Polish Legends, Folklore, Myths and Stories

Poland like every other nation has its own traditions, and an integral part of these traditions are countless myths and legends.

These stories constitute an important aspect of national heritage. The legends initially oral, then written stories have been handed down from generation to generation.

Many of these legends have been around for a thousand years or more. Some legends, myths and stories recount the meaning behind Poland's national symbol and flag.

They tell about several of its early rulers and about the first king, and the dragon of Krakow. Many of the legends take place in actual places that one could visit today.

Poland like much of Europe has many legends and myths and like legends and folktales the world over none really knows whether these stories may or may not have some truth in them.

The Legend of the Wawel Dragon

This legend is one of the most popular polish legends.

There are many versions of the legend.

A popular version of the Wawel-dragon tale takes place in Cracow during the reign of King Krak, the city's legendary founder.

Acting place: a settlement on the River Vistula, under the Wawel Hill where the polish monarchs had his residence

Acting time: early Middle Ages, the beginning of the Polish statehood

Characters: King Krak- the legendary founder of Cracow, his daughter Wanda, a poor shoemaker called Skuba, knights, the inhabitants of the settlement

The main plot: Once upon a time a cruel beast- a dragon settled in a deep, dark cave under the Wawel Hill.

It became a serious disaster for the poor village people, who sacrificed their living belongings to save their lives.

But it became more and more dangerous as the dragon started to kill and to wolf pure people down.

The inhabitants of the settlement were very scared and they asked their monarch to solve the problem, which wasn’t easy because it involved many human beings.

The king himself and his best knights tried several times to exterminate the monster, but there was no result.

One day a poor shoemaker called Skuba appeared at the royal court. He promised the king to kill the dragon using not force but a trick.

He stuffed a lamb with sulphur and set it outside the dragon's cave. The dragon ate it and soon became incredibly thirsty.

He turned to the Vistula River for relief and drank and drank.

and after swelling up from drinking half the Vistula river, he exploded. But no amount of water could quench his aching stomach,

Skuba married the King's daughter as promised, and they lived happily ever after.

Dragon in sculpture and culture You can still visit some places connected with the legend.

Wawel-dragon sculpture in Cracow by Bronisław Chromy

Dragon’s den in Cracow

Wawel Dragons (Gold, Silver, Bronze Grand Prix Dragons and Dragon of Dragons Special Prize) are awards, usually presented at Cracow Film Festival in Poland

Use your imagination to recreate the story using your cultural background.

The presentation has been prepared by Ryszard So ł tysik Zespó ł Szkó ł w Humniskach