Forefather Czech ( Czech Praotec Čech , Latin Boemus, Bohemus) - the legendary ancestor of the Czech people , the founder of the dynasty of princes Przemyslovich . The first of the legendary rulers of the Czech Republic . One of the three brothers ( Czech, Lech and Rus ).
Content
Tradition
According to popular Czech traditions, the forefather Czech brought his family and settled on the territory of the present Czech Republic, giving him his homeland. The Czech people came from the Czech family. The legendary Czech had two brothers - Lech , the forefather of the Poles , and Rus , the forefather of the Russians . The image of Čech was first mentioned in writing in the хрон Czech Chronicle ’ (Chronica Boemorum) of Kozma Prague [1] , the oldest Czech annals of the beginning of the 12th century. According to the information contained in it, Cech, whose name in Latinized form sounded like Boemus (Boemus, Bohemus) led his people in search of a suitable place where they could find a shelter and a new homeland. Bohemus discovered Mount Rzhip in an unknown, uninhabited country, beautiful as Eden , and settled here with his family.
| As I believe, people located their first settlements near Mount Rzhip, between two rivers, namely, between Ohří and Vltava ; here they founded their first dwellings and joyfully began to establish the penates on the earth, which they brought on their shoulders. Then the elder, whom the others followed as their master, turned, by the way, to his companions with these words: O friends [mine], who have repeatedly endured hard labor with me in the middle of uninhabited thickets, stop and make a sacrifice pleasing to your penates. With their miraculous help, we finally arrived in the fatherland, predetermined for us by fate. This is that country, which I, as I recall, often promised you: not subject to anyone, full of beast and birds, honey and milk; the air [in it], as you see for yourself, is pleasant to live in. From all sides there is a lot of water, teeming with fish. Here you will have nothing to lack, since no one will disturb you. But since you will have such a beautiful and such a large country in your hands, think about which name will be most suitable for it. The attendants, as if under the influence of an oracle, said: “Can we find a better or more suitable name than [name it] by the name that you, oh father, bear; and if your name is Czech, then let the country be called the Czech Republic. ” Then the elder, touched by the words of friends, began to kiss the earth, delighted that the country was named after him; getting up and stretching out both hands to heaven, he said: “Hello, the promised country, desired and sought thousands of times, deprived of people since the flood. Shelter us now and, mindful of people, keep us unscathed, multiplying our offspring from generation to generation . ” |
In memory and in gratitude to the old Czech, the country was called the Czech Republic (or in Latin Bohemia (Boemia) ). Initially, the word "Czech" (in Old Czech) did not mean a certain nationality, but "person".
In this (Czech) version of the legend, only two brothers participate - Cech and Lech, Cech and his tribe settled in the vicinity of Mount Rzhip, while Lech went north, where he gave rise to the Polish people . In other versions, there is still a third brother - Rus, who went east and became the ancestor of the Rusyns .
In subsequent times, the legend of the Czech Republic was supplemented and changed in various ways. So, Dalimilova Chronicle (XIV century) reports that Cech had six brothers. That, allegedly, he fled from Croatia for fear of revenge for the murder he committed there.
Modern Arrangement
In the “Old Bohemian Tales” published in 1894 by the writer Alois Jirasek , the Czech legend is described as follows: “The Czech family came to their new homeland from the Tatra Mountains , from the countries lying beyond the Vistula . In those ancient times, the Croatian people lived there. After the bloody wars broke out among the Croatian clans in the division of land, the Czechs and Lech brothers decided to go west with their relatives and friends in search of a new homeland. After travelers crossed the Vltava River, they discovered uninhabited land. Here, beneath Mount Rzhip, Czech is setting up his first camp in this country. In the morning, the next day, he climbed to the top of the mountain and saw a beautiful, free plain beneath him. On the third day after arrival, Cech called his closest ("dukes") and, after consulting, they decided to stay here forever. Then the Czech asked the “Dukes” what they want to call this country. By your name - all cried out unanimously. After this, the lands of the new country were plowed up, fortresses were built and farms were laid, and the “dukes" monitored the observance of customs and laws. After about 30 years, Cech’s brother Lech moved to the northern lands. “The Czech died at the venerable age of 86 and his body was cremated, according to tradition.”
According to the Polish versions of the legend recorded in the XIV century, Cech was the youngest of the three brothers. The eldest was Lech, and the middle - Rus.
See also
- Cech, Lech and Rus