A local knight traded his serf Jan to a witch for her beloved greyhound. She killed the boy to gain the strength to rejuvenate herself. The knight later repented and had a bell cast for St Wenceslas's church, recorded in 1368 and rebuilt as an early-Baroque timber church in 1689. The bell began ringing, ‘Jan traded for a greyhound…’ It later went to Nový Bydžov and was recast. K. S. Šnajdr wrote a famous poem on the legend in the previous century, bringing it to wider attention.
Location and map
- Place
- Kozojedy
- Municipality / starting point
- Kozojedy
- District / region
- Jičín
- Country
- Czechia
- Distance and direction
- 5 km W of Vysokého Veselí
A local knight traded his serf Jan to a witch for her beloved greyhound. She killed the boy to gain the strength to rejuvenate herself. The knight later repented and had a bell cast for St Wenceslas's church, recorded in 1368 and rebuilt as an early-Baroque timber church in 1689. The bell began ringing, ‘Jan traded for a greyhound…’ It later went to Nový…
The link searches for Kozojedy and its surroundings. The sources do not establish the precise point of this legend.
Approximate location · municipality or area search. The distance comes from the sources, not a currently calculated route.
Sources of the original atlas Tajemná místa · page 179
This legend preserves a folk tale. Its motifs do not constitute evidence of supernatural events.