Editing Sword and sorcery (section)

==Women creators and characters==
Despite the importance of C. L. Moore, Leigh Brackett, [[Andre Norton]], and other female authors, as well as Moore's early heroine, sword and sorcery has been characterized as having a masculine bias. Female characters were generally [[Damsel in distress|distressed damsels]] to be rescued or protected, or otherwise served as a reward for a male hero's adventures. Women who had adventures of their own often did so to counter the threat of [[rape]] or to gain revenge for same.<ref name="stiles" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Bradley |first=Marion Zimmer |title=Sword and Sorceress |url=https://archive.org/details/swordsorceress00mari |url-access=limited |year= 1984 |publisher=DAW Books |location=New York |isbn=0-87997-928-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/swordsorceress00mari/page/11 11]}}</ref> [[Marion Zimmer Bradley]]'s ''[[Sword and Sorceress series|Sword and Sorceress]]'' anthology series (1984 onwards) tried the reverse, encouraging female writers and protagonists. The stories feature skillful swordswomen and powerful sorceresses working from a variety of motives.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Strahan|first1=Jonathan|last2=Anders|first2=Lou|title=Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword and Sorcery|date=2010|publisher=Eos|location=New York|isbn=978-0-06-172381-0|page=xvii|edition=1st|url=https://archive.org/details/swordsdarkmagict00stra|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bradley|first1=Marion Zimmer|title=Sword and Sorceress XVII|date=2001|publisher=DAW Books|location=New York, NY|isbn=0886779960|pages=9–13}}</ref>

[[Tanith Lee]]'s 1975 novel [[The Birthgrave]] and later novels focused on women's roles in standard Sword and Sorcery era narratives. The [[The Morgaine Stories|Morgaine]] cycle of novels from [[C. J. Cherryh]], which began in 1976, also focused on a female lead while engaging in a traditional heroic fantasy lead. This led to them and other female authors being inducted into Lin Carter's [[Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America]].

[[Jessica Amanda Salmonson]] similarly sought to broaden the range of roles for female characters in sword and sorcery through her own stories and through editing the [[World Fantasy Award]]-winning<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/1980.html |title=1980 World Fantasy Award Winners and Nominees |work=World Fantasy Convention |publisher=World Fantasy Board |access-date=18 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728144349/http://www.worldfantasy.org/awards/1980.html |archive-date=28 July 2012 }}</ref> ''Amazons'' (1979) and ''Amazons II'' (1982) anthologies; both drew on real and folkloric female warriors, often from areas outside of Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Salmonson |first=Jessica Amanda |title=Amazons II |year=1982 |publisher=DAW Books |location=New York |isbn=0-87997-736-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/amazonsii00salm/page/7 7–19] |url=https://archive.org/details/amazonsii00salm/page/7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Clute|first1=John|last2=Grant|first2=John|last3=Ashley|first3=Mike|last4=Hartwell|first4=David G.|last5=Westfahl|first5=Gary|title=The Encyclopedia of Fantasy|date=1999|publisher=St. Martin's Griffin|location=New York|isbn=0-312-19869-8|page=832|edition=1st St. Martin's Griffin}}</ref>

Early sword and sorcery writer [[Robert E. Howard]] had espoused feminist views in his personal and professional life. He wrote to his friends and associates defending the achievements and capabilities of women.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Finn|first1=Mark|title=[[Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard]]|date=2006|publisher=MonkeyBrain Books|location=Austin, Tex.|isbn=1-932265-21-X|page=141}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rehupa.com/short_bio.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929010748/http://www.rehupa.com/short_bio.htm|date=29 September 2011}}</ref> Strong female characters in Howard's works of fiction include [[Dark Agnes de Chastillon]] (first appearing in "Sword Woman", circa 1932–34), the early modern pirate Helen Tavrel ("The Isle of Pirates' Doom", 1928), as well as two pirates and Conan the Barbarian supporting characters, Bêlit ("[[Queen of the Black Coast]]", 1934), and Valeria of the Red Brotherhood ("[[Red Nails]]", 1936).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Finn|first1=Mark|title=[[Blood & Thunder: The Life & Art of Robert E. Howard]]|date=2006|publisher=MonkeyBrain Books|location=Austin, Tex.|isbn=1-932265-21-X|pages=186–187}}</ref>

Introduced as the co-star in a non-fantasy historical story by Howard entitled "[[The Shadow of the Vulture]]", Red Sonya of Rogatino later inspired a fantasy heroine named [[Red Sonja]], who first appeared in the comic book series ''[[Conan (comics)|Conan the Barbarian]]'' written by [[Roy Thomas]] and illustrated by [[Barry Windsor-Smith]]. Red Sonja got her own comic book title and eventually a series of novels by [[David C. Smith (author)|David C. Smith]] and [[Richard L. Tierney]], as well as [[Richard Fleischer]]'s [[Red Sonja (1985 film)|film adaptation]] in 1985.