Polish Legends. Socks with the Wawel dragon
Would Jaskier have the same admiration for the Wawel dragon? We probably won't find out, but we're betting that the most fashionable bard would love socks not paired with a dragon. Our latest design refers to the well-known Polish legend of the Wawel dragon. Thus, the socks not to be paired with a dragon are an excellent choice for both lovers of fashionable accessories and enthusiasts of Polish folklore and related stories. And what does the popular legend actually say? A long, long time ago, Krakow's Royal Hill was inhabited by a terrifying dragon. The monster soon began to arouse fear in all the residents, for the dragon's appetite was unbridled. At first he was content with eating sheep, but when he had swallowed them all, he switched to humans. Legend has it that the dragon developed a taste for young women in particular. The townspeople initially tried to fight the dragon, but its fiery breath took the lives of all the daredevils. Devastated by the situation, the king decided to set a special reward for the tamer of the dragon. The ruler promised half of his kingdom and the hand of his beautiful daughter. Brave daredevils descended from all nearby kingdoms, but even the bravest knights lost to the dragon. A poor cobbler also decided to try his hand. Dratewka, however, knew that muscles were not enough to defeat the creature, and cleverness was needed. The cobbler filled a sheepskin with sulfur, and the dragon momentarily swallowed the bait. Legend has it that the dragon then drank so much water from the Vistula River that it burst, and Krakow was saved from the bloodthirsty creature.
Krakow dragon
Although the dragon of legend was supposed to be a terror of medieval Krakow, today it is one of the city's biggest tourist attractions. The sculpture of the Wawel Dragon, by Bronislaw Chromy, has been standing right at the entrance to the Dragon's Den since the 1970s, and.... is breathing fire for real! Interestingly, the fire is started remotely and all it takes is a special text message. It is probably the only monster in the world that can be controlled from a phone. The dragon has also appeared in countless versions of fairy tales, books, computer games and even.... as the mascot of sports teams. In 2023, Google dedicated a doodle to him (i.e. a special graphic on the search engine's homepage), which shows how deeply the legend has grown into Polish culture. But what about the pit where he supposedly lived? The Dragon's Cave is an actual cave in the limestone hill of Wawel Castle, open to tourists. It is dozens of meters long and leads from the hill almost to the bank of the Vistula River. Although it's hard to be frightened there today, back in the 19th century it was thought to be a cursed place and full of evil powers. The Wawel Dragon is much more than a fable about a monster, it is a symbol of Krakow, a story of cunning and courage, and a tale that continues to fascinate successive generations despite hundreds of years.
