Krakus, Krak or Grakch was a legendary Polish prince, king and founder of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

, the ruler of the Lechitic tribe of Vistulans. Krakus is also credited with building

Wawel Castle The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established ...

and slaying the Wawel Dragon by feeding it a dead sheep full of

sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...

. The latter is how Krak the cobbler became Krakus the prince, and later king. The first recorded mention of Krakus, then spelled ''Grakch'', is in the

Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae 200px, ''Historia Polonica'', Vincenti Kadłubkonis Episcopi Cracoviensis, 1612 ''Chronica seu originale regum et principum Poloniae'', short name ''Chronica Polonorum'', is a Latin history of Poland written by Wincenty Kadłubek between 1190 an ...

from 1190. Historian J. Banaszkiewicz attributes Krak's name to a pre-Slavic word "krakula", meaning judge's staff. The same word-root is believed to have been used in Czech and Russian naming conventions. However, historians Cetwiński and Derwich suggest a different

etymology Etymology () The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the form of words ...

, which seems more probable to some, with Krak, meaning simply an oak, a sacred tree, most often associated with the concept of

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

. 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 Kadlubek Wincenty is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ryszard Wincenty Berwiński (1817–1879), Polish poet * Wincenty Budzyński (1815–1866), Polish politician agent and Polish–French chess master * Wincenty de Lesseur (born 1745) ...

; a similar legend, that of Krok and Libussa, appeared in the early Czech history by Cosmas of Prague.

References

Krak or Krakus?
at historycy.org (''Polish'')
'Krakus and the Dragon'. A puppet re-telling by the pupils of St. Mary's Primary, Gorleston
{{authority control Nobility from Kraków History of Kraków Legendary Polish monarchs Polish princes Mythological city founders

See also

References