A post by Patricia Huelseman, Fall 2010
So far, we have traveled a lot. We have seen many things. It has been great, and I think I am beginning to get a feel for the local culture. I simply love things that are not universal, things that are unique to a particular region. In a world as ancient as Europe, there are countless traditions that belong exclusively to a city or country. It is so fun to find out about the history of a city and learn of its own traditions. Unfortunately, as time passes and the story is retold and retold, it has a way of mixing and mingling with other stories. In the end, there might be some sort of fabrication of the truth, but tradition has a way of spicing things up. This can make it hard to get to the facts and ignore the folklore. The story I am about to tell you is entirely factual. There is scientific evidence backing the information I am about to give you. Carbon dating has confirmed what I am about to say.
The history of Krakow Poland is a unique one. Cities like Salzburg were named for their industry (in the case of Salzburg, for its great supply of salt). Others, like Constantinople, were named for their founder. Krakow, however, was named for its conqueror.
A very long time ago, there was a happy village nestled on the banks of the River Vistula. The people lived in peace and harmony and enjoyed life greatly. Poland was a happy land, and they were a happy people. This, however, couldn’t last forever, deep within a riverside cave, lived a very unhappy dragon.
Okay, so the fire breathing dragon. He was very unhappy with the villagers for disturbing his quiet with their constant merriment. In an effort to drive the townspeople away, he demanded that every week a new offering would be made to him. At first, he was happy with a lamb or two but soon he became greedy and demanded more and more.
Eventually, he required that a virgin be brought to him every week that he might devour her. This went on and the people of the town eventually became accustomed to such suffering. It became a tragic way of life. When the dragon noticed the beauty of the king’s daughter, he would not be satisfied until he could have her. But the king could not bear to lose his beautiful daughter to the repulsive dragon. Highly distressed, the king offered a great prize, the princess’ hand in marriage, to whoever would kill the dragon and free the town of their enslavement to him.
Knight after knight attempted to kill the dragon but to no avail. No man who entered the cave ever came back. Time was running out and the town was losing hope. But in classic David and Goliath style, a hero emerged from the most unlikely of places. A young shoemaker named Krakus decided to try his best at killing the dragon. No-body had faith in him. And who could blame them? He was short and skinny and a shoemaker for goodness sakes. Countless knights and soldiers had fought valiantly but had not succeeded. Why would the poor shoemaker be able to do what they had not?
This shoemaker, however, was smart. He took some sheep skin and stuffed it so that it would appear alive. He filled the skin with sulfur and placed it before the mouth of the cave. When the hungry dragon noticed the sheep, he emerged and ate the skin in one swift bite.
Soon, the dragon became thirsty. Really thirsty. He rushed to the river and began to drink. But the water wasn’t curing his thirst. He drank and drank and the river got lower and lower. Eventually, the dragon began to swell, but he continued drinking. Suddenly, the dragon took one last drink and his body could hold the water no longer. He burst into hundreds of pieces, dragon skin covering the water and shore.
The dragon had been defeated! Krakus gathered a few pieces of the skin and went immediately to his shop. Later that day, he presented a very elegant pair of dragon-skin shoes to the princess—she immediately accepted his hand in marriage. The townspeople rejoiced in their liberation and gladly followed their new leader Krakus.
A stronghold was built on Wawel Hill. Because of the great prosperity and merry nature of the town, people from all around Poland were attracted to the area. It grew and grew until it finally became a city which was named in honor of its finest citizen and hero. Today, the citizens of Krakow still remember their liberator. A statue of the evil dragon was built and can be seen near the river, below the castle walls. This is to remind the people of the terror in which their town had once lived.
The town’s people sell dragon toys and trinkets, they have statues and reminders. It truly is a wonderful piece of Krakow culture. I’m sure you are not convinced by now that the above story is true. Whether true or not, this story really is a part of Krakow; it really does shape the city and make it what it is. Stories like these are really the best. It is so fun to learn what the local traditions are and how they began. This one just happened to begin with a scaly monster living in the depths of a riverside cave.
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