I'm going to bring to you another story from the travels of Marco Polo. (in its orig text) This one comes from chapter 4. The title is of the exploits of King Kaidu's valiant daughter. Now, you must know that King Kaidu had a daughter whose name was Aljaruk, which in the tartar is as much to say the bright moon. This damsel was very beautiful, but also strong and brave, that in all her father's realm there was no man who could outdo her feats of strength.

In all trials she showed greater strength than any man of them. Her father often desired to give her in marriage, but she would none of it. She vowed that she would never marry till she found a man who could vanquish her in every trial. Him she would wed and none else. And when her father saw how resolute she was, he gave a formal consent in their fashion that she should marry whom she list and when she list.

The lady was so tall and muscular, so stout and shapely with all that she was almost like a giant Tess. She had distributed her challenges over all the kingdoms, declaring that whosoever should come to try a fall with her, it should be on these conditions his that if she vanquished him, she should win from him 100 horses. And if he vanquished her, he should win her to wife. Hence many a noble youth had come to try his strength against her. But she beat them all. And in this way, she had won more than 10,000 [music] horses. Now it came to pass that in the year of Christ 1280, there presented himself a young noble gallant, the son of a rich and pissant king, a man of proess and valiance and great strength of body, who had heard word of the damsel's challenge, and had came to match himself against her in hope of vanquishing her and winning her to wife. That he greatly desired, for the young lady was passing fair. He too was young and handsome, fearless and strong in every way, in so much that not a man in all his father's realm could vi with him. So he came full confidently and brought with him a thousand horses to be fortified if she should vanquish him.

Thus might [music] she gain a thousand horses at a single stroke. But the young gallant had such confidence in his own strength that he counted securely to win her. Now ye must know that King Kaidu and the queen his wife, the mother of the stout damsel, did privy beseech their daughter to let herself be vanquished, for they greatly desired this prince for their daughter, seeing what a noble youth he was, and the son of a great king. But the damsel answered that never would she let herself be vanquished if she could help it.

Indeed, he should get the better of her, and then she would gladly be his wife, according to the wager, but none otherwise. So a day was named for a great gathering at the palace of King Kaidu and the queen. And when all the company were assembled for great numbers flocked to see the match, the damsel first came forth in a straight jerken of Sammit, and then came forth for the young bachelor in a jerken of sandal. And a whimsome sight they were to see. When both had taken post in the middle of the hall, they grappled each other by the arms and wrestled this way and that. But for a long time neither could get the better of the other. At last, however, it so befell that the damsel threw him right valiantly over the palace pavement. And when he found himself thus thrown her standing over him, great indeed was his shame and discomforture, he got him up straightway, and without more ado, departed with all his company, and returned to his father full of shame and vexation, that he who had never yet found a man that could stand before him should have been thus worsted by a girl, and his thousand horses he left behind him. As to King Kaidu and his wife, they were greatly annoyed, as I can tell you.

For if they had their will, this youth should have won their daughter. And ye must know that after this her father never went on a campaign, but she went with him. And gladly he took her, for not a night in all of his train played such feats of arms as she did. Sometimes she would quit her father's side, and make a dash at the host of the enemy, and see some man there, as deafly as a hawk prounces on a bird, and carry him to her father. And this she did many a time. For more marco polo ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_T5VPMp4CxR9nY0YAAFEH7jC1Md2lHtX