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One of the problem I think is that people do view 40K as a typical future, when, where Space marines are concerned you should look back the the medieval era and the militant orders during the crusades e.g. the templars, all monks, all brothers. There are no female militant orders other than that of careing (Nursing).

In the 41st millenium there are female militant orders the Sisters of Battle. Women would not be allowed in to the adeptus astartes any women which showed enough promise would be enrolled in to the Sisters. Though astartes are ment to be asexual why present the risk of temptation to the battle brothers?

I see nothing wrong if people want to make femmarines make their own conversions and there own fluff, just don't alter the existing cannon fluff.

Just to counter possable come backs the inspiration of the IG is a mix of armys through the ages included more than a pinch of the soviet army were women served along side men as they are used purly as a meat grinder army. They are trained for combat not to the ame degree as the Sisters or astartes who fill their days with combat training and religious duties Space Marines only have somthing like 15 minutes free time in a day, I imagen the sisters have something similar.

More female miniature is fine , but i really think they should work on improving the sculpting first.

The last thing i want from GW is them thinking female units / army doesnt sell well when in reality the customers just cant stand the ugly sculpts.

Plastic sisters of battles please :'D

More miniatures for factions where there is sexual dimorphism.

I wouldn't mid seeing a forgeworld "Frateris Templar" set for example, as a historical army from before or during the age of Vandire, using Sisters rules as a general base. Perhaps they escaped the Storm of the Emperor's Wrath, and the story has them land on a planet only to be embattled by the Sisters of Battle.

Nor would I mind seeing FSM, but it should just be famale heads as generally speaking the armor and the diet/hormones/enhancements wouldn't leave many other differences. The treatments are started at or before puberty after all, so there wouldn't be that much difference between them and male SM.

But female Orks shouldn't exist any more than male orks don't-- they're asexual, spore-reproducing fungus people, they shouldn't have either gender. They only use "boyz" because the masculine gender is the default for those whose gender we aren't sure about in the Englishi language. I'm sure the"boyz" term in gothic isn't the same as it is in English.

Tau and Eldar could also use it, with Tau being a bit more subtle.

Necrons are under the same thing as Orks, although there probably ARE female necrons, there's no difference between them right now. Simply having a female Necron Lord character along with a fluff tidbit about how they no longer remember or care about gender would be enough.

Hmm actually after i read Melissia's post i changed my mind.

Sisters of Battle please BY Forge World xD

Obsidian wrote:One of the problem I think is that people do view 40K as a typical future, when, where Space marines are concerned you should look back the the medieval era and the militant orders during the crusades e.g. the templars, all monks, all brothers. There are no female militant orders other than that of careing (Nursing). .

I am not overely fond of the idea of female marines - but this was pointed out to me recently which was quite interesting on the subject of female Knights in history.

http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/wom-kn.htm

Some snippets

The Order of the HatchetThere is a case of a clearly military order of knighthood for women. It is the order of the Hatchet (orden de la Hacha) in Catalonia. It was founded in 1149 by Raymond Berenger, count of Barcelona, to honor the women who fought for the defense of the town of Tortosa against a Moor attack. The dames admitted to the order received many privileges, including exemption from all taxes, and took precedence over men in public assemblies. I presume the order died out with the original members

Women in the Military Orders[/b]Several established military orders had women who were associated with them, beyond the simple provision of aid. The Teutonic order accepted consorores who assumed the habit of the order and lived under its rule; they undertook menial and hospitaller functions. Later, in the late 12th century, one sees convents dependent on military orders are formed. In the case of the Order of Saint-John (later Malta), they were soeurs hospitalières, and they were the counterparts of the frères prêtres or priest brothers, a quite distinct class from the knights. In England, Buckland was the site of a house of Hospitaller sisters from Henry II's reign to 1540. In Aragon, there were Hospitaller convents in Sigena, San Salvador de Isot, Grisén, Alguaire, headed each by a commendatrix. In France they are found in Beaulieu (near Cahors), Martel and Fieux. The only other military order to have convents by 1300 was the order of Santiago, which had admitted married members since its foundation in 1175. and soon women were admitted and organized into convents of the order (late 12th, early 13th c.). The convents were headed by a commendatrix (in Spanish: commendadora) or prioress. There were a total of six in the late 13th century: Santa Eufenia de Cozuelos in northern Castile, San Spiritu de Salamanca, Santos-o-Vello in Portugal, Destriana near Astorga, San Pedro de la Piedra near Lérida, San Vincente de Junqueres. The order of Calatrava also had a convent in San Felices de los Barrios.

There is likely precedance for most things - for instance many Royal Navy ships in the 18th century had women on board, eitehr as wives, part of the crew - sometimes hidden other times not.

I don't think its that the Imperium is enlightened and allows women to serve in the military but rather it does not allow gender to be an excuse for lack of service be that in the front lines, factories, nursing whatever - there is somewhere one can serve Him

Right, the Imperium isn't enlightened, it just oppresses eveyrone equally.

Field Gen wrote:

Lord Scythican wrote:Okay I admit. I want me some female orks...


There should be female space marines. Heck the two lost chapters could be all female, which is why they were removed from history. HA!

Behold...the reason your stupid to want those.




Why?

Because they exist and are ugly as sin...actually maybe I should had used the word Ignorant. It rather implies that you have not been educated on the ugliness of Female Orks.

Man that is hot!

This Ogre is pretty hot too! I saw her at Baltimore a few years ago!

Hey, isn't that your wife?

Melissia wrote:Hey, isn't that your wife?

I likes them big...

Lord Scythican wrote:

Melissia wrote:Hey, isn't that your wife?

I likes them big...

On the subject on non human cheerleaders - I do have the Khemri cheerleader as a standard bearer in one unit

nice quote - reminds me of a song from a fun film

I like 'em big, I like 'em chunky
I like 'em big, I like 'em plumpy
I like 'em round, with somethin something
They like my sound, they think I'm funky
My name is Moto-Moto, ya you say it double
Say my name girl (Moto-Moto)
Say it again (Moto-moto)
I'm nice and smooth, so nice and sassy (sassy)

etc etc

SoB - Well...
Orks - No - There is no male for female orks
Chaos - They already do. No idea about the ratio of male to female, but both sexes are there
Eldar - As far as I know the Eldar are both male and female, but there armor makes them androgynous.
Tau - As Eldar
Necron - Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I don't know if anyone has checked for anatomical diffrences
Dark Eldar - As Eldar.
Nids - I think they are a mix of male and female, but I don't think this is what the OP was getting at.
IG - Yes. Yes yes yes yes. They should have lots more female minis. All it would take is for GW to make a box of basic troops for us to get working on some conversions! Maybe Cadian box, along with a few metal minis (Officers, Inquisitors, psykers etc). It woulden't take much. Maybe 1 plastic box plus 5 metal minis to start. This would also cover the other human forces, as there is already things like the death cultists and assasins.
Astartes - No. No more than the SoB should have Male members.

Thats just my PoV on it. Basicly I think its fine apart from the guard, who I think have only 1 female mini (The GW site is running ssssooooo ssslllooowww I can't find out.)

There's already been a male Sisters of Battle equivalent in the history. It's just that it's currently outlawed in the Imperium and the only surviving members are stuck in the Storm of the Emperor's Wrath.

Field Gen wrote:Behold...the reason your stupid to want those.

still sexier than Jordan/katie price

Obsidian wrote:One of the problem I think is that people do view 40K as a typical future, when, where Space marines are concerned you should look back the the medieval era and the militant orders during the crusades e.g. the templars, all monks, all brothers. There are no female militant orders other than that of careing (Nursing).

Wow, talk about totally ignoring the Hundred Years War.

MrMorden ninja'd most of my standard reply to this, but, grand total there were something like 37 militant orders for women between 1100 and 1600. Several other militant orders allowed members of either sex, though out of combat they were quartered separately.

@Paul: Incorrect on Eldar. Some of them are clearly male and female. Their armor does not make them androgynous.

@Mellissa: a 'female' necron lord might not be too far out of fluff, considering thy retain a greater amount of their original minds and personality, and gender does play a small role in that.

@Luna: and that more or less addresses the real problem, Most GW female sculpts suck. Maybe they should subcontract to Hasselfree or Reaper or something.

BaronIveagh wrote:

Obsidian wrote:One of the problem I think is that people do view 40K as a typical future, when, where Space marines are concerned you should look back the the medieval era and the militant orders during the crusades e.g. the templars, all monks, all brothers. There are no female militant orders other than that of careing (Nursing).

Wow, talk about totally ignoring the Hundred Years War.

MrMorden ninja'd most of my standard reply to this, but, grand total there were something like 37 militant orders for women between 1100 and 1600. Several other militant orders allowed members of either sex, though out of combat they were quartered separately.

I'm not ignoring anything. The exceptions do not make the rule. 1 female leader does not consitute a order millitant. And if you read my post is does mention women in orders militant in exactly the positions I mentioned 'they undertook menial and hospitaller functions' from the mentioned web page. I will grant you that I missed the Order of the Hatchet but then again this was formed in Spain during an hour of desperate need when under Moorish occupationhad this not been the case than it would not have formed, this is no doubt the case with any other Millitant order which had female fighters.

You want to play that card female fighters were more common during the Roman era in many of the 'barbarian' races than the whole of the medieval period e.g. Boudicca and the Celtic peoples of Britain, Brttiany and Catalonia, infact it was said one of the reasons that the Romans hated fighting the Britions was after thay killed the men they then had to deal with the narked off wife who was just as brutal.

To counter the 18th century argument the women who marched with Wellingtons army were just wives cooking, cleaning bringing up sprogs and 'NOT' front line fighters! There were women who did fight on the front line, but they were disguised as men and the medicals of the era usually consited of the recruting sargent paying the doctor to announce that all men were fit for duty with out even examining them! There was also a group of women who wanted to form a millita for the defence of England, but they were refused the request. Read the the book Following the Drum by Annabel Venning for more on this. I know a lot on this subject as I am a member of the 95th Rifles reenactment society.

Don't get me wrong i'm not against female fighters, there is enough historical evidence for this and as I have said 40k has female millitant orders as the SoB (Order of the Hachet). There is nothing to say I suppose that there arn't women in the Space Marine Fortress Monasteries. After all a Chapter consist of about 1000 marines and countless tharlls who perform the meinal tasks some of these may be women, they serve the Chapter and the order just not as a Space Marine. All this fluff could change for an example in RT the Ultramarines were a 3rd founding chapter with a Half-Eldar Libraian! I think thought over a futher 4 editions most of the fluff has been cemented. There are so many traditions that have been kept in and to change that would be detrimental to those histories and traditions. Saying that I will stress that I have no problem of people converting their own female Space Marines just don't expect GW to do it for you.

Well, I haven't really seen any third party vendors offering acceptable headswaps, either. The closest would be reaper, and those aren't plug & play, so to speak, as they'd all be bald. Not that the alien 3 ripley look is all bad, but I'd prefer at lease some hair.

Melissia wrote:Nor would I mind seeing FSM, but it should just be famale heads as generally speaking the armor and the diet/hormones/enhancements wouldn't leave many other differences. The treatments are started at or before puberty after all, so there wouldn't be that much difference between them and male SM.

After all's said and done, and they've been horrifically mutated into ten foot tall, acid drooling cannibals, how much facial difference would be left between males and females? I'd think the current heads would still work, especially the ones with helmets.

Anything that further humanizes and gives room for more nauseating Mary Sue fluff to Space Marines is bad in my book. They're insane mutants wearing the jumpsuit version of an M1 Abrams who have the tactical acumen of a brick, and that's what they should return to.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Paul wrote:Nids - I think they are a mix of male and female, but I don't think this is what the OP was getting at.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that all Tyranids are technically female, as is the case with drones in actual swarms. Considering their reproduction is something along the lines of parthenogenesis crossed with genetic engineering, I doubt the existence of male Tyranids.

BaronIveagh wrote:@Luna: and that more or less addresses the real problem, Most GW female sculpts suck. Maybe they should subcontract to Hasselfree or Reaper or something.

Really, most of the older GW models are pretty terrible, with the occasional exception. From what I've seen, modern ones have a much higher level of quality across the board. The new DE come to mind, here.

Obsidian wrote: I think thought over a futher 4 editions most of the fluff has been cemented. There are so many traditions that have been kept in and to change that would be detrimental to those histories and traditions.

in one book, Grey Knights went from being the most noble and pure of the space marine chapters to being, essentially, khorne berserkers, in a single book the Necrons went from never speaking to being chatterboxes that won't shut up, and where the Blood Angels got a new vehicle without ever referencing where it came from, with explanations varying from "who knows lol" to pretending it had been there all along.

The lore-based arguments hold no water with me as GWS has no problem with radically changing it on a whim.

So far as females go, I don't think Tyranids have either sex really, aren't they generally asexual drones? Except maybe Tervigons... man, I don't know. Let's not go off on this tangent, it's just too weird.

Oh, there are Norm Queens, whom are female Tyranids.

Probably more accurate to say there's likely not a male tyranid.

Melissia wrote:Oh, there are Norm Queens, whom are female Tyranids.

Probably more accurate to say there's likely not a male tyranid.

Without geting too wierd - I guess Genestealer Hybrids count as part of the swarm - however unknowingly - and they retain their gender and as far as I know normal reproductive methods - just the product is......different.

pity there is not a Hybrid army list any more :(

Sir Pseudonymous wrote:
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that all Tyranids are technically female, as is the case with drones in actual swarms.

Actually, if you're refering to bees, 'drones' specifically refers to males. Workers are female.

I always assumed Tyranids were androgynous.

Also, I would sell a vital organ for a model of the Inquisitor from DoW2: Ret.

Cerebrium wrote:I always assumed Tyranids were androgynous.

Also, I would sell a vital organ for a model of the Inquisitor from DoW2: Ret.

You should see my tdongfex and tervititz conversions...

Cerebrium wrote:I always assumed Tyranids were androgynous.

Depends on their genetics...

For example, for those using the XX/XY system, females are the default gender of the species, while males are the genetic adaptation to produce sexual reproduction.

But more than likely they use a form of Haplodiploidy, where unfertilized eggs develop into halpoid individuals (haploid = one copy of each gene, diploid = two copies, like humans have) which are effectively male. Most diploids in this setup are female, but can also be infertile males. This is common for hive based insects, such s ants or wasps.

Then again, there's also the reptilian aspect of tyranids-- reptiles do not depend on genetics for sex determination (it's based on the temperature and other conditions of the surrounding environment). Which would make sense from a certain standpoint, perhaps sexual reproductive abilities in its creatures are only activated through certain environmental factors, or through the synapse link-- the hive mind causing them to "go native" if it is unable to bring reinforcements for them, causing them to have a larger chance of disrupting the defense of the planet while it brings reinforcements to bear.

Cerebrium wrote:Also, I would sell a vital organ for a model of the Inquisitor from DoW2: Ret.

She is indeed very cool looking. I love her hat.

Apparently the orks do to

Ouze wrote:

Obsidian wrote: I think thought over a futher 4 editions most of the fluff has been cemented. There are so many traditions that have been kept in and to change that would be detrimental to those histories and traditions.

in one book, Grey Knights went from being the most noble and pure of the space marine chapters to being, essentially, khorne berserkers, in a single book the Necrons went from never speaking to being chatterboxes that won't shut up, and where the Blood Angels got a new vehicle without ever referencing where it came from, with explanations varying from "who knows lol" to pretending it had been there all along.

The lore-based arguments hold no water with me as GWS has no problem with radically changing it on a whim.

So far as females go, I don't think Tyranids have either sex really, aren't they generally asexual drones? Except maybe Tervigons... man, I don't know. Let's not go off on this tangent, it's just too weird.

The same happend to the Eldar from the Eldar fron the 2nd ed to the 3rd ed. They went form being the good guys (which was how every one saw them at the time) to being a race that would gladly slaughter every being on a planet men, women and children to save one Eldar life! The likely hood is that the Grey Knights were starting to be seen as this 'good guy' army of the Imperium so had to go through the Grim Dark makeover. A makeover which is much less fundamental to the 40k lore than the making of a Space Marine. When the next Tau Codex comes out no doubt they will also have a Grim Dark makeover too as they are also starting to be seen as goodie goodies!

Obsidian wrote:
I'm not ignoring anything. The exceptions do not make the rule. 1 female leader does not consitute a order millitant. And if you read my post is does mention women in orders militant in exactly the positions I mentioned 'they undertook menial and hospitaller functions' from the mentioned web page. I will grant you that I missed the Order of the Hatchet but then again this was formed in Spain during an hour of desperate need when under Moorish occupationhad this not been the case than it would not have formed, this is no doubt the case with any other Millitant order which had female fighters.

Oh? How about The Cordeliere? Est 1498 by Annede Bretagne, Widow of Charles VIII of France.

Or this lovely account...

"Among the Franks there were indeed women who rode into battle with cuirasses and helmets, dressed in men's clothes; who rode out into the thick of the fray and acted like brave men although they were but tender women, maintaining that all this was an act of piety, thinking to gain heavenly rewards by it, and making it their way of life. Praise be to him who led them into such error and out of the paths of wisdom! On the day of battle more than one woman rode out with them like a knight and
showed (masculine) endurance in spite of the weakness (of her sex); clothed only in a coat of mail they were not recognized as women until they had been stripped of their arms. Some of them were discovered and sold as slaves." - Francisco Gabrieli. Arab Historians of the Crusades pg 207, from a translation of Imad al Din's account of the battle of Hattin. This was also commented on by Ibn al Athir.

Or how about the Knights of Saint Mary, which allowed women in combat, who, at the order of Pope Urban IV - "are to be allowed to bear arms for the defence of the catholic faith and ecclesiastical freedom, when specifically required to do so by the Roman church. For subduing civil discords they may carry only defensive weapons, provided they have the permission of the diocesan."
Of course, they were later suppressed by Pope Sixtus V.

According to Guibert of Nogent, Emperor Conrad III, during the second Crusade, brought with him a "troop of Amazons", who's ultimate fate was left unrecorded, though most likely they died at the second battle of Dorylaeum, with 9/10ths of the rest of his army.


As far as Spain goes, it was common for quite some time after Reconquesta (and, indeed, in one case to this very day) for militant orders to permit women entry and the right to bare arms. France and the Low Countries also had this, though to a lesser degree. This could have something to do with Spain having had women under arms since Roman times. Despite their rather odd views on women in other periods (Inquisition).

"The example is of the Noble Women of Tortosa in Aragon, and recorded by Josef Micheli Marquez, who plainly calls them Cavalleros or Knights, or may I not rather say Cavalleras, seeing I observe the words Equitissae and Militissae (formed from the Latin Equites and Milites) heretofore applied to Women..." - Ashmole, The Institution, Laws, and Ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (1672)

Obsidian wrote:
You want to play that card female fighters were more common during the Roman era in many of the 'barbarian' races than the whole of the medieval period e.g. Boudicca and the Celtic peoples of Britain, Brttiany and Catalonia, infact it was said one of the reasons that the Romans hated fighting the Britions was after thay killed the men they then had to deal with the narked off wife who was just as brutal.

While supposedly a large number of Breton and Pict warriors were female, my favorite was always Marius against the the Cimbri and the Teutons. Marius reported that when the battle went poorly for the men, the women emerged from their wagon castles with swords and threatened their own men to ensure that they would continue to fight. After reinforcements arrived for the Romans, the Cimbrian men all were killed, but the women continued to fight. When the Cimbrian women saw that defeat was imminent, they killed their children and committed suicide rather than be taken as captives.

Obsidian wrote:
To counter the 18th century argument the women who marched with Wellingtons army were just wives cooking, cleaning bringing up sprogs and 'NOT' front line fighters! There were women who did fight on the front line, but they were disguised as men and the medicals of the era usually consited of the recruting sargent paying the doctor to announce that all men were fit for duty with out even examining them! There was also a group of women who wanted to form a millita for the defence of England, but they were refused the request. Read the the book Following the Drum by Annabel Venning for more on this. I know a lot on this subject as I am a member of the 95th Rifles reenactment society.

'To think I lay with a thousand men
and a maiden all the while!'

And how does the 95th give you insight on the 18th Century? They only went into the line in 1800 at Copenhagen as RN snipers, IIRC. That would be the 19th Century, wouldn't it? [As a member of the 116th PVI, I know something about the 19th Century (And didn't I smoke some of your guys at Ridgeway in Canada a few years ago? Or was that the Queen's Own? I get the two confused on occasion.)]

BaronIveagh wrote:

Obsidian wrote:
I'm not ignoring anything. The exceptions do not make the rule. 1 female leader does not consitute a order millitant. And if you read my post is does mention women in orders militant in exactly the positions I mentioned 'they undertook menial and hospitaller functions' from the mentioned web page. I will grant you that I missed the Order of the Hatchet but then again this was formed in Spain during an hour of desperate need when under Moorish occupationhad this not been the case than it would not have formed, this is no doubt the case with any other Millitant order which had female fighters.

Oh? How about The Cordeliere? Est 1498 by Annede Bretagne, Widow of Charles VIII of France.

Or this lovely account...

"Among the Franks there were indeed women who rode into battle with cuirasses and helmets, dressed in men's clothes; who rode out into the thick of the fray and acted like brave men although they were but tender women, maintaining that all this was an act of piety, thinking to gain heavenly rewards by it, and making it their way of life. Praise be to him who led them into such error and out of the paths of wisdom! On the day of battle more than one woman rode out with them like a knight and
showed (masculine) endurance in spite of the weakness (of her sex); clothed only in a coat of mail they were not recognized as women until they had been stripped of their arms. Some of them were discovered and sold as slaves." - Francisco Gabrieli. Arab Historians of the Crusades pg 207, from a translation of Imad al Din's account of the battle of Hattin. This was also commented on by Ibn al Athir.

Or how about the Knights of Saint Mary, which allowed women in combat, who, at the order of Pope Urban IV - "are to be allowed to bear arms for the defence of the catholic faith and ecclesiastical freedom, when specifically required to do so by the Roman church. For subduing civil discords they may carry only defensive weapons, provided they have the permission of the diocesan."
Of course, they were later suppressed by Pope Sixtus V.

According to Guibert of Nogent, Emperor Conrad III, during the second Crusade, brought with him a "troop of Amazons", who's ultimate fate was left unrecorded, though most likely they died at the second battle of Dorylaeum, with 9/10ths of the rest of his army.


As far as Spain goes, it was common for quite some time after Reconquesta (and, indeed, in one case to this very day) for militant orders to permit women entry and the right to bare arms. France and the Low Countries also had this, though to a lesser degree. This could have something to do with Spain having had women under arms since Roman times. Despite their rather odd views on women in other periods (Inquisition).

"The example is of the Noble Women of Tortosa in Aragon, and recorded by Josef Micheli Marquez, who plainly calls them Cavalleros or Knights, or may I not rather say Cavalleras, seeing I observe the words Equitissae and Militissae (formed from the Latin Equites and Milites) heretofore applied to Women..." - Ashmole, The Institution, Laws, and Ceremony of the Most Noble Order of the Garter (1672)

Obsidian wrote:
You want to play that card female fighters were more common during the Roman era in many of the 'barbarian' races than the whole of the medieval period e.g. Boudicca and the Celtic peoples of Britain, Brttiany and Catalonia, infact it was said one of the reasons that the Romans hated fighting the Britions was after thay killed the men they then had to deal with the narked off wife who was just as brutal.

While supposedly a large number of Breton and Pict warriors were female, my favorite was always Marius against the the Cimbri and the Teutons. Marius reported that when the battle went poorly for the men, the women emerged from their wagon castles with swords and threatened their own men to ensure that they would continue to fight. After reinforcements arrived for the Romans, the Cimbrian men all were killed, but the women continued to fight. When the Cimbrian women saw that defeat was imminent, they killed their children and committed suicide rather than be taken as captives.

Obsidian wrote:
To counter the 18th century argument the women who marched with Wellingtons army were just wives cooking, cleaning bringing up sprogs and 'NOT' front line fighters! There were women who did fight on the front line, but they were disguised as men and the medicals of the era usually consited of the recruting sargent paying the doctor to announce that all men were fit for duty with out even examining them! There was also a group of women who wanted to form a millita for the defence of England, but they were refused the request. Read the the book Following the Drum by Annabel Venning for more on this. I know a lot on this subject as I am a member of the 95th Rifles reenactment society.

'To think I lay with a thousand men
and a maiden all the while!'

And how does the 95th give you insight on the 18th Century? They only went into the line in 1800 at Copenhagen as RN snipers, IIRC. That would be the 19th Century, wouldn't it? [As a member of the 116th PVI, I know something about the 19th Century (And didn't I smoke some of your guys at Ridgeway in Canada a few years ago? Or was that the Queen's Own? I get the two confused on occasion.)]

I don't want to get in to a long discussion on this and take this thread OT but some of the sources you have cited have dubious merit and many are out right refuted. But i'm not a trained historian as such i'm a Geologist but I do know about sources. but we will have to agree to disagree on this one . There may have been female knightly orders but they were nowhere near the 'norm'. Its like seiges very rarely was a castle captured but it was so extrodanary when they did a lot more was written about it and there is a lot more interest was taken.

As for the 95th question doing the historical reenactment you get asked questions form all aspects of the Napoleonic period and a bit beyond which means learning more than just the regimental history we go back as far as ferguson's rifles which served in the American War of Independence Who supposedly had General Washington in their sights but did not shoot out of good manners (though I find this account doubtful ).

'To think I lay with a thousand men
and a maiden all the while!'

Steeleye Span Did a good version of this song. Loosly based on Hannah Snell who served in both the Army and the Navy disguised as a man as well as a few other accounts.