A Year of Heroines in Fantasy: Beatritz de Barbentain, Mneri of the Khentor, & Korriya of Night

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This month's trio of heroines have a considerable amount in common. All three are supporting rather than major characters, but still have  a part to play in the main story, and all three are priestesses. 

Beatritz is High Priestess of the goddess Rian in Guy Gavriel Kay's A Song for Arbonne. She is also the daughter of Arbonne's ruling countess but was so determined to pursue her spiritual calling that she blinded herself voluntarily (a now archaic practice in Arbonne, but traditionally thought to enhance prescience) to ensure she would not be coerced into a dynastic marriage. 

That's commitment, right?! But the prescience she gains thereby, however fleeting and partial, turns out to be crucial in saving Arbonne from Gorhaut, its traditional enemy. 

In A Song for Arbonne the stakes are Arbonne's independence and the freedom to worship Rian, whereas in both Joy Chant's Red Moon and Black Mountain and my own The Wall of Night series, the characters face an existential evil that threatens all life.

In Red Moon and Black Mountain, the young woman called Mneri is one the Khentor, the nomadic warrior tribes of the plains. She is called to the role of priestess by her people, which gives her greater standing in a world where women are subservient to men and the worship of the mother goddess is respected, but must be practiced in underground sanctuaries. Yet although an honor, in the world of the Khentor where the tribe is all, refusal is not a real option for Mneri. 

Mneri's part in her story is less crucial than Beatritz's, but when the final destructive force unleashed by the antagonist must be overcome -- although it is primeval, rather than evil in itself -- she unmasks the potential solution. 

Korriya's part in The Heir of Night is also less critical than Beatritz's role. She is the most circumscribed of the three in terms of her personal circumstances as well. In the world of the warrior Derai, priests are discriminated against and segregated from mainstream society, so Korriya was not only forced into the temple life, but effectively imprisoned within it. Over time, she has become a senior priestess, but when the story opens, events force her to challenge Derai segregation in order to alert the wider community to the paranormal forces that threaten all.

As noted at the outset, Beatritz, Mneri, and Korriya are all supporting characters in a wider epic-heroic story. What their part illustrates is that defeating the "big bad" is not only about the "captains and kings" but also about everyone playing their part -- even when their societies don't recognize or respect their role or contribution. Or in Beatritz's case, know about the key element at all, which must remain forever secret... 

Nonetheless, all three step up when circumstances demand it, and serve their societies and worlds as faithfully as any champion wielding lightning bolts or swords -- which is why they've more than earned their place in my pantheon of Fantasy heroines.

Prior Posts: A Year of Heroines in Fantasy

February: Aerin, Elfrid, & Malian of Night
March: Yeine Darr & Rowan Birchmoon
May: Brienne of Tarth, Adjunct Tavore, & Asantir, Commander of Night
June: Shallan, Jehane Mor, & Aidris of the Chameln

July: Amat Kyaan, Rachael Boucher, & Nhairin
August: Karou, Rose Marshall, & Yorindesarinen

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About Helen Lowe

Helen Lowe is the award-winning author of Thornspell and The Wall Of Night fantasy series, as well as a poet, blogger, and lover of story. She is currently editing the the final book in The Wall of Night series. 

Helen posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we.