more about divoká šárka: i was feeling enthusiastic all week about going somewhere green, with a backpack (it was a very simple dream), and we went to this big beautiful valley. just twenty minutes by tram away from home, there are streams, wide fields, tall forests, and steep cliffs, and grass so green it hurts your eyes to look at it. the name of the park means "wild šárka," the name of a beautiful amazon from czech mythology, who was the right-hand woman of vlasta, the ruler of a matriarchal society. when war broke out between the women and the men, who lived on the opposite side of the river, vlasta sent šárka to destroy ctirad, the men's general. šárka managed to lure ctirad to his death, but the men won the war anyway. and whether she had fallen in love with him, or because death was a preferable alternative to surrender, in the end she committed suicide by jumping from one of the cliffs.
Showing posts with label legends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label legends. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
divoká šárka
more about divoká šárka: i was feeling enthusiastic all week about going somewhere green, with a backpack (it was a very simple dream), and we went to this big beautiful valley. just twenty minutes by tram away from home, there are streams, wide fields, tall forests, and steep cliffs, and grass so green it hurts your eyes to look at it. the name of the park means "wild šárka," the name of a beautiful amazon from czech mythology, who was the right-hand woman of vlasta, the ruler of a matriarchal society. when war broke out between the women and the men, who lived on the opposite side of the river, vlasta sent šárka to destroy ctirad, the men's general. šárka managed to lure ctirad to his death, but the men won the war anyway. and whether she had fallen in love with him, or because death was a preferable alternative to surrender, in the end she committed suicide by jumping from one of the cliffs.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
faustův dům
(illustration of faustův dům by jiří šlitr, which i incidentally found in a book today)
the "faust house" (karlovo náměstí, 40) did not strike me as very mysterious in today's sunny weather, but it is actually the subject of many strange legends about its eccentric inhabitants. despite its rather modern appearance (fully renovated in 1769) the mansion dates back to the 15th century. the faust house changed owners through the centuries: prince vaclav of opava in the 15th century, edward kelley in the 16th, knight ferdinand antonín mladota of solopysk in the 18th; all of these inhabitants practiced alchemy, and i am sure that the mysticism surrounding this house resulted from centuries of outsiders' curiosity.
the strangest person to live in this house was a karl jaenig, in the 19th century. he is said to have been an avid collector of skulls, a functioning gallows, and other death-related objects. he inscribed funeral text on the walls and even allegedly slept in a coffin.
another story tells of a student who needed a place to live and settled in the then-abandoned mansion. he found dark magic books and tired something out i suppose, because afterwards he was carried away through the ceiling by the devil himself! which is why, in a swoosh of 19th century romanticism, it was not hard to fabricate (?) the building's connection with the dr. faustus legend.
another story tells of a student who needed a place to live and settled in the then-abandoned mansion. he found dark magic books and tired something out i suppose, because afterwards he was carried away through the ceiling by the devil himself! which is why, in a swoosh of 19th century romanticism, it was not hard to fabricate (?) the building's connection with the dr. faustus legend.
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