Medieval Fantasy in Popular Culture

            Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed is extremely progressive in terms of the representation of people of color which is absolutely due to the fact that it is written by a person of color. While it is progressive in this way, in terms of the representation of women it’s slightly lacking. Zamia Banu Laith Badawi is introduced as the 15-year-old former protector of the Band of Nadir Banu Laith Badawi and is what is called Angel-chosen: she is a girl lion.   Although her entire band had just recently been killed for which she feels personally responsible—she is also extremely concerned with the prospect of repopulating her tribe and mating when she meets Raseed bas Raseed, an extremely pious Dervish. Under these extreme circumstances there is not a reason for her to start thinking about repopulating her tribe particularly as they were very, very recently murdered and the killer is still out there. While thi...

Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed is set in an alternate Middle East during the Golden Age of Islam. One of the main characters named Zamia Badawi is a young girl who is the last member of her nomadic tribe. Although Ahmed does a good job debunking common fantasy stereotypes such as habits of whiteness, there are still some misconceptions that are present in his novel (specifically for women). It is common for women in the middle east to get the marriage talk starting out at a very young age. Many get pressured into marriage and believe their only way to be happy is through a husband. Growing up surrounded by Desi culture and this mindset, I have heard many older women tell me that marriage is the way to success and a good living. It is believed that a husband will shower you with happiness, money and everything else you wish. This same mindset can be seen in Zamia throughout the book. She talks about longing for a husband and a family so she can have kids...