The Circle of the Savage Thinker

Bill Mayer, “Le Horla” [detail]

Effigy Vessel from Oaxaca, Mexico dated between 200 - 600 CE on display National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, Spain

This vessel is is thought to depict a warrior ruler of the Zapotec people. She wears a elaborate attire with an ornate helmet adorned with the head of jaguar. This animal is often associated with warriors and warfare in Mexican history as well as the right to rule. While female rulers were not common there are accounts prior to colonisation as well as Spanish records of women being granted rights to ancestral lands.

Gimli: "It's true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for dwarf men. And this in turn has given rise to the belief that there are no dwarf women, and that dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground!"

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