It is misleading because it imports a specific political concept — hereditary royal lineage — into a cultural context where that concept may not apply in the expected way.

The Pazyryk were a nomadic society organized around kinship and herd ownership, not a sedentary monarchy.

The social hierarchies of nomadic steppe societies are organized differently from the kingdoms and principalities to which “princess” naturally refers.

Polosmak and other specialists have been careful to resist the “princess” label.

When Polosmak discusses the Ice Maiden’s status, she places her within the “elite core” of Pazyryk society — a category that includes high-status individuals across both sexes, distinguished from the broader community by the scale and quality of their burials.

But what kind of elite figure was the Ice Maiden?