Wanda, królowa sarmacka – próba epopei

1809 saw an anonymous publication of a fragment of the poem Wanda, królowa sarmacka [Wanda, the Queen of Sarmathians]. We read that Wanda, the daughter of Krakus, wanders with her companions as an envoy to the Jazyges to ask them for help against the Germanic invaders led by Rotygar. On their way they meet a pious hermit who advises them on the value of virtue and predicts the princess’s future. During their further voyage, as they are sailing down the Danube, a storm caused by the wind god Pochwist on request of the love goddess Dzidziela destroys their barge. Wanda’s companions die while she survives and travels on, holding on to a piece of the barge. Wanda recalls the tradition of epic; the author introduces motifs typical for this genre, including the epic machinery, replacing the ancient gods with characters from the Slavic mythology, opposing the decrees of the Christian God. The work, however, has also some distinct features of a descriptive poem. Wanda is a very good indication of changes which occurred in epic poetry in early 19th century.