Smok the Wawel Dragon: Legend of Polish

Folklore
www.historicmysteries.com |
Les Hewitt
April 9, 2016

Few animals can transcend all cultures and all civilizations the way the
humble dragon can. The Chinese Dragon, like the Welsh counterpart, is
known the world over. Old English stories of how St George slayed the
dragon are still used as prime examples of how to overcome long odds
and triumph. There is a fearsome dragon from Polish folklore that isnt
immediately well known around the world. One of the oldest and most
endearing legends tells of Smok, the Wawel dragon.

Image: canstockphoto

Wawel Hill can be found along the Vistula River in Poland and is famed because of a medieval
castle and Cathedral. Not too far away stands the former Polish capital city of Krakow. This city,
steeped in much of Polands ancient history and heritage, was named after King Krak in the 7th
century.

The Home of the Wawel Dragon

It was around this time in history when the city was a much smaller and more humble place. Many
of the residents there were happy to farm the lands and swap campfire stories once the Sun had
set. The more senior of the farmers would tell stories about Smok and how the dragon was evil
with a lair found on the side of Wawel Hill. The entrance to this cave was obscured by brambles
and general overgrowth. Anyone that found the entrance was reticent to enter it, for fear of
awakening the notorious beast. Five youths decided to test this assumption and prove once and for
all that all of these stories were precisely that stories.
The Wawel Dragons cave. Image Credit: By Craig Nagy from Vancouver, Canada (Dragon
Cave) [CC BY-SA 2.0 ]

Ignoring the warnings from the elderly, the five armed themselves with torches and pitchforks and
began their trek up the mountain. It took them quite some time to navigate the dense foliage before
they found the entrance to a cave. There they stood, wondering whether or not to enter and trying
to see if anything was waiting for them. Their torches only allowed them to see so far and so
much, so they decided to enter after all.

The inside of the cave was said to be narrow and cast grotesque shadows of themselves onto the
walls. The last thing the youths wanted was to be seen abandoning their pursuit through
cowardice. Onwards they continued, despite the malignant presence that they all felt. The more
they ventured inside, the greater the sense of unease began to overwhelm. From further inside the
cave, they could hear something breathing. It was deep and regular. Even this didnt deter them.
What finally settled things for the five was the sight of movement up ahead of them.

Something very large and covered in green scales began to stir.

Whatever they had stumbled across let out a bellowing roar and none of the five had any desire to
hang around and see what the source of the noise was. So desperate was their panic to flee the
scene, that they almost ran over one another to cover the largest amount of distance in the smallest
amount of time. The hot breath of the Wawel dragon behind them inspired them all to run,
stumble, stagger and roll just a little bit harder. At the bottom of the mountain, they all felt safe
enough to finally get a good look at their pursuer. Smok was perched proudly on top of the hill
they had just fled. The sharp teeth and flashing eyes that caught their attention began to head down
the hill after them. Fortunately for the youths, Smok was more interested in one of the many cattle
that grazed between hunter and hunted. Smok took one and returned to its lair.
Having aroused the Wawel dragon, daily life in the village took a turn for the worst. Every single
day, something or someone would disappear. Sometimes a sheep, sometimes another cow,
sometimes one of the villagers. Efforts were made to slay the ravenous beast, but the regular posse
that was formed was no match for the formidable Smok. Numerous gave their lives to try and
match the monster with their primitive weapons that barely made an impact upon it.

The Wawel dragon sculpture. Image: Mark Healey from Brough, UK (Smok Wawelski Uploaded
by Yarl) [CC BY-SA 2.0]

Some of the villagers turned to a local wise man named Krakus, who was considered to be a
magician. Krakus accepted their requests to help, but before doing anything he carefully
considered his options. After studying his herbs, Krakus began to create a paste. Once this was
done, he demanded and received a sheep to baste. Krakus escorted this animal to the mouth of
Smoks lair and callously threw the poor sheep inside. Krakus and any brave witnesses remained
on tenterhooks for several moments before Smok emerged and made a beeline for the Vistula
River. Krakus had covered the sheep in a concoction designed to burn the inside of Smok. Legend
has it that Smok drank so much water from the river that he exploded.
The villagers were so thankful that curse of their own making was vanquished, that they
immediately installed Krakus as King and named the settlement after him. Magnificent structures
were built in his honor and when he finally passed away, a state funeral was held. These days
Krakow is immensely proud of their Wawel dragon legend. As well as the buildings that celebrate
Krakus and his accomplishments, tourists can even signal fire from the metal dragon sculpture by
texting SMOK to 7168. This is all done with natural gas in a much more controlled and safer
manner than the sulfur Krakus was said to have used in his potion.

Sites pulled 6 April 2016