Easter is approaching, spring has finally arrived and I thought a lighthearted post was in order.
I must have met thousands of fictional characters during my life, but still some of them have managed to stay with me many years after I first made their acquaintance. Below are some of my favourite fictional females, who have entertained me, made me laugh and inspired me through the years.
1. Lucy van Pelt, Peanuts
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Peanuts and Lucy is by far my favourite character. Yes, she is a bit of a bully, but I love her facial expressions and no-nonsense comments and – dare I say it – I even recognise a few of her character traits in myself. π€
2. Galadriel, Lord of the Rings
Galadriel is gifted with excessive powers, beauty and knowledge. That actually sounds a bit intimidating. Certainly not human. And no, she is not human, but one of the Elves, who resisted the powers of the ring. Of course, we mere mortals can only dream of a self-discipline like that.
3. Pippi Longstocking
Pippi was undoubtedly my childhood heroine. She is fun, creative, unconventional and doesn’t let the grown-ups tell her what to do. Furthermore she has her own horse and a gravity-defying hairstyle. Which kid wouldn’t like a friend like her?
4. Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Actually, I still think that Pippi Longstocking is pretty cool. But as I grew older other heroines entered the picture as well. Amongst those were Buffy, who always managed to have a sarcastic remark on her lip and perfect hair and make-up whilst saving the world from vampires and monsters. The show didn’t take itself too seriously and it was nice to see a female with superpowers to counter all the male exemplars out there.
5. Lisbeth Salander, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
I don’t in any way approve of violence, but I adore Lisbeth Salander. She made an everlasting impression on me, when I read the Millenium Trilogy a while back and still stands as one of my favourite characters. She is tough, brainy and uncompromising, but what really struck me was how she couldn’t care less what other people thought. She did what was right for her.
6. Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice
Of course, we can’t have a post with favourite fictional females without Elizabeth Bennet. With her strong principles, relative outspokenness, modern views on life and marriage and eagerness to improve her mind, Miss Bennet was a feminist ahead of her time. I like to see myself as a modern Elizabeth Bennet. Obviously without the beauty. Or the wit. Or the poise. But stillβ¦
7. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games
Katniss is brave, saves the world and can shoot accurately with bow and arrow. What I like about her are her other character traits, however. She is awkward, not a great speaker, doesn’t make friends easily and has her fair share of breakdowns. But she is also fiercely loyal to her friends and family, fights for fairness and equality and has a great sense of humour (in between her breakdowns). Oh, and she’s got outfits on fire!
These were some of the fictional female characters, which have made an impression on me one way or another through the years. Which characters stand strong in your memory and why? Thanks to Savannah, who gave me the inspiration for this post.
Iβm so glad you decided to do this too! I almost put Galadriel on my post as well, but I went with Γowyn instead. Great list, thank you for tagging me.
Eowyn is a great choice as well, she was a real fighter. But I’ve always had a soft spot for Galadriel. Thanks for inspiring me to do this post, I had good fun thinking back on some of my favourite characters π
Buffy all the way! I took self-defense classes because of the show! (and turned blond for a while, but this one was a mistake haha)
Yay for Buffy! I think characters like her can be inspiring for youngsters, perhaps not everyone decides to do self-defense classes, but she is a gutsy, strong female character and a lot more fun than some of the other teens from the tv shows of that era. Haha, trying to imagine you with blond hair π
Love this post it’s another one for me to join in with! π
Please join in! I thought it was quite fun to think of and write about some of my favourite characters. π
Great post – just what we need right now! And some brillinat choices, all of which I heartily agree with. I might have added Anne of Green Gables perhaps, and Jo from Little Women. Maybe Arya Stark from Game of Thrones?
Since I’ve never read (or watched) Game of Thrones, I’m not familiar with Arya Stark, but Jo and Anne are both excellent choices! As a child I loved Anne, although she couldn’t quite compete with Pippi. π
Great post! And you reminded me of Lisbeth when I had almost forgotten about her, so thanks for that π
Thanks so much! π I’m glad to be reminding you of Lisbeth Salander – but how could you forget about her?! π
It’s a crime, I know π it’s been a while since I read the trilogy, might have to reread it soon!
Awesome list π I would also add the March sisters!
Thanks! Fully agree with the March sisters. I didn’t read their story as a child, but have been catching up later.
Great picks! Lisbeth Salander and Lizzy Bennet get my vote as well. I’d also add to my list: Ripley (Alien), Amy (Gone Girl), and Alanna (Song of the Lioness)
Thank you! Ah yes, Ripley is a great choice! π Amy made less of an impression and I’m not familiar with Alanna at all (but I can see the book has got stellar reviews).
Aww, love this list, Stargazer. What an eclectic, inspiring group of powerful females! I love so many of them, too, and Pippi was definitely one of my first favorites also! Such a fun post!
I am glad you like them π In particular, I am happy that Pippi was a favourite of yours, she really was my big inspiration as a child π
Great selection! Lizzie is a must, of course, but Eowyn would be my heroine from LOTR. Anne of Green Gables would replace Pippi Longstocking, which I’ve never read. Lisa from the Simpsons beats Lucy! And the three original Halliwell sisers from Charmed would be my Buffy alternative!
Thanks! π And great alternative suggestions as well! I did love Anne as a child, she was a great character, but I still think you missed out by not reading Pippi. I think you would have liked her π
An impressive list. I did not spend my childhood in an English-speaking country, but I remember I had such a gorgeous translated Pippi Longstocking book and devoured it. I was amazed how independent and brave Pippi was – just doing her own thing. Elizabeth Bennet is also a great choice. My only introduction to Peanuts was “Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown” (1977) cartoon, but Lucy was a great character there too. In recent years I have also grown fond of Harriet from Donna Tartt’s “The Little Friend” – she is like a modern girl-version of Tom Sawyer – I enjoyed following her.
Thanks! I did not spend my childhood in an English-speaking country either, but I grew up in Scandinavia where children are force-fed Astrid Lindgren stories (including Pippi) from a very early age. So perhaps I’m a bit biased. π I haven’t read Donna Tartt’s The Little Friend. I loved The Secret History, but struggled a bit with The Goldfinch and haven’t paid too much attention to her since. Harriet does sound like an interesting character, so I might have to check her out.
Regarding Lindgren, my fondest childhood memories are also connected to the Karlsson-on-the-Roof series. That was a lovely character too. I hope you enjoy The Little Friend if you decide to read it. I do like it much more than The Goldfinch and it is not as long.
Ah yes, actually I think it’s amazing how many great children’s books Lindgren managed to produce. Not sure if all of them made it internationally, but besides from Pippi, Mio My Son, The Brothers Lionheart, That Boy Emil and Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter are all amongst my childhood favourites. Glad to hear that The Little Friend is shorter than The Goldfinch!
Fun list! I would also vote for Lizzie Bennet and Katniss, and maybe Circe from Millerβs work (though I love her more in idea than in the book).
Thanks! I really want to read Circe – did you enjoy the book overall? Or were you disappointed by the character not living up to what you expected?
Ah, it’s definitely the latter. Circe had so much potential, but Miller seemed to stick very closely to the myth rather than take some creative risks in her character, so she came off as passive all throughout the book. That said, I still did enjoy reading it (I gave it 3 stars, I think?) because Miller’s writing is spellbinding. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it once you get around to it! π
Ah ok. Too bad that the author didn’t manage to utilise the potential of the character, but it still sounds like a decent read, which I look forward to. In school I loved Greek mythology!
Same! I read the Edith Hamilton version of the myths and went through The Iliad so I always have such high hopes for retellings. I hope youβll enjoy it! π
Thanks! π
Hahaha a kick-ass list! I love it! π I especially loved the animated Pippi Longstocking character as a kid. She really was an unstoppable force of nature! π Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it! Excellent to hear, you watched Pippi as a kid as well, she certainly was unstoppable and so much fun! π
Yesss, Elizabeth Bennet is the best <3 (The others are good too π but Lizzy is my favorite!) Great list!
Lizzie does indeed have a special place on the list, she might be the most realistic and hence the most inspirational of the bunch. Thanks for stopping by π
Elizabeth Bennet is my favourite too!
Good to hear – thanks for stopping by!
Love this list! Galadriel, Buffy, Elizabeth Bennet and Katniss are all good ones! I want to read girl with the dragon tattoo as well.
I am glad you approve! Yeah, you should read about the girl with the dragon tattoo, she really is quite unique!
Awesome post! I have always loved Matilda as a child.
Thanks! π I loved Mathilda as well!
Everyone loves Elizabeth Bennetπ
Absolutely! She is a quite unique literary heroine! π