5 Fictional Heroines to Inspire You

The time for damsels in distress is over. Here’s five fiery fictional heroines and the reasons they inspire us.

Fictional heroines – we all have our favourites. They come in all shapes and sizes, from any number of different backgrounds and crop up in some of the most unexpected places. Some of them just won’t blend into the scenery while others are simply the quiet protagonist who you wouldn’t look twice at were it not for circumstance.

Whether they accomplish great feats or only make a difference to their small part of the world, whether they were born from the caring hand of an author or burst onto the big screen, here’s five fictional heroines to inspire you and the reasons why we love them…

#1 Hermionie Granger

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

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While Hermionie may start off as an insufferable know it all, over the course of the series she blossoms into an intellectual badass, a true beauty, and not to mention the glue that holds her trio of friends together. Time and again we see her use her intellect to save her best-friends Harry and the ever incompetent Ron from any number of trials and dangers, including those posed by He Who Shall Not Be Named. She stays strong no matter what troubles are thrown at her, keeping Ron and Harry on course all the while too. Lets face it, without Hermionie, Harry’s mission may well have been a lost cause. How could we not be inspired by her?

#2 Elizabeth Swann

Pirates of the Caribbean

Rules are meant to be broken, that’s something the wilful, spirited and adventurous Elizabeth Swann knows only to well. As the daughter of Governor Swann, she’s lead a privileged life and been taught the importance of social class. All the while however, her wilfulness has lead her to have a keen interest in buccaneers, driving her father to distress. Despite being a lady of class, adventure finally comes knocking for Elizabeth when she’s kidnapped by pirates and whisked across the sea aboard the infamous Black Pearl. Despite the handsome Will Turner and the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow determined to save her, Elizabeth soon proved she’s no damsel in distress, becoming a pirate in her own right and breaking away from all the rules she’s ever known. Over the course of three films, we see her grow from a wilful Governor’s daughter to a fearless pirate, fighting for what’s right.

#3 Katniss Everdeen

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The Hunger Games trilogy – Suzanne Collins

Katniss may not be the first person you’d think of for a list like this but I’m running out of fingers to count why she’s truly inspirational. First off, after the death of her father she’s almost singlehandedly kept her family alive. She’s risking her life day in and day out just to find them food, that in itself is pretty amazing to me. Secondly, I don’t think anyone can say they weren’t moved when she volunteered to go into the Hunger Games in place of her sister – that truly was a gut wrenching moment. And then there’s the fact that she survives not one but two sets of Hunger Games! She’s bold, brave, smart and one damn good archer – Katniss Everdeen is definitely inspirational.

#4 Beatice ‘Tris’ Prior

Divergent trilogy – Veronica Roth

In a dystopian future when people are judged on their personality traits, Tris Prior was born into a faction of entirely selfless people. Despite this, she’d always found herself yearning for more out of life, yearning for freedom. When her chance comes, she takes it with both hands, proving herself to be intelligent and brave, as well as selfless, allowing her to trade factions. Thus starts Divergent, a thrilling trilogy that brings to life one of the most vivid heroines out there. Tris grows to be truly inspiring and constantly astounds us with her unwavering bravery and remarkable acts of self sacrifice.

#5 Éowyn

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The Lord of the Rings trilogy – J.R.R. Tolkien

While Lord of the Rings may be overflowing with unforgettable heroes, it’s distinctly lacking in the heroine department. That is but for Éowyn of course. A highborn lady she may be, a damsel in distress she is not. From her very first line she was determined to fight for what was right and to defend Middle Earth, man or not. As inspirational as she is when she disguises herself as a man and rides off to battle, that’s nothing compared to the moment where she singlehandedly fights the Witch King and recites the epic quote ‘I am no man!’. No Éowyn you aren’t, and on behalf of women everywhere, we’re proud of you!

Who are your favourite heroines and why? Let us know by commenting, we’d love to hear from you!

Cover photo: www.pinterest.com

About the author

Nichola

Writing is Nichola’s passion but she's also an avid reader and a massive film geek. Like most of us, Nichola spends way too much time surfing the web, mostly reading blogs on the weird and wonderful or rumours of who's got the lead role in next years hottest films.

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