Every now and then a grain of truth makes its way into the fantasy I love.  Reading the history of Khutulun, a descendant of Genghis Kahn, I love seeing the facets of some of my favorite fantasy stories.  I can catch a glimpse of the Dothraki where horses were a large part of their culture just like in Mongolian culture.  I see traces of infamous fantasy legends like Xena when noting how strong Khutulun was physically.  I find it fascinating to see real life examples that probably inspired some of the entertainment I adore.  I am not the first to create #WomenWednesday posts, but these are my way of sharing bad ass women of history while also inspiring my own fantasy creations through my research.

This week I discovered the history of Khutulun, who really was a warrior princess.  She didn’t want to be the delicate lady her culture expected her to be.  Instead, she became a real wrestler.  Wrestling back then was essentially two people trying to knock someone over and Khutulun supposedly never lost. 

She was known as the strongest warrior in her father’s army and even given a silver medal to wear.  Which is something when you come from a culture bred to be warriors.

Just imagine if Chiyome and Khutulun were somehow able to pair up!   

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khutulun

https://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/khutulun