Princess Wanda

Wanda is a figure in Polish legend who was known as the daughter of Krakus, the founder of Kraków in c.8th century Poland.

Krakus is a legendary King of Poland and his daughter, Wanda, is said to have ruled Poland after his death. It is here where her story starts to differ in the sources.

 

The earliest written record of Wanda was by the Polish bishop and chronicler Wincenty Kadłubek. In his version, Wanda lived a long and happy life, remaining unmarried and ruling Poland alone after her father’s death.

Her lands were invaded by a tyrannical leader of a Germanic tribe soon after Wanda took the throne, but Wanda would suffer no man and led out her army to meet the Germanic troops. It is said that upon seeing the Polish Queen’s beauty, the enemy soldiers refused to fight and their leader committed suicide.

Near the end of Wanda’s story in the chronicle, Kadłubek notes that the river Vandalus was named after Wanda and her people were thus known as the Vandals.

 

As mentioned, Wanda’s story changes from the point she took the throne. As seen in the 13th/14th century Wielkopolska Chronicle, the leader of the army that met Wanda’s actually intended to marry her, only invading her country after she refused him. He was killed during the ensuing battle but Wanda survived, only to kill herself after the battle as a sacrifice to the pagan gods for her people’s victory.

 

In other versions of the story Wanda commits suicide after the battle, though not as a sacrifice to the gods, but due to the fact that she knew there would be a never-ending line of suitors intent on marrying her, who would invade her lands so long as she was alive to refuse their hand.

 

It is supposed that the legend of Wanda was invented by the chronicler Wincenty Kadłubek, possibly based initially on Slavic myths.