Movies, books and many other works of fiction identify a certain type of character . This type of character is called a femme fatale, a mysterious , seductive women who are known for their tenacious ability to bring potentially deadly situations. Therefore the story of Margaretha Geertruida “Margreet” MacLeod better known as Mata Hari – a exotic dancer who was accused of being a German Spy right in the height of World War 1, draws fascination from all spectrum of literature and art. Covering her entire story is too arduous due to the very vivid and colorful life she led. Here are some interesting facts about her.
Origins
- Born the eldest of four children to Dutch parents, her faher was the owner of a hat shop, who invesed sucessfully in oil, this allowed her to have a fairly affluent childhood in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
- Her father went bankrupt, her parents divorced and she went to live with other relatives
Marriage
- A 18 , she married Dutch Colonial Army Captain Rudolf MacLeod , a soldier stationed in Dutch East Indies ( Now Indonesia), Macleod was from a fairly well off family and Margreet secured her finances.
- The family was not a happy one as Macleod was an alcoholic, and beat his wife regularly and even kept a concubine, a generally accepted custom then. Margreet moved in another officer and it was here she learnt the art of dance and started calling herself Mata Hari . or the Eye of the Day. Perhaps her light were her two children Norman and Jeanne , who unfortunately were taken away , the former by death and the latter by her husband when they finally divorced.
Paris and Fame
It was in Paris where she blossomed like a deadly nightshade. Promiscuous, flirtatious, and openly flaunting her body, Mata Hari captivated her audiences and was an overnight success from the debut of her act at the Musee Guimet on 13 March 1905. She became the mistress of the millionaire Lyon industrialist Emile Etienne Guimet. She moved in wealthy circles and many considered her to be truly divine as quoted by one such fan
“So feline, extremely feminine, majestically tragic, the thousand curves and movements of her body trembling in a thousand rhythms.”
War and The End
Due to her extraordinary status , Mata Hari was wanted by many individuals and powerful individuals at that, slowly , especially in the first world war. Once a free spirited bohemian , now a dangerous seductress. No wonder she was accused of being a spy for the Germans and eventually executed by the French , a 100 years ago.
So who was she? a deadly female spy? an exotic dancer, an abused mother? all of them? Yet her legacy stands to reason as it is only last year that files pertaining to her was Released by the French Army. A 100 years after her death.