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 mythsand 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