Women of Folklore: Blenda

Blenda's story is one of my favorites.  It is said to be the first example of equality between men and women-the beginning of feminism.

Model: Lucy Hodkiewicz

MUA/Costume design: Lexie Bragg

Sword: Dillon Moran

 

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While the men were away at war, Blenda led the town women to victory against the invading Danish army through cunning and creative tactics.

Blenda and the towns women approached the Danish army on the field of battle and thanked them for being their saviors, and saving them from the men of their own village.  They invited the Danish  to a feast to celebrate their emancipation.   The women fed the army and got them drunk on wine. Once the entire army was in a drunken stupor-the women killed them all. 

The men of the village were so proud of the women, they granted them the honor of wearing belts: a symbol of protectors of the village, as well as equal inheritance.

Selfie by Lucy

 I bought the dress from St. Vinnies and sewed on the trim and added the lacing.  The fur is from the costume shop, and the pin is a traditional Norse "tree of life" symbol, stolen from James and creatively attached with thread.

 

Memorial statue, Sweden

I had a hard time finding what a noble women would have worn for this time period.  Most depictions of Blenda had her in armor or chain male, but if she was out to trick the Danish army, why would she give away their plan by dressing for battle?  

Beowulf, a Canadian production

Beowulf and Grendel,  2005

I took my costuming ideas from Beowulf, a fantastical Norse myth that took places in the same time period. I chose this as my inspiration as I thought the cut, detailing, and accessories would be more accurate for a women of noble birth versus the peasant dresses I had been finding.  Obviously Beowulf is a popular story!

I'm really proud of how this shoot turned out.  The costuming is accurate, and I love the sword (which some might say isn't accurate, but it is very similar to the sword seen in the memorial statue; and I'm assuming that they wouldn't "wing it" with a memorial)!

A big thank you to Lucy for helping me with this project, you were the one I really wanted!