"Madame Sarka" is a one-act ballet choreographed by Frederick Ashton, set to the incidental music for "Taras Bulba" and "Jeux de Simultanés" by Leoš Janáček. The ballet premiered in 1937 and tells the story of a Bohemian May Queen, Sarka, and her relationship with her fiancé, a simple and innocent man named Václav.

While Ctirad and his men celebrated their "rescue" with drugged mead provided by Šárka, she sounded a hunting horn—a signal for Vlasta’s hidden army to strike.

The origin of Šárka’s legend lies in the (Dívčí válka), a mythical 8th-century conflict that broke out after the death of Libuše, the founding mother of Prague. According to the Dalimil Chronicle , the women of Bohemia, led by the warrior Vlasta, rose up against male rule to establish their own sovereign state.

Madame Sarka’s rise to prominence is largely attributed to her distinctive persona, which blends a classic, aristocratic elegance with a terrifyingly strict demeanor. Unlike the stereotypical "fantasy" dominatrix often portrayed in popular media, Madame Sarka’s presence is grounded in a terrifying reality. She is renowned for her physical beauty—often characterized by her striking physique and elegant wardrobe—but it is her psychological acuity that defines her.

Madame Sarka kept a ledger bound in green leather. It lay on a low table by the window, its pages filled with neat, spidery entries: names, dates, and brief notes—“Poppy: fear of thunder,” “Mr. Radley: long nights.” When someone came to her, she would write a single line and fold the page into a triangle before whispering it into a copper bowl. The bowl would warm under her palm, and the visiting person always left a little lighter, as though a pocket were emptied of worry.

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And so the town remembered her the way she had taught them—to pay attention to the small salvations: the handed cup of tea, the right word at the right time, the stones gathered and placed where they might steady a path. The children still dared each other at the blue gate, but now they did so with gentler laughter, and once in a while a coin—warm and stamped with no mint—appeared under a pillow, a small, secret proof that some comforts survive even when their makers do not.

To understand Madame Šárka, one must examine the socio-political mythos of early Bohemia. According to the historical accounts of Czech legends , the land was originally co-ruled by the revered, clairvoyant Queen Libuše. Under her matriarchal guidance, women enjoyed immense status, serving as advisors, judges, and protectors of the realm.