Red SonYa™ of Rogatino

Character History

History & Public Domain Status

Red Sonya of Rogatino was a supporting character in the Robert E. Howard story, The Shadow of the Vulture, published in 1934 in Magic Carpet Magazine.

Under the Copyright Act of 1909, which was in effect at the time, works were granted an initial copyright term of 28 years. To secure the full protection, the copyright had to be renewed during the last (28th) year of that first term, 1962. No such renewal was filed as far as we have been able to determine. This places her in the public domain.

She predates the well known Marvel Comics creation, Red Sonja by almost 40 years and bears no resemblance to that character beyond the similarity of the names and her red hair.

In our stories, Red SonYa of Rogatino is a 17th Century adventurer who wanders the world in search of challenge, excitement and riches.
In her travels, she encounters ancient horrors, elder gods and terrifying monsters. She lives at the edge of civilization by her keen blade, loaded flintlock and sharp wit.

Public Domain Super Heroes has filed a Trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office as of November 2025 on "Red SonYa™" to protect our use of the character. Our work uses only the public domain character and in no way infringes on any trademark held by anyone else.