Lxdaela saga has strong 'Ernaldan' characters like Unn and Gudrun. There are plenty of strong characters in sagas, who are often the power beind the throne, sending their men out to raid and kill. Red Cow had female Ernaldan heroes. One was trying to become the clan dishthane, and brokered a peace agreement with the Split Waters and saved a king from assassins. The other fell in love with the wrong man, divorced and lost custody of her child, re-married into the 'trailer trash' of the clan, tried to lift them from poverty by trading with trolls, became the protectress of the Still Lake.
Orsta's attempt to convince the Red Cow to marry the man she loved, despite opposition from her nemesis, Darna Longcoat, was one of our best extended contests in HeroQuest.
Have you read Ron Edwards Sex and Sorceror. He talks about the journey of the heroine as opposed to the journey of the hero. I'm not sure of the origins of his theory. His suggestion is that usually such stories center on reproducing with the best partner and acquiring the resources to support children. Cindarella is the classic example. She is a servant-girl, who goes to the ball and meets her prince (wealth and reproductive possibilities) against the opposition of the ugly sisters (less-deserving female competition). Isis seems to be another example of this, she searches for the parts of her husband after Seth kills him and she brings him back to life so he can impregnate her with Horus.
We do have some Ernaldan myths too, particularly in King of Dragon Pass.
I'm sure Greg knows far more on this topic than I though.
Ian Cooper
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