Queen Calafia

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Queen Calafia
Queen Calafia

badlands > May 14th, 2023, 09:37 PM

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calafia

Why was this character even made?
RE: Queen Calafia

Michael > May 26th, 2023, 02:06 PM

The source poem was composed in the early 1500s, soon after Ferdinand and Isabella finished the Reconquista of Iberia (the Kingdom of Cordoba being the last Muslim state to fall). So it was probably very religious in nature (I've never read the poem).

It sounds like (from the Wikipedia article) Calafia was a symbol for Islam (or maybe Cordoba) and her surrender/conversion to Christianity was an homage to the Reconquista. But I'm guessing.

These long fantasy poems were quite popular in western Europe in the late Renaissance, early Modern period.
RE: Queen Calafia

august > May 29th, 2023, 04:12 AM

Why not? Mythical islands, warrior women etc. have always been popular. See the Labors of Hercules from thousands of years earlier, and assorted Tarzan novels from the early 1900's.
RE: Queen Calafia

Michael > May 31st, 2023, 01:16 PM

In reading through the various articles about the character, the story, and the author, I suspect that Calafia was simply the product of a centuries-old tradition in Iberia (Spain/Portugal) that featured women warriors from mythical lands.
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