The Plundering Knight of Vlčinec

Did you know we’re right below the Vlčinec Mountain (973 m.a.s.l.; GPS 50.1947338, 12.505212) surrounded by many mysteries? Its tale goes like this:

Many years ago, in the woods of Vlčinec, there lived a plundering knight. At the time, there lived a boy in Hroznětín, whose mother fell seriously ill. Her doctor gave up all hope for her recovery. However, he told the boy about herbs growing on the Vlčinec Mountain that might have cured the boy’s mother. Only, no one dared to go there because of the evil knight. The boy wanted to save his mother; he overcame his fear and set off for the mountain in search of the herbs. It took him a long time, yet he found the herbs at last. In a hurry, he filled his basket with the herbs. The herbs smelled quite strong, so the boy rubbed them all over his body to prevent the knight’s dogs from catching his scent. Unfortunately, it was too late as the dogs had already found him. The boy grabbed his basket and ran down the hill as fast as he could. The dogs were faster, though. They caught the boy, but wouldn’t hurt him. Suddenly, the knight appeared up on a cliff, shouting at the dogs to tear the boy apart. Seeing the dogs wouldn’t hurt the boy, the knight prepared his sword to kill the boy. However, the boy ducked and hid behind a tree trunk. Mad with anger, the knight turned his horse sharply. The horse stumbled over a root and fell, sending the evil knight flying off his saddle. The knight broke his neck and the boy returned back home to his mother. Brewed herbs helped the boy’s mother and she soon recovered. She was very proud of her son for his brave deed. Everyone in Hroznětín honored the boy for his courage that saved his mother and freed the land below the Vlčinec Mountain from its tyrant.

Translated from: PhDr. Stanislav Burachovič, Klaus Welter; Pověsti a mystéria česko-saského Krušnohoří, Regionální sdružení Dialog 2012.