BAMF Women of World Mythology

Being a BAMF is a gender-neutral thing, but throughout history, dudes got the lion’s share of badassery, while chicks got stuck touting their “feminine virtues” of chastity and fidelity, which are the opposite of a good time. While rare, there are some pretty killer old school BAMF women in world myth who we can give props to for their badass deeds instead of who they did and did not bone. Here are my favs:

Atalanta

Art: Charles Le Brun 
Here’s a BAMF from Greek mythology: where most women are shown powerless and ravaged by gods pretending to be cows or some crap, Atalanta is a demigod who fucks the patriarchy on the regs. She was even badass as an infant, being left on a mountaintop to die of exposure and instead surviving to be raised by bears and becoming a sweetass hunter. She famously joined a boar hunt even though the dudes on the hunt were all “eww, girls have cooties” and was the first to hit the damn thing. She also was a total commitmentphobe and would only marry a dude who could outrun her, but then lost to Hippomenes ’cause he cheated by distracting her with food, which isn’t really that badass, but dude, she killed a boar, she’s all right.

Macha

Art: Luis Royo
This Irish lady proved the ultimate BAMF is a pregnant one. Her dickhead husband claimed that she, super preggers, could outrun the king’s horses. She was then forced to race upon the threat of the king executing her husband (who, frankly, deserved it) and WON and gave birth to twins at the finish line! Next time you think you’re a BAMF for running a 10k, think about Macha.

Brünnhilde

Art: Gaston Bussiere
In Wagner’s version of Norse mythology, Brünnhilde is basically a super rad Valkyrie who spends all her days riding around on her totally sweet horse Grane, kicking ass. As a total BAMF, she defies Wotan, the King of the gods, by saving the life of a pregnant lady and has to get punished by being turned mortal and marrying the first dude who wakes her up from a magical sleep. Not wanting to have to bang a lameass her whole life, she requests the dude she marries be the bravest EVER, so Wotan protects her with a raging fire circle. The story gets more bummer after she’s woken up by Siegfried, who’s brave and hot, but a total moron, and winds up getting duped into betraying her with some lame chick, but in signature BAMFness, when Brünnhilde dies by throwing herself on his pyre, it triggers the full collapse of Vallhala and the gods. Damn, son!

Guanyin

Photo: BrokenSphere 
In Buddhist mythology, Guanyin is the bodhisattva of compassion, who will never rest until she has freed the whole world of suffering. While many prove their badassery through ninja-moves, Guanyin does so through her totally rad sense of empathy. In my opinion, rejecting nirvana in the name of easing the suffering of the planet makes Guanyin the ultimate BAMF.