There is something about images that helps me to build character. So when I was writing Maiden Tomb, I looked through image libraries such as Shutterstock, Dreamstime and iStock to find those perfect images. (All of the images you see were purchased by the author from those libraries.)
Today is your exclusive opportunity to meet each princess, given in birth order.
ALL-GIFTED is thirty years old, well past the age of marriage. Ten years ago she went to a Bride Show in which Prince Lover-of-God was to choose his bride. Unfortunately, his stepmother Lady Merry humiliated All-Gifted, and she has never been the same since. She spends most of her days huddled over her cauldron muttering spells. It may interest you to know that All-Gifted is a translation of the Greek name Pandora.
PROTECTRESS is twenty-seven years old, also well past the age of marriage. That fact and the fact that All-Gifted is so out of it, has her spending her time angling for the King’s attention. For Protectress is a political animal with ambitions to be First Lady of the Land and Father’s heiress. Unfortunately, she faces competition. It also doesn’t help that her hair writhes with snakes, for Protectress is a translation of Medusa.
DEATH-BRINGER is a self-effacing twenty-five who spends all of her time weaving, a life not out of keeping with women in the ancient world who spent nearly all their waking hours engaged in the art of textile manufacture. But as you look more closely, you realize that Death-Bringer is not really self-effacing, but grief-stricken. Something happened ten years ago to turn a lovely, bubbly fifteen year old into the worn out old-before-her-time woman that she is today. The clue to what happened can be found in her name, for Death-Bringer is a translation of Persephone.
SHINING is an alluring twenty-three year old, only too well aware of her stunning looks. She spends her time draped alongside the pool (yes, wealthy people in the ancient world had pools), and preening. When asked why she doesn’t do something else, she replies that she is destined to be a pawn in the hands of men. So it will not surprise you to learn that Shining is a translation of Helen.
MAIDEN is twenty-one years old, still young enough to be in the marriage market. However, she spends her time educating herself in herbal lore as she has ambitions to be a great healer. In Greek, Maiden becomes Kore.
SHADOW is nineteen years old, and would be poised to make a splendid match were she not crippled by shyness. She spends her time spinning, another time-consuming activity that women in the ancient world were obliged to perform. For this character, I decided not to translate her name but to give her the identity of Briseis, the captured woman who was the cause of the rupture between Achilles and Agamemnon. For when Agamemnon was forced to give up his slave woman, as she was the daughter of a priest, he took Achilles’ instead, sending that hero into a rather childish snit. Shadow embodies the tragedy that so many women faced in the past.
JUSTICE is sixteen years old and is the protagonist of the novel. As the seventh daughter, Justice is easily overlooked. But she possesses a keen intelligence and is not a one for taking life lying down. In her own quiet way, she is a warrior, and it is she who eventually frees her sisters from their tower-prison. In Greek, her name becomes Callidice, which actually means Beautiful Justice.
INTRIGUE is a sultry fifteen year old who is Father’s favorite daughter. Yes, she is the person who competes with Protectress for the position of the King’s heiress. And she is a dangerous opponent for not only is she young, but she has parlayed her charm and beauty into a situation where she has Father eating out of her hand. In Greek, Intrigue becomes Clytemnestra, which can be literally translated as “celebrated plotter.”
BOW is an androgynous fourteen-year old, who loves to spend her days outside hunting. But wait, I hear you say, aren’t all the princesses supposed to be locked up in their tower? As the ninth daughter, Bow is easily overlooked, especially as she dresses her boyish body in men’s clothing. She thinks nothing of climbing up and down that tower and disappearing into the forests that surround the castle. As a skilled hunter, you will perhaps not be surprised that I have given her the identity of the goddess Artemis.
SEA-FOAM is thirteen years old and a minor character in this tale. She spends her days playing various musical instruments and dancing. Sea-Foam is a translation of Aphrodite.
AMBIGUITY is a somewhat spaced-out twelve year old, who has an aura of power. In the course of Maiden Tomb she transforms into the goddess Hecate. For Ambiguity is the modern English name I give to a goddess who is associated with crossroads and doorways. As one scholar has remarked “Intrinsically ambivalent and polymorphous, she straddles conventional boundaries and eludes definition.” Don’t you love how the Ancient Greeks had such a deity?
TREASURE is a lovely, bubbly child of five. Much younger than her eleven sisters, she has become especially close to Justice, who soothes her fears. Treasure is a minor character in Maiden Tomb but she becomes more important in subsequent volumes of The Twelve Cursed Maidens series. Her Greek name is Chryseis.
