Dragon / Smok Wawelski - Krakow, Poland
Posted by: Arne1
N 50° 03.180 E 019° 56.016
34U E 423659 N 5545068
Dragon statue near to royal castle in Krakow.
Waymark Code: WM9XXT
Location: Małopolskie, Poland
Date Posted: 10/13/2010
Views: 46
A popular version of Smok Wawelski's tale takes place in Kraków during the reign of King Krak, the city's legendary founder. Each day the evil dragon would beat a path of destruction across the countryside, killing the civilians, pillaging their homes and devouring their livestock. In many versions of this story, the dragon especially enjoyed eating young girls, and could only be appeased if the townfolk would leave a young girl in front of its cave once a month. The King certainly wanted to put a stop to the dragon, but his bravest knights fell to its fiery breath. In the versions involving the sacrifice of young girls, every girl in the city was eventually sacrificed except one, the King's daughter Wanda. In desperation, the King promised his beautiful daughter's hand in marriage to anybody who could defeat the dragon. Great warriors from near and far fought for the prize and failed. One day, a poor cobbler's apprentice named Skuba Dratewka accepted the challenge. 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 he drank and drank. But no amount of water could quell his aching stomach, and after swelling up from drinking half of the Vistula river, he exploded. Dratewka married the King's daughter as promised and they lived happily ever after. [wikipedia]
Time Period: Middle Ages
Approximate Date of Epic Period: mythical
Epic Type: Mythical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
|
Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this waymark, take a picture of the location and tell at least 'a little' bit about your encounter, impression or experience.