The legend about the origins of Vranov

Of crows by the Topľa river

The legend about the origins of Vranov

An old road had always led up by the Topľa river. Merchants used it to travel from Hungary to Poland. They carried goods on their backs and carriages from one end of the country to another. And where there were merchants, goods, and money, there also were thieves and bandits, who instead of acquiring the fortune lawfully, chose to steal.

Oftentimes the loot was so humongous that the merchants had to continue bare-handed. Bandits hid easily anywhere at that time, for thick bushes grew everywhere around rivers and streams. And there were birds in them, whole flocks.

One day, a young merchant was traveling on his carriage. He was on the market in the town of Bardejov and wanted to go to Trebišov as soon as possible because his fellow merchants were already there waiting for him, so the story goes. But he didn’t arrive. When he was less than an hour away from the town, strangers stopped him and shouted:

“Stop there, you! Money, or your life!” The merchant objected: “It is rather shameful to take what’s not yours.” Bandits were infuriated by his response and one of them, surely the leader, slapped his face and shouted: “Enough of you fiddle-faddle, you won’t stand against our will, no more!” The merchant lost track of what was happening to him. The bandits knocked him out until he was dazed, feeling like falling into a vast abyss.

Who knows when he woke up after they stunned him. When he opened his eyes, he only saw reeds and thick forests. He was frightened the most when big crows cried around. It wasn’t a usual crow caw, it was a terrible shriek sending chills down his spine. Nowhere else have these birds screamed like that. But only then did the cold sweats drench him when he noticed he was tied up, from head to toe. His only thought was:

“If I don’t get on my feet, the crows will stab me to death and lug me around.” The merchant wanted to move, but he only could lift his legs a little. He just was laying there like a log. The crows were circling him and crying until his ears were buzzing. For a moment he thought it was his last hour. After all, if no one helps him, he’ll starve to death. Or he’ll suffocate. And he will call in vain. For those birds, his voice won’t go far. So he closed his eyes again, not knowing if he was asleep or unconscious.

But once again he woke up, suddenly feeling he was no longer tied up. Was it a dream or was it real, he did not know. He was afraid to open his eyes, but after all, he plucked up the courage. And what was his sight? Light all around and a smiling man leaning forward: “I thought you wouldn’t ever wake up. You slept like the dead.”

“I did feel like coming alive though”, whispered the merchant looking at the man who was still leaning over him staring at his eyes. Even the thought of a bandit coming back to finish him off occurred to the merchant, yet he dared to ask:

“And who are you? Did someone send you, or did you just happen to pass by?” The man replied:

“I live on this land and I was fishing nearby. The crows were crying so loud in the reeds that I couldn’t help but see if no one was laying there. And I didn’t go in vain. But who knows how long you’ve been here.”

The merchant didn’t know that either. The only sure thing was that this man had saved his life. And those birds too. They did help a lot.

But the man who found him didn’t want to let him go even after he was back on his feet wanting to leave. He kept telling him he wouldn’t go far, being as weak as he was. He added: “This plentiful land provides everything people need to thrive. Stay here until you feel better.” The merchant did the man’s bidding but couldn’t help but wonder if bandits kept roaming around. But they were all gone. Everything went silent, only the birds were chirping and singing in the trees.

“I need to fix myself a shelter and I don’t want to be a burden for you until then”, he added. “Oh, don’t worry about that, the more of us, the merrier. We’ll be happier and deal with any bandits quicker.”

And the merchant stayed forever. Only when his fellow merchants on carriages were passing by, did he approach one of them and said: “Tell everyone I’m not coming home. I’m staying here, I like this land. Tell them to visit me one day. They’ll find me with ease because there’s nowhere else with so many crows.

And the merchant really stayed where the bandits had robbed him. He built a cottage next to the Topľa river. And many others joined him that year who also didn’t want to leave. Years later a settlement grew here, then a village, and after that a town. As the settlement grew, so did its name. First, it was called Vrania* or Vranie, because of the many crows nearby. And when the village became a town with brick houses, it was named Vranov.

People always talked about the crows crying and circling the place where bandits tied up and robbed the merchant.

*Vrania, Vranie, Vranov – from Slovak ‘vrana’ meaning ‘crow’