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vol. 2, 1961, p. 258), “the Allemanian tyrant” (Banaszkiewicz, 1984), who attacked Wanda’s kingdom as her unsuccessful suitor, struck with the queen’s power, threw himself to his sword, saying: “Let Wanda govem the sea, the earth, the sky, let Wanda make sacrifices to etemal gods for her [people], and I am making a solemn sacrifice to the underworld gods for you, my dignitaries, so that (...) you grew old under the female rule.” Although Wanda, like Gracchus, has got an artificial name, she is an authentic character of the Cracow myth. The only problem is that while her father can be easily identifled with Krak, Wanda’s Slavonic name has not been recorded. H. Łowmiański (1963-1985, vol. 5, p. 322-324) supposes that its original shape was Wisława. As we have already men-tioned, Krak’s daughter with her magie power resembles the three daughters of the Czech Krok, with whom eponimic legends are connected. According to Kosmas (I, 4), Tetka was the lady of Tetin and Libuśa of Libusin. From Wanda “allegedly the name of the river Wandal comes, as it con-stituted the centre of her kingdom, therefore all her subjects were called Wandals” (Master Vincent, I, 7, MPH, vol. 2, 1961, p. 258). According to H. Łowmiański, the relation between this construct of Vincent’s erudition and the authentic Slavonic myth is as follows: Wanda corresponds to Wisława, Wandal to Wisła (Vistula=Wandalus) and Wandals to Wiślanie (Vistulanians=Wandals).

Łowmiański’s hypothesis quite convincingly reconstructs the basie elements of the myth about Wanda-Wisława, connected with the river con-sidered the centre of the State, and the name of the tribe. The legends refers to sacrifices, The “Allemanian tyranfs” words may be interpreted in two ways: either Wanda sacrifices herself, or just makes a sacrifice to the gods. The sacrifice to “the underworld gods,” madę by her opponent, would be logically paired by her own death. Master Vincent (I, 7) is vague at this point: Wanda, “as she did not want to marry anyone, and valued virginity higher dian marriage, passed away leaving no heir.” It is not stated how and when she died, although the text suggests, that Wanda lived a long and virtuous life after the triumph over her opponent. Kronika Wielkopolska (I, 1, MPHsn, vol. 8, 1970, p. 9) explicitly says that she sacrificed herself to the gods and drowned herself in the Vistula. Długosz says that this act was preceded by thirty-days-long prayers in shrines and mentions a mound erected in Wanda’s memory in the village Mogiła near Cracow (Długosz, Annales, I, vol. 1, 1964, p. 131-132; Długosz, Liber beneficiorum, vol. 3, p. 422- 423; Jan Dąbrówka, ed. M. Zwiercan, 1969, p. 126; cf, SSS, vol. 6, 1977, p. 314). In these versions the victory is bought for a self-sacrifice, while Wanda’s relation to the river named after her attains a tangible, magically motivated sense.

Thus, Wawel and the Vistula marked the mythical centre and axis of a certain area, which should be interpreted as the Vistulanians’ State. The Wawel rocks, mirrored in the waters of the Yistula, saw their “very powerful pagan prince,” who sitting “on the Vistula abused Christians very much and did much harm to them” (The life of Methodius, XI, 2). Perhaps the abuse and harm included pagan cult practised in a presumed sanctuary on Wawel.

The motive of the settlement of a formerly nomadic community - without any mention about a mountain - reappears in the late record of the legend about the foundation of Gniezno (Długosz Annales, vol. 1, 1964, p, 105-106, 110). The existence of some tradition conceming the origins of this town is also confirmed earlier, by Gallus Anonimus (I, 1; cf. Dalewski, 1991).

Wawel and ftip symbolized the central points of Little Poland and Bohemia respectively. Both mountains were the scene of taking the sur-rounding land in possession by the settling tribes. Traces of a similar myth are present in the tradition of Great Poland. The myth of the origins of Kiev, on the other hand, although refers to the foundation of a stronghold on a mountain, lacks the motive of the tribe migrating from another area.

Mountains, having the role of the axis of the world, were believed to facilitate the contact with supematural powers. On Rip thanksgiving sacrifices for the successful settlement were held. The Wawel Dragon’s cave suggests relations with the underworld. Both Wawel and Rip may have functioned as sanctuaries, like Śłęźa or Łysieć. While Rip soon lost its role in the living tradition, Wawel has retained its rank of a magie centre of cult and authority in the consdousne&s of the Poies throughout centuries until now.