It was hard for me to pick only one story from Prague. Its Old Town is probably one of the most haunted of all Europe. Whenever you walk, magic, thrill and charm is all in the air. Stories of murders, alchemists, ghosts are now becoming part of the city’s most essential touristic tours. Literature about these imaginary forces are so rich. And the Astronomical Clock has its own part too. Standing in a tower just beside the square, it was considered one of the World Wonders in the Middle Ages. Every hour, tourists gather to contemplate its fantastic mechanical show. Figures of the Apostles, a skeleton striking the time, a Turk shaking his head, and Vanity admiring himself in a mirror, it’s a peculiar piece of art.
When the clock was built by Master Hanuš in 1410, the city’s councilors at that time were so delighted with the clock that they later began to fear that he would build one like it for another European city. Therefore one dark night they had him blinded, and thus the wondrous clock remained only in Prague. In revenge, and despite his blindness, Hanuš managed to damage the clock and died shortly afterwards, thus no one was able to repair it. The clock went silent for hundreds of years. Locals believes that whoever tries to affect the machine in any way he will die or go insane.
The moral: we have a very famous and ironic proverb in Egypt that says: Good deeds, are sometimes rewarded by bad deeds! Maybe Hanuš should have never made the clock?
Maybe the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen is much more famous than the Polish one. Some legends even tell that both are sisters. But personally, I wasn't impressed by the Danish one at all! Her Polish sister, is much bigger, beautifully sculptured, and gives you a strong sense of pride and courage, unlike the sad one in Copenhagen.
Wars was a fisherman. One evening before going home he heard a mystical song, so beautiful that he was mesmerized and forgot about the world around him. The next evening, Wars sat on the river after finishing his work and waited. Suddenly he heard that song even more beautiful than the night before. He came closer to the sound and saw the most beautiful lady in the world, with long golden hair, white skin and… A fish tail! Petrified, the mermaid disappeared, and Wars lost hope to find her again.
Several years had passed and one evening, she reappeared again and Wars hurried with his web and captured her. The mermaid kept on crying and begged him to release her, as she cannot survive without water. Wars, who has fell in love with her, decided to let her go. In gratitude, Sawa the mermaid promised to come and sing for him every evening, and to defend him and his village.
Today there is the city of Warsaw in that place, named after the two lovers: WarsSawa. Sawa has become the symbol of the Polish capital. Her statue with a shield and sword can be seen at various places across the city and features at Warsaw’s coat of arms.
The moral: In order for Love to keep going, you should let it go!
When you visit Dubrovnik, you can spot statues of Saint Blaise all over the city: the city walls, buildings, administrative and governmental edifices. Exactly the same way as you can find the Virgin Mary in every corner in Beirut. Not only because he is considered the healer of throat illness, but mainly because he saved the inhabitants of Dubrovnik from the enemy.
In the 14th century a Venetian fleet on its way to Levant, anchored in front of the island of Lokrum, just facing the city of Dubrovnik. Locals in the city welcomed them with open arms not knowing their true intentions – conquering the city. One night, Saint Blaise appeared to the priest of the then Church of St. Stephen, and warned him that the Venetians wanted to take Dubrovnik. Saint Blaise, who was accompanied by armed military, said that he was sent from heaven to protect the city from the Venetians, who that night had secretly come to the city walls in order to jump over and begin their attack. According to the vision, Saint Blaise with the help of the heavenly army, threw the Venetians from the walls of Dubrovnik.
The moral: What you see with your eyes can blind your vision. But God, in that case, sends you signs to enlight you. Don't ignore them!
The Dragon is the symbol of the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana. On the Zmajski most (Dragon Bridge) in the city’s old town, four enormous greenish dragons are standing tall with their meticulously crafted tails, on both sides of the bridge. When Jason, a Greek hero, and his comrades stole a golden fleece and escaped from their pursuers, they found themselves at the mouth of the River Danube instead of going south towards the Aegean Sea and their Greek homeland. There was no way back, so they went on, up the Danube and then along the River Ljubljanica.
They had to stop at the source of the Ljubljanica and hided away. They then took the ship apart and in the spring carried it on their shoulders to the Adriatic coast, where they put it back together again and went on their way. According to the legend, on their arrival between what is now Vrhnika and Ljubljana, they came across a large lake with a marsh alongside. Here lived a terrible marsh dragon that Jason killed after a heroic struggle. The monster would have been the Ljubljana dragon. It is said that Jason should have been the first real Ljubljana citizen. According to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails.
The moral: A hero is born, only when he dares to step out of his comfort zone!
The Chain Bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges of Eastern Europe, crossing over the Danube River to connect the two parts of the city, Buda and Pest. Each end of the bridge is guarded by statues of two lions that are said to have no tongues. Rumors are that they once had tongues, but were stolen by Gypsies. The legend has evolved, to the point that upon hearing that his lions had been sculpted with no tongues, the artist, János Marschalkó, killed himself. The same fate was said to have befallen the bridge’s primary engineer, Péter Wellner, who – as the legend goes – also did himself in when he discovered that he had not ordered enough material for the bridge to expand the full width of the Danube.
The moral: Never pay attention to rumors. They are killers!
If you haven't read them yet, go back to my stories from Western Europe, or continue to the Middle Eastern ones.
By Ingy Sedky