A fisherman allegedly promised the devil his soul for diverting the Otava overnight. The devil did so but could not fill the old channel before sunrise. Furious, he threw a boulder into the river; it and the Devil’s Ditch are still visible. Another version says a hermit ploughed the ditch with the devil harnessed to the plough. When a nearby church bell rang, the devil bolted, dragging the plough and gouging the deep ditch during his flight.
Location and map
- Place
- Písek
- Municipality / starting point
- Písek
- District / region
- Not stated in the sources
- Country
- Not specified in the sources
- Distance and direction
- 52 km NW of Českých Budějovic
A fisherman allegedly promised the devil his soul for diverting the Otava overnight. The devil did so but could not fill the old channel before sunrise. Furious, he threw a boulder into the river; it and the Devil’s Ditch are still visible. Another version says a hermit ploughed the ditch with the devil harnessed to the plough. When a nearby church bell…
The link searches for Písek 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 256
This legend preserves a folk tale. Its motifs do not constitute evidence of supernatural events.