The Snow Women
"The Snow Women" is a sword and sorcery novella by American writer Fritz Leiber, recounting the early history of Fafhrd, a future member of the adventurous duo Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It was nominated for the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 1971 (although Leiber withdrew it in favor of "Ill Met in Lankhmar"),[1] and finished second in the annual Locus poll for short fiction.[2]
First published in 1970 in Fantastic magazine, it's in the nature of a prequel, as Leiber had by that time been chronicling the pair's adventures for thirty years. The story forms part two of the collection Swords and Deviltry.
Plot summary
Fafhrd an eighteen-year-old youth[3]: 7 rescues Vlana, a dancer, from the frozen snowballs of the Snow Clan women, who are led by his own mother.[3]: 8 The Snow Clan live within the plains of the Cold Waste, but, once every year, they travel south to the Cold Corner,[3]: 3 where they trade with merchants and attend the Show[3]: 5 performed by a troop of traveling actors. Fafhrd, who dreams of learning more about civilization,[3]: 25 warns Vlana of a plot by a male member of the clan, Hringorl, to kidnap her. He wants to travel south with her. Vlana agrees but leaves with Vellix and runs into an ambush where she is saved by Fafhrd for a second time. They leave the Cold Waste for the southern kingdoms.
Characters
- Fafhrd, a tall youth with long reddish blonde hair.[3]: 8
- Mor, mother of Fafhrd and leader of the Snow Clan women.[3]: 8
- Vlana, dancer of the traveling troup who is running from the Thieves Guild.[3]: 40
- Essidinix, Master of the Show.[3]: 9
- Vellix the Venturer, with whom Vlana tries to escape being captured, and who is killed during the ambush set up by Hringorl.[3]: 13
- Hringorl, pirate chief who seeks to kidnap Vlana.[3]: 13
- Mara, the young Snow Clan woman pregnant with Fafhrd's child.[3]: 16
- Hor, accomplice of Hringorl.[3]: 18
- Harrax, accomplice of Hringorl.[3]: 18
- Hrey, accomplice of Hringorl.[3]: 18
- Zax and Effendrit, Mingol traders who had been friends of Fafhrd's late father.[3]: 19
Location
The Cold Wastes are a part of the ancient world of Nehwon. [3]: 1
References
External links
- The Snow Women title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- v
- t
- e
- Conjure Wife (1943)
- Destiny Times Three (1945)
- The Big Time (1961)
- The Wanderer (1964)
- Tarzan and the Valley of Gold (1966)
- A Specter Is Haunting Texas (1969)
- Our Lady of Darkness (1977)
Gray Mouser
- Two Sought Adventure (1957)
- Swords and Deviltry (1970)
- Swords Against Death (1970)
- Swords in the Mist (1968)
- Swords Against Wizardry (1968)
- The Swords of Lankhmar (1968)
- Swords and Ice Magic (1977)
- Bazaar of the Bizarre (1978)
- The Knight and Knave of Swords (1988)
- Swords Against the Shadowland (Robin Wayne Bailey) (1998)
collections
- Night's Black Agents (1947)
- The Best of Fritz Leiber (1974)
- The Book of Fritz Leiber (1974)
- The Second Book of Fritz Leiber (1975)
- Heroes and Horrors (1978)
- "Coming Attraction" (1950)
- "A Pail of Air" (1951)
- "The Moon is Green" (1952)
- "The Unholy Grail" (1962)
- "Bazaar of the Bizarre" (1963)
- "To Arkham and the Stars" (1966)
- "Gonna Roll the Bones" (1967)
- "Ill Met in Lankhmar" (1970)
- "The Snow Women" (1970)
- "Midnight by the Morphy Watch" (1974)
- "Belsen Express" (1975)
- "Catch That Zeppelin!" (1975)
- "The Terror from the Depths" (1976)
- Weird Woman (1944)
- Night of the Eagle (1962)
- Witches' Brew (1980)
- The Girl with the Hungry Eyes (1995)
- Bibliography
- Fritz Leiber, Sr. (father)
This article about a fantasy short story (or stories) published in the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e