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 byRyszard SołtysikZespół Szkół w Humniskach