Polish Legends - Wars and Sawa
Today I’d like to share with you one more Polish legend I remember from my elementary school years. Why did I choose this particular legend? Hopefully, this will be clearer at the end of this blog post. As is always the case with legends – this is just one version I was taught. Here it goes:
Once upon a time, when Poland was still a very new country, one of the princes (it was so long ago that nobody remembers his name) was travelling through his father’s kingdom. One day, when going through a very vast and dense forest, he got lost. Trying to find his way out of the woods, the prince got tired, hungry and thirsty. When he lost all his hope of finding back the path that led him to the forest, he noticed a small wooden hut between the trees. He decided to check if there was anyone living inside, hoping to get some food or at least to be shown the way out of the forest. It turned out that the house belonged to orphaned twins named Wars and Sawa, they received the prince, gave him food and water and told him how to get out of the forest. The prince felt very grateful and wanted to repay them with gold but they refused to – traditionally hospitality should not be rewarded, as it is an act of kindness that comes from one’s heart and isn’t done for profit. To show them his gratitude the prince decided that a new city would be built in this area and it shall be named after the twins to commemorate their kindness.
Do you see now why I wanted to share this legend with you? Yes, the city was named after the twins Wars and Sawa, later becoming Warszawa. The historians and linguists aren’t exactly sure where this name actually comes from as there’s no clear etymology linked to it, so, who knows, maybe the story of the kind and hospitable twins is not entirely made up? According to some, the forest where the prince got lost (and where the hut was located) used to be in the area of present-day Stare Miasto (the Old Town) of Warsaw. Some versions of this legend say that Sawa was a mermaid, who helped a fisherman, which explains why a mermaid is the symbol of Warsaw. In any case, both versions are about helping those in need – isn’t it nice to think that your city was built as a remembrance of an act of kindness?
What about the city you come from, do you know any interesting legends about its origins? Head to forums and share with us, I’m really curious!
David, OLS Community Manager – Polish
Source: Wikimedia Commons