The Firebrand - Development

Development

The Firebrand was written by American author and editor Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930–1999), best known for her Darkover science fiction series and popular 1983 novel, The Mists of Avalon, a re-telling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of Arthur's antagonist, Morgan le Fay. Though Bradley refused to label herself as a feminist, her works often dealt with themes of gender, religion, and power, particularly in historically patriarchal societies. A self-described Christian, Bradley was also known for incorporating neopagan beliefs and viewpoints into her body of work; Carrol Fry of Northwest Missouri State University notes that although Bradley "seemed rather contemptuous of many New Age concepts that most New-Pagans hold dear," she "clearly identifies with the values of feminist Pagans" through her writings.

Zeus of Dodona, give heed to this gift
I send you from me and my family-
Agathon son of Ekhephylos,
the Zakythian family,
Consuls of the Molossian and their allies,
descended for 30 generations
from Kassandra of Troy.

Inscription found on a tablet in the
Archaeological Museum in Athens

These views influenced Bradley's writing of The Firebrand, which she penned after publishing The Mists of Avalon in 1983. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy observed that after Mists, Bradley designed stories with a stronger literary appeal in an effort to appeal to a wider readership; rather than focus on the "straightforward" fantasy genre, Bradley's later works often centered around strong lead characters in "mytho-historic settings," with fewer elements of fantasy. For example, in The Firebrand the Kentaurs are depicted as a nomadic tribe of short, naked riders of horses rather than as the half-human, half-horsemen legends traditionally portray.

The Firebrand was Bradley's second re-telling of a famous legend, and her only novel set in ancient Greece. In deciding to re-envision legends from a female perspective, the author stated that she had an interest to "hear more about the human realities" surrounding well-known stories, but did not believe this constituted a feminist writing style. In an interview with Lisa See of Publishers Weekly, Bradley said she viewed the Trojan War legend as an example of masculine culture dominating and obfuscating female viewpoints and contributions. She explained:

"During the Dorian invasion, when iron won out over bronze, the female cult died. The Minoan and Mycenaean cultures were dead overnight. But you could also look at that period of history and say, here were two cultures that should have been ruled by female twins—Helen and Klytemnestra. And what do you know? When they married Menelaus and Agamemnon, the men took over their cities. I just want to look at what history was really like before the women-haters got hold of it. I want to look at these people like any other people, as though no one had ever written about them before."

Unlike Mists, which featured a wide range of Arthurian legends that Bradley drew upon as source material, the author cited few sources while writing The Firebrand. Bradley credits her then-husband, author Walter H. Breen, with helping her research the book and create the story. Breen was knowledgeable about ancient Greek history and its language; according to Bradley, he persuaded her to use linguisticly more correct transliterations of the characters' names, such as Akhilles rather than the more known form of Achilles. Though Kassandra's fate remains unknown in the Iliad, Bradley found inspiration for the character's ending from an inscription at the Archaeological Museum in Athens, which mentioned her descendents. Bradley also believed that this inscription provided the historical basis for Kassandra's existence.