Tall and strong for a woman, she has the rough speech and gaudy sartorial inelegance of a peasant girl. 

Somewhat grim. A bit of a laughing stock, but not to her face. 

Willpower, strength, fortitude, strong convictions of right and wrong, blunt.

Can crack nuts with her teeth.

Animal training. She puts this down to bravery and willpower, but perhaps she has some special affinity with the beasts.

1226 Born as the only daughter in a family of boys. Growing up, Gurtha got the reputation as a tomboy and a very tall, strong girl: threshing the corn with the same strength as her brothers, in themselves no weaklings.

1248 An old maid of 22, after turning down several offers of marriage (officially her father turned them down, but it was by her will) she got into trouble for throwing one of the Countess's tax-collectors out of the mill for demanding more than her father could pay. Gurtha was arraigned before the Countess who gave out the penalty that the peasant girl was to be eaten alive by her uncontrollable pet dire-wolves. The assembled mob was very disappointed when Gurtha chased the normally ferocious animals away whimpering and they demanded that she be burned as a witch. But, instead, the Countess hanged a few of them, for daring to make unwonted demands of their ruler, and commuted Gurtha's death sentence to a post as her keeper of animals. 

1249 On a visit of the Royal Family, Princess Clothild was charmed by a talking bird, trained by Gurtha, and though a somewhat uncouth lout, seemed to like the peasant girl and be impressed by her abilities.