The Maidens’ War: A lovingly preserved relic that legitimized the status quo in the Middle Ages
Every culture has its stories – and the Czech lands are no exception. Since the beginning of time, people have used stories to explain both natural and social phenomena. Whether based on truth or entirely fictional (though is there any story without at least a grain of truth?), they help us understand the world and its order.
Before stories began to be recorded in writing, they spread orally, through tradition. Later came the predecessors of today’s historians – chroniclers – who began to record these orally transmitted tales in books. One of the earliest in the Czech lands was the chronicler Cosmas. In his texts, however, verifiable history still blends with fictional stories passed down from generation to generation.
One of the most famous stories Cosmas recorded in the oldest Czech chronicle from the 12th century is that of the Maidens’ War. In short, it tells of a time when women lived freely, dressed like men, and learned to fight. A conflict arose between these – what we might today call emancipated – women and men, which ultimately led to the women submitting to men and losing their freedom. Why did this story interest Cosmas so much that he chose to include it in his chronicle? How can it be interpreted? And do similar stories appear in other European cultures? We discussed this with Professor of Literary Studies at Matej Bel University, Martin Golema.
Golema: "Cosmas was an educated cleric with a strong knowledge of Latin and Christian teachings. He lived in a state ruled by the Přemyslid dynasty, which was seen as having two phases: the early, unbaptized and mythical rulers, and the later, historically documented Christian ones. Like many medieval intellectuals, he was interested in what had come before the adoption of Christianity. He likely encountered these stories in oral form – as remnants of pagan songs or legends – and chose to preserve them in his chronicle so they would not be lost."
Similar approaches can be found elsewhere in Europe. For example, in 12th-century Iceland lived the scholar, politician, and poet Snorri Sturluson. Though raised as a Christian, he was familiar with mythological stories of Odin and Thor, which he also recorded in his works.
Golema: "Stories change over time. Myths become epics. One of the tasks of a Christian cleric recording such stories is to reshape them to fit a Christian worldview. Pagan gods thus become people endowed with extraordinary qualities. The characters of epics are therefore former mythological deities transformed into human figures."
If we look at the story of the Maidens’ War, can we view the men and women as metaphors for deities?
Golema: "It is possible. In scholarship, nothing is certain. We accept that knowledge is only provisional and hypothetical. So while it is not certain, it is highly probable. Leading figures like Přemysl, Libuše, and Vlasta may refer to significant mythological or divine beings – though already endowed with human traits."
In Cosmas’s version, the story includes a great feast at Devín Castle, where men and women ate and drank together for several nights. Could this be a reference to pagan festivals?
Golema: "What we know about Indo-Europeans suggests that oral memory was often tied to festivals. During such occasions, certain individuals – specialists of cultural memory – would retell stories that were not merely entertainment, but carried a mythological core, an ideology about how the world should be ordered."
Cosmas also mentions real places such as Vyšehrad and Devín.
Golema: "This suggests that these old stories were often tied to specific locations, where certain memorial symbols existed, and around which festivals took place – during which the stories were recalled. Plato defines a festival as a correction of everyday life, a kind of immersion into the past, which might have been better, followed by a return to that purity, that past, that original idea. Of course, this is only a hypothesis. Before the story was written down, it was likely connected to such festivals and to certain specialists who, although illiterate, held authority within the community as bearers of memory – living archives."
We know that Cosmas, in his chronicle, mixes myths with historical facts—mythological figures with real historical personalities. So where does he give us clues, when reading his chronicle, that a passage is likely fictional, and when can we be certain that it refers to historical facts?
Golema: "When describing pre-Christian stories, up to the first historically documented ruler Bořivoj, he notes that he relies on legendary accounts of elders – suggesting uncertainty. Later, in the Christian period, he provides specific dates and historically verified names like Bořivoj and Ludmila. For example, he treats the mythical founder Přemysl the Ploughman as part of oral tradition and thus unreliable. As a Christian, Cosmas relied primarily on the Bible, yet he did not wish to completely dismiss these older stories."
The difference between historical facts and transmitted stories in Cosmas’s chronicle can also be recognized through the style of language.
Golema: "Let me explain with an example: when a student is taking an exam, their oral expression often develops through simple addition—“and then this happened, and then this, and then that.” There are no complex subordinate clauses, just these additive connections. We can find the same in the Bible. In the Book of Genesis, for example, it says: “and there was a day, and it was all good.” This kind of feature can be found in Cosmas’s chronicle, particularly in the story of the Maidens’ War. Then suddenly, a more learned style appears when he speaks about historical matters or writes in verse and plays with language. In this way, through linguistic form, he distinguishes the legendary accounts of the elders from more reliable sources and church records."
Because the Maidens’ War is so ancient, similar themes appear in other Indo-European cultures. When broken down, the story reflects what Professor Golema describes as a the trifunctional hypothesis which postulates a tripartite ideology. What exactly it is?
Golema: "This concept comes from French scholar Georges Dumézil, who studied Indo-European myths from Iceland to India. He found that societies often divided roles into three functions: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. This trifunctional hypothesis spread throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, but its origins lie not in the Bible, but in ancient mythologies."
We can also look at the story of the Maidens’ War in the context of this hypothesis.
Golema: "Přemysl is wise and avoids war; he is more of a lawgiver. That represents the first function in the story. His men, on the other hand, want to resolve everything through violence—they are the warriors, the second function. The women are meant to embody—but in the initial phase of the Maidens’ War do not embody—fertility, production, children, sexuality, and beauty. This corresponds to the third function. At first, these three functions are separated. An alliance forms between the wise and the strong on one side, while on the other are those we might call the beautiful, fertile, or wealthy. A conflict arises. Each side displays its strengths and fights with its own means. This symbolizes the so-called war of functions."
In the story of the Maidens’ War, the women are ultimately subdued by the men. Paradoxically, this also leads to the harmonization of society—the end of the war and the integration of the three functions, with women assuming a subordinate role. In this way, the story of the Maidens’ War becomes an interpretation and explanation of the medieval organization of Indo-European society.
Golema: "Of course, this is not a past we wish to replicate. Today, the story is often reinterpreted, portraying these women as proto-feminists. While not historically accurate, such interpretations are legitimate and serve contemporary purposes. The Maidens’ War can be adapted in many ways. In Cosmas’s time, it likely functioned as a kind of social charter explaining how society should be structured."
The story remains well known in the Czech Republic, partly because it has inspired many works of art—from operas by Bedřich Smetana and Leoš Janáček to a song by Karel Kryl. Why does this ancient story remain so compelling?
Golema: "When a story is good, it can be adapted in many ways and used not only as light entertainment, but also as a kind of political creed. These are the so-called lovingly preserved state relics, which in the 19th century were taken up by the Third Estate and adapted in a new way to include ideas of democracy, feminism, and equality. Such an adaptation is entirely legitimate."
As Professor Martin Golema explains, the Maidens’ War is not about historical events, but about how communities understand themselves. Humans think in stories, not in charts or tables. And when we need to remember something, a compelling story is invaluable—and the Maidens’ War clearly has that power.
