{{short description|Fictional character created by Robert E. Howard}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} '''Dark Agnes de Chastillon''' (also known as '''Agnes de Chastillon''', '''Dark Agnes''', '''Agnes de la Fere''' and '''The Sword Woman''') is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard and the protagonist of three stories set in 16th century France, which were not printed until long after the author's death.
The character of Agnes was beaten by her father and almost forced into an arranged marriage. She escapes by killing the bridegroom and running away. She meets Etienne Villiers, who at first attempts to sell her to a brothel, and Guiscard de Clisson, a mercenary captain who trains her as a swordswoman. When de Clisson is killed, Agnes heads for Italy with Villiers.
Agnes has red hair and a short temper, and her skill with swords is a mixture of innate talent and training.
The character may be partially based on Novalyne Price, an American schoolteacher and writer who became close friends with, and occasionally dated, Robert E. Howard.<ref>[http://www.rehupa.com/short_bio.htm A Short Biography of Robert E. Howard] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929010748/http://www.rehupa.com/short_bio.htm |date=29 September 2011 }} by Rusty Burke, retrieved 19 December 2007</ref> Fictional prototypes include Jirel of Joiry, created by C. L. Moore.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hanley |first=Terence E. |date=Summer 2019 |title=Amazing Tales: The Weird and Wondrous Fiction of C. L. Moore |journal=Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=48-56 |via=Gale Academic OneFile}}</ref> Moore was enthusiastic about the first of Howard's "Dark Agnes" stories:<ref>Quoted by Glenn Lord in his introduction to ''The Second Book of Robert E. Howard'' (Zebra, May 1976)</ref>
{{blockquote|My blessings! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed "Sword-Woman". It seemed such a pity to leave her just at the threshold of higher adventures. Your favorite trick of slamming the door on a burst of bugles! And leaving one to wonder what happened next and wanting so badly to know. Aren’t there any more stories about Agnes?}}
==Stories== {{Expand section|date=June 2008}} Robert E. Howard wrote two complete Dark Agnes de Chastillon stories and a partial first draft for a third story.
==="Sword Woman"=== This is the origin story for Agnes. It features her abortive arranged marriage and subsequent training. "Sword Woman" was first published in ''REH: Lone Star Fictioneer'' #2 (Summer 1975).<ref>[http://www.howardworks.com/storysm.htm#swor2 Works of Robert E. Howard: Sword Woman] retrieved 19 December 2007</ref>
==="Blades for France"=== Agnes, still with her sidekick Etienne Villiers, faces international intrigue with Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. "Blades for France" was first published in ''Blades for France'' (1975).<ref>[http://www.howardworks.com/storyb.htm#blad1 Works of Robert E. Howard: Blades for France] retrieved 19 December 2007</ref>
==="Mistress of Death"=== Howard only wrote two drafts of "Mistress of Death", both incomplete. The second of the two drafts was later completed by Gerald W. Page and it was this version that was first published in ''Witchcraft & Sorcery'' Volume 1 Number 5 (January–February 1971).<ref name="mistress_of_death_publication_history">[http://www.howardworks.com/storym.htm#MISTRESS_OF_DEATH_second_draft Works of Robert E. Howard: Mistress of Death] retrieved 9 July 2017</ref> This is the only Dark Agnes story to include a fantasy element, in the form of a sorcerer. It is not written to the same standard of the two stories Howard completed, and features some departures from the established character, making her more stereotypically feminine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.violetbooks.com/swordwoman.html |title=Dark Agnes: A Critical Overview of Robert E. Howard's Sword Woman |first=Jessica |last=Amanda Salmonson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071228030202/http://www.violetbooks.com/swordwoman.html |archive-date=28 December 2007 |access-date=9 July 2017}}</ref>
It was later adapted into a Conan tale, "Curse of the Undead-Man",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://classiccomics.org/post/309 |title=The Annotated Savage Sword of Conan - Curse of the Undead-Man |access-date=9 July 2017}}</ref> appearing in The Savage Sword of Conan no. 1, 1974, where the Cimmerian encounters Red Sonja (in place of Dark Agnes).<ref name="mistress_of_death_publication_history"/>
==Collections==
All three Agnes stories, together with the unrelated "The King's Service" and "The Shadow of the Hun" (a Turlogh Dubh O'Brien story), and an introduction by Leigh Brackett, were collected in:
* {{cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert E. |author-link=Robert E. Howard |title=Sword Woman |date=May 1977 |publisher=Zebra |isbn=0-89083-261-7 }}<ref>[http://www.howardworks.com/swomanz.htm Works of Robert E. Howard: Sword Woman - Zebra]</ref> * {{cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert E. |author-link=Robert E. Howard |title=Sword Woman |year=1979 |orig-year=1977 |publisher=Berkley |isbn=978-0-425-04445-2}}<ref>[http://www.howardworks.com/swomany.htm Works of Robert E. Howard: Sword Woman - Berkley]</ref> * {{cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert E. |author-link=Robert E. Howard |title=Sword Woman |date=October 1986 |orig-year=1977 |publisher=Ace |isbn=0-441-79279-0 }}<ref>[http://www.howardworks.com/swomana.htm Works of Robert E. Howard: Sword Woman - Ace]</ref>
The Zebra edition had cover art and illustrations by Stephen Fabian. The Berkley and Ace editions had cover art by Ken Kelly.
== Other media == In February 2020, Marvel Comics launched a comic book series titled ''Dark Agnes,'' featuring an original story written by Becky Cloonan with art by Luca Pizzari.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Robert E. Howard's Dark Agnes (2020) #1 {{!}} Comic Issues {{!}} Marvel|url=https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/85553/robert_e_howards_dark_agnes_2020_1|access-date=2021-11-02|website=Marvel Entertainment}}</ref> The series ran for two issues before being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Johnston|first=Rich|date=2020-11-24|title=Marvel Officially Cancel Dark Agnes, Daily Bugle, Morbius MIA No More|url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/marvel-officially-cancel-dark-agnes-daily-bugle-morbius-mia-no-more/|access-date=2021-11-02|website=Bleeding Cool News And Rumors|language=en}}</ref>
Conan rights holders Heroic Signatures have announced plans for additional comic books featuring Dark Agnes
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.pulpanddagger.com/conan/agnes.html Pulp & Dagger review of ''Sword Woman''] *[http://fireandsword.com/Reviews/swordwoman.html Fire & Sword review of ''Sword Woman''] *[https://www.angelfire.com/tx3/robertehoward/agnesdelafere1.html Robert E. Howard's Dark Agnes de la Fere] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928103224/http://www.rehoward.com/historical-adv.htm Robert E. Howard: Historical Adventures]
{{Robert E. Howard}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dark Agnes De Chastillon}} Category:Female characters in literature Category:Fictional gunfighters Category:Fictional female warriors Category:Fictional French people in literature Category:Fictional mercenaries Category:Fictional characters from the 16th century Category:Fictional swordfighters in literature Category:Literary characters introduced in 1971 Category:Robert E. Howard characters