Top 5 Forgotten Princesses Adapted in Comics

Are you familiar with Tiana, the first African-American princess, or Mulan, the famous princess based on an ancient Chinese legend? Tiana is the only Disney princess with dimples, and Mulan is famously described in the poem "The Ballad of Mulan" as a female warrior. Many of the bravest women from history or mythology have had their stories adapted in the comic universe, telling these sagas in a colorful way for both children and adult readers. Even the gaming industry has adopted some of these famous female characters with historical importance. These tales feature princesses who are mythically, historically, or socially attached to real-life scenarios, but are often long forgotten. Check out this list of the top 10 forgotten princesses adapted in comics.

5. Corn Maiden

Corn Maiden, also known as Corn Mother, is a legendary figure in North America among indigenous farming tribes believed to be responsible for the creation of corn or maize. Local legends vary, with some stories telling of overflowing corn stores when she was present. In the Arapaho tradition, they drowned her in the river to be rid of her, while in Zuni culture, she was frightened by the suggestive movements of male dancers. In the Tepecano version, her first night spent in a private room after marriage to her husband was followed by a room full of corn in the morning. Other local legends claim that she was able to secretly produce corn by rubbing her body or by magically producing it and filling buckets with the kernels.

4. Shajar Al-Durr

Shajar al-Durr, also known as Tree of Pearls, played a crucial role in Egyptian history following the death of Sultan As-Salih Ayyub during the Seventh Crusade, which resulted in the Battle of Fariskur and the capture of King Louis IX. Described by historians as a woman of great beauty and intelligence, Shajar began her life as a Turkish servant purchased for the Sultan of Egypt, and eventually rose to power as a member of the Mamluk dynasty through her relationship with Aybak.

After capturing King Louis IX, Shajar al-Durr negotiated a treaty for his release in exchange for a ransom of 400,000 French currency units, which was approximately 30% of France's annual revenue during the Middle Ages. However, she was later caught attempting to kill Aybek and was imprisoned by Aybek's first wife, who ordered her execution by beating her to death with wooden clogs. Shajar al-Durr's naked body was then thrown over the city wall.

3. Pasiphaë

Pasiphaë, the Greek queen and daughter of Helios, according to Greek mythology, was married to King Minos of Crete and was infamous for her sexual attraction towards a bull that was gifted to her husband by Poseidon. Pasiphaë gave birth to Asterion, also known as the Minotaur, by mating with the bull. Although King Minos himself was the result of Zeus taking on the form of a bull to mate with Pasiphaë's mother Europa, Pasiphaë was known as a Bull Goddess. When she found out that her husband was cheating on her, she created a spell so that he would ejaculate serpents and insects if he slept with anyone. However, Procris, the daughter of the ruler of Athens, slept with Minos with the help of a protective herb.

2. Nzinga

Queen Anna Nzinga, the 17th-century queen of the Ndongo and Matamba Kingdoms of the Mbundu people in Angola, was named Njinga after her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck at birth, derived from the Kimbundu verb "Kujinga," meaning to twist or turn. When her brother was taken captive by the Portuguese, Nzinga demanded his release and promised to leave Ndongo, but upon meeting the Portuguese, they disrespected her by offering her no chair and instead a floor mat to sit on. In response, she sat on one of her servants as a chair. After moving south, she founded a new country by conquering the cannibal tribe known as the Jaga, and local legend has it that she had 60 male harems at her disposal who would fight to the death for a single night with her, after which they were executed. Some tales even suggest that Nzinga dressed her male servants as women.

1. Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut, whose name means "The Foremost of Noble Ladies," served as the fifth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty in Ancient Egypt. Her mother was said to have given birth to her in a lion's den. Regarded as one of the most prominent pharaohs of Ancient Egypt alongside King Tut and Nefertiti, she has an entire room devoted to her at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hatshepsut ruled her land for twenty-two years, fifteen hundred years before the birth of Jesus. She is considered to be the first great woman in history, according to Egyptologist James Henry Breasted, as she ruled Egypt while wearing men's clothing, including the pharaoh's false beard. During her reign, she built the Temple of Karnak and restored the original Precinct of Mut. Nine golden cartouches bearing the names of both Hatshepsut and Thutmose III were discovered in Karnak.