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Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Raven King, Polish Legend

The city of Poznan located in western Poland is proud of its Town Hall decorating the Old Town. The Town Hall has a long tradition of a trumpeter call, which is connected with a legend.

Long ago, there lived a boy in Poznan named Bolko, whose father was a city guard. One day, Bolko happened upon an injured raven. He took the bird home, fixed its broken wing and nursed it back to health.
One night, he noticed a gnome sitting on the stool where the raven’s cage had been. The gnome thanked the boy for saving his life, saying he was the Raven King. In gratitude, he gave Bolko a silver trumpet with which he could call him whenever he was in dire need of help. With that, the gnome turned back into a raven and flew away.
Years went by, and one night a foreign army laid siege to Poznan. Bolko, now himself a city guard, remembered the Raven King’s gift. He blew the trumpet and suddenly flocks of ravens befell the city, pecking and clawing at the invading army until it retreated in defeat. To commemorate this event, city guards play the same trumpet signal with which Bolko once called the ravens.

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