Books female characters Lady Golem and the Lady Knight: Medieval Revival, Romance, and Resistance Maddie Martinez discusses the growing trend of Lady Knights and Golems By Maddie Martinez | Published on October 20, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Cometh forth, dearest reader. We are in the midst of a medieval revival. Knightcore, royalcore, castlecore, bardcore… the shared appeal of eating bread and cheese like a peasant on a long journey—suffice to say, Western/Arthurian Medieval aesthetics have been increasingly enjoying time in the spotlight over the past few years. In fact, Pinterest predicted that ‘Castlecore’ and the Medieval aesthetic would have a major comeback in 2025—and I think that has been true. This is not the first time, however, that we have seen a reincarnated allure for the Medieval. The vibrant anti-war and anti-capitalist counterculture of the 1960s and 70s in the US took special interest in a romanticized Medieval era (depicted to them in Gothic literature, Romantic poetry, and pre-Raphaelite art). You can see this inspiration in clothes, music, and other forms of pop culture from the 60s and 70s. Medieval aesthetics presented an escape from the political and social upheavals of the time, offering an alternative culture that rejected modernity and promoted the idea of going back to simpler times not sullied by a post-Industrial, post-Globalist world, and that embraced greater connections to nature, creativity, self-expression, and chivalry. Medievalism as escape is nary a surprise, nor a new thing, to the fantasy genre. Many of the classic fantasy novels are interlaced with (Western) Medieval inspirations, from Tolkien and G.R.R. Martin to Robin Hobb and Terry Pratchett. If I went to my bookshelf now and pulled out a random book, I could probably find at least one Medieval motif hidden within its pages, whether that be an inn, a tavern, or a chivalrous knight (though of course these motifs are not exclusive to Western Medievalism). Though Medievalism has long been a guest in the fantasy genre, there has been, in parallel to the interest in the Medieval aesthetic, a newfound interest and love in Medieval stories. Particularly, stories of the Knight. At the same time, the fantasy genre has experienced a surge in another figure of interest as well: stories of the Golem—a creature from Jewish mythology made of clay and brought to life through magical means. Similarly to the Knight, stories of the Golem have not escaped the firm grip of Medieval Romanticism. Stories of the Golem, in general, are reflective of the worries and fears of the society which creates them. This was certainly the case for The Golem of Prague, a 19th century piece of Romantic literature set in the 16th century. There are many ways to interpret its arrival into 19th century literature. German nationalism was brewing, and with it, significant antisemitism. At the same time, there was a growing distaste for the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution and the Age of the Enlightenment. A story of the golem, created from nature, meant to protect the Jews from antisemitism fit both the heroic inclinations and environmental connection which Romantics associated with the Middle Ages. Knights and Golems are both painted as protectors, but feared as weapons. They are loyal to a cause—and to a fault—and have become mythologizations that we still share stories of today. One thing, however, really caught my attention of this new revival: the feminization of these Knights and Golems. Many fantasy novels published in the last few years have depicted golems as feminine. There’s Woven From Clay by Jenny Birch, Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros, and a classic, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. And then, of course, my debut, The Maiden and Her Monster, which features a lesbian golem. At the same time, 2025 has seen or will see the publication of over eight lady knight novels, included but not limited to The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig, The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling, and The Isle in the Silver Sea by Tasha Suri. This Lady Knight and Lady Golem era of Medieval Revivalism is not only pushing back against their traditional popular masculine retellings, but making space for queerness, as well. And is it that surprising when we think of this Revival as an attempt to push back against the rise of global fascism we are experiencing today? But what is it about golems and knights specifically that is so inviting for this new literary counterculture? Lady as Protector, Lady as Blade In reality, knights were protectors the way cops are today… suffice to say, not at all. But in this romanticized Arthurian version, the concept of chivalry comes from beyond its historical reality. Le Morte d’Arthur, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are examples of chivalric romances that have given us the notion of heroic knights on quests with love at their heart. Golems do not have the same real-life counterpart; they are birthed into stories as myth. But similarly to knights, golems are created to protect Jewish communities from harm. The legend of The Golem of Prague tells us that, still, the golem sleeps in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue in Prague, waiting to be reawoken should the Jewish community need protecting again. Yet for both golems and knights, protection is a sword, and violence is its blade. Violence in the name of protection is almost necessary, an unassuageable fact. And this is where the feminization of these figures offers an interesting perspective. We discuss what it means to have this violence be perpetrated by men, but what changes when the violence is caused by women? We are attracted to feminine instigators of violence because it feels like a way to gain back control in a society which continuously attempts to strip us of our rights. To hold the sword in our hand and fight back. To protect the vulnerable by patrolling the streets of the Jewish Quarter, and ease our anger by swinging the blade on the battlefield. Actions we can take that may reignite hope in a world that continuously attempts to demolish it. We see Vera from Wrath Becomes Her killing Nazis as an act of vengeance; Grey from V L Bovalino’s The Second Death of Locke fiercely protecting her mage; Sybil from The Knight and the Moth fighting for answers about her Diviner sisters by slaying the Omens. Through protection and violence, quests or magic, one thing is clear: both knights and golems have immense power. We put women in these roles because we want to feel powerful in a society where we often feel powerless. Or perhaps it is more nuanced. Maybe we want to see women grapple with the consequences of power the way many of us must grapple with the nuances of our privilege. We see this in Ser Voyne from The Starving Saints as she is quick to swear fealty to whoever is in power, including the Lady Constant, or Vera again from Wrath Becomes Her initially obeying her creator’s desire for revenge. Lady as Symbol, Lady as Myth Another side of the coin has little to do with the sword at all. Both knights and golems are significant figures of myth and folklore; they are symbols of religion, culture, and morality. This symbolization is not unfamiliar for women. Sara Salem says it best: There is nothing new in using women as a cultural battleground. Women have regularly been used symbolically to signify and reproduce nations, cultures and religions; and the norms and values that constitute these. Women’s bodies are used to justify violence by foreign powers under the guise of “liberation from oppression”. But this is not only something we see in politics. It’s in our pop culture, too. Manic Pixie Dream Girls, Girlbosses… Society begs for perfect indistinguishable women, and holds us to impossibly high standards. Lady golems and lady knights offer a reclamation, and push back against the mythologization of these figures by making them interesting characters who live and breathe and feel and make mistakes. Sybil again from The Knight and the Moth going against her role as a Diviner by escaping the confines of the Aisling. Terra from Woven From Clay who grew up most of her life thinking she was human, being forced to grapple with the truth of her magical creation. Chava from The Golem and the Jinni struggling with the purpose of her creation while confined to gender norms in 19th century New York. Vina from The Isle in the Silver Sea working with the witch of the woods to change the fate that has been written for them both. As women are made into myths, we create worlds where myths are made into women once again. So why are we experiencing a renewed interest in these feminine myths? For me, it’s this: We use the backdrop of the past, ever mythologized, ever rose-colored, to interrogate issues of the present. To say, this has happened before, and it is happening again. History repeats itself, even in the aesthetic. Even in the fantastical. Through our lady golems and our lady knights we question this trend of Romanticism, engage with it, and sometimes bend the knee for it. We make it human again, so that we may grapple with the truths of our world, even as our political leaders attempt to mythologize it over and over. We take up our blades and prepare to fight.[end-mark] Buy the Book The Maiden and Her Monster Maddie Martinez Buy Book The Maiden and Her Monster Maddie Martinez Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget The post Lady Golem and the Lady Knight: Medieval Revival, Romance, and Resistance appeared first on Reactor.