Dark Agnes de Chastillon
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Dark Agnes de Chastillon (also known as Agnes de Chastillon, Dark Agnes, Agnes de La Fere and The Sword Woman) is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard set in 16th Century France. The stories were not printed until a long time after the author's death.
The character of Agnes was beaten by her father and almost forced into an arranged marriage. She avoids this by killing the bridegroom and running away. She meets Etienne Villiers, who at first attempts to sell her to a brothel, and Guiscard de Clisson, a mercenary captain who trains her as a swordswoman. When de Clisson is killed, Agnes heads for Italy with Villiers.
Like the later character Red Sonja, who was based on another creation of Robert E. Howard, Agnes has red hair and a short temper. Unlike that character, her skill is a mixture of innate talent and training, compared to Sonja's skill being a divine gift.
The character may be partially based on Novalyne Price[1]
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[edit] Stories
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Robert E. Howard wrote two complete Dark Agnes de Chastillon stories and part of the first draft for a third.
[edit] Sword Woman
This is the origin story for Agnes. It features her abortive arranged marriage and subsequent training. Sword Woman was first published in REH:Lone Star Finctioneer #2 (Summer 1975).[2]
[edit] Blades for France
Agnes, still with her sidekick Etienne Villiers, faces international intrigue with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. Blades for France was first published in Blades for France (1975).[3]
[edit] Mistress of Death
Howard only wrote an incomplete first draft of Mistress of Death. It was later completed by Gerald W. Page and first published in Witchcraft & Sorcery Volume 1 Number 5 (January-February 1971).[4] This story is the only one to include a fantasy element in the form of a sorceror. It is not written to the same standard of two complete stories and features some departures from the established character, making her more stereotypically feminine.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ A Short Biography of Robert E. Howard by Rusty Burke, retrieved 19 December 2007
- ^ Works of Robert E. Howard: Sword Woman retrieved 19 December 2007
- ^ Works of Robert E. Howard: Blades For France retrieved 19 December 2007
- ^ Works of Robert E. Howard: Mistress of Death retrieved 19 December 2007
- ^ A Critical Overview of Robert E. Howard's Sword Woman retrieved 19 December 2007
[edit] External links
- Dark Agnes: A Critical Overview of Robert E. Howard's Sword Woman by Jessica Amanda Salmonson
- Pulp & Dagger review of Sword Woman
- Fire & Sword review of Sword Woman
- Robert E. Howard's Dark Agnes de la Fere
- Robert E. Howard: Historical Adventures
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