Forefather Čech (praotec cech or czech) on the Rip Mountain. Leader "God bless our Promised land, by thousandfold wishes ... "
A variant of this legend, involving only two brothers, is also known in the Czech Republic, as described in apparently best known version by Alois Jirásek in his Staré pověsti české (Ancient Bohemian Legends). Two brothers came to Central Europe from the east: Čech and Lech. They lived in Charvátsko country on the Vistula river (probably White Croatia). At that time there took place numerous battles, so the country has become very unfavorable for the people, which was accustomed to live in peace, cultivate the land and grow grain. According to other versions, the reason was that Čech has been accused of a murder he had allegedly carried out. They gathered their people and set off towards the sunset. As in the Polish version, Čech is identified as the founder of the Czech nation (Češi pl.) and Lech as the founder of the Polish nation. According to Chronicle of Dalimil (1314), Čech had to climb up the mountain Říp, look to the landscape and saw a vast region with forests, meadows and rivers. Preached to others what he saw, the people exclaimed with one voice, let the land be named after Čech. Čech pleased with the will of his people, he knelt down on his knees, kissed the earth and blessed it. He settled with a tribe in the area, and according to the Přibík Pulkava version (about 1374) Lech later continued to the lowlands over the mountains of the north, to build his own castle and a village. It was hard to say goodbye to Lech, but he did not leave far away. Widest and probably the truth farthest is the Wenceslaus Hajek description (1530s), which adds a range of details, including the exact date of Čech arrival, year 644. He also elevates the two to Dukes and claims that they had already owned a castles in their homeland. According to myth, some Slavic people from an area between the Vistula River and Carpathian mountains set off to the west in search of plentiful lands. They were led by Forefather Čech and his brother, Lech. After a long time (perhaps years)
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Keywords: ancient, bohemia, bohemian, cech, central, czech, duke, europe, forefather, homeland, kosmas, leader, legend, legends, mountain, myth, mythical, nation, praotec, republic, rip
