There is an ancient Polish legend about three Slavic brothers Lech, Czech and Ruse, the founders of three Slavic peoples. The source "Great Polish Chronicle" tells us about it. It tells how they decided to leave their overpopulated ancestral home together to find new places for settlements. The chronicle tells that they came from the Pannonians, they were from Pannonia - the common mother of all Slavic peoples.
Lech, Czech and Rus engraving.
The eldest of the brothers was Lech (the founder of Poland), the middle one was Rus (the founder of Russia), the youngest was Czech (the founder of the Czech Republic). All Slavs lived on the territory between the Vistula and the Dnieper and spoke the same language. It was from there that the journey of the three brothers began.
Many scholars try to consider this legend on a historical timeline and most often relate it to the early period of medieval migration, so I date the origin of the Great Polish Chronicle to the 6th century AD. Some consider its origin to be more ancient.
There are many variants of this legend in Poland. This is one of the first Slavic legends included in the collections of Polish legends, which Polish children study in kindergartens and schools. While there are many small differences between the various versions, there is always a common plot that begins with the three brothers traveling together from their homeland to find a better place to live.
The first to say goodbye to his brothers was Rus. Having reached the Pripyat River, he decided to go east to the vast steppes, where, according to the chronicle, "a free wind was blowing." Brother Cech left second with his tribe. He went west after learning about the fertile lands. The Czech version tells us that he settled in the region of Mount Rip, located in Central Bohemia.
"Forefather Cech on Mount Rhip". Joseph Mathauser.
Leh and his tribe continued north, traversing many uninhabited lands and for a long time could not find anything that could feed them all. Once they found beautiful lands with dense forests, where many animals lived, and clean rivers full of fish. We decided to stay there.
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They then saw an unusual sight, which Lech and the tribal elders interpreted as a good omen. A huge white eagle appeared in the sky and then landed on the nearest oak tree, where its nest was built. Before landing on the oak, the eagle hovered in the air with its wings spread wide - its feathers contrasted beautifully with the red evening sky. Since then, the white eagle on a red background has been an important symbol for Poles. It has been used on the Polish coat of arms since the Middle Ages.
After consulting with the elders, Lech decided to stay at this place. The tribe built a fortress there and named it Gniezno after the word meaning "nest" (gniazdo).
Lech and Chekh.
Gniezno grew over the centuries to become a large city and an important Polish cultural and religious center. It is located in the Wielkopolska Voivodeship, in the west-central part of modern Poland, and is often referred to as the first historical capital of Poland. Archaeological excavations carried out there have confirmed that there was once a Slavic fortified settlement with a pre-Christian place of religious worship located on the top of a hill that is coincidentally known as Lech Hill, or Mount Lech.
It is interesting that the legend exists not only in Poland, but also in the Czech Republic. However, the Czech version only has two brothers: Cech and Lech (it was first recorded in the 11th century). This legend was not reflected in any East Slavic historical sources that could "confirm" or "refute" the existence of the legendary third brother - Rus. Nevertheless, she is an excellent example of old legends telling about the common roots of different Slavic peoples.
Pavel Romanutenko
