Brienne is Britomart, or more directly Bradamant of Orlando Furioso: the female knight, undefeated in battle and untouchable in honor. (I first met her in The Compleat Enchanter and have loved her since.)
YES I first encountered and loved her in a kind of YA prose rewrite of the Faerie Queene (I know) illustrated with Great Paintings and it was like my picture book for a long, long time. In fact, it's this one, except my copy (in a box, Somewhere In This Apartment) is really thoroughly loved to bits and pieces. https://www.amazon.com/illustrated-Faerie-Queene-Douglas-Hill/dp/0882252976
Except, since it's a George R. R. Martin book, instead of being known throughout the land for her uncontested beauty as well, she's spent her life being insulted and harassed and thinks she's ugly, because you've gotta cram the misogyny in there wherever it fits.
And that's why I never really got into GRRM, because while I can deal fine with a Britomart who isn't dazzlingly beautiful, I REALLY cannot deal with one mocked for being ugly.
I first encountered Bradamante in either Italo Calvino or Theodore Sturgeon, I can't remember which, lol.
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YES
I first encountered and loved her in a kind of YA prose rewrite of the Faerie Queene (I know) illustrated with Great Paintings and it was like my picture book for a long, long time. In fact, it's this one, except my copy (in a box, Somewhere In This Apartment) is really thoroughly loved to bits and pieces. https://www.amazon.com/illustrated-Faerie-Queene-Douglas-Hill/dp/0882252976
Except, since it's a George R. R. Martin book, instead of being known throughout the land for her uncontested beauty as well, she's spent her life being insulted and harassed and thinks she's ugly, because you've gotta cram the misogyny in there wherever it fits.
And that's why I never really got into GRRM, because while I can deal fine with a Britomart who isn't dazzlingly beautiful, I REALLY cannot deal with one mocked for being ugly.
I first encountered Bradamante in either Italo Calvino or Theodore Sturgeon, I can't remember which, lol.