Awilda legend:

Awilda (meaning ‘untamed’) is the anglicized name of the legendary fifth-century Swedish princess-become-pirate then queen, Alfhild, (see Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesto Danorum, the first full history of Denmark, ~1185 CE).

Daughter of the Geatish (Swedish) king Siward, Alfhild was a shield maiden (woman warrior) who had her own fleet of longships, with crews of young female pirates who raided along the coasts of the Baltic Sea.

As a young princess, Alfhild’s chamber was guarded by a lizard and a snake, which scared away unworthy suitors. A Danish prince named Alf, also of Swedish descent, came to Sweden and defeated the animal guards. But Alfhild, advised by her mother, fled from Alf, dressed as a man, and became a shield maiden.

Alf and his Swedish comrade, Borgar, together with their Danish sea-warriors, searched for and eventually found Alfhild and her fleet by the coast of southern Finland. After some deadly fighting aboard the ships, Alfhild’s helmet was knocked off, and she was recognised. Alf and Borgar ordered their men to stop fighting, and Alf embraced Alfhild, happy to finally have found her. She then decided to lay off her warrior clothes and follow Alf to Denmark, where they got married and lived happily ever after.

Awilda meaning:

 Awilda means “untamed; willow”. We especially appreciate the double entendrè of the word ‘untamed’. While commonly used in reference to something wild and in need of taming, it can also mean ‘un-tamed’ – the un-doing of too much taming.

Awilda logo:

The fox and the willow in Awilda’s logo are derived from the meaning of her name.

In addition to being a literal depiction of one of her meanings, the willow is a lovely portrayal of her strong but malleable nature; moreover, her strength that is borne from her malleability.

The image of the fox in Awilda’s logo alludes to our favorite authority on the nature of taming – Antoine De Saint Exupery. In Exupery’s book “The Little Prince”, the fox explains for us the essence of taming in the evolution of friendship and the discovery of matters of importance.

The Spirit of Awilda:

Princesses, pirates, queens and kings… Taming, un-taming, casual acquaintances, intimate friends… And matters of importance… Each of these associations alludes to a quality of the spirit she chose to invoke when she told us her name was ‘Awilda’.