Krakus

Krakus

Issue Princess Wanda, Krakus II, Lech II

Legendary Polish prince, king, and founder of Kraków

Krakus, Krak or Grakch was a legendary Polish prince, ruler of the Vistulans (a Lechitic tribe), and the presumed founder of Kraków. Krakus is also credited with building Wawel Castle and slaying the Wawel Dragon by feeding it a dead sheep full of sulfur. The latter is how Krak the cobbler became Krakus the prince, and later king.^[1] The first recorded mention of Krakus, then spelled Grakch, is in the Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae from 1190.

Historian Jacek Banaszkiewicz [pl] attributes Krak's name to a pre-Slavic word "krakula", meaning 'judge's staff' or 'scepter', which also signified judicial authority among the pagan Balts.^[2] Historians Cetwiński and Derwich suggest a different etymology, which seems more probable to some, with Krak, meaning simply an oak, a sacred tree, most often associated with the concept of genealogy. Moreover, the name of the city of Kraków is believed to be derived from the word kruk, which translates to 'crow' or 'raven'.^[3]

Krakus Mound, which exists to this day, was previously believed to contain Krakus' remains. It has been the subject of thorough archeological research from 1934–38, however, no grave has ever been found in it. The mound has a diameter of over 50 meters. According to research, it was erected between the 8th and 10th centuries as a central element of an ancient grave site, which does not exist today.

The Krak and Princess Wanda legend appeared in the early Polish history written by Wincenty Kadłubek (Latin: Vincentius Cadlubkonis); a similar legend, that of Krok and Libussa, appeared in the early Czech history by Cosmas of Prague.

References

^ Raymond, Adam K. (March–April 2012). "A Dragon for the Digital Age". Mental Floss. 11 (2).
^ Nungovitch, Petro Andreas (2019). Here All Is Poland: A Pantheonic History of Wawel, 1787–2010. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 287. ISBN 9781498569125.
^ "Krakowskie ABC - Magiczny Kraków". www.krakow.pl.

External links

Krak or Krakus? at historycy.org (Polish)
'Krakus and the Dragon'. A puppet re-telling by the pupils of St. Mary's Primary, Gorleston

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krak.

Polish legendary rulers

These rulers supposedly ruled in the Early Middle Ages.

v t e Monarchs of Poland
Legendary	Lech I Krakus I Krakus II Lech II Wanda Leszko I Leszko II Leszko III Popiel I Popiel II Chościsko Piast the Wheelwright
Proto-historic	Siemowit Lestek Siemomysł
Piast dynasty	Mieszko I Bolesław I the Brave Bezprym Mieszko II Lambert Bolesław the Forgotten Casimir I the Restorer Bolesław II the Bold Władysław I Herman Zbigniew Bolesław III Wrymouth
Fragmentation period	Senior or Supreme Princes Władysław II the Exile Bolesław IV the Curly Mieszko III the Old Casimir II the Just Leszek the White Władysław III Spindleshanks Władysław Odonic Mieszko IV Tanglefoot Konrad I Henry the Bearded Henry II the Pious Bolesław the Horned Bolesław V the Chaste Leszek II the Black Henryk IV Probus Przemysł II See also: Dukes of Silesia Dukes of Greater Poland Dukes of Little Poland Dukes of Masovia Dukes of Kuyavia Dukes of Sieradz-Łęczyca Dukes of Gdańsk Pomerania Dukes of Pomerania
Přemyslid dynasty	Wenceslaus II Wenceslaus III
Restored Piast dynasty	Władysław I Łokietek Casimir III the Great
Capet-Anjou dynasty	Louis I the Hungarian Jadwiga
Jagiellonian dynasty	Władysław II Jagiełło Władysław III of Varna Casimir IV John I Albert Alexander Sigismund I the Old Sigismund II Augustus
Elective monarchy	Henry of Valois Anna Jagiellon Stephen Báthory Sigismund III Vasa Władysław IV Vasa John II Casimir Vasa Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki John III Sobieski Augustus II the Strong Stanisław I Augustus III Stanisław August Poniatowski
Italics indicates monarch of questioned historicity