Legends Exchange Project

  RED AND BLACK STONES a Silesian Legend Long, long ago, Silesia was covered with thick, ancient forests. People used wood for keeping their cottages warm in winter, because they didn’t know that their land was rich in coal. In one village, there were two brothers – the rich one, Eliasz, and the poor one – Matyjasz. They were both very fond of a beautiful girl, Hanulka. Hanulka really liked the poor brother, Matyjasz, which made his rich brother very jealous. Eliasz decided to ask his uncles for advice. They suggested that he should propose to Hanulka, thus showing her his good intentions. But, as it turned out, Matyjasz had the same idea. Old women in the village started spreading rumours that Hanulka would choose this brother whose gift she would enjoy better. Evil uncles, who had always preferred Eliasz, advised him to get rid of Matyjasz. So one day, when both brothers were out in the woods, he did so, by throwing his brother down a tree hollow. Matyjasz was fall...

    SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON Once upon a time, there was a frightening dragon that scared everyone in a Kingdom. As a consequence, all the inhabitants in Aragon lived in fear. To make the dragon happy, the citizens decided to give him a person to eat each day. By doing this, the dragon would not be hungry and he would be happy. Every day, the person to be delivered to the dragon was raffled. One day, the name of the king's daughter came up in the raffle. She was a young princess who was admired and loved by everyone. The King was suffering and many citizens offered to replace the princess, but both the princess and the king refused to accept that idea. The princess left the city to fulfill her mission. Suddenly, a young armored knight appeared riding on a white horse. The princess told him about the dangers of that place but the knight refused to abandon her because he was there to save her. The knight was named Jorge and he faced the dragon as ...

  TULPAR LEGENDS In Turkish epics, horses have as extraordinary features as their owners. Horses that understand human language and can speak like humans often protect their owners from dangers and save them from death. These horses, which have the ability to fly, are known as Tulpar in old Turkish epics. According to the Bashkir beliefs, no one can see the wings of a winged horse called Tulpar. Tulpar opens its wings alone in the dark while overcoming large obstacles and distances. It is believed by the person that if Tulpar has wings, Tulpar will disappear. As told in the Manas Epic, they run faster than the wind.   Tulpar is only the horse of batirs (heroes) and was already created by Kuday (god) to help batirs. Sometimes it seems that physical properties belonging to different worlds merge. The winged "Tulpar", which has an important place in Turkish Mythology, is one of them. "Tulpar" means "Pegasus" in Greek Mythology.   It is claim...