Wanda’s story belongs to the most mysterious Polish legends. I would like to put forward the thesis that this figure is not limited to the widely known narrative and phantasms. I think behind it there is a mythical structure, or to be precise – her dark side, which has not yet been subject to deeper reflection.
Since the beginning Wanda has functioned as one of the main emblems of the Polish national mythological pantheon. Her image as an innocent, beautiful virgin princess, founder of the Polish nation, has been preserved in art and literature for centuries. Wanda has been locked in these pictures, which expressed a simplified political message. These images seemed safe for those who used her figure to confirm their power or to support their fight for independence. She appeared in every epoch, playing an active role as a warrior or passive sacrifice on the altars of motherland. However, her chameleonic nature hiding her true face eludes recognition, norms, patterns of our culture. The shadow which she cast on our symbolic sphere, both patriarchal and feminist, is as fascinating as it is disturbing. The double displacement behind this account of Wanda, i.e of the pre-Christian element from official history and female element from official culture allows for revision and reinterpretation in art and literature. The starting point for my considerations will be the poem Wanda by Anna Nasiłowska (2019) and Wanda, a play by Sylwia Chutnik and Patrycja Dołowy staged at the Old Theater in Krakow in 2013. These pieces are political and interventional in the assumption of female authors and expose the repressed femininity in our patriarchal society. They are also a manifestation of the collective unconscious. The multi-faced heroine sheds her masks and reveals her thanatic features and her message can by summarized in three words: death, life, death.
