sonya-of-rogatino-mte19-full RED SONYA

Real Name: Sonya (see comments)

Identity/Class: Human;
    16th century;
    Russian-ish (see comments)

Occupation: Warrior

Group Membership: None known

Affiliations: Gottfried von Kalmbach, Wulf Hagen, Count Salm, and the forces of Vienna;
    apparently Red Sonja of Hyrkania

Enemies: Mikhal Oglu, Turkish/Ottoman army, Pargali Ibrihim Pasha, Retlaw, Suleyman the Magnificent;
    unidentified wizard

Known Relatives: Roxelana (Hurrem Sultan, sister), Suleyman the Magnificent (Sulyman Osmanoglu, brother-in-law);
    presumably Havrylo Lisowski (father, deceased), Leksandra Lisowska (mother, deceased), Sezhade Mehmed, Sezhade Abdullah, Selim II (later Sultan of the Ottoman Empire), Sezhad Bayezid (nephews), Minhrimah Sultan (niece);
    Red Sonja of Hyrkania (ancestor)

Aliases: Sonya of Rogatino;
    "slut" and numerous other insults (from von Kalmbach);
    "blood-haired witch" (from Retlaw the monk)

Base of Operations: Vienna, Austria;
    formerly Rogatino (see comments)sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-face

First Appearance: "The Shadow of the Vulture," The Magic Carpet Magazine (January, 1934);
    (Marvel) Savage Sword of Conan I#29 (May, 1978)

Powers/Abilities: Red Sonya is a fierce, savage, and skilled warrior, overpowering multiple male soldiers in rapid succession via swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.

    Sonya also partied fiercely, outdrinking men of much greater size and still retaining her wits and fighting skills.

    She was able to read Ottoman Turkish characters.

Height: Unrevealed (she was neither short nor overly tall for a person of the 16th century, so perhaps 5'4" to 5'8")
Weight: Unrevealed (perhaps 120-140 lbs.)
Eyes: Unrevealed (her original story had no images, and her comic appearances were in black and white; nonetheless, green seems very likely)
Hair: Red

History:
(Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) - Sonya of Rogatino was the descendant of Red Sonja of Hyrkania -- a fierce red-haired warrior and compatriot of Conan -- of the Hyborian era, circa 10,000 B.C.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS / Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) <1515 AD; see comments> - When Sonya was a child, a ravaging band of Turkish soldiers swept through her village, and only two members of her family survived that "night of death." Sonya escaped into the forest, while her sister, Roxalana (sic?), was carried off and made part of the harem of the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.

(Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) - Sonya considered it better to die than to make love to a "dog"(see comments).

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS / Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) - After Roxelana became the most favored of and married Suleyman, Sonya grew to hate her sister.

(Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) - Sonya considered that Roxalana (sic?) dishonored the memory of her slaughtered family, and she swore to take up arms against Suleyman's horde of infidels. 

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - In Vienna, she became renowned as Red Sonya from Rogatino, who marched and fought like a man, drank the strongest man under the table, outswore a Spaniard, and swore to be Roxelana's sister.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - Seeking vengeance against the near-giant German warrior Gottfried von Kalmbach (aka Gombuk, who had wounded him during the 1526 Battle of Mohacs), Suleyman ordered his grand vizier Ibrihim to dispatch the feared soldier Mikhal Oglu (who wore a pair of large vulture wings as part of his armor) to retrieve von Kalmbach's head. sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-full

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) <September 28, 1529> - Fleeing Oglu's forces, von Kalmbach arrived in Vienna, Austria, and Suleyman's massive forces -- greatly outnumbering Vienna's -- camped outside. sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-sword

("The Shadow of the Vulture") - As Suleyman's forces assaulted Vienna, Sonya fired a cannon from the city's wall, taking out a group of Turks wheeling a carriage gun within range. As a man-at-arms encouraged her to give 'em Hell, she assured him she would, although she noted that she wished her mark was Roxelana. Knocked on her back by the recoil, Sonya eagerly sprang up and confirmed her success, and as a cheer went up from the towers, she yelled with sincere joy and did the steps of a Cossack dance. 

    However, Suleyman's forces then attacked en masse, some passing under the walls while a cannon shattered a hole in a wall near Gottfried. Sonya joined Gottfried in savagely attacking the invaders, her onslaught "no less terrible than that of a she-panther. Her strokes followed each other too quickly for the eye to follow; her blade was a blur of white fire, and men went down like ripe grain before the reaper." The two of them slew or drove back the invaders. "Oaths flowed in a steady stream from Sonya's red lips and she laughed wildly as her saber sang home and blood spurted along the edge. " As she prepared to finish the last Turk, she told him, "Hell to you, dog-soul! The devil can stir your broth for you!"

    When Gottfried thanked her, she told him, "Thank the devil!" as she slapped his hand aside and then continued, "The Turks were on the wall. Don't think I risked my hide to save yours, dog-brother!" She then swaggered down the battlements, giving back the rude sallies of the soldiers. Lanzknecht warned Gottfried that she was a wildcat and that he should avoid her.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - Von Kalmbach had a conflict with Sonya that left him sore for some time. 

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - Suleyman's Janizaries (Turkish infantry forming the Sultan's guard) told Ibriham -- to explain their failure -- that they had been confronted by a devil in the form of a red-haired woman. 

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - The assault on Vienna continued into October, and at some point Ibrihim or Mikhal Oglu had the Janizaries retire for the night and had a bowman fire a certain arrow into a certain part of the city, where certain persons awaited this event.

    As the assault lightened, the soldiers discovered a great store of wine and tapped into the great hogsheads, leading swiftly to drunken revelry.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - Red Sonya visited more than one barrel.

("The Shadow of the Vulture") - Encountering von Kalmbach at a hogshead, Sonya mocked him, "It's the Turk-killer! With his nose deep in the keg, as usual. Devil bite all topers!" She consistently thrust a jeweled goblet into wine and emptied it at a gulp and then continued to mock his ragged harness and empty purse, further noting that there was no reason for her to even look at him, as even Paul Bakics (Pavel Bakic, a notably Hungarian military commander) was mad for her. After he complained that she need not act so haughty just because her sister was the Sultan's mistress, leading to a barrage of mutual cursing. Ultimately, she goaded him to lead the other soldiers to confront the thousands of Turks just outside Vienna's walls.

 ("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - The Turks had planned a surprise assault on Vienna, aided by traitors within its walls, but the smaller group's drunken fury, drove away much of the attacking force.

    When the Turkish forces formed ranks and returned in orderly squadrons, the Christian warriors appreciated the danger, fled back for the drawbridge. Von Kalmbach fell into the moat.

("The Shadow of the Vulture") - As von Kalmbach reached the other side and was threatened by an Algerian soldier, Sonya shot the soldier in the head and then helped pull von Kalmbach up onto the bank. She then urged him to get across the gate before they were cut off. Once inside, Sonya shared how their ally Wulf Hagen had perished taking down 20 Turks; as von Kalmbach slumped to the ground and wept, Sonya kicked him disgustedly, telling him not to blubber like a spanked schoolgirl; as what was done was done, she advised him to join her at the tavern and have some more ale. When he asked why she had saved him as he thought she despised him, she noted that a great oaf like him needed a wise person like herself to keep life in his hulking frame, and that a woman could change her mind.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - Suleyman had his forces sent against Vienna en masse, but the city's warriors held the line, and Suleyman's men soon suffered from exhaustion, bitter cold, and plague; eventually Suleyman had to have the troops whipped to force them to continue their assault.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - The conflict left Sonya drawn and haggard, and she lost her bassinet and cloak. Her hacked mail was filled with clotted blood, her boots slashed, and her silken breeches splashed with blood. sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-vs-retlaw

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - Although the forces of Vienna held off the Turks, von Kalmbach was captured by a pair of Armenian merchants, Tshoruk and his son Rupen, who planned to deliver him to Mikhal Oglu.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - Having seen von Kalmbach leave the wall at the conclusion of the day's battle, she followed him. Although virtually drunk from the fighting, she saw the men lead von Kalmbach into the alleys and followed them. Although losing track of him, she found his burganet lying outside in the streets and began shouting for him.

("The Shadow of the Vulture") - Hearing von Kalmbach's reply, Sonya kicked in the door, her eyes burning like coals. When Tshoruk rushed her, she smashed the barrel of her empty pistol on his head, felling him. Rupen slashed at her with a curved dagger, but she grabbed his wrist and neck, forced him back, and repeatedly crashed his head against the stone wall. After she cut von Kalmbach free, the exhausted Sonya downed a flagon of wine, giving her renewed vigor. Finding Tshoruk's note to Mikhal Oglu on an unloosed arrow, she then had von Kalmbach tie up Tshoruk and Rupen, recognizing them as the traitors who had fired a mine by the Kanrthner (a street/district region of Vienna). After hearing Vienna's victory bells of Saint Stephen, Sonya offered to hold Rupen hostage while Tshoruk delivered a message -- of von Kalmbach's location and apparent broken leg and few allies -- to Oglu, after which she would allow both Tshoruk and Rupen to go free. 

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - Tshoruk delivered the message to Mikhal Oglu as he reluctantly retreated alongside Suleyman's forces. Oglu ordered 20 men to join him, and he departed with the intent to complete his mission, but they instead met with an Austrian ambush.

("The Shadow of the Vulture" (fb) - BTS) - Sonya and von Kalmbach decapitated Mikhal Oglu and had his head sent to Suleyman, along with her handwritten note:
    To the Soldan Suleyman and his Wezir Ibrihim and to they hussy Roxelana we who sign our names below send a gift in token of our immeasurable fondness and kind affection.
    Sonya of Rogatino, and Gottfried von Kalmbachsonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-slay-retlaw

("The Shadow of the Vulture" - BTS) - In Constantinople, as Suleyman held a "victory" celebration, he received a package, which he expected to contain von Kalmbach's head. Suleyman and Ibrihim were enraged to read the note and instead find the head of Mikhal Oglu.

(Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5 (fb) - BTS) - Sonya considered that she had achieved vengeance via this strike against Suleyman. She nonetheless vowed to find and slay the the swine who had sold her sister to the courtesan's chamber of "Suleyman the carrion-eater."

(Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5) - An unidentified wizard cast a spell to summon Red Sonja of Hyrkania, a similar warrior woman from 10,000 BC in the Hyborian era. When he performed the spell, however, five women appeared, four incarnations of the Hyborian Red Sonja, as well as Sonya of Rogatino.

    At the wizard's request as he sought to determine which of them was the "true Red Sonja," Sonya was the third to be called upon, and she reviewed her history and announced her vow to slay her sister's seller.

    Retlaw the monk then spoke up, confirming that he had betrayed his faith and sold her sister to the sultan, and he vowed that he then would do the same to with her by the will of Allah (see comments).

    Recognizing Retlaw, Sonya denounced him as a treacherous dog and told him to taste death as she swung her sword, which he blocked with his wooden staff.
    As she swung a second blocked strike, she swore by "Saint Piotr" that the devil would stir his broth for him that night, while he countered that she would sleep in the Sultan's tent that night (see comments).

    As her next swordstrike cleaved his wooden staff in twain, Sonya told him, "Let the sultan sleep in the dung pile, while Red Sonya drinks to your death in the alehouse." As she subsequently shoved her blade into his mid-section, she told him, "Death to you, dog-soul! Die heretic!"
    She then proclaimed, "Rogatino triumphs!"

    After all five women had spoken, they demanded the wizard tell them which of them was the true Red Sonja. After he told them that he had, in fact, conjured aspects of Sonja: The body, humor, spirit, mind, and soul of the great Hyrkanian swordswoman (perhaps indicating Sonya represented her spirit, if the list was respective of the order of the presentations).

    After he told them that they each were part of the unassembled whole, Sonya denounced him as a buffoon and joined the other four Sonjas -- who similarly denounced him -- in charging him, sword-in-hand.

    After the wizard teleported away, one of the Sonjas invited the other warrior-women to join as one in the alehouse, where they would raise a tankard in memory of the old faker.
   
   
sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc223
(Savage Sword of Conan#223 - BTS) - Red Sonja accompanied Conan the Cimmerian and the Pictish shaman Gonar, as they were summoned to the cavern of the Mirrors by Tuzun Thune. On the mirror-covered cavern walls, Sonja saw images of her own past, as well as an image of Sonya of Rogatino.
.
.
.
.

Comments: Created by Robert E. Howard.

    As far as I could tell (from the version I have and from never-wrong Internet searches, Sonya was not pictured in REH's original "Shadow of the Vulture." But there were some detailed physical descriptions of Sonya from "Shadow of the Vulture" (the images shown in the profile are all from two issues of Savage Sword of Conan):

    She was dressed as von Kalmbach had not seen even the dandies of France dressed. She was tall, splendidly shaped, but lithe. From under a steel cap escaped rebellious tresses that rippled red gold in the sun over her compact shoulders. High boots of Cordovan leather came to her mid-thighs, which were cased in baggy breeches. She wore a shirt of fine Turkish mesh-mail tucked into her breeches. Her supple waist was confided by a flowing sash of green silk, into which were thrust a brace of pistols and a dagger, and from which depended a Hungarian saber. Over all was carelessly thrown a scarlet cloak.

    Von Kalmbach admired the splendid swell of her bosom beneath the pliant mail, the curves of her ample hips and rounded limbs. She stood as a man might stand, thumbs hooked into her girdle, but she was all woman. Her eyes seemed to change colors and contain dancing, sparkling lights. He wondered at the "clear pinky whiteness" of her firm flesh where it was unstained <by blood, dust, grease, gun powder, etc.>

    Wolfram Bane pointed out that, according to www.geni.com, Roxelana's parents are Havrylo Lisowski and Leksandra Lisowska, who were presumably slain when Roxelana was taken and Sonya escaped into the forest. Havrylo and Leksandra reportedly died in 1515.
    Per Russian tradition, Sonya's full name would be: Sonya Havrylovonovna Lisowska

Courtesy of Wikipedia:
    Unlike Howard's better-known fantasy work, "The Shadow of the Vulture" is historical fiction, set in the 16th century. It uses the career of Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (also known as Sultan Suleiman I), the aftermath of the Battle of Mohács (1526) and the later Siege of Vienna of 1529 as a backdrop for imaginary characters and events.

    In the story, Red Sonya is a gun-slinging warrior woman of Polish- Ukrainian origin with a grudge against the Ottoman sultan. She has the eponymous red hair and a fiery temper to match. It was revealed in the narrative that she was sibling to the favourite of Sulemain himself, the Ruthenian harem girl Roxelana, who ended up marrying him as his sole legal wife.

Some more detail, courtesy of Wolfram Bane:

Red SonJA!

   In Marvel's Conan the Barbarian I#23 (February, 1973), Roy Thomas and Barry Smith told a Hyborian age version of the Shadow of the Vulture, changing the spelling of the name to Sonja (with a "j") in the process. Rather than being from Rogatino, Sonja is from Hyrkania; and Sulleyman of Turkey is replaced by Yezdigerd of Turan. Conan often called her Son-Ya, accentuating the name of her namesake. Later Red Sonja stories, including Savage Sword of Conan#78/2, Kull and the Barbarians#3, and Marvel Feature II#1, detailed how Sonja had been raped as a young girl and had been granted great fighting prowess by a goddess (Scathach) in return for a vow to not love any man who did not first defeat her in combat...which almost never happened. 

    So...I had long assumed that this original story detailed the rape and chastity history that is intrinsic to Red Sonja. Instead, Red Sonya is a bad-ass warrior and a rowdy drinker, and there's not evidence that she had any romances (as she shared friendship with von Kalmbach and called him "brother" when they were at their most friendly). However, there is not any discussion of a vow similar or any other history similar to Sonja's. I suppose this was purely a Marvel creation?

    And, while she was clearly a major character in the story, the reason why von Kalmbach survived, and at least a major part of the reason why Vienna refused to fall before the Turkish assault, Sonya does not even appear until the the story's 31st page, at the start of the 4th chapter, in a story that is only 68 pages long. 

    I don't know the details, nor do I really have the time or interest to research them, but my understanding is that the Red Sonja character is not part of the Robert E. Howard estate, and is instead licensed to other companies, perhaps with a much more recent copyright (1973 vs. 1934). Presumably Sonya of Rogatino is considered different enough that Red Sonja of Hyrkania is different enough that Sonja is not considered part of the REH properties?

    Other than naming her as being from Rogatino (which is listed as part of Russia in my searches), I don't recall anything about her being Polish-Ukrainian (as noted in the Wikipedia feature above) in my two recent reads of the book.
    Courtesy of our own Loki:

From what I can find, it appears like the region became of Rogatino part of the Principalities of Russia in 1505, but not only was it close to that border time wise, it was close to the border geographically - by which I mean I can't be absolutely sure whether Rogatino was just inside or just outside Russia. If inside, it appears to be part of the Novgorod Region, or Novgorod Republic prior to it being made part of Russia. So if Sonya was born prior to 1505 I think she would have been a citizen of the Republic, and if born after a citizen of Russia. But I can't be 100% certain.

Based on that, perhaps the location of Rogatino was in a region bordering Poland and the Ukraine (part of the Principalities of Russia at the time?), which is why on-line sources list that...or perhaps I missed it in the original story? In Savage Sword of Conan I#29/5, Sonya states, "I am Red Sonya of Rogatino, in what you now call Russia." That's an interesting thing for a person from the past with no knowledge of the future to say, but the story was an adaptation of a play where the characters were introducing themselves to the crowd.
--Snood again

    Maybe the Polish-Ukrainian thing is just fan fic, maybe it's her parentage (one from each) or maybe RE had no clue where Rogatino actually was on the map in relationship to Poland and the Ukraine.--Loki

On a semi-related note, Sonya denounces Suleyman as a "Persian dog." I know Turkey borders Iran, which was known as Persia, and I know long ago (B.C.) there was a Persian Empire, but I'm not sure it is correct to refer to Suleyman as Persian?
--Snood

Sonya and religion

   It seemed odd to me for her to reference Saint Piotr (Saint Peter)...obviously, Saint Petersburg is a major Russian city (the second-largest, according to our friends at Wikipedia), and it was named for St. Peter, but it was founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great, nearly two centuries after Sonya's period of activity. I guess it just indicates that she was catholic, and similar web-research confirms that catholicism was prominent in Russian, even long before and long after her time, so I guess I just learned something new?

    Additionally, shortly before this Retlaw the monk then spoke up, confirming that he had betrayed his faith and sold her sister to the sultan, and he vowed that he then would do the same to with her by the will of Allah. He is shown wearing a cross. I take it that the meaning of this was that he was a Catholic monk, but he betrayed his face and turned to Islam?

sonya_of_rogatino-ssoc29-actress

"The Wizard and Red Sonja Show"

    So, honestly, you need to buy Savage Sword of Conan#29 or have gone to one of the 1978-ish conventions where they performed "The Wizard and Red Sonja Show" to appreciate it, but the story from Savage Sword of Conan#29/5 is adapted from that. The Wizard was played by Frank Thorne, who wrote and drew the story in adapted in the comic. 

    Various women portrayed various Sonja/Sonya incarnations, notably writer/penciler/painter/actor Wendy Pini, notably as writer-artist for the Elfquest series; as well as (see the image to the right)--->

    I'm not sure when that story is supposed to take place, but as Retlaw was present it would SEEM to be shortly after the 1529 story from Shadow of the Vulture...or perhaps it was from the time of publication (1978) in the pre-modern era; or perhaps even from somewhere within the sliding timescale of the modern era, although I see no reason for that...

Per a Red Sonja website:

Thanks to Loki for pointing out, cleaning up, and providing the main image:

Turns out Marvel has depicted her in a reasonably handbook-ish color image, specifically Marvel Treasury Edition#19, p49, as part of a pin-up gallery of RE Howard's other heroes.

    This profile was completed 8/25/2022, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent Sonya of Rogatino's characters and stories.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Red Sonya should be distinguished from:


images: (without ads)
Marvel Treasury Edition#29/5 (main image);
Savage Sword of Conan I#29/4, pg. 3, panel 2
    #29/5, pg. 9, panel 1 (full);
            panel 2 (face);
            panel 3 (swinging sword);
        pg. 10, panel 2 (cleaving stave);
            panel 3 (stabbing Retlaw);
    COLORIZED/DIGITAL IMAGES FROM THIS ISSUE TAKEN FROM "The Further Adventures of Red Sonja Volume I" (2018) - by Dynamite Entertainment - thanks to Loki for supplying these images!
    #223/2, pg. 10, panel 3 (appearing in mirror of Tuzun Thune before Red Sonja of Hyrkania)

Appearances:
"The Shadow of the Vulture," The Magic Carpet Magazine (January, 1934) - by Robert E. Howard
Savage Sword of Conan I#29/4-5 (May, 1978) - Frank Thorne (story and art), Roy Thomas (editor), Archie Goodwin and Jim Shooter (consulting editors)
Savage Sword of Conan I#223/2 "The Man Mirrors of Tuzun Thune (July, 1995) - Michael Kraiger (assistant editor), Richard Ashford (editor)

First posted: 09/28/2026
Last updated: 06/22/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters