She: A History of Adventure

She: A History of Adventure is a Gothic novel by the English writer H. Rider Haggard, published in book form in 1887 following serialisation in The Graphic magazine between October 1886 and January 1887. She was extraordinarily popular upon its release and has never been out of print.

The story is a first-person narrative which follows the journey of Horace Holly and his ward Leo Vincey to a lost kingdom in the African interior. They encounter a native people led by a mysterious white queen named Ayesha (pronounced “Assha”) who reigns as the all-powerful Hiya — in English, She-who-must-be-obeyed, or She.

Haggard developed many conventions of the lost world genre which countless authors have since emulated. His works represent part of a broader literary revival of chivalric romance and adventure stories, in contrast to domestic realism. Other writers following this trend were Robert Louis Stevenson, George MacDonald, and William Morris. Haggard was inspired by his experiences living in South Africa for seven years (1875–1882) working at the highest levels of the British colonial administration.

In the figure of She, the novel explored themes of female authority and feminine behaviour. Its archetypal representation of womanhood has received both praise and criticism.

Horace Holly, a young Cambridge University professor, is visited by Vincey, a colleague who is convinced that he will soon die. Vincey charges Holly with the task of raising his young son, Leo. He gives Holly a locked iron box, with instructions that it is not to be opened until Leo's 25th birthday. Holly agrees. Vincey is found dead the next day, and Holly raises the boy as his own. When the box is opened they discover the ancient "Sherd of Amenartas". The Sherd describes an ancient love triangle between Amenartas, She, and Kallikrates. She kills Kallikrates, and Amenartas charges her son with revenge. The son attempted the task without success, and passed the quest on to his son, who also failed. So did the quest pass through the generations, until Vincey passed it to Leo.

Although Holly disbelieves the story, Leo decides to investigate. The two, along with their servant, Job, follow instructions on the Sherd and travel to eastern Africa. After surviving a shipwreck, they and their Arab captain, Mahomed, journey into the African interior where they are captured by the savage Amahagger people. The adventurers learn that the natives are ruled by a fearsome white queen who is worshipped as Hiya or "She-who-must-be-obeyed". Billali, chief of one of the Amahagger tribes, takes charge of the three men, introducing them to the ways of his people. One of the Amahagger maidens, Ustane, takes a liking to Leo and, by kissing him and embracing him publicly, weds him according to Amahagger custom. Leo, likewise, grows very fond of her.

Billali leaves to report the white men's arrival to the queen. In his absence, some of the Amahagger become restless and attempt to eat Mahomed as part of a ritual "hot pot". Holly shoots and kills several of the Amahagger, accidentally killing Mahomed in the process. Leo is gravely wounded in the ensuing struggle, and Ustane saves his life by throwing herself onto his prostrate body. Billali returns and declares that the three men are under the queen's protection. Ustane faithfully attends to Leo, but his condition worsens, especially when the queen summons them and they are forced to traverse the swamps linking the kingdom.

The men are taken to the home of the queen near the ruins of the lost city of Kôr, a once-mighty civilisation that predated the Egyptians. In a series of catacombs originally built as tombs, Holly is presented to the queen, a white sorceress named Ayesha whose beauty is so great that it enchants any man who beholds it. Ayesha, veiled and behind a partition, warns Holly that the power of her splendour arouses both desire and fear. When she shows herself, Holly is enraptured and prostrates himself before her. Ayesha reveals that she has learned the secret of immortality and that she possesses other supernatural powers including the ability to read the minds of others, as well as healing wounds and curing illness, but she is unable to see into the future. She tells Holly that she has lived in Kôr for more than two millennia, awaiting the reincarnated return of her lover, Kallikrates (whom she had slain in a fit of jealous rage).