Jakub Szela: to some a criminal and traitor, to some a folk hero who fought for the rights of peasants. The leader of the Galician Slaughter of 1846 has recently become a popular character in Polish culture. Among other works, he has returned in the widely discussed drama by Paweł Demirski W imię Jakuba S. (In the name of Jakub S.), directed in 2011 by Monika Strzępka, and in the novel Baśń o wężowym sercu. Wtóre słowo o Jakóbie Szeli (The tale of the snake-heart. A second look at Jakób Szela), for which Radosław Rak received a Nike award in 2020. What kind of Szela would be possible today?