Fishwife, Harpy, Harridan, Shrew: Brand Names Leaning into the Lore

Women are called a lot of names. History is filled with them, especially names describing women considered loud and aggressive—fishwife, harpy, harridan, and shrew to name a few.

Let’s be honest, this isn’t just a thing of the past. That’s when these names started. But they haven’t ended there. Today, brands are choosing these very names and lending new life to the lore.

This post explores these names—fishwife, harpy, harridan, shrew—in particular. Each one has origins in the distant past and in far away places, yet has found new meaning thanks to women-owned brands, unafraid to change the narrative.

To shout, be strict, assertive or generally “unpleasant” earned women these four distinct names, among others:

As names go, Fishwife is as descriptive as they come (a woman who sells fish). However, the layers of lore and meaning attached to this name is thought to go back to the Middle English period (1150-1500).

For example, here’s one explanation of how the name came to be associated with a woman of coarse behavior, temperament and vocabulary.

Some wives and daughters of fishermen were notoriously loud and foul-mouthed, as noted in the expression, To swear like a fishwife as they sold fish in the marketplace. Among the reasons for their outspokenness were that their wares were highly perishable and lost value if not sold quickly, and the similarity of their product to that of others selling the same thing, with volume of voice or colorful language drawing customer attention. Also, managing alone while their menfolk were away fishing for extended periods made them strong and self-sufficient.

In this context, the word wife means woman rather than married woman, from the Old English wif (woman).

Source: Wikipedia, Fishwife

Furthermore, the reputations of fishwives seemed to vary by location, such as Billingsgate, Cullercoats (England), and Newhaven (Scotland).

Now, there’s a new fishwife on the map.

This brand always catches my eye at the grocery store. Along with its memorable name, its brand design and product packaging is unique and eye-catching. Each box is like a colorful, contemporary piece of art.

Here’s how the Fishwife brand tells its story. I love how they own the meaning (fish-what?) and run with it in a positive way (who we are) without over-explaining.

By the way, every Fishwife anchovy tin contains a slip of paper that indicates which woman handpacked the tin in its Northern Spain cannery.

The name Harpy harkens back to Greek and Roman mythology. It comes from the Latin harpyia, which hails from the Greek harpuiai meaning ‘snatchers’ or ‘swift robbers.’

From Homer to Dante, the exact interpretation of a Harpy seems to vary, but it’s generally described as having the body of a giant-winged bird with the head of a woman. It flew fast as the wind and is considered a vicious, cruel and violent torturer and abductor.

Similar to Shrew, Shakespeare steps in to weave the lasting metaphor into our cultural realm:

The term is often used metaphorically to refer to a nasty or annoying woman. In Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Benedick spots the sharp-tongued Beatrice approaching and exclaims to the prince, Don Pedro, that he would do an assortment of arduous tasks for him “rather than hold three words conference with this harpy!”

Source: Wikipedia, Harpy

Compared to Fishwife and Harpy, there’s not as much information on the origins of the name Harridan. However, it’s thought to have 16th or 17th century French origins from the word haridelle, “old horse, nag.”

In fact, The Oxford English Dictionary credits English engraver, medallist, and playwright, Thomas Rawlins with the earliest usage before 1670.

It’s also considered similar to the name shrew:

The similar term harridan, widely also considered a synonym of shrew, originated as a late-17th-century slang term for ‘aging prostitute’ (probably from 16th-century French haridelle, ‘old horse’, in metaphor a ‘gaunt, ill-favoured woman’). It has taken on the meaning of scolding, nagging, bossy, belligerent woman, especially an older one, and is not tied to literary context.

Source: Wikipedia, Shrew (stock character)

There’s a lot of history connected to the name shrew. I’m not sure I can do it justice in this post, but I’ll try to hit the high points.

It all started with the name shrew for the tiny mole-like mammal. Then came the mythology, lore, and superstitions associating its features to humans.

For example, here’s a great snapshot of how shrew evolved:

In Old English, shrews were superstitiously feared and were believed to have a venomous bite, which is not true as shrews in England are not venomous; in fact, our North American Blarina brevicauda is the only venomous shrew species. These small mammals became the source of another usage for the word shrew as an evil or scolding person, used in that sense since at least the 11th century and made immortal by Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Despite the intention of the title, Blarina brevicauda cannot be domesticated!

Source: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, “The Naming of the Shrew”

Who am I to wag a finger at Shakespeare? Nonetheless, I do. With one work in the 1590s, he enshrined the concept of a man’s need to tame an unruly woman into a cultural canon.

The Shrew is another brand founded by a woman who carved her niche in a largely male-dominated industry.

Here’s a snippet from “About Us” by The Shrew:

The Shrew was founded in 2021 by Kate Lacey, who has more than fifteen years as a watch specialist at leading international auction houses.

She says: ‘I was inspired to launch THE SHREW during my own search for the perfect watch in what can be a fairly male-dominated industry. I noticed that women collectors weren’t finding what they wanted and weren’t being offered the choice of great watches that men often are. I understand the struggles that new buyers and collectors face and the things she should be looking out for in a timepiece.’

Kate offers an approachable, well-connected and knowledgeable service in a very specialist field, offering beautiful and meticulously sourced  time-pieces…

Note: There is also a brand called Shrew Bows. However, its logo suggests that its origins connect to the tiny mammal.

I admire the brands that chose these names. In my opinion, it demonstrates how the founders were able to see the world as it is, AND how they want it to be.

Based on their stories, Fishwife, Harpy, Harridan, and Shrew stand for boldness, defiance, innovation, creativity, and uplifting communities. The founders of these brands tamed the meanings of names that once sought (and still seek) to label and tame women.

That’s a necessary ingredient for progress: a new narrative. And it can start with one name.