggest-bad guy next to Sauron) and goes on to strike him down, claiming victory for her people.
4. Karlach, Baldur’s Gate 3
The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 spans from the deepest recesses of Hell to otherworldly dreamscapes and everything in between. Karlach, one of our many heroes, rises from a desperate situation in Hell (is there any other kind?) to join forces against a looming existential threat to the world. She’s a seasoned fighter and relishes it. There’s no fear there.
Her fear is rooted much deeper. She fears abandonment and therefore is wary of friendship and love. She wears toughness and nonchalance like armor, one that begins to erode little by little. Karlach begins to open up to her group of fellow fighters, allowing herself friendship and love. This vulnerability ultimately makes them all stronger—it’s a lot easier to fight an otherworldly psychic guy with an octopus head intent on taking over all living consciousness when you fully understand your teammates and yourself.
5. Ellie, The Last of Us (note: this section contains mild spoilers for The Last of Us game and season one of the television show)
Ellie is a badass, modern girl with all the tenderness and naivete of a child and all the responsibilities and heartache of an adult. In an apocalyptic world controlled by a terrifying zombie-like virus, Ellie’s forced to grow up way too fast. But she softens when Joel, a man who lost his daughter when she was about Ellie’s age, agrees to take her across the country in a last-ditch effort to find a cure for the illness plaguing the world.
That journey alone is harrowing and requires serious courage, but Ellie’s bravery shines most at the end of this part of the story. In trying to save Ellie, Joel stole her agency, by going against her wishes and choosing to save her at the cost of saving the world. Joel has been the most constant source of love and stability for her, but she bravely confronts him and eventually makes him face his actions. Ellie teaches us that sometimes the most courageous thing we can do is hold the people we love accountable for their mistakes.
6. Tar-Míriel, Rings of Power
Rings of Power has been a divisive expansion of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, but Tar-Míriel appears in both the foundational Silmarillion book and the recent TV adaptation. She serves as queen-regent of the later lost city of Númenor, taking the place of her father when he can no longer rule. But in her short tenure, she faces constant power struggles when her political opponents paint her as ill-equipped for leadership and misaligned with her people. She never caves, instead courageously leading despite attempts to discredit her.
Like I mentioned at the beginning, fantasy is meaningful both in how it differs from our world—and how it reflects it. In real life, Míriel is portrayed by Black actress Cynthia Addai-Robinson. Unfortunately, her casting caused hateful fans to rail against both her and the show for casting her and other Black actors. Addai-Robinson has pressed forward, showing her own courage in the face of baseless detractors—just like Míriel.
These women feel like my friends and my mentors. They lead me through the darkest times with their courage and strength, all without compromising who they are. Real or imagined, they teach us to break the mold, help where you can without sacrificing who you are, find strength in vulnerability, hold even the ones you love accountable, lean into leadership, and try to find joy, even when it seems impossible. Those are lessons I’ll be taking to heart this Women’s History Month and beyond.
