B
Bêlit, she-pirate and Queen of the Black Coast. I had
planned to write about something else for this “B” day, but Bêlit
snuck up on me, held her sword at my throat and told me in no uncertain terms
that it’s time she was back in the news. She isn’t ready to relegate herself to
the annals of time, to be forgotten after living a hard, passionate yet short
life. Bêlit,
the queen of pirates, invented by Robert E Howard to be a great love of Conan
the Barbarian’s. Now I love, adore and revere Conan. But Bêlit
inspired me. When I was a teenager I devoured the Marvel comic book versions of
REH’s stories about Conan and even unto today I remember these with fondness
born of my imagination. That is what the stories were good for, sparking the
imagination. Living in another world, another time and in a different way. Bêlit
was all a young girl could ask for in a heroine. She was brave, bold, bossy and
fell in love with the best man around. How could he not fall for her? How could
I not fall for her and him together?
She was magic with a sword and a well danced enticement. She
led her pirate crew with an iron hand and was respected for it. No girly girl
here. Bêlit
fired my imagination with her passion and daring. She didn’t let anything scare
her. Fear was her ally not her enemy and I’ve always envied women like that. My
sister is like that to me. She faces challenges with seemingly cool collect. I
always feel the heat rise in my chest until I’m overwhelmed and incapable of
the smallest function. I do somehow make it through, but fear doesn’t feel like
an ally to me, it feels like the enemy. Holds me back and makes me question my
strength.
Bêlit fought every man and beast that tried to take her
down, tried to make her submit. Even in death she comes back to save the man
she loves without flinching. So today, the letter B stands on this blog for Bêlit,
queen of the pirates and great love of Conan the Barbarian. Thank you REH for
being a writer, for your creations, all of them. I don’t care if people
thought/think your work ‘pulp’. Sparking the imagination and making the world a
better place can’t be a little victory or a small effort in the grand and not
so grand scheme of things. Bêlit, Queen of the Black Coast, don’t
worry, you aren’t forgotten. You live on not only on the printed page but also
in a not-so-young girl’s soul!
Images from:
http://www.comicvine.com/belit/29-34215/ belit and conan
rubusthebarbarian.deviantart.com conan remembering belit
comicbookrealm.com belit up close
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