Dragon of Wawel Hill
Ervag (a.k.a. Dragon of Wawel Hill)
Ervag is a dragon that plagued the city of Kraków in Poland in the half of the 10th century CE. The records don't agree if he was there before the humans or if he came later. No matter the truth, he was regularly appeased by a ration of cattle. However, it wasn't enough and Ervag demanded human sacrifices. King Krak, ruler of Kraków at that time, didn't agree to that and sent his sons to defeat the dragon. The princes succeded by giving the dragon decoy cows stuffed with sulfur. When Ervag ate the cows, one of the princes used magic to ignite the sulfur making the dragon explode.
Legacy
Dragon of Wawel Hill became a symbol of the city of Kraków. The story of his death has been transmitted through generations both orally and in written form. In 13th century the story has been first recorded on paper by the Bishop of Kraków, Wincenty Kadłubek.
In 1972, a bronze statue of the dragon was erected at the entrance of the cave under Wawel where Ervag lived. To this day, thousands of tourists visit the Dragon's cave.
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