According to the oldest recorded version of
the tale (Master Vincent 1202), Krak (Vincent uses the Latinised version
Gracchus) was the first known ruler of the Lekhites (Proto-Poles). He was
elected king upon his return from a successful campaign in Carinthia.
He codified law, issued wise edicts, and his rule was in general a prosperous
one.
However, not far from the royal hall, at
the foot of the Wawel Hill, there was a cave in which a fierce
fire-breathing dragon known as the Holophage had its den. To appease the
monster, the local residents had to feed it regularly with their cattle and
sheep. To stop the depletion of livestock, Gracchus ordered his sons to destroy
the dragon. The brothers first tried the standard solution (a good sword
and a trusty hand), and it did not work. Then they tried a ruse, placing a lamb
stuffed with sulphur near the mouth of the cave. The Holophage took the bait and
died of heartburn as the stuffing caught fire in its belly. As the elder
brother watched the creature expire, the younger one stabbed him in
the back. The blame was pinned on the dragon. The murderer took the throne
as Gracchus II after his father's death, but the fratricide was eventually
exposed. Gracchus II was condemned to exile for life, while his beautiful sister
Wanda, the only remaining successor to the throne, became Queen of the Lekhites.
During her reign a city was established on the now dragon-free hill and named
Gracchovia to commemorate Gracchus. Vincent hypothesises that Kraków (Cracovia)
is a distorted by-form inspired by the croaking of the crows that had gathered
to feast on the dragon's carrion.
Later writers systematically embroidered
the story. Jan Dlugosz (1480) credits Krak himself with establishing Kraków and
killing the dragon. He also identifies a large local tumulus (of still disputed
origin, usually dated to the seventh century) as Krak's burial mound (a smaller
kurgan near by is called Wanda's Mound). Sixteenth-century authors
introduce a new popular character -- a cobbler named Skub or Skuba, who kills
the dragon and is knighted by King Krak. Some authorities regarded him as
the protoplast of the Awdaniec family, one of the most powerful clans in
mediaeval Poland (actually a rare example of a genuine Scandinavian name from
those parts).
Vulgarised modern versions are often
circulated on the Internet, e.g.
(BTW <smok> is properly just the
Polish word for "dragon", not a dragon's name)
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2001 6:58 PM
Subject: Re: Re: [tied] Re: Kraków and other
enigmas
What if anything do your mythical histories say
about this King Krak?