The Mounds of Wanda and Krak are an important part of the cultural landscape of Krakow. The names given to them made us associate them more often with the semi-legendary rulers of the Vistula than with megalithic objects. However, research indicates that they could have been more than just graves or memorials. Could they be a mega calendar? Or maybe they had some other functions?
Kraków Mounds are a good example of objects whose role has changed along with cultural changes. In the nineteenth century, they were strongly associated with the legend of Wanda and Krak, which was told during the partitions to encourage hearts. The story was written in the Middle Ages, but it was not until the time of the partitions that it gained popularity again. The best example of how strongly it influenced Cracovians is the fact that a similar mound was built for Tadeusz Kościuszko. Research carried out in the following century did not confirm that these were the burial places of the legendary rulers. Even if they were erected for this purpose, they had to fulfill other functions. Perhaps the most interesting proposition is to link them to the position of the sun, especially on the four important days of the year. Interestingly, these days are primarily Celtic holidays. Had they been built by the Celts or by people who cultivated the Celtic calendar? Or is it just an overinterpretation?
The figures of Wanda and Krak appear in the 13th-century chronicles of Kadłubek and Wielkopolska, but only Jan Długosz in the 15th century mentions the mound as the tomb of the founder of Kraków. Earlier evidence of the similar nature of the Wanda Mound is the note on the donation of the Bishop of Kraków from 1222, which mentions the name of the village of Mogiła.
Another evidence of the mortuary nature of the mound may be the Rękawka festival in Krakow. The name may be related to making a mound with your hands or from "rakva", "rakev" - which means a coffin in Slavic languages. The holiday dates back to pagan times and was celebrated on Tuesday after Easter. It is related to the worship of the dead. Today, its remnant is visiting cemeteries during the Easter season.
Even if the mounds were not tombs, the tradition to consider them as such goes deep into the past. The celebration of the Rękawka event also gives us a hint about the calendar. We have evidence that at least one holiday related to the annual cycle was celebrated here.
Where did the idea for linking the mounds with the calendar come from? First of all, it is nothing shocking in the case of this type of building. The deliberate orientation of megalithic objects and ancient places of worship towards the sun, moon, and stars is a common phenomenon. Secondly, certain regularities related to sunrise and sunset over the discussed objects were noticed.
It is much more problematic to assign to a specific ethnolinguistic group, for example, the Celts or the Slavs. Nevertheless, we are dealing with objects whose arrangement is not random in relation to the annual journey of the sun (or other celestial bodies). The dates set by these objects are not related to the main astronomical events (solstices and equinoxes), but to the dates of the Celtic holidays.
I must point out here that originally the Celtic calendar was lunar. It was only under the Roman influence that it was adapted to the solar year. This does not change the fact that Krakow mounds and Celtic buildings in other parts of Europe are related to the position of the sun.
In Poland, there are many objects that are tombs and are arranged in a non-accidental way to the sun. I mean, first of all, the Kuyavian tombs, whose entrances are on the eastern side. Not all tombs found in our lands have such an arrangement, but it clearly prevails.
In Europe and in the world, there are also objects whose location determines the position of the sun during the year. The most famous is Stonehenge in Great Britain. Initially ascribed to the Celts and druidic practices, it turned out to be much older than the appearance of the first representatives of this group on the islands. However, a number of sun-oriented objects are also found, among others in Spain. An interesting case is the Celto-Iberian sanctuary of Peñalba de Villastar south of the Aragonese city of Teruel. An incomplete Latin inscription describes the celebrations celebrated a few days before the May calendars. With your back to the rock with the inscription on November 1, you can see the sun rising in a specific place above the horizon. It is interesting because it almost corresponds to the day with two dates set by the sun over our mounds.
Krak's Mound is the largest of its kind in Poland. It is located on the top of Lasota Mountain (now the Podgórze district of Krakow). Recently, it was thoroughly examined in the 1930s (1933-37). A funnel trench was used from the top downwards. Human remains were discovered, but only half a meter below the peak. It was the skeleton of a child and the skull of a man. The discovery could not be dated at that time. At a depth of approx. 70 cm, there was a hearth - perhaps a remnant of the documented use of the mound to illuminate the city during the coronation of Henryk Waleze.
Two meters from the top, the roots began to go down six meters further. It was a remnant of an oak that could have crowned the summit even in pre-Christian times. The remains of birch wood found between the roots may have been the remains of a cross that was erected later. The cross is depicted in the 16th-century engraving showing the siege of Krakow by Archduke Maximilian. It was found that the center rested on a pole with wicker partitions radiating away from it. The space between them was filled with packed earth and stones. It was a well-thought-out construction that probably involved the entire community, and its construction could take several years. The more so because the soil was transported from the areas below.
We know much less about Wanda's Mound. Currently, it is almost invisible, and no detailed archaeological research has been carried out there. However, the relationship between it and Krak's Mound cannot be questioned. The legend is not a historical record. We do not have to believe that the first "Polish queen" (or rather, the Vistula) is actually buried under the mountain. On the other hand, the combination of legends about these two figures and their tombs testifies to the long-standing tradition connecting both objects.
A physical confirmation of this relationship may be the relationship of both objects to the sun. On May 1 and August 12, while standing on Krak's Mound, we will see the sunrise over Wanda's Mound. On February 6 and November 4, from the top of the Wanda Mound, we will see the sunset directly over the Krak's Mound. These dates are not accidental. They do not mark any spectacular astronomical events but are close to the Celtic holidays, the most important of the Celtic year: Samain (October 31 / November 1), Imbolc (February 1/2), Beltane (May 1), and Lugnasad (August 1). Moreover, building objects so that the sunrises and sunsets set on these dates were not alien to the Celts in other parts of Europe (cf. the sanctuary of Peñalba de Villastar, described earlier). If the sun marked the solstices and equinoxes, perhaps researchers would not think of the Celts. Ultimately, these are well-noticeable and astronomically groundbreaking events in the annual cycle. Celtic holidays, on the other hand, set dates roughly between the equinoxes and solstices. They are related to the agricultural calendar more than to the astronomical phenomena themselves.
There is a reason the above-mentioned dates bring to mind the Celts. It is also not a completely unfounded hypothesis. Between the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC Celts settled in southern Poland. The vicinity of Krakow is one of the few centers where their presence during this period has been confirmed by artifacts.
The problem is to match the dating of the mounds with the period of the Celts' stay in Poland. Unfortunately, dating is still uncertain today. It is officially assumed that the Krak Mound was built between the 6th and 8th centuries CE, when the Celts were no longer here. Such dates were given by Andrzej Żaki, who participated in the excavations in the 1930s. On the other hand, a botanist who examined the oak at that time established that it was about 300 years old at the time of cutting. Researchers assumed that he was beheaded in the 9th or 10th century as part of the liquidation of the pagan cult. So it would be planted in the 6th century at the earliest. Additionally, the Avar tag found at the bottom of the mound may have come from that period. This inference is logically consistent in itself. All the more so as it was then that we would expect the beginnings of the kingdom of Vistulans, which at the time of the mission of Cyril and Methodius belonged to powerful centers in the region. The problem is that it has not been verified. If the dating of Żaki and Szafer is correct, then the Celts did not live there. There are too many unknowns to say something for sure. But couldn't the Slavs build similar mounds? The culture of the pre-Christian Slavs is less known than the culture of the Celts. We know about the aforementioned Rękawka holiday, which, however, was a movable holiday and had nothing to do with any of the Celtic holidays mentioned earlier. However, the Slavs also had their holidays related to taking cattle to pasture (the equivalent of Beltane), the harvest (the equivalent of Lugnasad), the end of the harvest and preparation for winter (the equivalent of Samain), and preparation for spring (the equivalent of Imbolc). Agricultural culture in the temperate climate of Europe simply had common elements, irrespective of the ethnic group. In addition, the presence of Celts in these areas could have influenced the adoption of a specific way of marking these breakthrough points in the agricultural year. It can therefore be assumed that the positioning of the mounds in relation to the annual journey of the sun could be related to the practices and beliefs of the local Slavic community.
Regardless of who and when exactly built the mounds, they are a fascinating element of the Krakow landscape. Perhaps they look inconspicuous against the background of medieval and Renaissance monuments of the city, but they hide many unsolved mysteries.
Bibliography:
- Roman Kiełkowski, Stories from the Krakus Mound, Krakow 1972
- Władysław Góral, Krakus, and Wanda Mounds and the Division of a Year into Eight Parts, in Geoinformatica Polonica, 17: 2018, pp. 109-122
- Barry Cunliffe, Ancient Celts, PIW 2003
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