The Polish Legends Part 1

By Jaroslaw Skora

This book contains 20 Polish legends. The selection includes the stories about the beginnings of the Polish country, the Slavic traditions, and the legend of the cities: Warsaw, Poznan and Torun. The choice includes the legends: The legend of Lech, The legend of Prince Popiel, Piast, Queen of Baltic, Creation of the World by Slavs, Basilisk, The Mermaid of Warsaw, Wars and Sawa, Golden Duck, The legend of the Vistula Poverty, Founding of Poznan, The legend of the Poznan Goats, The legend about the king of ravens, The legend of St. Martin’s bagels, The legend of the battle of Polan, The legend of Bogumil and the queen of bees, The legend of St. Nicholas from Torun, The legend of the rafter and frogs, The cat who defended Torun, About the cook Jordan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaroslaw Skora
• Release date: Oct 12, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301738281

Book preview

The Polish Legends

Part 1

By Jaroslaw Skora

SMASHWORDS EDITION

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Copyright 2012 by Jaroslaw Skora

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Table of Contents:

The legend of Lech

The legend of Prince Popiel

Piast

Queen of Baltic

Creation of the World by Slavs

Basilisk

The Mermaid of Warsaw

Wars and Sawa

Golden Duck

The legend of the Vistula Poverty

Founding of Poznan

The legend of the Poznan Goats

The legend about the king of ravens

The legend of St. Martin’s bagels

The legend of the battle of Polan

The legend of Bogumil and the queen of bees

The legend of St. Nicholas from Torun

The legend of the rafter and frogs

The cat who defended Torun

About the cook Jordan

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The legend of Lech

Long, long ago, the Slavic tribes inhabited the today’s Black Sea region. At the head of three powerful tribes were the brothers: cheerful, dark-haired Lech, and acute and lively Czech and always quiet Rus. Thanks to the wisdom of the leaders, the tribes lived in peace and welfare. Many children were born, thus increasing the amount of the population.

But after a time, the tribe began to run out of food. Depleted fields could not give a sufficient number of grains. Also, the animals in the forests and fish in the rivers were scarce. People began to starve.

Problems with food did not go unnoticed by the brothers. They decided to confer how to solve this problem.

The situation in our land is bad, said Lech.

Hunger threatens our peoples, confirmed Czech.

True, muttered the Rus.

We must do something, said Lech.

But what? asked Rus.

We cannot gather more grain in our fields, said Czech. Wild animals in our forests are gone, too.

And less and less fish in the rivers, said Rus.

I know! shouted Lech. We will buy food from the sailors, who come to us from distant lands.

We will buy, indeed confirmed happy Rus.

But how can we pay them? Czech asked cleverly. After all, we have neither silver nor gold.

We haven’t, indeed confirmed Lech and Rus.

They discussed it for two whole two days and nights until Lech finally said:

We have to move out and look for new and better lands for our tribes

But this is our homeland, objected Rus.

Yes, but it's the only solution, said Czech. Otherwise we will die.

You are right, said saddened Rus.

So, a deal? said Lech.

A deal, replied Czech and Rus.

The next day they called together all the people and told them what they came up with. At first, some did not like the decision of the leaders but were soon convinced.

For a week, everyone prepared for the journey. People packed their belongings, and the priests raised their prayers to the gods for the success of the expedition.

Finally came a day on which they left their homeland. They walked for a long time through the great impenetrable forests, marshlands and mountains. On the way, they fought off the attacks of hostile wild tribes and herds of hungry wolves.

After many weeks of wandering they reached the edge of a great mountain. From here stretched an amazing view. On the east were boundless fertile plains, crossed by the waters of many rivers. On the south were high mountains covered with dense forest and on the north a beautiful land crossed by hills, lakes and rivers.

Here, the brothers decided to separate. Rus looked east and said:

There on the plains will be our home. The fertile fields will give us so much grain that we'll never be hungry.

You know me, brothers, said Czech looking south. I love the mountains and wind. Without them I could not live. In these forests is so much wild game to feed my people. We will settle there.

Hearing the brothers’ words, Lech looked north and said:

Agreed, we will live in the north.

The brothers had a heartily farewell. They swore to each other that their tribes will live in peace and meet somewhere in the future. Then everyone went his way.

Lech wandered with his people for many days before he went up to the plain on the banks of the Warta River. It was a land of rivers filled with fish, forests full of animals and the fertile ground. Enchanted with the beauty of this place, he decided to pitch a camp there.

When the twilight began and the sky took on red, something