Wawel Dragon

 


The Wawel dragon, also known as Smok Wawelski and the dragon of Kraków. It's legend is tied with the founding of Kraków and the life of its earliest ruler, King Krakus. The earliest account of the dragon comes from the 13th century. No description of the dragon's appearance is given in the legend. However there's a statue of the dragon at the foot of Wawel hill in Kraków, near the entrance of a cave known as the dragon's den. This statue depicts a strange and spiky looking dragon with eight legs and fin like wings.

The legend goes that in the time of King Krakus, the legendary founder of Kraków, a dragon lived in a cave under Wawel Castle. The dragon would ravage the countryside, devouring people and livestock. To avoid the dragon's wrath people would satiate it's hunger with three cows and three rams a day, a hefty toll in livestock. Many knights tried to slay the dragon but none succeeded. Then a cobbler named Scuba came up with a plan. He filled a ram's hide with sulphur and pitch and fed it to the dragon along side the daily offerings. The dragon's fire ignited the stuffed ram inside it's stomach and the dragon started burning up inside. The dragon ran out of its cave and frantically drank water from the nearby Vistula River. The dragon drank and drank until it burst open and died. Scuba was rewarded greatly for his victory, and in some versions even married princess Wanda.

There's an earlier version of the myth where instead of a cobbler coming up with the plan to kill the dragon, the crown prince Krakus the younger did instead. Immediately after succeeding to kill the dragon Krakus the younger was then killed by his younger brother Lech, so he could take credit for the dragon's death. However Lech's treachery was found out and he was banished, resulting in the succession being passed down to princess Wanda instead.

There are bones in Wawel cathedral which are claimed to be the bones of the dragon. These bones are suspended above the main door in a bundle. It's believed that if the bones ever fall the Earth will be destroyed. These bones were later determined to be those of a whale.

Sources

https://its-poland.com/attraction/smok-wawelski-the-dragon-of-wawel

https://krakow.travel/en/artykul/115/the-legend-of-the-wawel-dragon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawel_Dragon



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