The Slavic Myths by Noah Charney

Author:Noah Charney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

‘Behold,’ one of the retinue whispered to the others, ‘he eats at an iron table.’

The retinue presented Přemysl with the clothing they had brought. He struck the hazel branch he had sawn from the tree into the field, freed his oxen and dressed in princely attire. Přemysl was about to discard his broken bast sandal, but instead held it up and handed it to one of the retinue. ‘Let this function as a relic and proof of the story of how your king was chosen by the gods from among the humblest of men.’

And so it was. Přemysl followed the retinue back to Vysehrad, riding the queen’s white mare. He and Libuše were wed and lived a long, happy life together. They founded a new capitol, which they called Praha, meaning ‘threshold’, for it was the point of entry for a new nation, the Bohemian Czechs. Přemysl became known as the Iron King, but for his strength, for he was just. There was indeed a famine in the land, as he had predicted, but it soon passed. That hazel branch he had planted in the field sprouted three young branches, but two of them withered, the villagers said, though one flourished. And so it would be with the offspring of Přemysl and Libuše. They had three sons. Radobyl and Lidomir died, but Nezamysl lived strong and inherited what became the Přemyslid dynasty.

As for the hazel branch, it is said that it continued to grow into a tree. In appreciation for the village having provided a king, the people of that village were exempt from paying taxes in perpetuity – beyond the requirement of paying a pint of hazelnuts each year, a tradition continued for centuries and still present under the reign of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV.

And the bast sandal? It was kept on display in the castle as a reminder that a peasant had risen to the throne, that his successors must never forget this, and that their duty was to serve and defend the peasantry. It became a custom for Přemyslid kings of Bohemia, while being crowned in royal attire, to wear bast sandals beneath their robes.

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