The Czech Republic has no end of tales and legends, and some of them are a good way to get introduced to culture and history. Photo: Sculpture of Bruncvik, a mythical Bohemian knight by Dennis Jarvis
By Raymond Johnston
The Magicbohemia.com blog covers legends from the pagan era right up into the 20th century in Bohemia and Moravia. Some are spooky tales of ghosts and demons, while others look at the lives of alchemists and other historical figures.
The latest story looks at Bruncvík, a knight who met a two-tailed white lion that became the Czech national symbol:
Bruncvík and his magic sword
A dragon-slaying knight and his two-tailed lion now guard Charles Bridge
Not all of the statues on Charles Bridge are actually on top of the bridge. There is one off to the side of one of the supports, and that is the medieval knight Bruncvík, with his magic sword, trusty white lion companion, and a shield with the municipal arms.
When the age of quests was still upon us, Bruncvík set out on a seven-year odyssey to find fame and honors in unknown and uncharted lands. He was the son of Prince Štilfríd, and his quest was to earn a symbol to place on the Bohemian shield when he became ruler.
Bruncvík’s wife, Neomenia, begged him not to leave the relative safety of Prague. But he could not be dissuaded. The couple exchanged rings, and he said if he did not return in seven years, she should consider him dead and find a new husband.
Read the rest at Magicbohemia.com.
