A dragon was terrorizing the people of Krakow by eating their livestock and scaring them. King Krak offered his daughter's hand in marriage to whoever could kill the dragon. Many strong and brave men tried but failed. Finally, a shoemaker named Skuba came up with a plan to stuff a sheep with sulfur and leave it outside the dragon's cave. When the dragon ate the sheep, the sulfur made its stomach explode, killing it. Skuba married the king's daughter and everyone lived happily ever after.

2. The Wawel Dragon
Polish legend – original version
Szkoła Podstawowa im.
gen Antoniego Hedy
ps. „Szary” w Kowali

3. High on a hill
A long time ago
Lived good King Krak,
In old Krakow.
King Krak likes to laugh and
dance and sing.
But today he is angry.
What’s wrong with the king?
„That terrible dragon has got
to go!
But how can that happen?
Does anyone know?
My people are frightened,
and they are quite right!”

4. „The dragon comes out
of its cave every night!
It’s eating our sheep
and our goats, you know!
It’s frightening everyone,
here in Cracow!”

5. „The dragon must die!
There’s no other way!”
„I need a brave man – and
I need him today!
The man who can kill
this terrible thing,
can marry my daughter
and live like a king!”

6. And so, lots of men come near to the
cave.
They’re all big and strong and all very
brave!
Day after day, the brave men appear.
„I’ll kill the dragon. I’ll use my long
spear!”
But the dragon is clever, and as it
turns round,
Its terrible tail knocks him onto the
ground!

7. Another brave man
wants to please the King.
But the terrible dragon
kills the man with its wing!
Another goes too near
the dragon’s big head.
The dragon breathes fire
and now the man’s dead!

8. The brave men are frightened
and no one goes back.
Then Skuba,the shoemaker,
goes to King Krak.
He’s got an idea.
He knows what to do.
„I know how to kill the dragon
for you!
„Just bring me some sulphur,
a needle and thread.
I promise tomorrow
that thing will be dead!

9. „And bring me the skin
of one of your sheep!
There’s no need to
worry.
You can all go to sleep!”
So, all through the night, he works on his plan.
And everyone asks, „Who is this young man?”
„He’s putting the sulphur inside the sheepskin!”
„What is he making? What a very strange thing?”

10. And so the next day he
places the sheep
Outside the cave,
When the dragon’s asleep!
The dragon is hungry,
So when it wakes up,
It eats up the sheep
With one great big gulp!

11. „My tummy’s on fire!
I’m dying, I think!
Where is the river?
I must have a drink!”
It drinks and it drinks
and very soon,
its tummy goes ‘POP’
like a party ballon!

12. The dragon is dead!
The King’s full of joy.
„Whatever you want,
you can have, my dear
boy!”

13. So Skuba and Wanda
are now man and wife.
And everyone has
a wonderful life!

14. Drawings by:
•Gabriela Ślusarczyk
•Dominika Piotrowska
•Marta Brzoza
•Weronika Nosek
•Ola Osman
•Sandra Śmiglarska
•Jakub Wojcieszyński
•Wiktoria Daleszak
•Filip Garbat
The story after:
The Cracow Dragon,
Express Publishing
Presentation: Anna Głogowska-Frączek