The full tale
Long, long ago, when golden dragons made of clouds still wandered across the sky over Krakow, and the Vistula sang its silver songs, on Wawel Hill stood the beautiful castle of King Krak. The king was wise and fair, and the people of his kingdom lived happily… until the day a terrible dragon made its home in the rock beneath the castle! The dragon was enormous—it had scales as hard as steel, claws as long as swords, and eyes as red as glowing coals. Worse still, it was always hungry! Every day it came out of its cave and demanded food. If it did not get any—it devoured whatever it found in its path! The people trembled with fear. The king ordered sheep to be left for the dragon every day, just so it would leave the city in peace. But the dragon devoured everything and always wanted more. "This cannot go on!" the king sighed. "Whoever frees us from this monster shall have a chest of gold and a home in my castle!" Many knights came forward—strong, brave, with swords gleaming in the sun. But not one of them came back from the fight. The dragon was too powerful. One day, a young shoemaker named Skuba knocked at the castle gates. He had no sword and no armor—only cleverness and courage. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing low, "let me try. I won't fight it—I'll try to outsmart it!" The king was surprised, but he agreed. Skuba took a sheep, stuffed it with sulfur and tar, and then carried it to the dragon's cave. When the dragon came out and saw the "delicious" meal, it swallowed it at once—in a single snap of its jaws! Suddenly the dragon felt its belly getting hot… hotter and hotter… until it burned like fire! It roared and roared, and rushed straight to the Vistula to drink. It drank, and drank, and drank… until it burst with a bang, like a giant balloon! All of Krakow cheered! "Long live Skuba! Our hero and savior!" the people shouted. The king kept his word. Skuba was rewarded with gold, and he was allowed to live in the castle. And the king's daughter, Princess Wanda, became his friend, and together they often visited the place where the dragon had once slept. Today, beneath Wawel Hill by the Vistula, you can still find a rocky cave called the Dragon's Den. And in front of it stands a bronze dragon that breathes fire every now and then—in memory of that extraordinary story. And though hundreds of years have passed, the children of Krakow still tell each other about the clever shoemaker who defeated the monster not with strength, but with wisdom.