Valda the Iron Maiden is a
fictional character created by
Roy Thomas and
Ernie Colón for
DC Comics. She debuted in
Arak, Son of Thunder #3 (August 1981).
Unlike other
sword-and-sorcery heroines (such as
Red Sonja), Valda is practically dressed in a full
mail shirt, flat-heeled boots and (often) leather trousers.
Fictional character biography
Valda the Iron Maiden was a female knight and one of the Twelve Peers of
Carolus Magnus' court. She was born in
Aix-la-Chapelle,
Frankland in the 8th century A.D., the daughter of
Bradamante and (reputedly) Carolus Magnus.
After her mother's death in the ambush at
Roncesvalles, Valda was brought up by Carolus Magnus, his court
sorcerer Malagigi and Bishop
Turpin. She was tutored as a swordswoman by the
ghost of
Amadis of Gaul, who she had summoned with a spell that she had overheard Malagigi using. Initially refused knighthood by the king, she posed as the "Knight All in Scarlet" and defeated her uncle, the great knight
Rinaldo, in a joust to earn the honour.
She was 5' 6" tall, weighed 113 lbs, and had blue eyes and dark brown hair.
She first met
Arak, Son of Thunder while she was under the spell of the sorcerer
Baledor and later joined him in searching for Malagigi who had been captured by the sorceress Angelica. Valda and Arak adventured together and fell in love.
More recently, she was transported to the present day to become a member of the extended
Shadowpact in the
Day of......
...
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