Spooky Season: Anne Dieu-le-Veut

It’s spooky season, my absolute favorite time of year. I grew up in a very creative household. Several of my family members are artists or musicians, my father is a prop maker and set designer and his mother was a costume maker. So, I have an affinity (and passion) for costumes and prop-making.

This costume was Anne Dieu-le-Veut. She was a French pirate of the 15th century and one of the only female buccaneers. She was called Anne Dieu-le-Veut, which means means “Anne God Wants,” because it was believed that, whenever she wanted something, God would give it to her.

Although it was believed that women were bad luck on ships, Anne was considered a good luck charm and was often considered a mascot of the ship.

She manned the ship along with her pirate husband—the famous pirate buccaneer Laurens de Graaf—without hiding her gender and it is believed that she took the position of commander during some famed battles.

When her first husband died she challenged Laurens de Graaf to a duel to avenge his death. When she met his sword with her gun, he said he would not duel a woman. He then proposed to her out of admiration. They eventually had a daughter who followed in her mother’s footsteps.