Lady Frida Cycle
The lady Frida cycle is a series of books named after the author Lady Frida auf Grannafe and is a series of adventure stories in the same vein as Harald Harding and the Tales of Rikard Guardsman, however where those stories are aimed to younger men and boys is the Frida cycle aimed to younger girls. As most Scanderan literature is the book series very moralistic and educational in it's nature but as it is aimed towards women does it instead of teaching wilderness survival and infantry combat tactics as the aforementioned books does the Lady Frida cycle instead focus a lot on more womanly pastimes such as embroidery, sewing, seduction, mathematics, economics, cooking, and gardening. Another place where the series of books tend to differate itself from both Harald Harding and the Tales of Rikard Guardsman is that it does not follow a family or a single character, instead is a new character introduced in each book. Each tends to be from Blåaland same as Frida herself and tends to follow morally troubled women that are either delinquents, criminals, or deviants in one way shape or form that is transported back to the past where they learn about love, romance, and of course how to be a proper woman. Generally does the heroines settle down and live long and happy lives and the books claims to be a collection of those stories written down by the heroines themselves.
Being herself a native of Blaland has Frida auf Grannafe stated that she was always fascinated by the oversja Scanderan cultures and how they grew up so while her characters tends to be from either Sydvinland or Blaland and travel to Scandera has she also tended to write a few stories where Scanderans are brought back to either pre-scanderan Blaland, Vinland, or the other realms as a way to show "how oversja Scanderan cultures are a mixture of both the home continent but also the native cultures that were raised into Scanderan ranks" in her own words.
Stories
| Name | Published | Main character | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| A blue rose in the snow | 1999 | Frida Grildedottir | The young and rough Frida Grildedottir is an embaresment to her family, always running around causing trouble in her home of blafastning, generally robbing people and running with a gang of Jungkarls. However to her shock does she one day wake up in a cold dark forest. Figuring out that she is now in long distant Scandera in times long since gone does she meet the local Lordling Birger Radhar when he is patrolling his lands in search for a werewolf that haunts his domains. Surviving an attack only thanks to the lardin and his men must she try to settle in her new enviroment but more importantly must she try to see if she can get Birger to fall for her before the next wolfmoon as he is otherwise forced to marry an old vile daughter of his liege lord. |
| A red flower in spring | 2001 | Cava Runtudottir | The young Cava Runtudottir is a delinquent of the roughest kind, she refuses to help out with the family farm and only focuses on herself as her ageing mother and war wounded brother keeps working their land to support themselves with their modest means. However Cava generally steal from her family to live it up with her friends in the big city and one day does she attempt to steal and sell the KVG that her brother brought into war and both their father fought with and their uncle died with it in his hands. This is the final straw and her brother gives her a beating and sends her away. She takes refuge under some trees and when she wakes up does she not realise where she is. She is picked up by a kind lardin by the name of Björne Starknafe on a way to a grand tornament by the king and the two travel the lands for a bit and she falls for him quickly. However when they arrive to the court is the young lardin arrested and accused of not bringing enough men to the latest campaign compared to what his estate is worth. However as Cava set out to clear his name by going over his estate revenue and income are darker plots at play as night by night do young women go missing at the tourney fields. |
| A snowdrop amongst the mountains | 2002 | Erika auf Salveholme | Erika is a Scanderan noblewoman but she is also a coward, atheist, and a pacifist and even join a public protest when her brother, a young cavalry officer, is going off to a conflict in the name of his king. Officially shaming him as he set off with disgust in his eyes to her. Throwing a fit as her family scold her does she run away and gets lost in the woodland. She takes rest under a large oak but when she wakes up does she find herself in the mountain regions of Sydvinland. She is taken in by a young warrior of the Ikkata people that saves her from a terror bird attack and he takes her to his father that holds a village in the name of his god king. However as she spend her days with him does she fall for the warrior but discover the horrid religion his people follow and that they are also about to come under attack from the Mekoki people from the southern coastline. Attempting to first set out to try to negotiate a peace between them are she strucken in horror of the vile Mkoki warriors dressed in the skins of fallen foes and she must be rescued once again. Instead does she have to help out the village to perpare for the winter and learn how to let her warrior love do what men must do. |
| A rose of snow in the land of Rivers | 2004 | Brigita auf Stjarnsja | Brigita is a habitual liar that tends to lie at every opportunity to get her way, however at a party held by her family does all this unravel as she tells one lie too many and is cornered by a group of women that unravels her lies in front of her entire family and their social circle. Having been so outed is she kicked out of the party and given quite a backhand from her father that has to apologise to all the guests. Enraged does Brigita run away and vows never to return but she very quickly changes her mind and tries to make her way home but she is lost. Forced to sleep under a large birch tree does she wake up suddenly in a very hot climate and concludes that she is in Blaland and she seeks refuge with a kind river witch that takes her in. Once again she attempts to lie to improve her situation but the wise witch sees through her attempts and curses her so that she may never speak lies ever again or her face will turn as vile as her words.
Horrified does Brigita runs away and ends up close to one of the city states that dots the four mayor rivers of western Blaland and she is given hospitality with the a large family there and is given to live with one of the daughters of the matriarch with whom she starts to develop feelings. However as she spends her days do the young warriors of the city state go missing when the night comes about and as she learns not only how to be true to herself but those around her does rumours spread of a large hippopotamus woman that comes from the rivers. |
| A Night Tulip amongst the plains | 2005 | Hilda Sigridsdottir | Hilda is a young girl from the inner streets of the Blaland that is a great gardener and helps to tend to the gardens of the duke himself. However she is also arrogant and quick to anger, in an especially hard argument with one of the other gardeners does Hilda strike the woman she is arguing with with a hoe causing grievous injury. In a panic does she escape as the peacekeepers are on her heels. She manages to avoid them for most of the evening but exhausted does she curl up under a togo tree. When she wakes up does she find herself on a frozen plain and realises to her horror that she is in the northern iceplains. She is taken in by a tribe of northern mammoth herders. With them do the tribe has a clan shaman that is an elderly woman and is escorted by the young son of the chieftain Harald Haraldssen.
As the winter comes closer and closer and the eternal night comes even closer is she and the shaman forced to take care of a holy rose bush to attempt to keep it from dying. Similarly in the night does something old and evil lurks around the tribe. |
| A thorn without a Rose | 2006 | Rosa auf Rosenberga | Rosa is not a typical woman, she is weakly and sick with weak lungs that makes it hard to breath. Her family takes care of her but her sickness make it hard to live the life that is expected of a woman her age. One day however is she able to get out of her sickbed and ride with her mother. However in the mist is she lost and she is forced to rest the night under a majestic oak. When she wakes up is she picked up by a kindly old Cleric. He is an old man that tends to a small shrine dedicated to Belron, son of Bel, and companion and lover of Imer the great. Two lordlings often visit the shrine that lies on the border of their lands, however their families are feuding and they both comes to sacrifice for victory would war break out. During these frequent visits does Rosa develop feelings for both men and they for her, she is during one week of heavy rainfall, snow, and hail however able to in turn convince each to stay the night at the shrine and later on to spend it with her.
As the clouds of war however draws closer and the long vinter night comes closer however she realises that they might need their virginity and the protection of the shimmering god of war more than ever. |
| A blue flower in red | 2008 | ||
| 2011 | |||
| 2012 | |||
| 2014 | |||
| 2019 | |||
| 2020 |
Characters
Frida Grildedottir
Frida is the main character of the first book and is described as a ruffian and scoundrel with skin of a dark redish hue with the silver hair and ice blue eyes of the mountain peoples. She is argumentative and arrogant, does not respect her elders of parents, she show no interests in the proper matches her family tries to set up for her but fail repeatedly to flirt with the jungkarls she hangs out with, to the degree that she is known originally as "No-shield Frida" due to the fact that none of them wants so set up his shield in her name as they harass bystander. However during her adventures does she grow as a person, learn humility, and the ancient art of embroidery and other good life lessons.
Cava Runtudottir
Cava is described as a descendent of the proud Ikkata people of the Western mountains in Sydvinland, she however is nothing of the sort and instead is arrogant, a liar, and tends to steal just to live a life of decadent luxury. She is described as having beautiful skin of a redish hue with a the standard straight long raven black hair of Sydvinlanders with a pair of dark blue eyes as are common amongst their kind. While she originally lacks much in the way of skills bar a surprising good knack for money is she generally unwilling to help people or even do anything for anyone but herself. However her story forces her to change this as she applies what she is best at to save the one she loves.
Erika auf Salveholme
Erika is a cowardly woman who openly protest about war and rages against religion however as she is transported into the past is she forced to learn how to enable men's more militaristic nature as well as try to find her faith as she is put up against two of the two vile faiths that existed in pre-federal Sydvinland.
Brigita auf Stjarnsja
Brigita is probably the worst character of all the heroines of the Lady Frida cycle, a liar through and through, she is described as having wavy red hair and eyes as cold as her heart.
Hilda Sigridsdottir
Hilda is a woman from the coast and lowlands of Blaland and she is described as a a typical person of that region with redish brown skin, orange hair and eyes of red, she has a green thumb and is very good with plants but also really quick to anger and fury.
Rosa auf Rosenberga
Rosa auf Rosenberga is a woman from Ausland, weak and frail with poor lungs, while it is not outright stated is it heavily implied to be Asthma. She is generally seen as the most good character that lacks much in the way of weakness character wise and she needs to use her chronological faith to overcome her weakly body.
Books and movies
Every book has so far been released with a cinematic version following with the only exception being 2020 that is currently being filmed due to the little action in the series are they all very fatefully adopted showing very little to no difference between them. However amongst the books are people generally not particularly fond of A snowdrop amongst the mountains that lacks a secondary plot and focus a lot of time on religion but at the end while Erika is able to teach her new family to stay away from the worst aspects of their faith would the people in general still keep the faith and most people found that too bleak in Scandera.
Similarly were the audience very broken about Brigita that due to being a liar most people thought that she did not deserve redemption.
