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Silmaril Awards 2020 – Epic Heroine Nominations

Tracey Dyck 351 Comments

Welcome, one and all, to the fifth annual Silmaril Awards! Leave your swords at the door and pull up a chair. ‘Tis my great honor to host the Epic Heroine category this year. This award should go to a female fantasy character who embodies courage—someone with a gentle heart but a backbone of steel. Someone who faces staggering odds or undergoes a difficult journey or lays everything on the line for the sake of another…

Someone worthy to receive this year’s Silmaril from none other than Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan!

Our past winners of this illustrious award include Cinder from The Lunar Chronicles, and Aravis and Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia.

I can’t wait to see who you nominate this year! But before I get to the rules and details, let me take this moment to mop my forehead in relief. Seeing as it’s up to us bloggers to house all the nominees in our personal homes, I daresay this’ll be a much easier situation for me than previous years. After all, a passel of strange characters drove me up the wall in 2019, and a whole bunch of dragons nearly burnt my house down to the ground in 2018. And that’s not to mention the buckets of unsolicited advice I received from wise mentors in 2017 or the incessant poetry of 2016.

Yes, this year I simply get to gather ’round the campfire with a horde of epic heroines and swap stories.

…Mind you, considering how many heroines have been nominated in years past, I’m going to quickly run out of room. And food. And there miiiiight be duels breaking out in the backyard between the more hotheaded ladies.

BUT WE’LL BE FINE.

Right?

Of course.

Now, on to business. If this is your first year participating in the Silmaril Awards, WELCOME! You’re in for several weeks of fantasy fun, bookish discussions, and crazy shenanigans. All the juicy details are at the official website HERE. But this is the gist of things:

You have from today, August 31st, Through Friday, September 4th to make your nominations.

Visit each of the ten participating blogs to nominate the characters YOU think should win each category!

How do nominations work? Simply leave a comment on the corresponding post with the name of a character and the book he/she’s from. And be sure to read through everyone else’s comments and “second” any nominations you agree with! (To second, just reply and say something like, “I second so-and-so!”) When the week is over, we’ll be tallying up all the nominations/seconds, and only the TOP FIVE in each category will move on to the voting period. So your seconds are of great importance!

A few more caveats…

  1. Tolkien’s characters are not eligible for these awards. We hold his work as one of the pillars of the fantasy genre. Given that illustrious position, it is Tolkien’s characters who show up to bestow the Silmarils on well-deserving characters created by other authors.
  2. These awards are solely for fantasy characters! But because the lines are sometimes blurred in the realm of speculative fiction, go ahead and make an argument for a fantastical character who belongs to a book with sci-fi elements. (Example: The Lunar Chronicles counts as fantasy.)
  3. When nominating, please mention which book the character is from. We blogger hosts are avid bookdragons, but even we haven’t read everything in the universe just yet. (Trust me, we’re working on it.)
  4. Nominate and second AS MANY characters as you wish! Just be aware that you can’t make a nomination and then second the same character. We’re watching for any such sneakery. 😉
  5. Characters who have won in a particular category in the past are not eligible for that category again.
  6. Authors, you’re more than welcome to participate! We just ask that you don’t nominate your own characters. Do feel free to encourage your readers to join in, though.
  7. Oh yes, and remember these are for book characters, not film. In the case of stories that are both books and movies, if the book came first, it’s eligible.
  8. Have heaps and heaps of fun!!!

Extra Fun Stuff

Speaking of fun, you can join the Silmaril Awards Facebook group for more discussions and announcements.

And! This year, an EPIC GIVEAWAY is happening. There’ll be SIXTEEN winners, one for each of these fantastical prizes. 😀

Here’s the Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ready? Get set… NOMINATE! May the epic-est heroines make it to the next round.

P.S. Be sure to come back next week for the voting period!

[Nominations are now closed. Come back on Monday, September 7th to cast your votes!]

351 Comments

  2. Grace T.
    Reply

    I nominate:
    Vin from the first Mistborn trilogy
    Lady Cordelia Beaumont from Kyle Robert Shultz’s Afterverse
    Echo from Echo North
    Eda from Beyond the Shadowed Earth
    Aliza Daired from the Heartstone trilogy
    Tanwen from the Story Weaver trilogy
    Egwene al’Vere from Wheel of Time
    Nynaeve from Wheel of Time

  3. Hannah
    Reply

    I nominate:

    Selene from The Ravenwood Saga
    Sairu from Golden Daughter
    Imraldera from Tales of Goldstone Wood
    Anastasia “Nastya” from Romanov
    Mica from Empire of Talents
    Kiva from Windwaker
    Harry Crewe from The Blue Sword

    Wooooot, I love this time of year!
    Angua from Discworld

  5. Maya Joelle
    Reply

    seconds: Leeli, Tanwen, Egwene, Nynaeve, Imraldera, Anastasia, Harry

    nominees: Eilonwy from the Chronicles of Prydain, Daylily from Tales of Goldstone Wood, Rose Red/Varvare from Tales of Goldstone Wood, Aerin from The Hero and the Crown, Katriona from Spindle’s End, Darcy from Gateway Chronicles

  13. Deborah O'Carroll
    Reply

    I nominate:

    Mina from the Bright Empires series by Stephen R. Lawhead

    Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

    Ginny from Paper Crowns by Mirriam Neal

    Tonya from Winter Spell by Claire M. Banschbach

  14. Jen
    Reply

    I nominate Kamarie from King’s Warrior by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt.

    I also nominate Ella from Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, and Princess Addie from The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine.

  16. Katie Hanna
    Reply

    I nominate:

    – Lila Bard from A Darker Shade of Magic, by V.E. Schwab
    – Tiffany Aching from The Wee Free Men, by Terry Pratchett
    – Susan Sto-Helit (Death’s granddaughter) from Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett

  20. Christine Smith
    Reply

    I always have way too many for the hero and heroine categories. Sorry about this explosion of nominations, but here go!

    I nominate:
    – Ashley
    – Bonnie
    – Sapphira all three from Dragons in Our Midst and Oracles of Fire by Bryan Davis
    (‘Cause I gotta give all the DIOM gals love.)
    – Isabella from Masque by W.R. Gingell
    – Ani/Isi from The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
    – Nym from Storm Siren by Mary Weber
    – Cress from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
    – Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
    – Wendy from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
    – Alice from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
    – Vrell from Blood of Kings by Jill Williamson

  22. Jenelle Schmidt
    Reply

    I want to nominate:
    Riette from Treason’s Crown by Anne Wheeler
    Niya from Spice Bringer by HL Burke
    Shannon from Dragon and Scholar by HL Burke
    Essie from Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce
    Tianna from Fire and Ice Cream by K.M. Carroll
    Breen from Mechanical Heart by Sarah Pennington
    Baili from Blood in the Snow by Sarah Pennington
    Cyrus from Strayborn by E.E. Rawls

    Seconding:
    Cimorene
    Imraldera
    Cress
    Leeli
    Cordelia
    Birdie
    Eilonwy

  23. sparksofember
    Reply

    I nominate Agatha from The School for Good and Evil.
    My daughter nominates Sadie Larcen from The Tethered World Chronicles by Heather L.L. FitzGerald.

  26. Sarah
    Reply

    I nominate:
    -Ailsa from The Dark King’s Curse by Wyn Estelle Owens
    -Robin from The Bookania Chronicles by Kendra E. Ardnek
    -Tryss from Moonscript by H.S.J. Williams
    -Sabriel from the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix
    -Lirael from the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix
    -Steris from The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson
    -Shallan from the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
    -Irene from the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman
    -Isobel from An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
    -Elisabeth from A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
    -Lady Isabella Farrah from Masque by W.R. Gingell

  27. Kal Tomson
    Reply

    I nominate
    -Aurelia from Mark of the Thief by Jennifer Neilson
    -Nikktera from Escape to Vindor
    Llewana from Second Son by Jenelle Schimdt
    -Imogene from The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer Neilson

  29. Maya Joelle
    Reply

    I’m just returning here every day to make a new comment…

    Seconds: Cress, Ani/Isi, Tanwen, Sairu, Ella, Addie, Puck Connolly, Karen, Acacia, Ashley, Bonnie, Sapphira

    Nominees: Shiloh from Oracles of Fire/Dragons in Our Midst, Una from Tales of Goldstone Wood (she’s admittedly not *that* epic, but I kinda just want to nominate Goldstone charries right now XD), Mouse from Tales of Goldstone Wood, Leta from Tales of Goldstone Wood

  30. Becky
    Reply

    I nominate:
    -Luneta from The Lioness and Her Knight
    -Nyx from Cruel Beauty
    -Peri from The Lightest, Heaviest Things
    -Lynet from The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf
    -Dashti from Book of a Thousand Days
    -Lan from Song of a Crimson Flower

  31. Anna
    Reply

    I second Vin, Hermione, Cimorene, Cress, Ashley, Bonnie, Sapphira, Vrell, Steris, Shallan, and Shiloh, and nominate:
    -Ginny Weasley (Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling)
    -Marasi Colms (Mistborn Era 2, Brandon Sanderson)
    -Jasnah Kholin and Navani Kholin (The Stormlight Archive, Brandon Sanderson)

  32. Iris Dontell
    Reply

    I second Shiloh! I also nominate Ela Roeh from Prophet, by R. J. Larson, Tellie from Moonscript by H. S. J. Williams, Brandi and Renna Faythe from Blades of Acktar by Tricia Mingerink, Sophie Foster from Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger, and Susan Mitchell from The Restorer by Sharon Hinck.

  34. Carrie-Anne Thomas
    Reply

    I second Eilonwy and Rose Red/Varvare.

    I nominate Kate Crane/Beaumont from Kyle Robert Shultz’s Afterverse series’, and Maraly Weaver from Andrew Peterson’s Wingfeather Saga.

  35. Kenna Lee
    Reply

    Seconding

    Cordelia Beaumont and Kate Crane from the Afterverse Series’; Anastasia (Nastya) Romanov from Romanov; Sairu, Rose Red and Imreldara from Goldstonewood; Antigone Smith from Ashtown Burials; Karen, Acacia, Ashley, Bonnie and Shiloh from Dragons in our Midst/ Oracles of Fire and Leeli Wingfeather and Maraly Weaver from the Wingfeather Saga. Yeah, there’s a lot of them.

  39. Shaina
    Reply

    I second Eilonwy, Lady Amalthea, Rosanna from Daggers Sleep, Annabeth, Wendy, and Puck Connolly. If I already did the latter I apologize, I got a little lost in the comments. 0.o

  40. Alias Ember
    Reply

    Seconding:
    Isabella Farah, Maraly Weaver, Leeli Wingfeather, Cordelia Beaumont, Kate Crane, Cimorene, and Hermione.
    And while we’re nominating Harry Potter characters, I’ll add Nymphadora Tonks, Luna Lovegood, and Molly Weasley.
    I’ll also nominate:
    Pet from The City Between Series
    Heather and Emma from The Green Ember Series
    Marta Bessarion from Wind in the Wilderness
    Juliet from Bright Smoke, Cold Fire

  45. Addyson M. Huneke
    Reply

    I second:
    Eilonwy (Prydain Chronicles)
    Sophie (Howl’s Moving Castle)
    Ella (Ella Enchanted)
    Princess Addie (Two Princesses of Bamarre) How could I not? She has my name!
    Rosanna (Beyond the Tales)
    Cress (Lunar Chronicles)
    Annabeth Chase (Percy Jackson)
    Wendy (Peter Pan)
    Alice (Alice in Wonderland)
    Vrell (Blood of Kings)
    Birdie (Songkeeper Chronicles)
    Essie (Elven Alliance)
    Ela Roeh (Books of the Infinite)
    Brandie and Renna Faythe (Blades of Acktar)
    Leetra and Anne (Ilyon Chronicles)
    Nasuada (Inheritance Cycle) Just about the only thing I enjoyed in those books

    I nominate:
    Kyrin Altair (Ilyon Chronicles)
    Kale (Dragonkeeper Chronicles)
    Cassandra (Ranger’s Apprentice)

  46. Morgan Huneke
    Reply

    I second:

    Nastya from Romanov
    Eilonwy from Prydain
    Ella from Ella Enchanted
    Rosanna from Beyond the Tales
    Ani/Isi from The Goose Girl
    Vrell from Blood of Kings
    Annabeth from Percy Jackson
    Essie from Elven Alliance
    Dashti from Book of a Thousand Days
    Brandi and Renna from Acktar
    Leetra, Anne, and Kyrin from Ilyon
    Kale from DragonKeeper
    Cassandra from Ranger’s Apprentice

    Nominating:
    Alyss from Ranger’s Apprentice
    Enna from Books of Bayern

  51. Your Friendly Neighborhood INFP
    Reply

    I second:

    Lady Cordelia
    Emma from Fawkes
    Rosanna
    Ela Roeh
    Sairu
    Cimorene
    Rose Red (Goldstone Wood)
    Maraly Weaver
    Imraldera
    Mouse
    Leta
    Selene
    Nastya

    I nominate:
    Heloise (A Branch of Silver, A Branch of Gold by Anne Elisabeth Stengl)
    Carina (Fairy Tales Adventure Series by A.G. Marshall)
    Lina (also Fairy Tales Adventure Series)

  53. Rachael
    Reply

    I nominate:

    Hazel from the Hall of Blood and Mercy trilogy by KM Shea
    Peni from Song and Flame by Stella Dorthwany
    Miranda from the Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron
    Tari from Red Rope of Fate by KM Shea
    Gwendafyn from Royal Magic by KM Shea
    Ariadne from Labyrinth of Shadows by Kyla Stone
    Meg Corby from Written in Red by Anne Bishop

    I second:
    Essie from Fierce Heart
    Huliama from Dragon Friend
    Sabriel
    Vin from Mistborn
    Pet from the City Between series

  58. GracieA
    Reply

    I second:

    Harry Crewe aka Harimad-sol (I’ll boldly date myself and say that I’ve loved her from the first time I read The Blue Sword–when it was first published in 1982 and I was a young school librarian)
    Imraldara, Rose Red/Varvare, Sairu, & Heloise (Yay, Goldstone Wood!!–and yes, I’m on Team Oxford Comma)
    Lady Cordelia & Kate Crane (from the AfterVerse)
    Ailsa from Dark King’s Curse (just read this newly published retelling of 12 Dancing Princesses by Wyn Estelle Owens–loved her spunk and loyalty!)

  63. Rebekah Stargazer
    Reply

    I second:
    Leeli
    Cordelia
    Echo from Echo North
    Tanwen
    Selene
    Imraldera
    Eilonwy
    Rose Red
    Hermione
    Cimorene
    Tonya
    Ginny
    Mina
    Kamarie
    Elodie
    Vrell
    Cyrus
    Baili
    Tanwen
    Tryss
    Mouse
    Leta
    Tellie
    Tonks
    Kyrin
    Kale

  64. Rogue9
    Reply

    I second
    Leeli
    Cordelia
    Eilonwy
    Hermione
    Cimorene
    Mina
    Sophie
    Ginny
    Tonya
    Kamarie
    Tiffany Aching
    Essie
    Cyrus
    Lynet
    Luneta
    Tonks
    Pet
    Alyss

  66. Alex Mellen
    Reply

    Seconds go to:
    Vin from Mistborn
    Shallan from Stormlight
    Aerin from Hero and the Crown
    Kale from Dragonkeeper

    Nominations for:
    Buttercup from The Princess Bride

    Jill Pole from Chronicles of Narnia

    Rhen Tellur from To Best the Boys (I think it counts as fantasy, not steampunk)

    Credenza Black from Archipelago (a webcomic/graphic novel–no movie!) She’s probably my favorite heroine ever.

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