Smok Wawelski

The Legend of Wawel in Krakow

Some centuries ago there lived in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill a most horrible fire-belching dragon, a monster that ravaged the nearby meadows by devouring grazing cattle. In vain the bravest knights tried to overcome the dragon. Even before they could draw their swords the fire from the beast's mouth destroyed them, so that one after another the best fell.

The king who reigned at the time sent out his heralds to announce that whosoever could slay the dragon would as a reward marry his daughter and sit on his throne after his death. Contenders encouraged by such a handsome offer came in hosts, but they too were destroyed. The king gave himself up to despair, while the king's daughter wrung her hands as ahe could not expect to ever be married. The dragon-ravaged country became poorer and poorer.

Then an apprentice of a shoemaker named Krak decided to conquer the beast by a unique strategy. After stuffing a fat ram with sulphur, he placed the tasty tidbit at the cave's entrance. The dragon, being greedy as well as stupid, swallowed the treacherous gift in one mouthful. Its throat burned so that it ran to the nearby Wisla river, gulping down so much water that it burst with a great bang, thus setting the town and the surrounding countryside free from its grip of terror.

However, the apprentice chose not to marry the king's daughter because he could hardly see any love between the princess and him. He then left his home town after taking the treasure from the cave of the dragon. The town he rescued from the clutches of Smok, the dragon of Wawel Hill, took its name from him, and bears it to this day with great honour - the old capital of Poland, Krakow.

不論平地與山尖　無限風光盡被占

採得百花成蜜後　為誰辛苦為誰甜

摘自『唐　羅隱‧蜂』

P.S.

Dragon cultures exit in both the Eastern and Western world. Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture, so Chinese often consider themselves, 'the descendants of the dragon.' In the Western, dragons can be found in many literature and they look significantly different from the Chinese dragon.

Whereas Western dragons are usually found in mountains or forests, Oriental dragons are more likely to be found in the sea. Many oriental dragons resemble water snakes. Oriental dragons rarely breath fire, instead if a mortal annoys one then it is likely to result in great floods.

The traditional Western dragon is often seen as a brutish creature to be feared. Oriental dragons tended to be wise and benevolent - as long as they were given the respect they deserved. Their chief flaw was their vanity and if insulted could cause dreadful natural disasters.

To identify the origin of an Oriental dragon, look at its claws. If it has five claws per foot it probably comes from China. Three claws means Japan. Four claws means Korea.

China and Japan have interesting legends to explain this. The Chinese say that dragons originated in China and lost toes as they spread further afield. This is why they could not reach the West, because if they did they would have no toes left.

The Japanese take a different view. They argue that dragons orginated in Japan and grew toes as they travelled. If they travelled too far then they would end up with too many toes to be able to walk properly!