History is weird. One century you’re a teenager leading the French army against the English because voices in your head told you to, and six hundred years later, you’re the face of a "girls who vent" post on Instagram. It’s wild. Joan of Arc memes have become this strange, enduring subculture on the internet, blending high-brow historical nerdiness with the chaotic energy of modern stan culture.
Most people know the basics. The hair, the armor, the fire. But the way she lives on in digital spaces says way more about us than it does about 15th-century France. We’re obsessed with her.
The Weird Intersection of Faith and Shitposting
Why her? Honestly, it's the contrast. You have this incredibly sincere, pious figure—a literal saint—placed into the most cynical environments imaginable. The internet loves a contradiction. When you see a high-definition painting of Joan looking toward the heavens, but the caption is about her "standing on business" or being "the original girlboss," it hits a specific comedic frequency.
It’s not just about being funny, though. It’s about relatability.
The most common Joan of Arc memes usually lean into her age. She was nineteen when she died. Nineteen! Most of us at nineteen were struggling to figure out how to do laundry without shrinking everything, yet she was out here breaking the Siege of Orléans. This creates a massive "expectations vs. reality" goldmine for creators. You’ll see TikToks comparing a messy dorm room to Joan’s military career with a caption like "Me at 19 vs. Joan of Arc at 19." It’s self-deprecating. It’s relatable. It works.
Then there’s the "Fate/Grand Order" effect. If you aren't a gamer, you might not realize that a huge portion of Joan's modern digital footprint comes from the Fate franchise. In that world, she’s a "Ruler" class servant. This version of Joan—often called Jeanne d'Arc—has spawned a literal mountain of fan art and memes that blur the line between historical figure and anime waifu. It's a bit jarring if you're a historian, but it's kept her relevant to a generation that might not have paid attention in history class.
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When History Becomes a Template
Let's talk about the specific formats.
One of the most recurring jokes involves the "voices." In her trial, Joan famously claimed she heard Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret. In the world of Joan of Arc memes, these voices are often replaced with modern intrusive thoughts.
- "The voices told me to buy the $7 iced coffee."
- "The voices said the English have to go."
- "The voices are telling me to start a fight in the group chat."
It’s a way of secularizing her experience. We take the divine and make it mundane. It’s a coping mechanism for the chaos of the 2020s.
Then you have the fire memes. These are darker. They usually feature some variation of her being "lit" or "on fire," playing on her execution at the stake in 1431. Is it a bit disrespectful? Kinda. But the internet has a long history of gallows humor. Even the most tragic figures eventually get the meme treatment once enough centuries have passed.
The Aesthetic of the Maid
Visually, these memes rely on a very specific set of images.
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- Jules Bastien-Lepage’s 1879 painting: This is the one where she’s in a garden, looking dazed. It’s used for "dissociation" memes.
- The 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc: Maria Falconetti’s face in this movie is pure emotion. It’s perfect for reaction images when you’re feeling overwhelmed by life.
- Millais’ portrayal: The armor, the sword, the stoic gaze. This is the "boss babe" template.
Why She Survives the Cycle
Most memes die in a week. They have the shelf life of an open avocado. But Joan of Arc memes stick around because she represents something universal: the defiance of authority.
Think about it. A peasant girl tells the King of France what to do. She out-argues seasoned theologians during her trial. She refuses to back down even when the wood is being piled around her feet. That’s "main character energy" before the term existed. Whether you’re a political activist using her image to represent "fighting the system" or a teenager making a joke about how she’s "him" (or "her," technically), the core message is the same. She’s the ultimate underdog.
History is often taught as a series of boring dates and dusty treaties. Memes change the narrative. They make these figures human. When someone makes a meme about Joan being "the first person to ever get cancelled," they are—in a very weird, roundabout way—acknowledging the political machinations that led to her trial. It’s history by osmosis.
The Problem with Modern "Stanning"
Of course, there’s a limit.
Some historians argue that meme culture flattens her. It ignores the actual religious fervor that drove her. If you remove the God part of Joan, you aren't really looking at Joan anymore; you're looking at a modern projection wearing a suit of armor. There’s also the issue of political appropriation. Because Joan is a national symbol of France, her image (and by extension, the memes) gets pulled into right-wing and left-wing circles alike. Everyone wants a piece of her.
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In the gaming world, particularly in titles like Civilization VI or Age of Empires, Joan is a "Great General" or a hero unit. This leads to gameplay-specific memes—like her being "too OP" or her AI being unusually aggressive. These aren't about the real Joan at all; they’re about the digital avatar. But they still contribute to the overall "search volume" and cultural presence of her name.
Making Sense of the Chaos
If you're looking for the best places to find these, you’re basically looking at three hubs:
- Tumblr: Still the home of the "historical girlie" aesthetic. Lots of deep dives into her letters mixed with "she's so real for this" posts.
- Reddit: Check out r/HistoryMemes. It’s a revolving door of 100 Years War jokes.
- Twitter/X: This is where the "stan" accounts live, treating 15th-century figures like modern pop stars.
Honestly, the fact that we’re still talking about her in 2026 is a testament to her impact. Most people from 1412 are completely forgotten. She’s a JPEG on a screen. She’s a gif. She’s a symbol.
Actionable Steps for History Enthusiasts
If you've gone down the rabbit hole of Joan of Arc memes and want to actually know the person behind the pixels, here is how you can move from the meme to the reality without losing the fun.
- Read the Trial Transcripts: They are surprisingly readable. You get to see her actual words. She was incredibly sassy to her judges. It’s better than any meme caption. Look for the translation by Daniel Hobbins; it's the gold standard.
- Watch the 1928 Film: Seriously. The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It’s silent, but it’s more intense than most modern action movies. You’ll recognize half the frames from memes you’ve already seen.
- Visit Orléans (Virtually or In-Person): The city still celebrates her every May. Seeing how a whole city maintains a 600-year-old "fandom" puts the internet's obsession into perspective.
- Check Out "The Maid" by Katherine J. Chen: If you want a novel that feels like a modern "reclamation" of her story, this is a great place to start. It strips away the myth and focuses on the grit.
Stop looking at her as just a punchline. The memes are a gateway drug. Use them to understand why a teenager from a tiny village managed to change the map of Europe forever. She wasn't just "lit"—she was a force of nature.