Judith Tarr (born January 30, 1955) is an American fantasy and science fiction author.

Life

Tarr was born in Augusta, Maine on January 30, 1955. She is the daughter of Earle A. Tarr, Jr. (a waterworks manager and salesman of real estate), and Regina (a teacher). She received her B.A. in Latin and English from Mount Holyoke College in 1976, and has an M.A. in Classics from Cambridge University, and an M.A. and PhD in Medieval Studies from Yale University. She taught Latin at Wesleyan University from 1990 to 1993. She breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona. The romantic fantasies that she writes under the name Caitlin Brennan feature "dancing horses" modeled on those that she raises.

The Hound and the Falcon Trilogy

Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon trilogy (The Isle of Glass, 1985; The Golden Horn, 1985; The Hounds of God, 1986) is a fantasy trilogy set in twelfth and thirteenth century Europe. The trilogy focuses on a race of Elves with supernatural powers, secretly living in medieval society. The trilogy's main character is Alf, a young monk who is also an Elf. The trilogy features historical personages such as Francis of Assisi and King Richard I as characters.

Alamut

In an interview, Tarr stated that she became interested in the period of the Crusades after hearing the 1971 record album, Music of the Crusades by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London. This inspired her to write her novel set in the period of the Crusades, Alamut. Tarr consulted the history books The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf and The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam by Bernard Lewis, as part of her research for Alamut.

Epona series

Tarr's Epona series of novels (White Mare's Daughter, 1998; The Shepherd Kings, 1999; Lady of Horses, 2000; Daughter of Lir, 2001) is set in prehistoric Europe. The Epona series dramatizes the ideas of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas about a matriarchal society existing in Paleolithic Europe.

Pseudonyms

Series

Rhuyana Universe

Avaryan Chronicles

The Three Queens

Epona

Devil's Bargain

William the Conqueror

Other novels

Collaborations

Short fiction

As Caitlin Brennan

As Kathleen Bryan

Awards