Archery is a truly fantastic sport. It is something that has brought people together for thousands of years. Bows and arrows have been around for a very long time. Ever since the inception of the bow and arrow, competition in the world of archery has been very fierce.
However, most famous archers in history have been male. It’s a sad reality, but archery is generally a male-dominated sport. This goes both for target archery and hunting alike.
That said, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t also famous women in archery. In fact, there are plenty of famous women in archery. There are many famous female archer names that you should be familiar with. This goes for both real-life archers in actual history and mythological figures as well.
Today, we want to take a look at some of the most female famous archer names that you should know. Whether they are mythological or from real life history, they are worth being familiar with. Let’s get to it and take a closer look at some of the most famous female archer names in history.
Famous Female Archers from Real Life
Let’s first take a look at some of the most famous female archers from real life, people who actually existed at some point in time.
Sara Lopez
Perhaps one of the most famous archer women of all time, Sarah Lopez is a multi-time world champion. She has over 50 wins and titles under her belt. Her record stands at two World Games medals, 40 Archery World Cup medals, and six World Archery Championship medals.
She has officially been named the most successful female archer of all time by the Guinness Book of world records. She also holds several world records for a variety of archer-related feats.
Cre: World Archery
Kim Soo-Nyung
Next on the list, we have Kim Soo-Nyung. She currently holds 6 Olympic medals, two Asian Games medals, and 4 World Archery Championship medals. The Korean-born female archer was officially named the best Archer of the 20th century by the International Archery Federation.
What is interesting to note is that many famous world champion archers in today’s world are South Korean, as is the next one on our list.
Park Sung-Hyun
Here we have what is officially one of the most successful South Korean female Archers in the history of mankind.
She holds 4 Olympic medals and 8 World Archery Championship medals. She also holds 1 World Cup final medal, 9 World Cup stage medals, and 2 Asian Games medals. Park Sung-Hyun also managed to set nearly one dozen world records during her time as an archer. Three of these records are still standing today.
One of her biggest accomplishments is being able to score 1405 points in a 1440 round. To put that into context, no other female archer has ever scored over 1400 points.
Anna Vorisek
While some people may not know her name, everyone should. She is perhaps one of the most famous female bow hunters in all of North America. Anna Vorisek is a true bow hunting woman.
Just recently she achieved the North American Super Slam. This means that she managed to kill all 29 of North America’s big game species using a bow. This is something that even most men have not been able to accomplish. She is a true bowhunter girl.
Cre: Bowhunting
Queen Victoria
Yes, here we are talking about the original Queen Victoria of England. During the 1800s, the upper class in England would participate in archery contests.
This included females, even Queen Victoria. She would participate in archery contests while wearing petticoats and corsets. She may not have won any competitions, but Queen Victoria was a notable force to be reckoned with.
Famous Legendary & Mythological Female Archers
Let’s now take a look at some famous female archers from myth and legend, women who most likely never actually existed.
Artemis
Perhaps one would be the most famous godly female archer of all time, Artemis deserves a place on this list. Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt, a true female warrior. According to legend, she actually introduced archery to the world of humans.
Artemis is still worshiped in many areas of Greece today. She is often depicted as a statue with a bow and arrow made by a Cyclops. She usually also has a hunting dog with her.
Skadi
Here we have the Norse God of bow hunting and archery. When it comes to girl archer names, she’s one of the most well-known. She’s also closely related to winter, skiing, and snow. According to legend, this Norse God was an excellent hunter on the frozen mountains.
Medusa
Although many might not know her as a female archer, Medusa is often depicted holding a bow and arrow. She is officially known as a Gorgon.
Cre: Amazon
The legend has it that Medusa was once seduced by Neptune, also known as Poseidon. Minerva, Poseidon’s wife, in revenge, turned Medusa’s head into one of snakes. Although Medusa does have the ability to turn men to stone with her gaze, she often uses her bow.
Durga
Here we have a warrior goddess from the Hindu religion. The Hindu God of wind, Vayu, gave her a bow and arrow. She is well known for being a protector of humans.
She is also known as being successful in her battle against demons. The bow that she carries represents self-reliance and independence. The arrows she holds represent being unwavering and direct in our goals.
Atalanta
Atalanta is a heroine from Greek myth, and she was the daughter of a Prince. She was left in the world alone and abandoned by her parents. Supposedly, her father wanted a boy, not a girl, so he left her on a mountain.
She was then found by a mother bear. It was suspected that this mother bear was Artemis herself. She was then raised by the hunters. These hunters taught her how to use a bow and arrow. Atalanta was the first archer who ever managed to strike Artemis’ wrathful boar with an arrow.
Famous Female Archers from Movies & Books
Here we have a few famous archer female characters that you might have seen in some popular movies or read about in some famous books.
Katniss Everdeen
If you are looking for famous female archers from pop culture, Katniss Everdeen is it. She is the female heroine from The Hunger Games books and movies.
Cre: Peakpx
She always has a basic longbow on her in her initial adventures. In the next two installments, she always uses a recurve bow. What is interesting to note is that the Greek God Apollo also uses a recurve bow.
Lara Croft
Lara Croft is our fan favorite archer heroine from the famous Tomb Raider video games. These video games were so popular that they were then turned into movies.
None other than Angelina Jolie played her. It all starts off with her making her own bow and arrow while having to survive in the wild. She would then start using a composite bow in the later games and movies.
Abigail Whistler
Abigail Whistler was one of the main characters in the ever-so-popular Blade movies. To be specific, she starred in Blade Trinity, played by Jessica Biel. She spends the whole movie using a compound bow while listening to rock music. She racks up several hundred zombie kills within the movie.
Mulan
Mulan AKA Fa Mulan was the titular character in the Disney Movie, Mulan. She was first the heroine in the cartoon version. Mulan was then turned into a live-action movie with real actors as well.
In the movies, she disguises herself as a man so she could join the army. In the movies, she ended up being one of the most important characters of all. She was the reason why Genghis Khan and his army of Mongols was beaten.
Merida
Marida is the princess from the popular movie Brave. In the movie, she uses her archery skills to stop and arrange marriage from happening. She beats all of her would be suitors and wins her own freedom. Through archery, she earns the right to choose her own suitor.