Best Good fictional queens?

[gomipile]

Who do you think are the best portrayed fictional queens who are good rather than evil?

I'd like to emphasize queens who are heads of state rather than ones who are married to a king who is head of state. However, I'd like to hear your opinions of any especially good characterizations of married queens, queens whose countries are ruled by a parliament and prime minister, etc., also.

I'll start off the discussion with Queen Elizabeth III of Manticore from the Honor Harrington novels. She is a strong, effective leader who acts in the best interest of her people and humanity in general. She is a good friend, a beloved member of her family, a fierce enemy to those who deserve it, and generally a well rounded character.

[Eldan]

Queen Kettricken of the Six Duchies. Thoroughly competent, goes questing on her own, and rules long after her husband dies in a war. Also a very nice person, overall. If not crossed.

[Fri]

Queen Serenity aka Past/Future Sailormoon?

[DomaDoma]

I'll start off the discussion with Queen Elizabeth III of Manticore from the Honor Harrington novels. She is a strong, effective leader who acts in the best interest of her people and humanity in general. She is a good friend, a beloved member of her family, a fierce enemy to those who deserve it, and generally a well rounded character.

Speaking as someone who quit at the end of book ten (the way Weber resolved the love triangle broke my camel's back), I'd contest the "those who deserve it" part. Not quite as discerning about that as she could be.

I was a fan of Daenerys, but of course, as a decent and powerful character, GRRM won't allow her to make any lasting accomplishments, so never mind.

Keeping in mind I've only read the first three Wheel of Time novels, let's go with Siuan Sanche. I love a benevolent chessmaster.

[Kitten Champion]

Youko Nakajima from The 12 Kingdoms, originally a high school girl from Japan who discovers she's actually the divinely mandated sovereign of a Confucianism-inspired fantasy realm. She goes through a quest of survival and self-discovery that culminates into her becoming a strong ruler as we see throughout the series.

Vin, from Sanderson's Mistborn series, is an unique example. For one she's married to man who ascends to become effectively the Emperor of mankind largely due to her actions, and wields considerable power herself both magical and political in order to retain that throne, but she's rather disengaged from the process at the same time. She presumes to trust her husband largely because of what kind of man he is, but her upbringing as an urchin in the undercaste of civilization makes her justifiably disengaged with the concept of rule and politics. She does get more confident in her role by the third book however.

[danzibr]

Speaking as someone who quit at the end of book ten (the way Weber resolved the love triangle broke my camel's back), I'd contest the "those who deserve it" part. Not quite as discerning about that as she could be.

I was a fan of Daenerys, but of course, as a decent and powerful character, GRRM won't allow her to make any lasting accomplishments, so never mind.

Keeping in mind I've only read the first three Wheel of Time novels, let's go with Siuan Sanche. I love a benevolent chessmaster.

Speaking of WoT, both Morgase Trakand and her successor (spoilers) make for good queens if Andor.

And if Suian counts then so should her successor (spoilers).

[The Fury]

I'm not sure this counts as a spoiler as it's from a game that's 15 years old, but what the heck?

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Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, AKA Dagger, from Final Fantasy IX. Though she kind of zig-zagged the Princess=good/Queen=evil trope. She was introduced as a princess, while her mother was the queen and actually was evil. Though her mother is killed kind of early in the game, so Dagger is actually the queen for a pretty large part of the game's plot. Despite not being very experienced, she steps up to the responsibility of leadership and tries her hardest to lead her nation through a crisis.

[Xondoure]

Princess Bubblegum. Okay yeah, princess is in the name, but she rules the candy kingdom completely, is immortalish, and the candy people are her own creations. She's Queen in all but title.

[Forbiddenwar]

From Lackey's Valdamar series we have Queen Selenay and (possibly) Queen Elspeth the peacemaker. (It's been a while since reading those books.

Good is nearly guaranteed as all Valdamar's rulers are required to be paladins. But the two are also very competent, especially Selenay, on the battlefied and off.

[meto30]

Her Majesty the Solar Matriarch, Princess Celestia the Ever Radiant of Equestria. Going by the society of Equestria after her thousand-year reign as a monarch, I'd say she is one of the best rulers in fiction in terms of "kind, benevolent, and loving ruler". She's also quite the party mare. She's not someone I'd trust in a crisis, though...

[hamishspence]

From Lackey's Valdamar series we have Queen Selenay and (possibly) Queen Elspeth the peacemaker. (It's been a while since reading those books.

Good is nearly guaranteed as all Valdamar's rulers are required to be paladins. But the two are also very competent, especially Selenay, on the battlefied and off.

Selenay's worst moment off the battlefield was probably her falling in love with a jerk of epic proportions (Exile duology) - but it's certainly true that Heralds are paladin-ish, albeit sometimes on the sneaky side.

Another Lackey character that qualifies as "Good Queen Protagonist" - the Fairy Godmother in the Tales from the 500 Kingdoms novel The Sleeping Beauty.

[Zmeoaice]

Queen Elsa from Frozen.

[DomaDoma]

Her Majesty the Solar Matriarch, Princess Celestia the Ever Radiant of Equestria. Going by the society of Equestria after her thousand-year reign as a monarch, I'd say she is one of the best rulers in fiction in terms of "kind, benevolent, and loving ruler". She's also quite the party mare. She's not someone I'd trust in a crisis, though...

The transition period when she was busy freezing all the processes of nature, presumably for full-employment reasons, must have been a dark, dark time. I would be among those fleeing to Everfree Forest (but hey, that's probably why she left it there. Pretty thoughtful, all told.)

[Legato Endless]

I was a fan of Daenerys, but of course, as a decent and powerful character, GRRM won't allow her to make any lasting accomplishments, so never mind.

Queen Nymeria might be a better example, as one of the most effective leaders in a world where politics are hell. She was the only ruler on her continent to successfully save her people from the expansion of an unstoppable empire, commissioning a mass migration of thousands, surviving pirates, eldritch shores, and belligerent nations, before coming to a new land across the sea. There she did marry a prince, but afterward went on through her ability as a battlefield commander to massively enlarge their small territory to becoming one of the seven dominant powers of the continent. She's way more badass than Aegon the Conqueror, at any rate.

[Dienekes]

I was a fan of Daenerys, but of course, as a decent and powerful character, GRRM won't allow her to make any lasting accomplishments, so never mind.

I don't think she ever counts as good. The first thing she does is say "I deserve to be queen of a place I've never been since I was a child" then goes raiding and slaughtering harmless villages for gold.

Anyway, Star Wars has some good queens. Though the Queen of Alderaan only really appears as a character in the EU, and the less said about Queen Amidala the better.

Queen Frigga from the Thor movies was reasonable, good, and badass. Though I disliked the Thor movies so I don't know if I want to put her in my top.

Queen Ce'Nedra was a fun little character from the Belgariad and Mallorean. Raises an army as a distraction/tool to save her husband and the world. In a similar vein Queen Ehlana in the Tamuli. In the first series she was pretty much a damsel in distress, but the second series she's a full on political mastermind.

Elsa was doing ok, until she found out her powers were literally killing her kingdom and just went "Screw it, I'm not gonna do anything to stop it." That lost her some brownie points with me.

Lady Galadriel might be my favorite despite not actually having the title of queen. She is, for all intents and purposes, the leader of her kingdom, but the current crop of elves don't really call them kings and queens. Even Elrond was only the Lord of Rivendell. The exception being Thranduil, but he was a jerk, so who cares what he calls himself.

[DomaDoma]

I don't think she ever counts as good. The first thing she does is say "I deserve to be queen of a place I've never been since I was a child" then goes raiding and slaughtering harmless villages for gold.

Yeah, but this is A Song of Ice and Fire we're talking about here. Everyone of any significance has at least a reluctant hand in the willful murder and pillage of innocent people. She does that, and a sizable sideline in justice, mercy and abolition, fruitless though it may be (because of course it's fruitless, the whole series is essentially the Torment of Tantalus applied to an entire world.)

[Legato Endless]

Queen Serenity aka Past/Future Sailormoon?

This presumes she isn't the immortal tyrant of a dystopia. I mean, we're told Crystal Tokyo is a nice place, but we're never really shown it as anything other than a ghost town. She also abdicates responsibility to her past self whenever a crisis occurs.

[Dienekes]

Yeah, but this is A Song of Ice and Fire we're talking about here. Everyone of any significance has at least a reluctant hand in the willful murder and pillage of innocent people. She does that, and a sizable sideline in justice, mercy and abolition, fruitless though it may be (because of course it's fruitless, the whole series is essentially the Torment of Tantalus applied to an entire world.)

I took at as, of course it's fruitless,

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because she went conquering a bunch of cities with exactly 0 understanding of how their power structure and economy works then made a bunch of changes that while emotionally sound would logically end with each city she goes to being irreparably damaged until new forces of exploitable labor can be found.

Then, surprise, surprise, that exact thing happens.

This is a theme from the book that is sort of the same as Robert Baratheon. Take the common fantasy or fiction trope then explore what it actually means.

Robert was the young, violent, upstart warrior who challenged a mad king and won a throne by his own hand. Of course, nothing about that awesome description makes him in any way a competent ruler. And when his job was to rule he failed.

Dany was the young, virtuous, leader who is desperately trying to change the world for the better, guided only by her wits and sense of justice. Of course, nothing about that awesome description makes her in any way a competent ruler. And when her job was to rule she failed.

[Calimehter]

Queen Melian from the Silmarillion is a borderline case - she claims her queenship over yhe elves from marriage, which the OP didn't want, but despite that she is the true power that keeps Doriath safe during the First Age, and she is portrayed as wise and far seeing as one would expect from a divine being.

[Grey_Wolf_c]

Queen Ehlana of Elenium/Tamuli: probably the best politician in the series. Really likes to allow people to think she is weak, harebrained and stupid for being a woman, or young, or foreign, just prior to pulling the rug from under their feet. She doesn't expect equal treatment in a world that will never give it to her. She uses the sexism to her advantage.

Grey Wolf

[Durkoala]

I'm surprised that Queen Susan and Queen Lucy Pensivie haven't been mentioned yet. While they did co-rule with two Kings, those were their brothers who were also children of prophecy and all four of them could lead in ruling, diplomacy and on the battlefield well enough that many centuries later their reign was remembered as the golden age of Narnia, even when most of the landmarks that marked their time had disappeared.

[Giggling Ghast]

Good as in morally good or good as in "has the best interests of her nation but is still willing to commit repugnant acts for the greater good"?

[Dienekes]

I'm surprised that Queen Susan and Queen Lucy Pensivie haven't been mentioned yet. While they did co-rule with two Kings, those were their brothers who were also children of prophecy and all four of them could lead in ruling, diplomacy and on the battlefield well enough that many centuries later their reign was remembered as the golden age of Narnia, even when most of the landmarks that marked their time had disappeared.

I thought about adding them to my list, but I didn't remember them doing any actual Queening. Just Lucy forgiving someone once and stories told about how generically good they were.

[DomaDoma]

I took at as, of course it's fruitless,

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because she went conquering a bunch of cities with exactly 0 understanding of how their power structure and economy works then made a bunch of changes that while emotionally sound would logically end with each city she goes to being irreparably damaged until new forces of exploitable labor can be found.

Then, surprise, surprise, that exact thing happens.

This is a theme from the book that is sort of the same as Robert Baratheon. Take the common fantasy or fiction trope then explore what it actually means.

Robert was the young, violent, upstart warrior who challenged a mad king and won a throne by his own hand. Of course, nothing about that awesome description makes him in any way a competent ruler. And when his job was to rule he failed.

Dany was the young, virtuous, leader who is desperately trying to change the world for the better, guided only by her wits and sense of justice. Of course, nothing about that awesome description makes her in any way a competent ruler. And when her job was to rule she failed.

The main thing that would raise the rate of success here if any two parties could ever agree to bury the hatchet at the same time. Or if a single person in this universe repaid a hero's spontaneous mercy with something other than a dagger. I can understand wotserface with Dany back toward the end of the first book, but seriously. It's every. Gorram. Time. Realistic, my foot.

[Dienekes]

The main thing that would raise the rate of success here if any two parties could ever agree to bury the hatchet at the same time. Or if a single person in this universe repaid a hero's spontaneous mercy with something other than a dagger. I can understand wotserface with Dany back toward the end of the first book, but seriously. It's every. Gorram. Time. Realistic, my foot.

Sounds like Julius Caesar.

But if we're just talking about Dany and mercy

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Eh, she gave mercy to Barristan and Jorah. Barry works for her loyally still, Jorah does as well, behind the scenes since he can't do it openly. She ended up trusting Daario when she really, really shouldn't have and that is currently working out fairly well for her.

Really her two big betrayals that I remember are Mirri Maz Duur, whose betrayal should have told her a valuable lesson on what her conquest really means. She just completely ignores that lesson and keeps on wrecking everything she touches.

And Hizdahr zo Loraq, who her most trusted adviser said was the leader of the Sons of the Harpy, and he had no obvious reason to want her around. In fact he would have a lot to gain if she suddenly died. And, to Dany's surprise, but no one else's he betrays her.

Dany is just a bad ruler.

[hamishspence]

I thought about adding them to my list, but I didn't remember them doing any actual Queening. Just Lucy forgiving someone once and stories told about how generically good they were.

In The Horse & His Boy, Lucy participates in the Battle of Anvard, as an archer.

[Starwulf]

Not quite a Queen, but Alustriel Silverhand from The Forgotten Realms series is the ruler of her city, and a very fair and just one.

[hamishspence]

Her sister, The Simbul, AKA The Witch Queen of Aglarond, is also a pretty capable ruler - albeit somewhat arbitrary, and prone to disappear on Red Wizard hunts.

She's Chaotic Neutral with some good tendencies, as I recall from the 2e character book.

[Starwulf]

Her sister, The Simbel, AKA The Witch Queen of Aglarond, is also a pretty capable ruler - albeit somewhat arbitrary, and prone to disappear on Red Wizard hunts.

She's Chaotic Neutral with some good tendencies, as I recall from the 2e character book.

Can't believe I forgot about her, I was even thinking to myself "I know one of the Seven Sisters is a ruler". She played a big part in getting Elminster back out of the Abyss at one point.

[hamishspence]

Laeral (Khelben Arunsun's partner) was a "Witch Queen" for a while as well - but an evil one - thanks to the Crown of Horns artifact.

The CG adventurer Zaranda Star becomes Queen of Tethyr in the War in Tethyr novel. I haven't read much about her actual reign though.

The Evermeet novel focuses on the rise to power of the elven queen Amlauril.