Princess Wanda

Did You Know?

• Wanda's Mound (Kopiec Wandy) is assumed to be her burial place, and bonfires were lit there on Pentecost until the 19th century.
• The industrial district of Nowa Huta began construction on Wanda's name day, 23 June 1949.
• In 1890, a statue by Jan Matejko showing an eagle turning west was placed atop Wanda's Mound, with the inscription WANDA, two swords, and a distaff.

Legendary biography

The earliest known version of the Wanda legend comes from the Polish chronicler Wincenty Kadłubek. In his account, Wanda inherited rule over Poland from her father. When an Alamann tyrant invaded her lands, she led her army to confront him. The German troops, struck by her beauty, refused to fight, and their leader killed himself. Kadłubek added that the river Vandalus, his name for the Vistula, was named after her, and her people became known as Vandals. In this telling, Wanda never married and lived a long life. Later versions changed the story significantly. The Wielkopolska Chronicle describes the Alemannic leader Rytygier, or Rüdiger, who sought to marry Wanda and invaded after she refused. He died in battle, and Wanda then committed suicide as a sacrifice to the pagan gods for her victory. Other versions, popularized by the historian Jan Długosz, have Wanda drowning herself in the Vistula to discourage future suitors from using her refusal as a reason for war.

Historicity

Some historians believe Kadłubek invented the legend. Michael Morys-Twarowski notes the chronicler appears baffled by female succession after Krak and tries to validate it by citing Semiramis. He also notes the name Wanda is very unusual, suggesting an old oral tradition. He speculates that if she existed, she could have been a regent for a young male relative, like Drahomira of Bohemia or Olga of Kiev, or the last living member of her dynasty. Morys-Twarowski acknowledges she appears as a god-like entity whose majesty stops invaders, but does not see elements that unequivocally sentence her to be non-historical. He speculates the tale of Aleman warriors attacking her kingdom might be a cultural memory of Charlemagne's armies invading southern Poland.

Cultural influences

The mound believed to be Princess Wanda’s grave once saw bonfires lit on Pentecost until the 1800s. Nowa Huta, an industrial district founded in 1949, broke ground on her name day, June 23, making her a semi-official patron. The area has a trade center, street, bridge, and stadium named for her. In 1809, German poet Zacharias Werner wrote a play called Wanda, staged under his friend Goethe. Polish poet C.K. Norwid visited the mound in 1840 and wrote an epic poem, “Wanda.” A statue by Jan Matejko, showing an eagle facing west, was placed atop the mound in 1890, with the name WANDA, two swords, and a distaff carved on its base.