Basic Information
Type/Species: Great Serpent
Origin: Polish Legend
About Krak's Dragon
In 700 C.E., the hero Krak was reaching the peak of his fame. He found himself in the mists of a distressed town, called Wavel, which was savaged by a fearsome dragon. Instead of brute strength, Krak devised a cleaver plan where he filled a sheepskin fill of saltpeper. [1]
The dragon saw the sheepskin and hastily gobbled it down. Unfortunately, the saltpeper made the dragon thirsty beyond belief, so he proceeded to drink water (some say a whole river) until his body burst into many pieces. [2]
Some alternate stories say that the King of Krakow offered his daughter's hand to anyone who could slay the foul beast. In each story, however, the dragon is slain by similar means. However, in the secondary story, the slayer is a poor shoemaker. [3]
Footnotes
- Famous Dragons. Link defunct <http://members.tripod.com/~waterdragon/famous.html>
- Famous Dragons. Link defunct <http://members.tripod.com/~waterdragon/famous.html>
- Weird Beasts: A Polish Dragon. Link Defunct <http://web.ukonline.co.uk/conker/weird-beasts/dragon.htm>
For more information on footnotes and references, please see the bibliography.
