the bad guy in literature

[cacian]

Now that you mention that, Fairy Tales in general offer a plethora of villainous females

that is very true.
I just remembered snow white of course. the mother in law.

[Whosis]

Daisy from The Great Gatsby? Sort of? Smashing up dreams and whatnot?

[Lokasenna]

that is very true.
I just remembered snow white of course. the mother in law.

A substantial amount of my academic work has been given over to examining the figure of the evil step-mother (or 'witch-queen' as I prefer) in the early medieval literature that ultimately lies behind the later villain of Germanic fairytale. IF nothing else, as a villain figure she exercised a powerful hold over the imagination of the medieval North.