Beautiful Shepherdess and Prince of Raciborz, Polish Folktale

On the south-western edges of Polish lands stands a town of Raciborz. There the Oder River meanders slowly through the town, surrounded by thick forests of Eastern Sudetes. There once lived a prince, who fell in love with a beautiful shepherdess. And this takes us to a legend.

A long time ago, in the wild unexplored mountains of southern Poland, a settlement was built by the Oder River. It was ruled by a young prince named Racibor. He was known for his courage and just ruling. The settlement was surrounded by lush meadows dotted with colorful flowers, which bordered with the thick dark forest.

One day, as prince was looking out the window at the peaceful meadows, he noticed a young shepherdess with a herd of sheep. Her skin was pale as the white daisies spread out across the meadows, her black hair matched the darkest coal, and her eyes reflected the greenest grass. When she started singing, her voice matched the singing of the sweetest nightingale.

The prince was enchanted by her appearance and voice. “You have the most magnificent voice!” declared Racibor.

The shy shepherdess thinking that she was alone with her herd in the meadows, got startled when she heard the prince. She quickly disappeared out of the prince’s view. But her curiosity brought her back to the same spot day after day, where the prince in quietness admired her beauty and singing.

One day, the shepherdess returned to the same spot, but the prince was not in his window. Sadness covered her face. But it was just for a moment, as she noticed the prince walking through the gates towards her, her face shined instantly.

“What is your name?” asked the prince.

“Ofka,” answered the shepherdess.

Racibor spent days admiring the beauty of the girl, which he was sure shined from inside out and her enchanting voice rang in his ears throughout the day and lulled him into sleep at night. He decided she was the girl he wanted to marry and he proposed to her in the meadows surrounded by herd of sheep as his witness. Ofka accepted to be his wife.

Meanwhile, on the edge of the forest settled an evil ghost. Everybody was afraid of him. Nobody dared to speak his name to avoid attracting him. It was said that during the day he had a human form, but during the night he looked like a monster spitting a fire. He destroyed cities, capturing people and making them work in his castle’s dungeons. He was greedy and liked stealing the jewels the most, the more sparkling the more attracted he was to it. He heard about Racibor’s rich collections of jewels and that’s what brought him here, where he settled in a grotto covered by the trees.

One night, he disguised himself under a human form wearing a large hood covering most of his face. At the castle’s grounds he overheard guards talking about the Ofka as the biggest jewel of Raciborz.

He waited for the settlement to quiet down completely. When all was quiet and the guards were snoozing, that’s when he sneaked into Ofka’s bedchamber and seized her. He took her into his big hands, resembling a bed with his body. The sleeping Ofka did not feel a difference. It was only in the morning when she realized that her bed was not soft, but it was hard and cold floor instead. She was not covered in soft warm feather covers, but instead with tattered rags.  

“Where am I,” her voice quivered.

“Ha ha ha,” echoed the laugh of the evil ghost.

At the castle, the panic spread across it when the chambermaids realized that Ofka was gone. But prince instantly knew what had happened to her, “Settle the horses and put the bells on their necks. The ghost will think it’s the sheep coming instead of the horses.”

The prince and soldiers galloped to the edge of the forest. They only slowed down near the grotto to let the bells ring a nice melody. Olfk constantly realized it was Racibor coming to rescue her.

The ghost heard the bells as well, but as predicted he thought these were sheep. “Ha ha ha, my delicious dinner is coming my way. And the cotton will bring me lots of money.” He moved a huge bolder, which he used to cover the grotto.

At the same time, the soldiers swiftly caught the ghost and dragged him to the swamps. The ghost was heavy and clumsy. So he drowned like a heavy stone. And never bothered anybody again.

Racibor and his soldiers freed Ofka and all the people imprisoned by the ghost. All the jewels found in the grotto were divided between the captive people, so they could start their new lives.

Shortly after, a big cheerful wedding took place and all the people were invited. The young couple lived long and happily and under their rule, the settlement grew into a prosperous town.