The Snow Women
The Snow Women is a sword and sorcery novella by Fritz Leiber, recounting the early history of Fafhrd, a future member of the adventurous duo, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
First published in 1970 in Fantastic magazine, it is the nature of a prequel, as Leiber had by that time been chronicling the pair's adventures for thirty years. The story forms part two of the collection Swords and Deviltry.
Fafhrd is an eighteen-year-old member of the Snow Clan, son of Mor and Nalgron. They live in the Cold Waste plain but once a year, move to Cold Corner, the southernmost part of their land, where they trade with merchants from the south and attend the Show.
Fafhrd, although betrothed to Mara, meets Vlana Lefay, an actress with the Show and is besotted with her. Despite the demands and curses of his Mother Mor and her coven, he leaves the Cold Waste to travel with Vlana and see the lands to the South.