"Few have seen them and recognised them for what they are. Perhaps they are the key to the destruction of the Skaven, for without females, how would they propagate? Nevertheless, Skaven females do exist, cloistered away and used as necessary by those males who have earned the right to breed. Broods of ratlings are born within the Skaven nurseries, and their mothers are rarely without child for more than a month."
- —Steffan Paulus Adelhof, Scholar of Wolfenburg[1a]
A bloated, pregnant Rat Mother, the females of the Skaven species.
A Rat Mother, sometimes called a Breeder, or Broodmother, is the only known type of Skaven female, a creature birthed only to serve her species as a bloated, baby-making factory. Each Rat Mother weighs at least 700 pounds and measures 10 feet long from snout to tail. Their flabby soft bodies bristle with dozens of protrusions, all of which leak the foul-smelling milk on which their litters are weaned.[1b]
Partly crippled by their role of constant pregnancy, Rat Mothers cannot care for themselves and must rely on castrated slaves for survival. They spend most of their time in a euphoric haze brought on by an application of hallucinogens and other drugs.[1b]
When adequately fed and attended, the Rat Mother births a litter of 1-10 squalling Ratlings each week, these creatures reaching maturity in 2-3 weeks.[1b]
Role[]
"There are no Skaven females, just Skaven broodmothers."
- —Skreelin Thurntik, Grey Seer[1a]
"Rarely, if ever, seen above ground, Skaven females are larger than the males. What scant information is available makes it clear they are, at best, only marginally intelligent creatures who live their lives in an indolent stupor, alternating between breeding and birthing without respite. During my stay in the Dwarf Hold of Karak Kadrin, I saw the severed head of one of these creatures. It was shown to me in some excitement by a young Dwarf warrior, who claimed it was the head of a Rat Ogre, taken as a war trophy in a raid on a Skaven nest. Finding his claim met with derision by the other Dwarfs present, when his mistake was explained to him the young warrior stalked out of the tavern, stony faced. When I saw him again the next day he had styled his hair into a ragged crest and dyed it orange. Overcome by shame at having been embarrassed in the presence of his peers, he had taken the Slayer's Oath."
- —Wilhelm Leiber, Imperial scholar[2a]
It is a common misconception that all Skaven are male. The specifics of where they come from are widely debated amongst scholars who show an interest in the species, and include many ludicrous theories as to the origin of the ratmen. One such postulation is that the Skaven are born directly from Chaos, while another claims they are merely ordinary rats that are mutated by constant exposure to Warpstone. The truth of the matter is that there are, indeed, female Skaven, locked away in the depths of the Under-Empire.[1a]
Female Skaven serve no other purpose than to propagate their vile species, and they are only slightly conscious. Constant application of Warpstone narcotics from a young age keeps them blissfully ignorant of events that transpire in the Under-Empire. So cloistered away from the rest of their race are they that some do not learn the Skaven's chittering speech, or are proficient in social skills...or so the Skaven believe.[1a]