I
just watched a movie trailer for the film
King Arthur scheduled for release to
theaters in July. In this 2004 retelling of the
Camelot legend, Keira Knightley plays the role
of Guinevere, a slender, tough, Dark Ages
noblewoman who handles a bow and arrow and
hatchet with the élan of any man. In one scene,
on the brink of battle, a male says to
Guinevere, "There's a large number of lonely
soldiers out there" as if to intimidate her. But
having none of that, she quickly retorts "Don't
worry, I won't let them touch you."
With my spirit lifted at such an exchange, I
decided to dig into my archives of TV program
facts and find more feisty females who roamed
the historical landscapes of prime time
television.
So, here is my list of the top "dyn-o-mite"
dames who stood tall in the historical heat of
battle and effectively did their duty for God
and country - despite the perils and the
sometimes idiotic men who surrounded them.
Covington Cross/ABC/1992
Set in 14th century England, Covington Cross
tells to tale of the medieval Grey family.
Eleanor is the only girl in a family of three
boys and a widowed father. Like her brothers,
Eleanor is quite capable and can handle a cross
bow or sword as well as any man in the shire.
Although the customs of the time would dictate
that Eleanor act more like a "Lady," Eleanor is
not yet ready to settle down to the more tame
domestic pleasantries of castle life but
instead, she would rather do the
rough-and-tumble with her brothers and anyone
who thinks they can best her. Eleanor stands
ready to protect her home from anyone who
threatens it especially, the local Baron John
Mullens, who continually seeks to ruin her
father, Sir Thomas and take their land.
Eleanor's closest feminine influence comes from
a nearby castle owned by Lady Elisabeth with
whom Eleanor's father has romantic interest.
Note: The series filmed on location in England:
The exteriors are shot at Allington Castle in
Kent; the interiors, on two huge London sound
stages.
History reports that Robin Hood was responsible
for all the hanky panky in Sherwood Forest. But
in this comedic retelling of medieval mania, we
learn that it was actually Maid Marian who
proved to be the real brains in the Hood. Turns
out that ye old Robin Hood was a bumbling,
cowardly tailor from Kensington who didn't have
the required smarts to fight for freedom in the
early days of England. So, with the help of
"her" Merry Men, Marian lead the battle against
the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham who took his
orders from the evil King John, the usurper of
Britain's throne.
Maria Theresa "Tessa" Alvarado is a Spanish
aristocrat who returns to California in 1817
after many years of living in Spain to claim her
family's birthright. Unfortunately, she learns
that the land is being ruled by an iron-fisted
military dictator, since her father's suspicious
death from a fall from a horse. In the tradition
of Zorro, Tessa dons black fencing clothes and a
mask made from a piece of her mother's lace
shawl to become The Queen of Swords, an avenger
for the downtrodden who uses her sword and whip
to battle the local tyrants. Marta is Tessa's
gypsy governess and confidante who aids her with
her with mystical powers.
In the year 400 A.D., the Roman empire still
occupied ancient Ireland. But there were those
willing to stand up against these oppressors.
Among them was Caitlin, strong-willed, fearless
fighter and runaway slave who was a better
warrior than most men. With the aid of her
compatriots, Tully, a black apprentice magician,
Conor, a 20-year-old orphaned Celtic prince, his
mentor Fergus and the sage counsel of Galen, who
possessed secrets of magic, Caitlin battled the
forces of evil that had landed on fifth century
Ireland. Caitlin's worst fear was Diana, an evil
power-hungry Roman Queen who used magic and the
sorcerer Longinus (a 400-year-old Roman
Centurion cursed with immortality) to suppress
the local tribes.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World/SYN/1999-2002
High atop a hidden plateau in South America sits
a "lost world" of dinosaurs and danger. Among
those living in its jungles is Veronica, a
blonde Tarzan-like female whose botanist parents
discovered the plateau at the turn of the last
century. Then one day they went off searching
for specimens and never returned so Veronica
quickly learned to survive a savage landscape,
filled with mysterious tribes, cannibals, giant
bees, man-eating plants, strange vampire women,
a race of dinosaur-men and more. When a new
expedition to the plateau headed by Professor
George Challenger becomes lost, Veronica comes
to their aid. She shows them how to live safe
among the trees in a spacious tree house (built
by Veronica's parents 11 years earlier) and fend
for themselves until such time that they could
find a way out of this Lost World. The only
female in the Challenger group was Margaret Krux,
a mysterious heiress who financed the
expedition. She has no scruples and will betray
anyone if it advances her cause.
In 61 A.D. Queen Boudica (Boadicea) lead the
British in revolt against the Romans who were
occupying the Celtics land. Roman historian
Tacitus said of Boudica "The whole nation took
up arms, under the command of Boudica, a woman
of royal blood...and after pursuing the soldiers
scattered among the Roman forts and capturing
the garrisons, they invaded the colony
[Colchester] itself, as the local center of
servitude; no sort of barbarian cruelty was
overlooked in the hour of victory and
vengeance." In 2003, Exxon/Mobil Masterpiece
Theater on PBS aired a retelling of Britain's
Warrior Queen with Alex Kingston (Moll Flanders,
ER) as
Boudica,,
wife of King Prasutagus of the
Iceni tribe (in what is now East Anglia) who
takes the throne upon the mysterious death of
her husband and then proceeds to rally her
people against the Romans. Note: In the ancient
Celtic language "Boudica" means "victory." On
February 28, 1988 the grave of Boadicea, the
warrior queen was located by archaeologists
under Platform 8 at King’s Cross railway
station, London.
Xena was lead into a life of bloodshed when her
family was killed by marauding mercenaries.
Taking up arms against her oppressors, Xena soon
became the savior of others and a vigilante to
those who would hurt the down-trodden.
Accompanied by her trusty warhorse Argo, and her
devoted sidekick Gabrielle, Xena roamed the
ancient landscape battling rouges, demons, gods
& goddesses alike.
Her favorite weapon: a
tossing device called a chakram that was shaped
like the letter "O" and measured about 12" in
diameter. When thrown, the chakram (a.k.a.
"round killing thing") whooshed through the air
and sliced or bonked the helmets and armor of
enemy soldiers. Like a boomerang, the chakram
always returned to Xena's hands. Xena most
formidable female foe was Callisto, who sought
vengeance upon Xena who ironically killed
Callisto's family.
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