polish legends, folklore, myths and stories. poland like every other nation has its own traditions,...
TRANSCRIPT
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