7 Wondrous Kashubian Legends
The north of Poland is home to a unique cultural group – the Kashubians. They have their own language, traditions, and... legends. Let’s daringly take a closer look at seven especially fascinating Kashubian legends about giants, sirens, the extraordinary landscape and much more.
Leon Heyke, photo: public domain Kashubia is a cultural region in northern Poland which lies approximately between the Hel Penninsula on the Baltic Sea and the Tuchola Forest near the town of Chojnice. This area is famous for its beautiful seashores as well as the numerous hillocks and lakes that can be found at its centre. Kashubia encompasses such significant cities as Gdańsk, Kartuzy and Wejcherowo.
This region is home to the Kashubians, a distinct cultural group of Slavic origin, whose name first appeared in written sources in the 13th century. But the Kashubians most likely inhabited the area much earlier; historians postulate they could’ve settled there as far back as in the 7th century.
One of the most characteristic elements of Kashubian culture is its language. Akin to Polish, yet distinct enough that a Polish monolinguist might not understand Kashubian as it has its own diacritics and words. You can read more about it in our Kaszëbskô Mowa: Freeing the Kashubian Language article.
Kashubians are also well-known for their embroidery, pottery and amber handicraft traditions. Amber is abundant on the Baltic coastline and traditionally, Kashubian artisans would use it to craft such objects as rosaries, pendants or cigarette holders. The Kashubian legends also differ from those found in the rest of Poland. A wonderful collection of Kashubian legends, titled Podania Kaszubskie (Kashubian Legends) was penned in 1931 by Leon Heyke under the pseudonym Stanisław Czernicki. Heyke (1885-1939), born in the Kashubian village of Bieszkowice, was a clergyman, writer and dedicated propagator of Kashubian culture.
On one of the opening pages of Heyke’s aforementioned book, you can read the following passage from writer and economist Jerzy Kurnatowski:
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The rich Kashubian folklore, its beautiful traditions and the understandable love with which it surrounds Kashubian folk – oughtn’t get lost in a sea of Polishness, which by the way would be a great loss for Polishness itself.
And now let us immerse ourselves in Heyke’s Kashubian Legends, 7 especially spellbinding tales chosen to celebrate Poland’s Kashubian folklore.
The coat of arms of Kashubia according to the association of Kashubians Kaszëbsczi Jednotë, photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons We commence with a legend titled Anioł Kaszub (The Angel of Kashubia), which describes how the said region came into existence. After God finished creating the world, he asked his angels about their opinion of his work. All the angels enthusiastically clapped their hands and gave their praise, all but one. This individual angel pointed out to God that Kashubia could use some enhancements, as it contained nothing but sand. The creator reacted nimbly to the angel’s advice and embellished the region:
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God spoke an almighty word and a miracle occurred. In the middle of sandy Kashubia, hills appeared, covered with rustling trees, and between the hills, blue ponds shone brightly. These were beautiful lakes full of tasty fish.
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From ‘Kashubian Legends’, trans. MK
Afterwards, God raised his hand and a great griffon appeared over Kashubia. The mythical creature flew over the region and dropped a great piece of amber into one of its lakes. Should Kashubia experience dire poverty, this immensely valuable piece of amber will be discovered and the region will be saved. As for the angel who voiced his concerns to God, he became the guardian angel of Kashubia.
It’s worth adding that some say the griffon featured in Kashubia’s coat of arms commemorates the griffon mentioned in this legend.
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The parish church in Chmielno, photo: Chmielno parish
Staying in line with the religious theme of The Angel of Kashubia, our next legend, titled Mirachowski Skotorz (A Cowherd from Mirachowo), focuses on a church. Long ago, due to war and pestilence, everyone disappeared from the village of Chmielno, which was consequently covered by a forest. Many years later, a cowherd from the nearby village of Mirachowo was pasturing his cows in these woods when one of his bulls wandered off. He found the animal nearby a mysterious hillock entirely covered with moss. There was a door leading inside the hill, and after the cowherd went through it, he discovered he had actually entered a church. This was an old wooden church that had been built in Chmielno before it was abandoned.
The cowherd spread the word about his discovery and soon people started to settle in Chmielno once more. The forest was cleared to make room for farmlands and the church, the oldest one in all of Kashubia, was renovated. A princess by the name of Dąbroka began living in the revitalised village; she took special care of the local prayer house, especially by adorning it. Eventually, however, the wooden temple was torn down and a brick church was built instead. The latter building, dating back to the mid-19th century, still stands today.
At this point, the Mirachowski Skotorz legend ends, but a little commentary is always worthwhile. According to church documents, Dąbroka – otherwise known as Damroka – was a real-life person (possibly a princess) who lived in the 13th century. She’s said to have been the founder of a church in Chmielno. Also, the currently existing brick church in Chmielno was indeed erected in the mid-19th century. Like they say, there’s a grain of truth in every fairy tale…
Licho, a Slavic daemon, photo: Marek Hapon / CC BY-SA 4.0 A church also appears, although in a rather different context, in the legend Mora i Wieszczy (Mora & Wieszczy). This tale starts by depicting the two fantastic beings mentioned in its title. In this story, a person born with a covering on their head (such as a piece of placenta) will become a mora if the covering won’t be immediately removed, for example, by a midwife. During their life, moras attack horses and choke humans and night. After their death, they become a wieszczy or an undead daemon:
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[…] It retains a lifelike colour and doesn’t decay in the grave. It can leave the coffin for one hour at a time, during which it harms whatever it gets.
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From ‘Kashubian Legends’, trans. MK
One might add that a wieszczyi is a typically Kashubian daemon. It was, however, also known in other regions like Dobrzyń Land and Greater Poland.
In Mora i Wieszczy we learn that there once was a king whose daughter became a wieszczy. She was buried in the basement of a church and kept killing the soldiers who guarded her coffin at night. One day, a traveller came to the king and told him that he can solve the problem posed by the undead being. He went to the church and when the king’s daughter left her coffin, he slid inside. After an hour’s time, the daemon wanted to return to the coffin, but the traveller wouldn’t let her. As a result, she was unable to move. The traveller asked her what she wanted. She told him she had hidden away some money and would like for him to give it to her younger sister. After doing so, the traveller returned to the church and yet again slid inside the coffin when it was empty. This time, the daemon told him that her parents and their midwife ought to come and remove the covering from her head. After the covering was removed by them, the king’s daughter stopped leaving her coffin.
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Sculptures of Stolems in Gniewino, photo: Wojciech Stróżyk / REPORTER / East News
Whereas our last legend revolves around a wieszczy, the next one involves fanciful beings of another kind – stolems. In Kashubian folklore, stolems are giants that lived long, long ago, shaping some of the region’s terrain. In Kashubian Legends, there are a couple of tales about them, including Stolemi Bój (Fight of the Stolems).
In this tale, a stolem travels to the Baltic coast where he meets another stolem. After complaining a bit about humans – whom they regarded as rather pesky – the two giants went to sleep. An observing fisherman decided to cause the stolems some trouble. He climbed a tall tree and from there, he threw a stone onto the forehead of one of the giants. The targeted stolem woke up and accused the other one of hitting him. Naturally, the other giant denied and after a short quarrel, the two went back to sleep. Then the fisherman threw a stone at the second stolem, causing another argument between the giants, which again ended with them going back to sleep. The third stone thrown by the fisherman caused, however, absolute pandemonium.
After that stone hit one of the stolems again, the giants began fighting, pulling out entire trees and using them as weapons. Then they proceeded to throw huge rocks at one another. Other stolems in Europe took note of the dramatic fighting and joined in, which led to a colossal battle of the giants. As a result, all stolems perished except for one, who hid in the Tuchola Forest to recuperate. Afterwards, mankind was able to take over Kashubia. Interestingly, the fisherman who started the grand fight was left unharmed. Also, the rocks hurled by the fighting stolems can still be seen today, scattered around Kashubia…
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Hel Peninsula, photo: Andrzej Zbraniecki / East News
The character of a fisherman also appears in a legend titled O Morskim Wężu (The Sea Serpent). The beginning of the tale depicts the titled monster:
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In the northern ocean lives a monstrous serpent, two hundred metres in length. Its body is densely covered with shiny scales. Its head like a wolf’s, with small ears and black eyes, and a fiery tongue pointed like an arrow.
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From ‘Kashubian Legends’, trans. MK
One day, the sea serpent was spotted on the Hel Peninsula. A fisherman, standing on a moonlit shore, saw the beast emerge from the water. He had heard stories about it breaking boats in half and devouring humans and animals, so he hid behind a dune. The giant serpent crawled onto the shore and let out a terrifying howl, scaring humans and animals alike. Afterward, the beast slid across the peninsula and entered the waters of the Puck Bay (which is located between Hel and Gdańsk). It swam across the bay three times until it finally disappeared into the open seas.
That year, all the fish fled the Kashubian shores and the fisherman were afraid to take their boats out. Fortunately, the sea serpent was never again seen in the Baltic Sea.
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‘Mermaid’ by Józef Mehoffer, 1910, photo: Polona.pl
Another legend from the sea – O Syrenach (About Mermaids) tells the story of a valiant knight who lived in a castle on the Baltic coast, near today’s city of Gdynia. One day, the knight took a boat out to sea and encountered a mermaid who told him she loved him. The mythical being warned him that there will be an attack on his castle and that he must go back. She also said that if he comes to the beach and claps his hands, she’ll come, also to advise him.
The knight went back and as foretold, his home soon went under siege. However, the attackers could not prevail as every night he received valuable advice from the mermaid on how to withstand them. One night, an enemy ambushed the knight and mermaid at the beach by shooting an arrow at them. The arrow missed its intended target and in response, the mermaid threatened the attacker three times. Three days later he drowned and soon the siege ended with the castle being saved. All was well and the knight kept seeing the mermaid. But there came a night when he heard several mermaids singing. This aroused such a longing in him that he went out to sea. While in his boat, the mermaids surrounded him, and he was never seen again.
Heyke goes on to add that in the 1530s a mermaid was caught and gifted to the Polish king Sigismund I the Old. Sadly, just three days after the king received this aquatic being – it died. Curiously, this story is quite similar to the tale of the so-called Sea Bishop, a mythical creature you can read about in our 10 Fantastic Beasts from Poland & Where to Find Them article.
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Market Square in Białogard, photo: Rafał Jabłoński / East News
Lastly, we have a legend titled Król Kaszubski (The Kashubian King). One day, two men found a path leading inside a mountain located near the town of Białogard. After entering, they discovered a fantastic realm. In it blossomed a beautiful garden filled with flowers, surrounded by a bushy meadow inhabited by pleasantly singing birds. There stood a castle in the distance that boasted a golden tower and roof. Shortly after, a boy appeared before the men and began to lead them towards the castle. As they were walking, golden hail began falling from yellow clouds. However, it wasn’t long before the storm was over and seven marvellous rainbows appeared in the sky. Eventually, the men entered the castle:
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A golden throne stood in the spacious residence and on it sat the Kashubian King. His long beard was as white as snow and on his head a diamond crown shone.
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From ‘Kashubian Legends’, trans. MK
The venerable king greeted the newcomers and told them that he had taken refuge inside the mountain from his enemies. He asked them to tell the Kashubian people that he had not forgotten them and that one day he’ll return with his army. Then, he gave the two men a golden ring as a token of his promise. After the men left the mountain, they spread news about the king, much to the joy of the Kashubians.
Written by Marek Kępa, Jan 22
