Legend about the Golden Duck

Once upon a time, Lutek the shoemaker heard the story of the Golden Duck hiding in the cellars of Ostrogski Castle. The brave boy managed to find the duck, who gave him one hundred ducats and , promised to make him rich under one condition: he had to spend everything in one day and not share it with anybody. Unable to keep his promise, however, the shoemaker helped a tramp and the Golden Duck, who turned to be a princess, took all his riches away. Thus, Lutek  understood that money held no value when it could not be shared. Nobody has again seen the Golden Duck, the  fountain in front of Ostrogski Palace being the only reminder of its existence.

En espanol
Po polsku

Wars and Sawa (another version)

A long, long time ago there was a tiny hut standing at the shores of the Vistula River. There lived Wars, fisherman, and his wife Sawa. 

One day in the forest was organized a hunt for prince Ziemomysl. He was an owner of estate.  But he lost in his vast forest. He wandered around for many night and days and finally he reached to a poor fisherman’s hut. Wars and Sawa made the stranger welcome and entertained a guest according the old Polish tradition of hospitality.  In the morning the grateful prince said: “You didn’t hesitate to take in a stranger and save him from hunger, cold and wild animals. Therefore this land will forever be called Warsaw , so your kidness can never forgotten.

Wars and Sawa

Legend tell where from begun the name of capital city in Poland.

There was in the past, when in Poland lived king Kazimierz Odnowiciel. One more time he have been tramping from Krakow to Gniezno. On his way he came up poor fisherman’s hut.  King found this hut thanks to the smoke and the smell of fresh food. Fisherman treated  king Kazimierz some fishe from the night’s catch and told King about his family. He had marvellous twins: girl and boy.  Because he lived in the middle of primeral forest and there was any church they (fisherman and his wife) could not baptise the babies.

The king, who had really enjoyed the meal, wanted to pay the peasants with geld, but they, according to the old polish tradition of hospitality, refused to take any payement. Then the king asked them for one more favour – he asked to be a twin’s godfather at their baptism that he would organize.  They set up an altar on a hill and a priest commissioned by King  Kazimierz named the twins Wars (the boy) and Sawa (the girl). And king Kazimierz announced that  Peter Fisherman would from then on be called Piotr Wars, the royal fisherman, the father of Wars i Sawa, and the owner of the vast forecast. The king also told him that one day when a village began to take shape near his hut, that he should give it a name derived from his new surname – and the village would carry that name forever. 

The Golden Duck

A long, long time ago a princess who had been turned into a golden duck lived in the cellars of Ostrogski Castle. People said that anyone who found her would be rich.

One year, on Kupala’s night a young cobbler went down into cellars – he was lucky and he met the golden duck.  She promised him riches. However, she said there was only one condition: she gave him a bag full of golden coins and said he had to spend them all within one day and not share his riches with anyone.

The boy tried spend his money in one day. He bought clothes for him, he bought full of meal for him, he drank full of beer and wine. He ale day remember of the condition of the golden duck.

 It was almost the end of the day, when the boy broke the condition: he gave the last coin to a poor soldier. In a blink of an  eye, he lost everything he had purchased with the gold coins.

In this moment he understood that money does not make you happy: true happiness comes from work and good health. From that time onwards, he lived the good life of a master cobbler and nobody ever heard about the Golden Duck again.

The Basilisk

In the Old Town, on the side of Dekert of Old Town Square is a tenement with deep cellar. In this basement lived Basilisk, terrible monster. He guarded  huge treasures. When some man wanted reach treasure, was killed by the gaze of the Basilisk. It was very dangerous, because Basilisk changed their in the stones, when he looked for daredevil. Many people tried win the Basilisk, but anybody didn’t know the method.

On more time it was a daredevil, who discovered method of destroy the monster. When he got into cellar, and when immediately appeard the Basilisk, he showed the monster a mirror. When the Basilisk looked into mirror,  it turned in stone. Basilisk was so awful so, when he looked in mirror and he saw himself, he was so terrified , so he immediately changed in stone.

Today on the fasade of the building there is a picture of the Basilisk, which is the symbol of the renowned Warsaw restaurant of the same name.

The Legend of the Warsaw Mermaid

A long, long time ago a siren was swimming in from the sea and she stopped on the riverbank near the Old Town to rest. She found this place so admirable, that she decided stay here.

Local fisherman who lived nearby noticed that sometihing was creating waves, tangling nets, and releasing their fish.

Fisherman wanted trap a pest,but when he heard siren sing, he fell in love with her.

Later, a rich merchant trapped the siren and imprisoned her in wooden hut.

Fisherman heard siren's cry and with the help his mates released her. Mermaid declared her readiness to offer fisherman her help whenever it would be needed. Ever since the siren armed with sword and shield.