Krakow and the Legend of the Wawel Dragon

Beneath the castle there is a cave. It's a place of beauty not danger now, but that wasn't always the case.

The clues are there.  The walkway leading into it is called Ulica Smocza - Dragon Street. The cave itself is named Smocza Jana - Cave of the Dragon.

Outside the gaping mouth of Smocza Jana is a huge art installation. Twenty feet tall and built out of bronze, it was sculpted by Bronisław Chromy.

It is a dragon. And every fifteen minutes - or sooner, if someone activates it with a text message - the statue breathes real fire.

Patently something went on at the foot of Krakow's Wawel Castle. Something deadly enough to have left its mark in the place-name evidence and its likeness all over the souvenir stalls. That something had once terrorized this neighborhood.

It is Smok Wawelski! Or, for the non-Polish speaking amongst us, it's the Dragon of Wawel Castle.

Be afraid.

King Krak was desperate. The settlement that bore his name was in great danger.

A dragon had taken up residence beneath the monarch's own castle.

Krakow was so young back then. Little more than a village, the people were still pouring in and staking their claims to homes and businesses. But the burgeoning new capital city of Poland was rich pickings for more than mere humans.

Smok Wawelski emerged from its den each day at sunset. Its almighty roar shook the foundations of the royal dwellings above, and sent the Krakow people scurrying indoors. Yet there was always some unwary soul trapped outside, or livestock not herded fast enough into barns and stables.

The dragon fed well every night. The people screamed at King Krak to do something!

What could the king do?  Every knight he sent against the beast was fried in his armor. His weapons merely clattered against the dragon's tough scales and fell harmlessly away. The story spread far and wide, attracting adventurers from distant provinces. But the same terrible Fate befell them all.

King Krak upped the stakes. He offered his own crown, and his beloved daughter Wanda's hand in marriage, for any who could defeat the dragon.  Many tried. All failed.

Skuba could not be dissuaded. He asked for just three things - the carcass of a lamb, some mustard seed and a quantity of sulfur. Intrigued, King Krak ordered that he be given his supplies.

The shoemaker hurriedly rummaged through his own belongings and extracted a few key items. Collecting them all together, he strolled down to the very edge of the River Vistula, just below the cave where the Wawel Dragon slumbered.

Skuba cut open the belly of the lamb and prepared the cavity inside. He placed a quantity of pitch, the sulfur and the mustard seed into the stomach, then took out his twine and carefully stitched the carcass closed.

He was a shoemaker. His needlework was neat. By the time he'd finished, nobody could even see the join. They were all watching, from the castle's windows or hidey-holes along the river bank.

Twilight was already falling and the great roar sounded within the cave. Skuba looked up, startled, then fled behind the nearest bush.

Out in the open, the dead lamb lay, its belly filled with poison.

Smok Wawelski stomped from its cave, hungry and after sustenance. Its gaze couldn't miss the bait left out for it to devour, and it did. With one swoop of its might head, it had the whole lamb between its jaws and swallowed it without a bite.

Everyone waited. Smok Wawelski seemed ready to take to the skies, after more supper, more meat. But then it stopped dead. Roaring, shrieking, stomping on the spot. Suddenly the beast plunged forward, down towards the River Vistula. It seemed possessed of an unquenchable thirst. It drank and drank and drank.

Then the dragon stood upright on its haunches. Its mouth gaped wide, as everybody steeled themselves to witness the terrifying burst of fire. It came louder and more startling than any but the shoemaker had anticipated.

With a horrific scream of pain, Smok Wawelski exploded.  Krakow's ordeal was over.

King Kraw was an honorable man and good to his word. Skuba the Shoemaker married Princess Wanda and became king of Krakow in his turn.