The Wawel Dragon

Polish legend – original version

Szkoła Podstawowa im.

gen Antoniego Hedy

ps. „Szary” w Kowali

High on a hill

A long time ago

Lived good King Krak,

In old Krakow.

King Krak likes to laugh and

dance and sing.

But today he is angry.

What’s wrong with the king?

„That terrible dragon has got

to go!

But how can that happen?

Does anyone know?

My people are frightened,

and they are quite right!”

„The dragon comes out

of its cave every night!

It’s eating our sheep

and our goats, you know!

It’s frightening everyone,

here in Cracow!”

„The dragon must die! There’s no other way!”

„I need a brave man – and I need him today!

The man who can kill

this terrible thing,

can marry my daughter

and live like a king!”

And so, lots of men come near to the

cave.

They’re all big and strong and all very

brave!

Day after day, the brave men appear.

„I’ll kill the dragon. I’ll use my long

spear!”

But the dragon is clever, and as it

turns round,

Its terrible tail knocks him onto the

ground!

Another brave man

wants to please the King.

But the terrible dragon

kills the man with its wing!

Another goes too near

the dragon’s big head.

The dragon breathes fire

and now the man’s dead!

The brave men are frightened

and no one goes back.

Then Skuba,the shoemaker,

goes to King Krak.

He’s got an idea.

He knows what to do.

„I know how to kill the dragon for you!

„Just bring me some sulphur,

a needle and thread.

I promise tomorrow

that thing will be dead!

„And bring me the skin

of one of your sheep!

There’s no need to worry.

You can all go to sleep!”

So, all through the night, he works on his plan.

And everyone asks, „Who is this young man?”

„He’s putting the sulphur inside the sheepskin!”

„What is he making? What a very strange thing?”

And so the next day he

places the sheep

Outside the cave,

When the dragon’s asleep!

The dragon is hungry,

So when it wakes up,

It eats up the sheep

With one great big gulp!

„My tummy’s on fire!

I’m dying, I think!

Where is the river?

I must have a drink!”

It drinks and it drinks

and very soon,

its tummy goes ‘POP’

like a party ballon!

The dragon is dead!

The King’s full of joy.

„Whatever you want,

you can have, my dear

boy!”

So Skuba and Wanda

are now man and wife.

And everyone has

a wonderful life!

Drawings by:

•Gabriela Ślusarczyk

•Dominika Piotrowska

•Marta Brzoza

•Weronika Nosek

•Ola Osman

•Sandra Śmiglarska

•Jakub Wojcieszyński

•Wiktoria Daleszak

•Filip Garbat

The story after:

The Cracow Dragon,

Express Publishing

Presentation: Anna Głogowska-Frączek