10 Mythological Female Warriors from Around the World

1. Joan of Arc

The story of Joan of Arc’s (ca. 1412–1431) is one of the legends. At 17 years old, this female warrior inspired the French army to fight against the English during the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453). How did a teenage girl achieve that much in the 15th century? Why would anyone listen to her?

Joan of Arc had visions of the archangel Michael that led to visions of Saint Margaret and Saint Catherine. Those voices told her prophecies of a young virgin woman who would save France. Her fame then reached Charles VII of France, who quickly summoned her and took her to the battlefield. She was often on the front lines, dressed as a man. In 1431, the English captured her and burned her on a stake for heresy. Today, Joan of Arc is a feminist icon and patron saint of France.

2. Six Monkey

Six Monkey War Quechquemitl (ca. 1073–1101) was a Mixtecan queen. Her story appears in the Selden and Nuttall codices, two of the few surviving Mesoamerican codices. After the death of her three brothers, she became the heir to the noble family in the city-state of Jaltepec. On her way towards her fiancé’s house, she defeated Lord Two Alligator and Lord Six Lizard, earning her the name “War Quechquemitl.” She later married Eleven Wind, the ruler of the city-state of Huachino. Together, they fought against Eight Deer, another lord with expansionist ambitions. Her memory lives on in the town of Jaltepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.

3. Yennenga

Yennenga lived between the 11th and 15th centuries. Her upbringing was unconventional in a way that she was raised like a man. She hunted with her father, a chief in the Gambaga region (modern Ghana) and was trained to wield a spear and bow. As an adult, she joined the army, where she earned the respect of the soldiers and the population. However, she began to look for an heir to the throne, as she wanted a family with children. Tired of her father’s excuses, she fled and met Rialé, a hunter. Together, they became parents to Ouedraogo, the first chief of the Mossi people in Burkina Faso. She is now a symbol of power and national pride. Yennega is often depicted on horseback.

4. Trưng Sisters

Trưng Trắc and Nhị (ca. 14–43) were daughters of a Lạc lord in modern Vietnam. At the time, the Han dynasty controlled the area where they lived, resulting in protests from the local population. When the Chinese governor executed Trắc’s husband, Thi Sách, the sisters raised an army composed mostly of women and attacked. They defeated the Chinese and forced them out of their territory. Three years later, the Han army returned, defeated, and killed the Trưng Sisters. Regardless, Vietnamese people remember them as fierce female warriors who fought against invaders. They are usually represented riding elephants.

5. Tarabai

Maharani Tarabai Bhonsle (1675–1761) was queen of the Maratha Kingdom (modern-day India). Upon her husband’s death in 1700, she assumed the role of queen regent before her son Shivaji could inherit the throne. She was skilled at armed combat and cavalry, and helped design battle strategies against the Mughal Empire. Not only did Tarabai’s forces push the Mughals out of her kingdom, but they reached further into the Mughals’ territory in central India.

6. Semiramis

Semiramis was a demigod, daughter of the goddess Derceto (Atargatis), and queen of Assyria. Greek Historian Diodorus tells her story in Bibliotheca Historica. She played a crucial role at the Siege of Bactra during King Shamshi-Adad V’s campaign against the Bactrians. Following her success, the king fell in love with her and married her (taking her from her first husband). After he died in 811 BCE, she became queen regent. She was known for renovating the city of Babylon, as well as building palaces in other cities. But her greatest achievements by far were the military campaigns that took her as far as Egypt, Ethiopia, and even India, making her journey comparable to that of Alexander the Great.

7. Penthesilea

Penthesilea was the daughter of Ares, god of war, and Otrera, an Amazon queen. This impressive lineage led her to become an Amazon herself, a fierce female warrior on horseback. Legend says she killed her sister Hippolyta, another Amazon, and the trauma caused by this event led her to seek death. During the Trojan War, she sided with the Trojans. She met her fate fighting Achilles and died, as Amazons wished to do, on the battlefield.

8. Hua Mulan

Mulan may be one of the most famous female warriors in this list, thanks to Disney. Based on legend, she was a young girl who saved her father’s life dressing as a man and joining the army for him. The first written accounts come from the 6th century, called The Ballad of Mulan. Historians believed that the story took place during the 5th or 6th century during conflicts between the Northern Wei dynasty and the Rouran. For centuries, her image has been immortalized in countless artworks.

9. Nafanua

In Samoan legends, Nafanua became the goddess of war after defending her people on the island of Savai’i. She condemned the High Chief Lilomaiava of the east, who sought to expand his territory to the west. Nafanua stopped the High Chief from perpetuating a traditional humiliation ritual that consisted of forcing prisoners, one of them was her uncle, to climb a coconut tree feet first. She designed weapons using the coconut tree for herself and everyone else to fight against her foes.

10. Moving Robe Woman

Last but not least, Moving Robe Woman (c. 1854–1935) was a Hunkpapa Sioux female warrior. She was the daughter of the Hunkpapa chief in modern South Dakota. Since adolescence, she engaged in battles against the Crows. In the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876), she fought alongside Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, as well as other women warriors, such as Pretty Nose (Arapaho) and Buffalo Calf Road Woman (Northern Cheyenne). They defeated the U.S. army led by General Custer, who perished on the battlefield. Luckily, Moving Robe Woman’s testimony of the event survived. She described it as “a hotly contested battle between two armed forces.”

These 10 examples show the strength and tenacity of women who fought for themselves, their rights, and their people.