Polish folklore/legends

Jul 19, 09, 18:46 - Thread attached on merging:
Polish Folklore.

I'd be delighted to read about Polish folklore, superstition, the odd local legend or even a typical Polish fairytale.

Then read here:

Linky Thingymerged

The search function on this sight is quite good, Kudos to Admin!

Thank you, but I should probably inform you that I'm currently unable to read Polish. I've already tried a variety of search engines, and the results have been limited to say the least. Quite the disappointment actually, I somehow expected to find much more reading material.

I've read the previous thread, and surely another attempt at reviving this particular subject couldn't do much harm? Suffice to say I'm none the wiser.

I do know one story though! (Just can't seem to remember the title!)

;)

Well, Wiki can be your friend!

A collection of Polish Folklore
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_folk_beliefs - check the bottom for some English titles that may be available at your local library

Then there is the story of a mysterious black limo
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Volga

Also, check out the story about a Duck living beneath a castle, with fabulous riches.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C5%82ota_kaczka

Well, I still live in Holland, and I'm pretty sure my library has very little to offer when it comes to books or novels by Polish authors. It's much easier when you know what to look for isn't it?

:)

Thanks!

Plk123 mentioned the ritual of sending off winter. That might be the legend of Marzanna. You can google it.

that's it.. man, it takes me forever to recall the name.. i have done this on a number of occasions.. always fun. :)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marzanna

Thread attached on merging:
Polish Folklore.

I don't know much about Polish folklore and legends, but I would like to hear your stories if you know any. (Local stories aswell!)

:)

Merged: Polish folklore

Hi all. I could just Google or Wiki this subject but I'm more interested in personable feedback.
I know every country has its own tales and myths/legends but when people tell me about them, it holds more interest.

The only thing I know of, first hand from my in-law family is Baba Jaga.
I know it may all sound very odd but I have my reasons for asking and it may help me understand some strange things about my travels in the future (i.e., some local superstition I've encountered).

Can any of you tell me what you were scared of as youngsters. Or now?!?! Or what stories held weight for you once upon a time?

Thanks.

Smok Wawelski!

More about the legendary dragon.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawel_Dragon

Here's another one but different versions of it exist across the Europe.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk

Offtopic: I and most of my friends were mostly scared of this terrifying monster:



link to wiki sadly only in Polish:

pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Przyjaciel_weso%C5%82ego_diab%C5%82a_(film)

Twardowski had deals with devils. He was actually a semi-historical figure.

Poland doesn't have many ghost stories, but it has many devil stories. Those devils were most likely remnants of pagan faith. They weren't really Christian devils, but some local supernatural beings, often quite malicious, but rather harmless if left alone. The most well known ones are Boruta and Rokita.

Popiel was a mythical figure of a cruel ruler living in times of the Piast dynasty.

If your Polish is good, check out "Stara Baśń" by Ignacy Krasicki. If your polish is less good, check out the movie.

Kwiat Paproci - "Fireflower" - very similar to the Firebird tale from Russia.

Here's a riddle that will stump 99% of Polish population, then make them feel stupid!!!
"What's the name of the Slavic goddess of destiny ? 4 letters, starts with 'd', ends with 'a'."
The answer is.... Dola.

On the north, people tell the tale of a sea queen Jurata who had an amber palace on the bottom of the Baltic sea. One of towns on Hel Peninsula is called Jurata.

Slavic people feared winds, and many harmful demons were associated with them. In polish, two of them were Latawica and her male counterpart Latawiec. Today, latawica means a slut, and latawiec means a kite. There's a funny belief in Ukraine - have you seen fallen leaves spinning in circles on the ground in Autumn ? Ukrainians believe it's the DEVIL! But he's invisible. To kill him, you need to throw a knife dipped in holy water.

Not a tale per se, but "strzyga" was the ancestor of vampires. It was a corpse-like creature that drank blood of its victims, and it was very fast - but it didn't turn people into vampires or anything. Werewolves are also of slavic origin.

The legend of Baba Jaga - The Baba Witch - in modern version.
Great acting, music, script, everything.
English subs in settings

Niezła Baba ta Jaga.
But who is this Perun, is it Putin?

What does it mean??? Is it Polish??

Perun isn`t Putin, it is a Slavic god from ancient pre christian times.

There are some that think Jaga is a cognate of Polish jędza..... baba is of course self-explanatroy...


Polish cognate is piorun, I'm sure you know but some readers might not....

For those readers who don`t you should have explained that Perun means Thunder. :):):

not lightning (lightning bolt or thunderbolt) as in Polish? : )

I chose thunder coz his alternative name used by Slavs was Grom - Thunder.


In Polish piorun is a thunder and a lightning combined.

"Piorun" kills, so there must be lightning.

Well thunder is produced by lightning IIRC so that makes some sense, błyskawica is more specialized for lightning and grzmot for thunder....

Generally thunder is not that common in most of Poland, though today has certainly been an exception to that with alternating periods of strong winds and rain and thunder and lightning and relative calm... very weird, even by changeable Polish weather standards....

Another legend from the series - this time about the Wawel Dragon. Very unusual approach.

You have to choose English subs in the settings:



The fembot which combats the Dragon reminds me of the female Terminator from part 3.

The next one is about the Basilisc. Watch out coz the protagonists use foul language. Still, it is the funniest of all films so far.

I love polish fairy tales, my mother used to tell me of this one tale called "Jesper Who Herded the Hares", I remember little me asking mother all the time to read this one to me. About a guy who trades with ugly fat people and then get big reward at the end. Read this one!!

Strange. The only Jasper I remember from a fairy tale is the leprechaun with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I used to read this tale to my kids in English.


Yes, instead of gold they were looking for they got integrity, friendship, exercise in the open air etc etc.

Now you introduced an amasing mystery with this Jesper/Jasper. :):):)

• 
  
  

There's always Sir Jasper.

Oh Sir Jasper do not touch me
Oh Sir Jasper do not touch
Oh Sir Jasper do not
Oh Sir Jasper do
And so on

Funny. :):)