The princess profile I’m doing today is a little bit different. I have long had an interest in Japanese culture, and there is a legend I find particularly interesting, that of Queen Himiko. I have heard mention of her in everything from Japanese cook books to the Lolita inspired movie Shimotsuma Monogatari. Despite this, very little seems to be known about this ancient Japanese sovreign who ruled the Yamatai province until 248 AD.

What information I have is mostly from the few Chinese sources that mentioned her, so please read this with an understanding that there is not a great deal of information on this period of Japanese history, and part of the beauty and mystery of Himiko is in that her story has become blended with legend.

There were a people known as the Wa, they lived in the beautiful mountainous regions of Japan and divided in to over thirty communities. For a long time the Wa had only had male rulers, and there had been war and strife throughout the people. Tired of this unrest, they selected a woman to be their leader and Queen, her name was Himiko (sometimes written ‘pimiko’) and she succeeded in unifying the different communities, resisting the barbarian invasions in Yame and bringing peace and wealth to the Wa.

Many tales are told of this powerful Queen, that she was guarded by a thousand female servants, yet had one man to cook for her and take care of her wardrobe. That she trusted only her brother to aid her in politics. There is much mystery about her role as a leader, some records list her as a sorceress who enchanted her people, or a priestess or even oracle, but all agree that she had a powerful influence on the Wa who were very devoted to serving her. She lived in a fortress palace with armed guards who kept constant watch and she was rarely seen outside. The Chinese Emperor sent her one hundred bronze mirrors, some of which have since been discover by archaeologists.

On her death they built a burial mound more than a hundred paces across, and it is said that over one hundred attendants followed her to be buried in the grave. After she died, a male ruler was placed on the throne once again which caused much unrest until he was replaced by Himiko’s relative, a young woman named Iyo.

Himiko has been associated with and identified with many other figures in Japanese history, including Empress Consort Jingû, Yamatohime-no-mikoto - the daughter Emperor Suinin and even the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. It is interesting that Himiko’s name may have links to the words for ’sun’ (hi), ‘priestess’ (miko) and ‘princess’ (hime.)

I find her a fascinating character and she reminds me a little of Queen Elizabeth the first, for she also never married although she lived to 80 years of age and had a long reign. It is great to find strong and beautiful women in all eras of history and parts of the world, and Himiko is no exception.

resource 1, resource 2

Eleanor of Aquitane is often given the epitah of the most powerful woman in Medieval Europe, and with good reason. She was charming, beautiful and fiercely intelligent. She married a king of both France and England and had two sons who became Kings aswell!

Eleanor was the oldest of three children born to the Duke and Duchess of Aquitaine. The court of the French province was one of the most cultured and beautiful in the world and the young girl had an extensive education in the arts, languages and classics as well as more active pursuits such as riding and hunting. She was said to be very beautiful, though the colour of her complexion is unknown, and possessed of a strong will and free spirit.

At the age of 15, when her father passed away she became Duchess of Aquitaine and inherited all of his estates. She was left to the care of the king, Louis VI who quickly married her to his son the Prince, so that her lands may be brought under control of the crown. While married to Louis she took part in the Crusades, riding at the head of the vassals of her Duchy, she was much acclaimed for her bravery and compared to an Amazon Queen. However the crusades were not successful for her and her husband who had begun to drift apart in their marriage as well. They divorced shortly afterwards.

Eleanor’s second marriage to Henry II was not an easy one either, but possibly they were closer and certainly respected eachother. They had eight children, one of whom became the famous king Richard the Lionheart. Eventually, disgusted by Henry’s behaviour, Eleanor returned with some of her sons to Aquitaine, from where she encouraged them to stage a revolt against the King. She was captured by Henry and imprisoned in Winchester castle for 15 years. On his death her son Richard became King and she, his Regent. She survived Richard to see her son John become king and arranged his marriage herself.

Eleanor was a powerful Queen who led an incredible life, she had more influence than any other woman of her era and very much typified the ideal of ‘the power behind the throne.’ Her story is so fascinating I could barely brush the surface of it here, so I do suggest reading these resources to learn more about the Lioness Queen.

reference 1, reference 2

Today I created a new header image for Princess Portal, a crowned swan with a golden chain about her neck. I think Swans are the most beautiful birds in the animal kingdom, and they are the symbol of our state as well. The white Swan has always been special to me and so I thought I might also do a Princess Profile on Odette, the Swan princess.

Odette is the heroine of the Ballet ‘Swan Lake’ the musical score for which was written by Pyotr Tchaikozsky and it is one of the most well known ballets to this day, as well as being my personal favourite. Swan Lake is the story of young Prince Siegfried who must chose a wife from the many ladies presented to him, however he wishes to marry for love and one day follows a beautiful swan who turns in to a maiden at the touch of moonlight. He begins to proclaim his love to her, which would break the transformation spell but is interrupted by Count Rothbart, the sorcerer who enchanted her. Later, at a magnificent ball held in the palace Rothbart presents his own daughter, Odile, charmed so that she looks like Odette but is wearing black rather than white. The Prince mistakes her for the princess and proclaims his love to the Sorcerer’s daughter, thus trapping Odette in her Swan form forever. There are several endings to the story, some end happily with the Count defeated by their love and in others it is the Prince and Odette who tragically end their lives after realising the deceit.

I have been doing some research in to the origins of Swan Lake, and although it is often stated as being based off a Germanic Fairy Tale, no such tale seems to exist. Rather it is more likely that Tchaikovsky drew inspiration from a number of legends that feature Swan transformations, including the Seven Wild Swans and a tale about a man who steals a Swan Maiden’s feather cloak to make her his wife. Regardless of its origins, Swan Lake is an enchanting and moving story of both love and tragedy.

The image of a Swan Maiden or princess is quite mysterious itself. Swans are beautiful and powerful birds and they take mates for life, making them a symbol of love. White is also associated with purity, Odile the black swan being Odette’s polar opposite, although I have always had a sympathy for the Count’s daughter, especially after reading Mercedes Lackey’s “The Black Swan.”

If you ever get the chance to see the ballet performed, it is really breathtaking. I’ve also seen the Imperial Ice stars production which was an amazing feat, a complete ballet on a stage covered in ice!

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Many of us are familiar with the tale most often called ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ a traditional fairy tale, adapted so often it has evolved in to quite a simple, sweet story which seems to have very little meaning that we can interpret from a modern perspective. In fact I think poor Briar Rose (as she is named in the Grimm version of the tale) is probably one of the most harshly criticised Fairytale Princesses, for she seems to have no power of her own. The little Princess is born in to a loving family, blessed with all the gifts she could ever wish for by the kindly godmothers; beauty, grace, wit and the ability to dance and sing and play music. When darkness comes in to her life it is through a curse and she herself walks innocently in to the trap, only to be rescued later by her Prince, love at first sight in its purist form. She is not exactly a feminist role model.

To me however, the story of the Sleeping Beauty in the Wood is about hope. It shows that even when the world seems to be against us, and there is no way to escape our destiny there is still a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. The seventh Fairy can not undo the evil, but she can find a way around it. Sleeping Beauty has to wait, not just for her Prince, but for an escape from the trap that is sleep. How many of us feel like we go through life sleeping sometimes? Only for something purely magical, like love, to awaken us from this apathy.

I’m glad that Princesses these days have the power to go after their dreams instead of sitting around passively, but I also believe patience is a lesson we must learn. There are times when you have to wait out the storm, and have just a little faith in the world that things will come right in the end.

There are many versions of the Sleeping Beauty tale, some like the version by Charles Perrault continue after the marriage of the Prince and Princess, and the story gets much darker from there. Others, such as the Grimm Brother’s Briar Rose have a sweeter ending. There have been some excellent modern retellings of the story, including Robin McKinley’s ‘Spindles End’ and Orson Scott Card’s ‘Enchantment.’ If you would like to read more about the history of the tale you may do so here.

Princesse Élisabeth Philippine Marie Hélène of France, commonly known as Madame Élisabeth, was the youngest sister of King Louis XVI and sister-in-law to Marie Antoinette. I find it rather sad that she is often omitted from books and movies on the French Revolution for she was such a beautiful princess, and a great comfort to the King and Queen. I took a special interest in her after reading the historical novel ‘Abundance’ by Sena Jeter Naslund in which, a child herself, she brings a rose to young Marie Antoinette.

Born May 3, 1764, Madame Élisabeth was said to be a willful and haughty child who was tamed only when Madame de Mackau became her governess. She grew, however, in to a sweet natured and gentle young woman who was very pious and even wished to become a Nun, but was refused permission by her brother who felt she was needed at court. The very model of charity, she never married and when she was given a farm called Montreuil for her 25th birthday she created a dairy there to provide milk for poor children.

One could not live at Versailles however, without finding some enjoyment in the amusements there and it is said the Princess loved to dance and was always the last to leave a ball. She had a fondness for music, embroidery and fashion and was equally at home organizing her ladies in charitable causes as picking out a new pair of shoes. In her later years she spent much time with the Queen at the Trianon.

Perhaps the greatest attestment to Élisabeth’s character was her sense of duty towards the monarchy. When other nobles were fleeing the country, despite the danger to herself, she remained with them to the very end, when she comforted Madame Royale after her parent’s death. The last letter penned by Marie Antoinette was to Madame Élisabeth who had since become as a sister to her in their shared tragedy. She died at the guillotine on May 10, 1794. During her execution there were no cheers, the silent crowd even reported that there was a scent of roses in the air.

reference 1, reference 2, Montreuil

Princess Ka’iulani of Hawaii’s story is both inspiring and tragic. She was born in 1875, the daughter of mixed parentage, having a Scottish father and Hawaiian mother. She was beautiful, intelligent and talented and had a great sympathy for her people.

Ka’iulani lived a peaceful childhood among the royalty of Hawai’i and was even a friend of the Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. At the age of 13 she was sent to England to receive her education for the next four years. The Princess mastered many languages and subjects and expressed a desire to be a painter, at which she showed quite some talent. It was while she was in England that she received the news that her Kingdom, to which she was Crown Princess, had been annexed by the United States and the monarchy deposed.

A strong willed, determined young lady she travelled to America to stand up for the rights of her people against the government. Despite her addresses to the press and congress her plight was ignored and she was never to assume her birthright as Queen of Hawai’i. Her efforts did have the effect, however, of impressing upon the people of the US that the Hawaiians were a civilised, cultured people and far from the barbarians they had been portrayed as. She returned to England where the deaths of several of her close friends greatly added to her tragedy and her health began to deteriorate.

Hoping that a change in climate would help her recover, the Princess returned to Hawai’i in 1897. Unfortunately after many years in Europe she had trouble re-acclimatising to the tropical Hawaiian temperatures and sadly passed away on March 6th, 1899. She was only 23.

I feel a certain small kinship to Princess Ka’iulani, being half Scottish myself. Her story is so tragic, and yet she is an ideal example of a Princess. Intelligent, elegant, noble and with a strong sense of duty to her people. She loved Chinese jasmine and kept many pet Peacocks of whom she was very fond. It is said her peacocks screamed when she died. Whenever I see a peacock I am reminded of her strength and beauty.

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The Little Mermaid is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Anderson, that is, it does not have an oral tradition but was written as a part of a collection of original Fairy Tales by the famous Danish author. I find it one of the most moving of his stories and also very beautiful in description.

The Little Mermaid is the daughter of the King of the Sea literally a sea-princess. Her castle is of pearl and shells and rests deep beneath the waves. She is an interesting character, instead of being rescued by her Prince she rescues him. She also has a great curiousity about the land above the waves and goes to amazing lengths to try to earn the love of her Prince, giving up her beautiful voice and spending each day in pain caused by her new legs and feet.

I can understand how she could be seen as a rather bad role-model for women, in that she gives up everything for and is solely devoted to her Prince, even when he does not return her affection. However I don’t think the story is meant to teach us to be that way, but rather expresses the anguish that is unrequited love or yearning for something we can not attain. It is such a sad, beautiful tale and I think any one who has loved or desired something out of their reach could easily relate to the Mermaid’s choices. For losing that dream, can almost feel like dissolving in to sea foam, in to nothing, when a part of us dies.

You can find the original version of the tale here. I read it again today, for I haven’t in quite a long time, and was moved near to tears. I always wondered if she wasn’t given a name, because she didn’t have a soul and what her name would have been when she aquired one.

Eugénie, the Last Empress of France was born in 1826 to the impressive name of Doña María Eugenia Ignatia Augustina Palafox de Guzmán Portocarrero y Kirkpatrick. The daughter of a Spanish Count and his half Scottish wife, Eugénie became the 9th Countess of Teba and later, the Empress of France. She was a beautiful, charming and elegant Lady who was both a leader of fashion, and an intelligent and capable Empress. She had political influence over her husband and was Regent during his absences.

Eugénie was educated in Paris at the famous Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart) Convent and brought up among fashionable society, where she met Prince Louis Napoléon, to whom she made a very controversial marriage a year after his coronation. As a wedding gift he gave her a beautiful diamond, now known as the Empress Eugénie Diamond.

The Empress was said to be an admirer of Marie Antoinette, certainly she had a similar love for exquisite clothing and jewels. Her fashion choices influenced the silhouettes of womens costume for several decades and she was looked to by many as a paragon of beauty and elegance. She was a close friend of Princess Pauline de Metternich.

It is perhaps no coincidence that her reign very nearly ended in the same manner as Marie Antoinette’s. After the battle of Sedan, in which her husband was captured, she was forced to flee rioting in Paris and go in to exile in England. Napoléon III later joined her there and the pair spent the rest of their lives in England.

I would like to read a biography on Eugénie and learn more about her fascinating life and vibrant character. I have always admired the paintings of her, for she has such a serene and regal composure.

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One of the most well known and oldest of our fairy tale Princesses is Cinderella. I have always found her story enchanting, I think many girls might have day-dreamed at some point of meeting their Fairy Godmother and having their wishes granted. Cinderella is really inspiring though, in her attitude to life. In most versions of the tale, while she is so poorly treated by her step-family, she still remains a kind, sweet natured soul and is in the end, very forgiving of their flaws. To meet such bitter treatment and cruelty with forgiveness and kindness (In the Perrault version she even finds her sisters rich husbands!) is truly admirable.

Fairy tales have a habit of travelling, and the earliest written version of Cinderella is Chinese, dated to the middle of the ninth century A.D. In this version there is no Fairy Godmother but instead a magical fish, and her slipper is not glass but gold. The heroine’s name is Yeh-shen.

From then there are references, and most likely an oral tradition of the tale until the appearance of what it probably the most well known (and my favourite) version, published in 1697 by Charles Perrault. Many of the motifs we now associate with Cinderella such as a pumpkin carriage and midnight deadline come from this version. It is also rather more of a moral tale then some others, emphasizing Cinderella’s good nature and kind behaviour. In typical Perrault style it is very descriptive with lovely references to the clothing and decor of the period.

Aschenputtel is the German name for the tale, recorded by the Grimm Brothers in their collection. Interestingly, in this version the Stepsisters are also beautiful and it is their inner qualities that set them apart from the heroine. My favourite part of the Grimm version is that Cinderella recieves help from birds throughout the tale, both with the tasks set for her by her Stepmother and in recieving the gifts needed to attend the ball. A white bird perched in the tree over her Mother’s grave serves the purpose of ‘Fairy Godmother’ when she calles out “Shiver and quiver, little tree. Silver and gold throw down over me.” In a less forgiving ending to the story the two Stepsisters are punished for their cruelty with blindness, perhaps a reference to their vanity.

The main themes of Cinderella seem to be popular in many cultures and different versions of the story appear all over the world.

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One of my favourite british princesses is Princess Louise, she was born in 1848 as the sixth child of Queen Victoria. Considered the prettiest of Victoria’s daughters she was also very accomplished, being tutored in art by a well known sculpturess, she was also accounted by all as very bright and good tempered. Being rather liberal minded she was forward thinking on the issues of poverty and women’s rights.

What is unusual about Princess Louise was her marriage. Although the Queen had intended her for a Prussian prince, she had no desire to be shipped off to a foreign court and instead married the Marquis of Lorne, who was not of royal blood. The Marquis was a bright intelligent man, a member of parliament and the perfect match for her artistic temperament. Although in those times it was frowned apon for a Princess to marry below her rank, Louise made her choice and was respected for it by both her family and the public.

As a married woman, who later became Duchess of Argyll when her husband succeeded the Duke, she did not settle down to a life of motherhood and managing house. Rather she surrounded herself with artists and philanthropists and became involved in many organisations, including those that benefitted poor women. In 1872 she became the president of the National Union for the Higher Education of Women, eagerly promoting this cause. Her artistic achievements were highly regarded, she could paint, write and sculpt with great skill and some of her works survive today. She died at the age of 91, having survived World War I and the loss of her husband.

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