Łysa Góra is a place where, according to legends, witches were supposed to meet in the past. Today, Łysa Góra is simply a peak in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, which is the second highest in these mountains. Once, however, according to the story, witches organized sabbaths on Łysa Góra - night gatherings during which they consulted, played with each other, and charmed together. What is the most popular legend about the Sabbath on Łysa Góra? You will find out by reading the text to the end!
Łysa Góra, known as the Holy Cross or Łyśc, used to be an extremely important place of pagan worship. According to historical records, three deities were once worshiped there: Lado, Bodo, and Lel. Some historical researchers believe, however, that Celtic gods were also worshiped on Łysa Góra: Lug, Lir, and Esus. Still, others insist that mainly Lel and Polel were worshiped there - the Polish divine twins mentioned for the first time by Maciej Miechowita. The Celts significantly influenced the formation of Slavic beliefs, but they did not build a Benedictine abbey there and a stone embankment, which is almost one and a half kilometers long - until today has been preserved in Łysiec and is dated to the 8th century. In the past, there were also smelting furnaces at the foot of this embankment.
Humans have always had the need to worship a higher power. It was a need much older than the date of the first temple built. Łysa Góra was one of the places where people could pray together when there were no monasteries yet. In addition to worshiping deities, it is also known that people prayed on the Świętokrzyska Mountain for the souls of their deceased ancestors. Between April 30 and May 1, they flocked to the top of Łysa Góra to greet the spirits of the dead who were then visiting the earth. It was a special night of the year when humans were able to merge with the realm of the gods, which on a daily basis was far from their mortal life. There are many legends of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains around Łysa Góra. The most famous of them, however, is the legend of a coven of witches who met at the top of the mountain to confer, play and charm together. If you want to hear this fascinating legend, watch the video below.
The most popular legend of the Świętokrzyskie region says that Łysa Góra used to be a place hated by local residents. People did not like the mountain and were afraid to go near it, especially in the evening. Women-witches who lived around Łysa Góra met there very often. At the top of the mountain, the witches held sabbaths, or rallies, during which they feasted and performed various rituals together. According to modern folk beliefs, the Sabbath always took place during a full moon. But it's hard to prove what days of the week the witches met. Some demonologists say it was once a week on Saturday, and others believe that witches saw each other three times a week.
Witches during the day were considered model women who were not afraid of any work. Men were infatuated with witches, but they could not be fooled by their mysterious aura and resourcefulness - these women were very dangerous in the evenings. As soon as it got dark, witches could ride brooms and fly over houses, casting spells on them one by one. The inhabitants were not able to defend themselves against them, neither with devotional objects nor with holy pictures, blessed by monks. Witches, therefore, often sent death and the worst diseases to people. Sometimes they poisoned food and water and even took away people's love. After that, they uttered a spell: "The fence is not the fence, the forest is not the forest, the village is not the countryside, carry!" Thanks to him, they moved to the top of Łysa Góra, where they could celebrate the Sabbath.
The witches were not only old and single women but also young married women. Hence, it was difficult to recognize a witch. In fact, they looked like ordinary women, so the problem was to discover their true faces. Legend has it, however, that the witches could be recognized from one detail - they reportedly had two billy goats in their pupils. That is why women witches never looked people straight in the eye, so as not to accidentally reveal their identity. Witches had good contacts with devils, thanks to which they had their powers. They had the ability to cast spells on people as well as brew magic potions. An interesting fact is that people were generally afraid of the power of witches, but some people sometimes used their advice and skills. Many witches, if, of course, they got along with people, prepared medicinal decoctions of herbs for them. Witches, therefore, never charmed people without reason.
Although many witches really wanted to live in harmony with people, monks rebelled around Łysa Góra not to meet them and join them in prayer against witches. They were considered the greatest threat and evil that can destroy not only people's homes but the whole world. Taking advantage of the short time when there were no Sabbaths on Łysa Góra, the monks, with the help of the inhabitants, quickly built a monastery there. Immediately after its erection, prayers began and bells were rung daily. In order for the place not to be associated with witchcraft and the devil, people began to call it the Mountain of the Holy Cross.
Monks and people from nearby towns prayed and rang bells every day, which began to weaken the powers of the witches. Frightened devils who collaborated with the witches tried to help them. They pulled a huge boulder out of the depths of hell, which was to be thrown onto the monastery in the evening. Before the devils could reach him, however, it was dawn. So the devils lost their powers and fled to hell, and a large boulder fell to the ground. To this day, you can admire it on Łysa Góra - people call it "Devil's Stone".
Lucifer, the ruler of Hell, was angry with the devils for not destroying the monastery. A few days later, he ordered them to drop another boulder on the building. The devils, however, decided to take with them heavy stones in a sheet with which they could destroy the monastery. When the devils were near the holy place, one of the people who guarded the monastery saw the devils approaching. He rang the bell as soon as possible, which restrained the infernal forces. The devils fled, throwing stones that spilled out of the sheet and rolled down the mountainside - they remain there until today. This is how, according to the legend of the Świętokrzyskie region, the gravel area was created.
The monastic prayers finally chased away the witches who had left Łysa Góra and decided never to celebrate the Sabbath there again. The legend of the witches coven in this place is still relevant and eagerly told by guides and local residents. Among the Świętokrzyskie souvenirs, you can easily spot various magic gadgets. So was the witch trail really lost there? Some people think it doesn't. Perhaps in the evenings, hiding in the shadows, witches still meet on Łysa Góra?
No comments:
Post a Comment