A DRAGON I KNOW WELL And now, Dear Dragon Lovers: the Enchanting Tale of The Dragon of Walwal Castle

Beautiful Walwal Castle on the Banks of the Vistula River Krakow, Poland Note: To the right , among the trees at the base of the Castle is the cave entrance and the Dragon.

It was in Krakow, Poland, in 1998 that we met the Walwal Dragon. (Walwal is pronounced Volvol in English.) We were to find ourselves once again, at the magnificent Castle and at the feet of the Dragon in 1999. He hasn't changed at all.

His legend goes like this... Several centuries ago, as man counts time, there lived a fearful Dragon in a cave under the Royal Castle of Walwal. His favorite breakfast was assorted local virgins and for dinner, vast herds of sheep. This caused great alarm among the town folk, as they were fast running out of virgins. (They blamed the Dragon.)

Even though every brave knight in the kingdom and realms beyond tried to put a stop to the Dragon, (that being one of the duties of a loyal knight) the creature merely ate them too, kindly donating their armor to the King's royal collection, which can be seen in the armory of the Castle, to this day.

Yummy However, the culinary habits of the Dragon began to be somewhat of an inconvenience for townspeople, and demanded the King DO SOMETHING! The notoriously weak-willed King decided to take the route of least resistance and declared, with blaring trumpets, his eldest daughter, as well as his entire kingdom, would be the reward to anyone clever enough to slay the Dragon.

At the foot of the castle and in close proximity to the Dragon's cave stood an ancient fisherman's tavern where many of the town's finest and boldest spent long hours, talking loudly and bravely about how to defeat the creature.

Enter the Shoemaker, Stage Right One day a poor shoemaker named Little Twine Krak happened into the tavern and upon hearing the boasts of the men gathered for their daily pints, allowed as how he would slay the Dragon, marry the princess and rule the hapless braggarts and the rest of Poland as well. You can imagine the rude comments this declaration prompted and Little Twine Krak left, head bowed in humiliation. But, he vowed to slay that Dragon, as the princess, although very unattractive, if not downright ugly, may not have been a treasure but to be King of all Poland surely was worth the risk. After all, a plan was hatching in Little Twine Krak's head

Finest kind Dragon Slayer Fortifying himself with many tankards, he grabbed his sword, and, striding manfully to the cave, shouted to the object of all the commotion to make himself known, as he was about to meet the Dragon Maker. The Dragon, having heard it all many times before, snorted a fiery laugh which completely mealted the sword, and faced down this ridiculous shoemaker at the entrance of his den. (The rest of the tavern's patrons merely peeked out of the dirty windows, as they all dearly loved to watch the dragon eat all those knights, sheep and virgins, and now, the Dragon would feast on a succulent shoemaker for desert.) Many coins were wagered with Little Twine running a poor second.

Madelena bravely spiraling down, down, down into the fearful Dragon's cave

Fellow seekers on the road to the cave of the Walwal Dragon

And so the legend continues Little TwineKrak had brought along the fattest, most succulent sheep he could find and what he neglected to tell the Dragon, was that the sheep was filled with the deadliest poison in all the land. He laid the sheep at the Dragon's feet and it proved to be but one gulp for the mighty Dragon. The poison took hold and the Dragon ran as fast as his Dragon legs could carry him, to the Vistula River, drinking it dry. Alas, the poison proved too much for the Dragon and tragically he met his demise, there on the banks of the Vistula.

Little Twine Krak did marry the princess, did give his name to the town of Krakow, and did become King of Poland, ruling the best he could for 50 years.

However, he and his ugly Queen had 21 ugly dysfunctional children, and he spent those 50 years listening to the complaints of the townspeople, who didn't like the way King Little Twine Krak governed the land. All of which, I suppose, is adequate punishment for a dragon slayer.

In the tradition of Happily Ever After Here's the good news to end this tragic tale A Dragon Is Forever I am delighted to report that the legend proved to be only a legend, nothing more, and the mighty Dragon of Walwal still lives in the cave below the castle, blowing huge bursts of fire, holding court with all who choose to visit him there. The Vistula River is but 1/10 as deep as it once was, but boats full of tourists and friends of the dragon glide by the Castle hourly

Do journey to Krakow, Poland, do visit the beautiful Castle and do say hello to the Dragon of Walwal Castle. Tell him Madelena and Cloud Walker send their greetings.

He's generally in a great mood and really gets a chuckle out of those who climb his flanks, belching out a plume of fire on the unwary, to the delight of the dragon lovers who collect at his feet to await the event. He is still just as tall, just as wonderful as he always was, many centuries ago. His Royal Highness Little Twine Krak's ancestors still pay homage to the mighty Dragon of Walwal Castle and have proven to be very functional, and quite beautiful, disparaging the myth that the sins and physical characteristics of the fathers are handed down to their children.

The Walwal Dragon with a 5 year old descendant of King Little Twine Krak

Home - Covens - Dragon Lore - Owl Wisdom - Eye of Newt - Gallery - Madelena - Witch Watch