The Yellow Clog, Polish Folklore

The Yellow Clog is a very condensed version based on a story by Antonina Domanska (1853-1917). It is a very popular story in Poland, which comes from Krakow. It mentions such big historic names as King Kasimir Jagiello (1427-1492), Jan Dlugosz (1415-1480) a well-known Polish chronicler and Wit Stwosz (1450-1533) a German sculptor best known for an altarpiece in St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow.

In the city of Krakow, full of arts and vibrant atmosphere filled with young students, at the St. Mary’s Basilica, workmen were restoring an altar made ages before by a famous German sculptor Veit Stoss, when they found a yellow clog behind the altar.

Many years ago, or even longer, in a small village near Krakow, there was a boy named Vitek. As long as he could get a piece of wood, he could carve from dawn until night instead of watching grazing cows. The spanking didn’t help. The threats of taking every piece of wood didn’t help. But one day he was so absorbed with carving that a grazing cow escaped him and destroyed the priest’s crops. Vitek got so scared that he himself escaped to the woods and wandered for days. The woods were so big and so thick that he couldn’t find the way out. So he walked and walked and then out of the woods he saw a city in the distance.

The boy entered the city and saw the most fascinating thing he’s ever seen in his life. The town center was full of colorful glittering things being sold at tables. A man wearing the weirdest clothes was throwing balls in the air. Another guy wore a jacket with one red sleeve and one yellow. His pants’ one leg was in straps and the other in squares. His face was covered in white paint with a big round red nose. On top of that he was acting weird trying to make people laugh. The day was reaching the end, when Vitek accidently stumbled at one of those guys. He jumped as he got scared. The guy laughed, “You’re not afraid of a clown, are you? Where are you heading?” The boy stammered for a moment “I got lost in the woods. I have to get back home, which is near Krakow.” “You’re in luck. Our next stop is in Krakow. So you can come with us tomorrow morning.”

When they reached Krakow the next day, the city was very alive with people enjoying Sunday, a day free off of work. Vitek said his goodbyes and parted with the circus. He didn’t know which way to turn, so he just wandered through the narrow cobbled streets admiring the details of the facades of the buildings. His eyes were amazed with specifics of the columns standing gloriously by the windows and holding small and big decorative roofs. His eyes were up in the sky, not noticing a stone under his foot, which almost sent him to the ground.

A father from a convent was struggling to close a heavy and massive door of one of the most splendid churches, when he noticed Vitek almost falling to the ground. He wondered about the lonely boy dressed in tattered clothes and shabby shoes, “Where are your parents, young boy?” “I got lost in the woods and I need to get back home. Please, help me” begged boy. “What are the names of your parents and the village you come from?” “My father’s name is Tolek and mother’s Barbara and the village is Poreba” answered boy. “Oh, that’s not an easy task. All those names are very common including the village” thought father to himself “But we have to take care of the boy before we find his parents.”

He took the boy to father Jan Dlugosz, who was a well-known chronicler and diplomat. Jan took part in many diplomatic missions negotiating peace between countries. Once, the situation with the boy was explained to him, Jan tactfully announced, “I could always use some help in recording events. So we could teach the boy how to read and write.”

Vitek turned out to be a quick learner and a good help. Weeks went by and one day after a stormy and windy night a small tree fell down in the convent’s orchard. One of the fathers lamented about losing a tree that was bringing fruits. Vitek, without any wood available to him, has not carved for a long time and longed for this deeply. He saw an opportunity right away and offered, “Can I chop the tree and make some use of the wood?” “Oh, yes” the father answered with already a better mood, “We can use it in the winter to light the fire.” But that’s not what Vitek had in mind.

The boy was so busy during the day with all the chores and reading and writing lessons that he had only nights left to do some carving. His favorite statues were of people and animals were he painstakingly was trying to show the anatomy of each muscle. His attention to details was making the figures almost look alive.

One night Vitek was so absorbed with carving that he didn’t hear father Jan coming into his room. “I saw the light. It’s after midnight. What are you doing so late?” Troubled Vitek knew he couldn’t lie, so he showed the carvings he’d been hiding. Jan’s face brightened at the beautiful artwork, but at the same time he was trying to keep his face straight. He didn’t want the boy to think that it was ok to be doing this in secret, most of all during the night, when he was supposed to be getting his rest.

Father Jan knew just the right person to take Vitek to. Next morning, he took the boy to the church, where a master sculptor named Veit Stoss was carving an altarpiece. He was a master in showing human emotions in his woodwork. He carefully reviewed the boy’s sculptures and was amazed how far advanced the young boy’s skills were. It took many years of practice for many sculptors to achieve what he’s already achieved at such young age.

Veit Stoss looked at the boy and pointed at the altar. The altar was composed of three sections: one big in the middle with two smaller on the sides. This way you could cover the altar with the side parts as you were closing doors. Most of the holy figures were already done, but some still had to be carved. The boy’s eyes were wide opened as he has never seen such artwork and was magnified by the expressions of the figures. One of the silhouettes was falling to the knees and was held by another person. The expression on the face of the falling silhouette made Vitek believe that she was begging for help.

The master saw boy’s fascination and asked “Vitek, would you like to help me with finishing this altar?” The boy’s eyes opened even wider in surprise, he stammered “Of, of course, master.” Vitek could hardly contain his happiness.

Not long after that, King Kasimir Yagiello, who was residing in Krakow, which was the capital of Poland at the time, visited the church to see the progress. He was very impressed with almost finished altar and gave high praise to Veit Stoss. The master being a humble person could not take all the credit, as he turned around he saw the boy and introduced him to the King.

The King looked at the skinny boy dressed in what still looked like rags and asked him, “Young boy what would you like to receive for your hard work?” Vitek once saw a merchant from foreign land, who was wearing yellow clogs. Since then the boy was dreaming to have the same clogs. He knew exactly what he wished for and said “A pair of yellow clogs.” The king chuckled and repeated “A pair of yellow clogs” and added “You shall receive them.”

Right before the last touches of finishing the altarpiece, Vitek came across his old friend in the streets of Krakow. Vitek with his friend’s help found the way back to his village and his parents. There was so much joy and so many tears and all this right in time for the big ceremony.

The altar was ready and the day came to reveal it in a big ceremony. For that occasion Vitek put his yellow clogs on. But right before the King’s arrival, the master Stoss noticed that one of the figures was missing scrolls in the hand. Vitek climbed the altar to put in the missing piece. Unfortunately, while climbing, one of his yellow clogs slipped and fell behind the altar. It slipped somewhere between the tiny gaps. He was not able to retrieve it and was very sad about losing the yellow clog, but happy that he saved the situation.

The yellow clog was never found until the ages later during the restoration time. The workmen were so fascinated by the clog that it engaged them in search of the story.

 

Mouse Tower, Polish Folktale

The so called Mouse Tower was built in the 15^th century by the Lake Goplo in Poland and still stands there. You can try your luck and search for Popiel’s clothes and Ortrud’s jewelry there. The story will explain.

A long time ago, there was a ruler named Popiel, who lived by Lake Goplo in the land called Poland. When he died his only son also named Popiel was still young. So he ruled the lands with the help of his twelve uncles. The young Popiel was lazy and didn’t care about his people. He wanted everything for himself.

When Popiel grew up, he married a girl from neighboring lands. Ortrud was known for her beauty and greed. So she had one thing in common with Popiel, but it wasn’t the beauty, it was the greed. They lived in a wooden castle and it didn’t take long when Ortrud said “This castle will crumble down any moment. We need to build a new castle made of stone.” So a big castle was built with such tall tower that you could have seen it for miles away.

With all the money gone, Popiel ordered people “Bring me all the goods including animals, fish, grain and honey.” The uncles begged the ruler not to do this pleading “If there is nothing left, people will be hungry. If people are hungry, they won’t have strength to work.” But Popiel and Ortrud ignored all the pleading.

And that’s when Popiel’s nightly nightmares started. When he was deep in a sleep, he dreamed of an army of mice coming after him. One tiny mouse said to him “I’ll eat you.” Popiel woke up sweating. “It was only a dream” he said and went back to sleep.

Some time went by and situation was getting worse. The twelve uncles continued insisting “Popiel you need to stop oppressing the people. You are ruining your lands.” Gertrud didn’t like the uncles getting in the way and laughed at her husband “What kind of ruler are you that you’re allowing uncles to tell you what to do.” She added more seriously “I have a plan.” And so she did. She planned a large feast with variety of foods and lots of sweet honey.

Meanwhile Popiel’s nightmares continued. During his sleep the tiny mouse came back and said “I’ll eat you.” Popiel woke up. Now a little bit concerned, he had a hard time getting back to sleep.

The time came for the feast with music and dances. Popiel gave a speech “I’m sorry for all the past bad behavior. I promise to make changes, take good care of my people and rule peacefully.” The uncles toasted “To the new era.” Ortrud stood up and insisted on serving special honey. The uncles drank the honey to the last drop. It wasn’t long when the oldest uncle felt a pain and yelled “We’re being poisoned.” He felt to the ground and was dead. The other uncles followed one by one.

Popiel realized what his wife did, but it was too late. Suddenly, a silence filled the castle followed by screaming people. “What’s happening?” asked Popiel the running servant, who answered “A mass of mice is approaching the castle.” The servants were fleeing in all directions. Popiel suggested to Ortrud “We have to run to the tower. They won’t reach us there.” Oh, how wrong he was. Small mice had no trouble catching the ruler at the top of the tower. And one by one they sneaked through the door. After all the screams, the castle became very quiet.

As soon as a new day had risen, the people searched the castle and at the tower they found the clothing of Popiel and the jewels of Ortrud. The ruler and his wife had been eaten. The mice made room for a new ruler. Let’s hope a better one or the mice will be back.

Cobbler Dratva, Polish Folklore

Traveling the world and getting to know different cultures leaves a lasting impression, which I wish for everybody to experience. Hope you will enjoy this legend. 

A long time ago, there was a young poor cobbler dressed modestly with shabby shoes and a shabby bag. He wandered through the world from one place to another fixing people’s shoes. One day, the young cobbler named Dratva was passing through a peaceful forest, when he saw anxious ants over a destroyed ant-hill. The ants were working hard putting the small pieces of soil together. Dratva with his adroit hands fixed it quickly. Then the ant queen got on top of the ant-hill and said “Thank you, good hearted fellow. We will come with help, when you need it.” Dratva smiled and thought to himself “You won’t fix a heel in a shoe, so how can you help me.” And he continued his journey.

He was about to leave the forest behind him, when he saw a destroyed hive. The honey was dripping down the bark. The bees were distraught over loosing the honey. Dratva with his handy hands put together the hive in no time. The bee queen came out and said “Thank you good hearted fellow. We will come with help, when you need it.” Dratva smiled and thought to himself “You won’t fix a sole in a shoe, so how can you help me.” And he continued his journey.

So he left the forest behind him and got to an open meadow with many small lakes. The surrounding was beautiful and very serene. Dratva sat by the first lake he approached. So he could have a view of all the other lakes and enjoy the scenery. He took out the last piece of bread and suddenly he heard “Please give me some bread.” Out of nowhere hungry ducks showed up. Dratva shared the bread with them. Then the oldest drake swam to the shore and said “Thank you good hearted fellow. We will come with help, when you need it.” Dratva smiled and thought to himself “You won’t fix a strap in a shoe, so how can you help me.” And he continued his journey.

Dratva got to a town above which stood a big castle with a very tall tower and very impressive drawbridge. He stopped at the town’s market to get some bread. While getting some fresh bread, he asked the baker “Who lives at this castle?” “A witch. She locked a princess in the tower and will let her out only when a young fellow performs three riddles” answered baker. “Has anybody tried it” asked Dratva. “Oh yes, many did and all failed. Good luck young fellow” said baker.

Intrigued Dratva went straight to the castle and knocked on the door. The witch came out and as mean as she looked, when she opened her mouth she was even meaner. “What do you want?” she said. “I came to solve the riddles and free the princess” said Dratva. “Yeah, you and many more before you. What makes you think you can do it?” But she wasn’t really asking him, she turned around and said “Follow me.”

She took Dratva to one of the chambers and said “Here is a bucket of sand and poppy seed. You have till dawn to separate them.” She locked the door and left. Dratva very quickly understood how evil the witch was. The task was impossible to be done. He was about to fell asleep when he heard some noise. He strained his eyes and saw ants coming through a crack in the door. The ants got very busy and in no time the sand was separated from poppy seed. “Thank you” said Dratva and ants were gone.

In the morning, when the witch saw two separate piles, she almost pulled her hair out, she was so furious. “Now you need to go to the lakes and find a key to the tower, which is at the bottom of one of the lakes” said witch almost yelling, still in disbelief. Dratva sat at the same lake he met the ducks at thinking how he’s going to find the key. But then the ducks came to him. “You seem to be pondering about something” said the oldest drake. Dratva explained the task. With the help of fish, the key was found speedily and handed to the drake, who passed it to Dratva. “Thank you” said Dratva and was gone.

At the castle, he handed the key to the witch who was observing him suspiciously. Neverless, she took Dratva to the tower, where in a small dark chamber, there were nine girls all dressed the same with white veils covering their faces. “Only one of them is a princess” said witch. “Which one?” she asked. Dratva wondered, which one he should pick with a guess, because there was no way he could distinguish one from another. Then he heard a buzzing coming from the window. The bees flew to the last girl in the row and over her head created a golden aura. “This is the princess” said Dratva pointing to the last girl in the row. Happy princess removed her veil and said “You set me free from the witch.” At the same time, the witch turned into a large black bird and flew out through the window. She was never seen or heard from ever again. Dratva married princess and they lived long and happily.

Flisak and the Frogs, Polish Folklore

A long time ago, the city of Torun got invaded with frogs after the summer floods. The frogs were having a great time strolling the streets, inviting themselves to people’s houses and even trying to get into business with people at the town hall. Oh, that was too far and too much. “Where is the mayor? And what is he doing about this?” You could hear the same question in the streets. “Maybe we need to select a new mayor” added others. “We’re losing our businesses. The traders don’t want to come here to be dealing with frogs” shouted others.

The mayor announced a fight against the frogs. “And how are we going to fight with them” people whispered among themselves, some laughed. The situation was not changing. The frogs continued to be the masters of the moment. The mayor thought long and hard how to solve this problem and announced “To all young fellows, if you find a way to remove the frogs from the city you will receive a large amount of money and a hand in marriage of my daughter.” Oh, yes. There were many young fellows, who where in love with the beautiful girl and tried their luck. But at the end the frogs continued to rule the city.

However, there was one young fellow, whose heart was also beating for the young girl. He was called Flisak as other people, who worked with transporting goods on a river. But what made him special was playing the fiddle. He went to the town’s center and started playing his instrument. The melodies that came out of it enchanted not only the people, but also the frogs. The frogs flocked to the town’s center. Then the young Flisak walked slowly out of the city through the city gates to the nearest swamps. The frogs not wanting to miss a tune followed the music. And out of the city the frogs were trotting.

The Flisak was warmly welcomed back to the city. Maybe not so warmly by the mayor, who now had to keep his promise of marriage of his daughter to a poor Flisak. But the city paid the promised money to the young fellow, who wasn’t so poor any longer. A wedding followed soon after for seven days and seven nights. The mayor had a change of heart and got to like his son-in-law. The young couple lived happily in Torun for a long time. They made the mayor even happier, when they gave him fourteen grand children. They had seven daughters and seven sons.

Barburka - Miner’s Day and a Mouse Who Started It All, Polish Tradition

Barburka is celebrated in Poland on December 4th. It honors miners, who supply us with basic daily necessities. Poland's mines include: Salt in Wieliczka, silver and lead in Olkusz, coal in Silesia, dolomite in Kujawa, copper in Lublin and sulfur in Tarnobrzeg. Enjoy the below-told coal mine story.

It happened a long time ago deep in the underground. Carol just started working as a coal miner. He was given a cart and a pick-axe and was sent to the part of a shaft with the smallest concentration of coal. After working the whole morning, Carol gathered only a small bucket of coal. Discouraged, he took a break. He was about to take a bite of his sandwich when he heard “Please give me some bread.” Poor miner thought that after working only half a day at the mine, he was already hearing voices. He took the first bite and heard it again “Please give me some bread.” Startled, he asked “Is anybody here?” All of a sudden a small mouse appeared in front of him. The mouse stretched out a hand waiting for a piece of bread. Carol tossed some crumbs and laughed “Oh, for a second I thought I heard you talking.” The mouse crunched on the crumbs greedily and then stretched out her hand again. “Sorry, I don’t have any more bread, but I’ll get you more tomorrow” – said Carol. Then in a blink of an eye, the mouse changed into an elf. Carol had heard stories of elves living underground and protecting its treasures. They were known for bringing good and bad luck. But usually it was the bad luck and that’s why the miners tried avoiding any nooks where elves could be hiding. Carol never thought he would see one. The little elf was dressed as a coal miner in black clothes with a protective helmet on his head and a pick-axe in his hands ready to work. “You shared your sandwich with me, so I’ll help you dig for some coal” – said elf and got busy with the pick-axe. A pile of pure coal was stocking up with every blow. Carol collected the last load of coal into the cart and turned to the elf saying “Thank you.” But in that moment the elf turned into a mouse and rushed away. That day Carol brought the full cart of coal.

The next day Carol was again sent to the worst part of the shaft collecting only a small bucket of coal. At the lunch break when he was about to have the first bite of his sandwich he heard “Please give me some bread” and saw a mouse in front of him with a stretched hand. Carol chuckled and again threw some crumbs. The mouse ate them all and then changed into an elf. With the pick-axe in hands ready to work the elf said “I will make you an offer. I will be your partner from now on, but I want half of your profits, not the crumbs.” “Deal” – answered Carol without thinking much. Again the day with the elf turned very successful and Carol collected the whole cart of pure coal.

The work week had ended and Carol received a large amount of money. As agreed, he went to share it with the elf. “Here you are” – said elf “I’m glad to see you.” Carol situated himself comfortably and started putting coins into two piles - “One for you, one for me.” He got to the last coin and said “The extra coin is for you.” He smiled and added “You’re, worth it. I wouldn’t have done it without you.” The elf started jumping up and down and clapping his hands out of joy “I waited for this for such a long time.” Surprised Carol said “What do you mean.” “You didn’t keep the last coin and so many before you took it for themselves or worse took it all. You know what happened to them?” – asked elf. “No” – answered Carol. “They ended up at the bottom of a hole and perished forever” the mouse continued “And you will be rewarded for keeping your word. You will always be protected from accidents and you will always collect carts full of coal.” In a flash the elf changed into a mouse and was gone forever. When Carol got home, another surprise was waiting for him, elf’s pile of coins.

Every year Carol leaves some bread in the same spot where he met the mouse. And this is how celebration of Barburka has started.

 

Bartek and the Queen Bee, Polish Legend

Torun was once a major trade center in Poland thanks to its location by the river. Many ships passed through its port, bringing spices from different corners of the world. As Torunians developed a good taste for food, they also developed the best gingerbread, which is surrounded by many legends.

A long time ago, there were many respected bakers in Torun. They baked gingerbread according to their original recipes, which they kept secret; adding some spices and aromas, creating unique signature. By tasting gingerbread, you could tell from which bakery it was.

One of those bakers had a beautiful daughter, Katharina. There were many boys, who made advances towards her. But she laughed saying, “I still have time.”

The baker hired a young apprentice, named Bartek, to help him with his growing business. The boy was hard-working, always with a smile on his face and warmly welcomed everyone.

Katharina liked spending more and more time in the bakery, listening to Bartek’s humming as he was sifting flour through a strainer or mixing dough in a big bowl.

The boy noticed the girl and with interest listened to her stories of merchants visiting the bakery who travelled far bringing interesting stories.

During the night, he baked gingerbread in the shape of hearts and handed them to Katharina as soon as she came downstairs. “This is the sweetest heart I’ve ever tasted,” commented the girl eating the sweet on the spot before her father’s eyes would catch her.

The father didn’t approve of this. He wanted somebody rich for his daughter.

Bartek in his spare time liked going to the nearest meadow, where he could feel the sun on his face, listen to the bird’s chirping and pick up some flowers for Katharina.

One day while sitting by a small lake, he heard a weak voice, “Please, help me.” He looked around and didn’t see anybody. He looked again and noticed a drowning bee. He reached for a leaf from the tree just above him and rescued the poor creature. “Thank you,” said the bee with fluttering wings shaking off the water.

He was about to return to the city when a queen bee sat on his shoulder. “You helped my bee sister and I’d like to return the good deed,” she said. “I’ll tell you a secret of how to make a sweet gingerbread. When making dough, add some honey to it.” And she was gone in a blink of an eye.

Bartek wasn’t sure if it was a dream, that simple and that quick.

On his way back to the city, he saw people rushing in all directions. “What is it?” he asked a man getting the store windows sparkling. “Oh, young fellow, you haven’t heard. The King announced his visit tomorrow.”

Dashing to the bakery, he gathered all the ingredients. Remembering the queen bee’s advise, he looked for some honey. He prepared the dough and added the sweet honey mixing all the time with love. “One turn for Katharina, two, and three… all the turns turned out to be in the name of Katharina.”

This was the most memorable night for the young apprentice. Every bakery was busy preparing for the big day in the hope of getting permits to sell in another city. The whole town was beaming with lights, the sweet scent travelled into the narrowest streets, nobody was able to sleep.

The boy was so excited, moving his legs as dancing and singing. He got the dough ready swiftly. Gathering all possible forms and even creating some shapes by himself, he poured the dough into forms. With Katharina on his mind, he put two hearts touching each other.

The ready gingerbread from the oven was spread on the table. The table was filling with chickens, dogs, cats as on a farm; even a lady and a princess and many hearts as in a fairy tale. When he pulled the last piece, his heart sank. The two hearts, while growing got connected in such a way that it didn’t look like one heart or any familiar form. “Nobody will notice,” he thought.

The morning came and the bakers decorated the tables with the nicest table cloths displaying their baking talents. Citizens dressed in their finest garments bowing, when the King passed. He went from one table to another tasting all and not skipping any to judge fairly.

He stopped at Bartek’s table the longest. He tasted one piece. It melted so fast in his mouth that he had to take another one to make sure he evaluated it justly. “Are you the talented baker, who made these delights?” the King asked.

“Yes,” the boy answered politely with his hands crossed in the back and bowing his torso slightly.

“It’s not only mouth melting, but the forms are amazing,” suddenly he laughed. “What happened here,” he pointed to some uneven form.

“That’s… ahhh,” the boy stumbled not knowing what to say about the two hearts.

“Come on. What is it?” after the King’s encouragement, Bartek explained the shape and the taste and added, “While putting together two hearts, I was thinking about Katharina the whole time.”

The King chuckled and asked, “What would you like to receive in reward for your hard work?”

“I don’t want anything,” the boy’s face radiated and added, “I have one wish. I love Katharina with all my heart. I would like her to be my wife.”

The King looked at Katharina’s father. The baker didn’t feel he could say no to the King and agreed to the marriage. 

“For your good heart, I will reward you myself. From today, you will be baking for the palace and other cities.” The one, who expected it least, received the rights to bake beyond the walls of Torun.

Shortly, the union of Bartek and Katharina was arranged. There was so much joy and dancing.

With so many clients awaiting Bartek’s baking, he had no choice, but to open his own shop and

with so much work to do, he had to hire a new apprentice to help him.

The gingerbread was enjoyed in many towns spreading its fame far and beyond Bartek’s

imagination.

 

Gdansk's Lions, Polish Legend

Gdansk once was part of the Hanseatic League due to its location by the sea. The league was composed of merchants, who controlled the trade in their towns along the Northern coast of Europe. The profits from the trade allowed them to invest in their interests. They left a legacy of monumental and breath-taking architecture. Gdansk prospered as well attracting development of arts. Many artists came to leave their mark here. Among them were outstanding sculptors. The legend brings one of them.

Some centuries ago there lived Daniel, who was a local sculptor in Gdansk. He was considered one of the best. His carvings were jaw-dropping, almost looking alive. His favorite subjects were lions. Maybe, because he made them look so alive that it was almost surprising that they were not roaring.

One day, the mayor of the city decided to decorate the Town Hall at the Long Market with a new coat of arms. The market in Gdansk was called long and not square as in most towns, because it was built in a shape of rectangle and not square. The coat of arms representing Gdansk were two lions facing each other and protecting the crown. And who would be the best candidate for this, if not the beloved sculptor Daniel.

Those times were unsteady times for Poland. Other rulers wanted to take over Poland. Gdansk was a well situated and well developed port city. So it would have been a great addition to the lands of any country.

Daniel worked very hard and as fast as he could. The chisel and hammer made noises from dawn till dark. Many times, while shaping the lions, he thought and worried about Poland. He knew that the lions were protecting the Polish crown, but wasn’t sure if help would come just in time to save the country from the enemy. Sometimes, he was so immersed in his concerns not noticing peeking nosy neighbors.

There were always some who couldn’t resist waiting till the official ceremony. One would whisper, “Did you see the lions’ paws? The claws look as they’re about to scratch somebody.” “No,” murmured the other, “Did you see the lions’ long tails as they were about whipped somebody.” And the whispers and murmurs went on and on.

When the sculpture was finished, a big celebration was prepared to unveil the new coat of arms. The townspeople dressed nicely for this occasion and gathered at the Long Market awaiting anxiously the big moment.

The mayor pulled the veil and the first reaction was, “Ah” – how amazed people were. But the second reaction was, “Oh”- there was something wrong with the carving. “Did Daniel forget how the coat of arms looks like?” yelled one. “This is a mockery!” revolted another.

The truth was that the lions were not looking at each other as they were supposed to. They were looking in the direction of the Golden Gate. “This is a tragedy,” lamented an older woman. Daniel assured everyone that there was no mistake. He explained, “The lions’ heads are towards the Golden Gate, which leads to the Royal Road. They are awaiting the Polish rulers to come and protect our city.”

The townspeople turned their heads simultaneously at the Golden Gate. “Our Daniel never disappoints,” people nodded in approval.

The long awaited help didn’t come. Poland disappeared from the map for over hundred years. One day, when flowers were opening their petals to bloom in the spring and the waves of the Baltic Sea were splashing into the Polish shores, the lions opened their manes and roared. The Poland has come back and Gdansk returned to Poland for good.

 

Torun's Gingerbread, Polish Legend

Torun once was a major trade center thanks to its location by the River Vistula. Many ships passed through its port, bringing delicacies from different corners of the world. As Torunians developed a good taste for sweets, they also developed one of the best gingerbread, which is surrounded by many legends.

The city is also famous for being the birthplace of Nicolaus Kopernikus, the Father of Astronomy. He believed that the earth rotated around the sun and during his time it was believed that the sun rotated around the earth (vice versa). A famous polish saying is “he stopped the sun and moved the earth.” But this is not our story.

A long time ago, there were many respectable bakers making gingerbread in Torun, but one of them was the most popular. He was making the sweetest mouth melting gingerbread, giving it as many shapes as his imagination would allow him; such as rounds, hearts, stars, flowers. His most elaborate were in the shape of a carriage drawn by a horse, house, princess and other folks.

He had only one daughter named Katharina. She was a quiet girl, who liked spending her time creating new meals. As she made dinners upstairs at their place, her father baked gingerbread downstairs at the bakery. The savory aroma from the meal would travel downstairs and the sweet aroma from the gingerbread would travel upstairs, attracting each other.

It would even travel outside through the opened windows and doors, attracting neighbors and friends. Many of them were regular visitors as Katharina was very welcoming and always glad to hear flattery about her food.

The ideas for new meals were coming faster than she could make them. And she was making something new almost every day. Even if it was just a different spice to a meal she already tried. She was always striving for a better taste. So it was always good to have somebody else to help them eat with so much food around.

Katharina never really baked with her father, as none of them liked the other meddling into their creative cooking or baking. But she was very observant, and from time to time would help to clean some forms or sweep the floors, if the day was very busy at the bakery. So she knew a thing or two about baking.

One day the baker got very sick and said to his daughter “Katharina, you’ve seen me making the gingerbread, why don’t you make it on your own today. If you need any directions, I’ll be upstairs resting.”

She started the fire in the oven, got all the ingredients and proceeded with making the gingerbread. She prepared the dough, added some honey and was ready to place the dough into the forms, when she suddenly realized she forgot to pull them from the shelf.

She swiftly went to get them, but they were not there, “I can’t find them. Daddy must be feeling really sick if he misplaced them. This never happens.” She didn’t want to worry him. So she came up with an idea of taking a glass and pressing medallions out of dough. She put six of them next to each other and baked them.

In the oven, the bread was beautifully growing and turning into shiny brown color smelling deliciously. Katharina was very proud of herself. But as the bread was growing, the six medallions got connected creating one loaf of gingerbread.

She briskly opened the oven door and as she was pulling the bread from the hot oven, she saw the connected medallions and her cheerful smile turned into a worry. She gasped “I don’t know if anybody will want to buy gingerbread in such shape.”

She worried unnecessarily, because all gingerbread was sold out the same day. People loved the good hearted girl so much that they named the gingerbread in the shape of six medallions with her name Katharina.

 

Warsaw's Mermaid, Polish Legend

Warsaw, the capital of Poland, survived many wars and because of that is also known as phoenix city. Phoenix means a bird that never dies. After the last war, most of the city was in ruins. But it was rebuilt and now stands proudly. The Old Town vibrates with life and colorful buildings.  A statue of a mermaid, the city symbol, is positioned in the center. The upper part of her body is a woman and the lower part is a fish. She is armed with a sword raised in her right hand and a shield in her left hand ready to protect. And this is where our story begins.

A long time ago a prince from the Mazovia region was hunting in the forests. Mazovia is a flat region filled with many lakes and thick forests. It was easy to get lost in those woods and that’s what happened to the prince.

While trying to find his way back to the castle, he reached the banks of the Vistula River and saw the most beautiful girl emerging from the water.

He looked at her golden hair, the most amazing blue eyes and then, “What’s that!” he was startled. Her lower part of the body from waste down was a fish tale covered in silver flakes. She was holding a bow and an arrow in her hands. “Don’t be afraid,” she said.

She wasn’t aiming at the prince. She was aiming in the direction where the prince should go. She shot the arrow and said, “Follow my arrow and it will lead you home and for the night good people will give you shelter.” “Thank you,” the prince responded, but the mermaid was already gone in the deep and calm waters of the river.

The prince followed the arrow, which flew almost straight above the river. It flew with such speed that the horse had a hard time catching up with it. Suddenly, he arrived at a small opening where a fisherman’s hut stood.

While the fisherman was pulling the net from the river, he saw some stranger well-dressed on a horse. The fisherman and his wife, who didn’t have much, always welcomed those who needed to rest for the night. The man was flustered as he didn’t see his poor shelter fit for the horseman looking as a prince. The fisherman didn’t know that the stranger actually was the prince.

When the prince stepped into the hut, he saw two cooing babies in a small crib looking like two peeps in a nest. The older couple, who long awaited to have a baby, now were the happy parents of twins. “This is Wars and Sawa,” the wife introduced the babies.

The cottage was tiny with basic furniture composed of the stove and wooden table with three chairs. Two for the couple and one always ready for a guest. The fourth chair was used to hold a metal bowl for washing the dishes by the fire. There was a separate room with two beds.

After the couple welcomed the prince, the wife took some freshly caught fish to clean it and make it in the already burning fireplace. During which time, the fisherman entertained the prince with stories of their lives filled with tales of animals and the guests.

“The woods might be stretching far without a view of another cottage, but they are full of animals that keep us amused.” The fisherman said, “One day a deer comes and peeks through the window as looking for company. Another day a bear comes to the river and tries to catch a fish with his paws.”

The fisherman took a sip of cold water and continued, “The woods might be thick, but they always bring us somebody new. The travelers bring stories from different corners of the country, enriching our lives. Some come from the north describing the sea, stretching so far as reaching the sky. Others come from the south describing the mountains, stretching so high as reaching the sun.”

The prince was so diverted by the stories that he hasn’t noticed when the food was served on the table. As the smell of the food awakened his appetite, the wife joined them to eat dinner.  The prince was amazed how a simple life was filled with so many rich stories.

In the morning, when it was time to leave, the prince said, “You didn’t hesitate to take a stranger in and share the little food you had and for that you will be rewarded.”

As soon as the prince returned to the castle, he named the couple as the owners of the land where the hut stood and the surrounding lands.

The couple cultivated the land where ever it was possible, planting some crops and vegetables. As a result, the land produced plenty of food.

The peaceful setting by the river left many travelers in awe.  It wasn’t long before many of those travelers decided to settle next to the couple, which welcomed anybody, who wanted to stay there.

Soon, the land by the river was dotted with many cottages creating a village. The village continued prospering and growing, later becoming a city; a city that was named Warsaw after the twins Wars and Sawa.

What happened to the mermaid? The prince never saw the mermaid again. But she was still there, watching the village grow into a city.

As more and more nets were dropped into the river, one day, she got tangled in one of them. The local fishermen upon hearing her sing released her. As she was released, she declared, “From now on, I will protect you with my sword and shield.”

So the city’s crest was decorated with the beautiful mermaid. Today, she stands in the center of the Old Town ready to protect its citizens.

Head-Butting Goats, Polish Legend

In north-western Poland stretches a region known as Greater Poland. In those lands the city of Poznan stands proudly with its Renaissance Old Town. The city center is a display of colorful houses with an impressive Town Hall where the tower holds two goats, leading us to a legend.

Many, many years ago, when Poznan was at the crossroads of trading routes, it prospered from it greatly. Elaborate tenement buildings were raised one after another, the cobblestone roads were smoothed, and the Town Hall was expanded with arches and a new tower. The mayor of the city proud of his newest achievement suggested even further improvements to the Town Hall building. He proposed to build a clock for the new tower. “It will make the citizens punctual,” he advised.

The recommendation of the mayor was approved and a new clock was commissioned. On the second Saturday of September a celebration was announced to unveil the new clock. For this occasion the best chef in the city was to prepare his delicacies.  

On the announced day, Chef Bartek watched carefully every move that was made in his kitchen including setting of the tables. The tables had to be set with the white linens smoothed perfectly. Every dish had to have a fresh green rosemary twig to decorate the edges of plates. The pork roast, the mayor’s favorite, had to have the perfect amount of salt and pepper.

While the chef’s inn was busy with preparations, the city center was filling with crowds of people eager to see the new clock. The music travelled along the narrow alleys attracting more and more people.

Chef Bartek hearing the music himself decided to step outside the inn just for a moment. He left the pork roast under a precise control of young Peter, “Do not step away from the roast for one second.” Peter a hard-working boy was helping the chef from the early morning, constantly hearing, bring this and that, take this over here and carry that over there. He didn’t even have a chance to eat breakfast. And with all the savory aroma spreading inside the inn, it was hard to control his hunger.

“What will happen if I leave it just for a moment?” murmured Peter. He stepped away from the roast to eat a few pancakes left on the table. But right at that moment the handle of the roast slipped with the pork burning the crispy skin. Instantly the burning whiff filled the inn.

            When Chef Bartek stepped back inside the inn, he found crying Peter bent over the roast. He quickly realized what had just happened. The suspicious smell already reached him outside. “What have you done!” yelled the chef pulling Peter’s ear. “Run to the butcher and get me another piece of pork for roast.” The chef knew there was not enough time to make the roast, but still made the poor boy do it.

            The butcher’s shop was located almost on the outskirts of the town, next to the green meadow. Peter had to take back alleys, passing cobbler’s workshop and bakery. Both were closed. “Probably for the occasion,” thought Peter. As he reached the meadow, he noticed two goats grazing close to the edge of the town. “Ah, the butcher is probably closed too,” concluded Peter. So he didn’t walk any farther, instead he pulled two goats behind him.

            The goats probably sensed what was ahead of them; they pressed their hooves into the ground and tried stopping Peter from pulling them. But the cobblestone alleys were slippery under the hooves. So Peter pulled and the goats moved. Now, they were close to the center, when the loud music scared the goats. They pressed the hooves to the ground again and the thin rope attached to their horns broke.

            The goats ran straight into the city center, knocking down the stalls. The merry people, who danced according to a quick note made room for the goats surrounding them in circle. The scared goats or maybe according to the music started head-butting each other, which made the people laugh out loud. At the same moment, the veil was dropped and the clock stroke noon.    

            The chef seeing the goats at the center of the town and now Peter running toward them, he knew exactly what had just happened. He tried to suppress a smile as he knew an explaining had to be done. He looked around for the mayor and approached him explaining the situation regarding roast. And about the goats, he left it for Peter to explain it himself.

Peter stumbled to explain what had occurred. However, the mayor was a soft spoken and good hearted man. So he said, “It looks as everybody had a good laugh, but I don’t want to see you stealing another goat, promise?”

Speechless boy nodded quickly in agreement.

All was forgiven, and instead of pork roast, the mayor was satisfied with baked chicken.

To commemorate this event, two wooden goats were carved and added to the clock, where you can still see them every noon head butting.

 

 

 

St. Kinga's Ring, Polish Folktale

Wieliczka is an underground city of salt, located not far away from Krakow. This underground marvel is constructed of maze of corridors and many galleries, chambers, even chapels made of salt. The most impressive is the Chapel of Saint Kinga, which has a legend carved in the hall’s side walls.

A very long time ago, King Boleslaw the Great, the son of the first ruler of Poland, was one of the greatest leaders of the country. He was known for his skills in negotiations between the countries and the military strategies, which showed his shrewdness in outmaneuvering the opponents. With his powerful skills, he gained additional lands for Poland, as each ruler wanted to show his influence by gaining more and more lands.

In those times marriages were arranged between the kings and princesses for beneficial purposes. So King Boleslaw the Great skillfully negotiated his marriage to Hungarian princess. The union of Polish king and Hungarian princess would strengthen the friendship between those two countries. Therefore, the father of Hungarian princess agreed to the marriage.

During those times the roads were traveled by horses only. The paths were not necessarily smooth. The woods were densely forested, with an occasional fallen tree, which a lot of times, like it or not, would be laying across the road, as it couldn’t have fallen somewhere else. So it took a long time to get from Hungary to Poland.  

One day, King of Hungary asked his daughter to come and see him. As princess was promptly and gracefully approaching king’s throne, he patted the chair next to him and invited her, “Please, sit down my dear child.” The king knew that he wouldn’t see his daughter too often and soon would be the time for her to leave, so without any prolonging, he asked her tenderly – “Daughter, what would you like to receive to make you happy in your new land?” Princess Kinga thought to herself “Jewels won’t bring me happiness” – but suddenly her thought drifted to memories of accompanying her father to the salt mine, by which she was mesmerized as a child. She remembered the rocks of salt sparkling in white or crystal shades. – “I’d like to take a lump of salt to Poland. This is something that will serve not only me, but also the people I’ll be living with.” The king was greatly surprised by this request, but at the same time very proud of his kind daughter.

Next time the King went to the salt mine, his daughter joined him. At the mine, she observed the workers crushing and collecting the chunks of rocks. She noticed the challenging and tedious work they performed. Later, she was very pleased to receive large deposits of the finest salt. As her appreciation, she dropped her engagement ring with a red stone down the shaft.

The time came for princess Kinga to travel to Poland. The journey took her through some beautiful Carpathian Mountains. The lush forests with layers of different vegetation, from ferns growing at the ground to tall trees reaching the sky, and many shades of green displayed the most diversified forest she has ever seen. The breath taking scenery and the chirping birds took her mind off of the long days spent just horse riding and of the growing distance separating her from the father.

After many days and nights spent in the woods and villages, they approached the city of Krakow. Shortly, after her arrival, people came from all over to celebrate the wedding with lots of music, dancing and food.

During the following months, the King was taking princess Kinga all over the kingdom proudly showing her the vast territories. At one of those outings, the King pointed a site of shiny rocks. Princess Kinga paused; those rocks seemed very familiar. Suddenly, she realized that those shiny rocks reminded her of the salt mine in her country. She jumped off of the horse, not waiting for the King to help her down. Rushed to break a piece of the rock and with the tip of her tongue tasted it. She couldn’t contain her excitement, “This is salt!”

The locals were asked to start extracting the salt. While smashing the rocks, they found a deposit with a red stone sticking out. They carefully chipped the remains over the stone. Princess Kinga gasped, “The ring looks exactly as my engagement ring, which I dropped in the salt mine of my country.” She couldn’t understand how the ring appeared here, but for her this was a sign to dig for salt here. And this is how Wieliczka salt mine started in Poland and became the largest and the oldest salt mine in the country.

Princess Kinga was known for her generosity and assistance with the poor. People were always on her mind and finding salt, which added a flavor to townsfolk’s meager diet, was a comforting discovery for her.  

After the death of her husband, she continued to travel among the poor, helping them as much as she could. She felt very responsible for the wellness of her people.

Princess Kinga was a smart ruler and because of her charitable work, was later named Saint Kinga and the biggest underground chapel was built in her honor.