Dragon Trouble at Krakow Castle

SOME FOLKS SAY that King Krak did not know he was building his castle atop a dragon's cave. Other versions of the story say that the King knew but was so enchanted with the lovely green hills and the beautiful Vistula River flowing by that he vowed to build his castle in this beautiful place. Perhaps the king thought that greenish speckled egg was just a strange looking rock. Or perhaps he thought it was too old and would never hatch.

Whatever he knew and when he knew it, King Krak built his castle on the beautiful Wawel Hill near the Vistula River in Southern Poland. Soon a bustling marketplace sprang up beside the castle walls and around the prospering marketplace grew a thriving town of bright houses. Beyond were farmers growing fruit trees, raising crops and tending livestock on the rolling hills. Life in the region around Krakow Castle was good and, looking out from his castle, King Krak was very pleased.

But the egg did hatch! There was one loud C-R-R-A-C-K-K! and out crawled a baby dragon. Life in the region took a sudden turn for the worse. The dragon's fiery breath burned the fruit trees and the crops in the fields. The local livestock became the dragon's food, as well as small children or maidens that might be foolish enough to wander off alone. The merchants of the marketplace were afraid and closed their shops. The king was distraught and sent his valiant knights out to rid the countryside of this plague. But none prevailed against the dragon.

In despair, the king cried out for someone to purge his kingdom of this devastating creature. One day, a young man named Skuba Dratewka, a shoemaker from a little hut on the edge of town came to the castle to speak with the king. Under his arm, Skuba carried a sheepsking which he had stitched together to look like a sheep. Inside, under the fleece, he had tightly packed the sheep's body with sulfur. The king quickly realized the plan and ordered the shoemaker's sheep to be placed near the dragon's cave, along with a few live sheep.

That evening, when the dragon came out to rampage and pillage, the evil creature quickly saw the grazing sheep and headed straight for them. Gulp, gulp, gulp and the sheep were swallowed up.

Presently, the dragon began to bellow and writhe. With a swish of his huge tail, the beast raced to the river to drink some water to extinguish his growing thirst and soothe the mounting pain in his belly. Skuba Dratewka and King Krak, watching from the castle, looked and each other and nodded. From the riverbank came the screams of the dragon and they could see the glow of the gushing blazes from its fiery throat. Then a huge explosion could be heard all over the village, followed by silence.

The villagers stuck their heads out of their houses to see what had caused the great explosion. The news spread quickly, "The dragon is dead!"

As the joyous celebration poured out onto the street, King Krak turned to the shoemaker and put his hand on the man's shoulder. "What can I give you to thank you for this great deed that you have done?" the king asked him.

Skuba thought for a minute, then asked the king for the dragon's hide. Surprised, the king immediately granted his request. He also ordered that a new shoemaker's home and shop should be built in a much better location in the marketplace, just beside the castle gate. Skuba, the shoemaker, took the dragon's hide and made shoes and boots from every scrap. The strong dragon hide that had turned back the lances and swords of the king's knights made sturdy boots and shoes. These boots brought great fame and wealth to Skuba Dratewka, shoemaker and dragon-slayer.

In some tellings of this legend, the shoemaker who slew the dragon was named Krak and ascended the throne after the death of the existing king. However you prefer this legend, it is still a popular tale in Poland. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Krakow, the old capital city of Poland, stop by and see the dragon's cave and statue that still stand today to commemorate this ancient folktale.

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