"Know also ,O prince, that in the selfsame days that the Cimmarian did stalk the Hyborian Kingdoms, one of the few swords worthy to cross with his was that of ...Red Sonja, warrior-woman out of the majestic Hyrkania. Forced to flee her homeland because she spurned the advances of a king and slew him instead, she rode west across the Turianian steppes and into the shadowed mist of legendry."
-The Nemedian Chronicles.
Red Sonja was adapted by Marvel's Roy Thomas from Robert E. Howard's story called "Shadow of the Vulture". She was first named Sonya of Rogatino, a Russia 'hell-cat' fighting against the Turks in Eastern Europe.
Thomas adapted this character into Red Sonja, the she-devil with a sword and inserted her into the Hyborian Age where she premiered in "Conan the Barbarian #23". Comic book fans embraced the new character, and so, with a wardrobe modification by artist Estoban Maroto and John Buscema ,who created the chain mail bikini, Red Sonja rode into comic book permanence.
Her history is grim and poignant. She and her family lived in the Hyrkanian wood subsisting comfortably on hunting and gathering, living a pioneer life. She was the youngest child of two, having an older brother.
Her father would take her hunting as a girl and teach her how to 'listen to the voices of nature'. A skill which would give her martial advantages in the future.
Tragic struck the day mercenaries murdered her family driven by the dark god Barat-na Fori . Only in her early teens, she was raped and left for dead.
Barely alive she cried out to whatever god or gods would hear her pleas for vengeance.
One responded: Scathach , the goddess. She rescued Sonja from sure death and empowered her with fighting prowess with a sword, bow or knife unmatched by any, assuring that this gift is her's as long as she remains chaste until someone beats her in combat. Her blessing was a curse as well, being that no one could best her and so a lonely, loveless life loomed over Sonja's future.
After maturing into a woman, tutored by her goddess ,Red Sonja was ready to make her presences known in the world through various adventures and experiences, hiring her sword out to fund her life's needs while always simultaneously gathering clues to discover the identity of the people responsible for her family's murders, and the dark god that drove them. In the process her fame will grow, her named will be feared and will eventually exact revenge on the Barat-na Fori , saving hundreds of thousands in fulfilling her quest.
Her's is a story not just of revenge, but of self-discovery as well. Will anyone best her in battle? Will she find comfort for her broken heart? What friends and allies will she meet along her journey?
Your comments please...!
P.S. Who do you think would best portray her in the role?