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p. 97, 257-258, 312). We can assume that the name of the peak resulted from the ritual of worshiping the dead celebrated there, similar to the Ruthenian Radunitsa, possibly called Radunia by Western Slavs, which is confirmed by several other local names, for instance of the river Radunia flowing through Gdańsk {Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego, 1888, vol. 9, p. 150-152). The etymology of Ślęża does not show any religious connota-tions. Attempts at deriving this name from the Germanie tribe of Silings are not convincing. W. Semkowicz (1933, p. 8-12; cf. Korta, 1988, p. 155-156) proposed a better etymology, observing that Ślęża comes from the Slavonic stem slęg, meaning rain and humidity. The identical name, recorded in 1204 as Slensegore (Nalepa, 1956), was given to a hill at the Lutizian border. Ślęża received such a name because of rain md fog prevailing at its peak, Thietmar claims that Silesia (Śląsk) was named after the mountain and his opinion can be trusted. As the example of Dalemincs-Glomaće shows, some Slavonic tribes inherited their names from their main sanctuaries, If so, the first, indirect proof of the existence of the sanctuary on Ślęża U the record of Bavarian Geographer (MPH, vol. 1, p. 11), who mentioned the tribe of Slenzane.

The walls limiting the sacred space on the peaks of the Ślęża Massif are similar to constructions found in other Slavonic mountain sanctuaries, and there is no need to follow H. Cehak-Hołubowiczowa (1959, p. 86-90) in searching for some distant analogies such as the so-called “glazed” walls, There is a striking resemblance between the Ślęża “half-moon” embankment and the embankments in Łysieć. This peak, known presently as Święty Krzyż (Holy Cross) or Łysa Góra (Bald Mount), is the second highest summit in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. It is surrounded with a stone embankment which clearly falls into two horseshoe-shaped constructions, Each of them closes a plateau at the end of the ridge standing siightly below in the slopes. In the middle the rocky peak towers. The very summit is occupied by a Benedictine monastery and the church of the Holy Crosą - formerly of the Holy Trinity - founded in the 12thc. (Derwich, 1992* p. 142-296). H. Łowmiański (1963-1985, vol. 6/1, p. 261-166) claims that the monastery was founded by king Boleslaus the Bold in the 1 lth c. Despite several destructions, the monastery had always been an important centre of literacy, and until the dissolution in 1819 had preseryed its rich library and archives. Nevertheless, we lack any ancient and fully reliable record concem-ing a pagan sanctuary on this mountain. The earliest mention about Łysieć comes from Chronicie of Great Poland {Kronika Wielkopolska I, 30), ac* cording to which Boleslaus the Wrymouth “with religious devotion, in place of a stronghold at Łysa Góra (...), founded a monastery of St Benedict order under the invocation of the Holy Trinity.” Only Powieść rzeczy istey o założeniu klasztora na Łysey Górze (“The tale about the founding of the monastery on Łysa Góra”) mentions a sanctuary that had existed there, but it is a late source, a translation to Old-Polish of the Latin text Narratio fundationis monasterii Montis Calvi_t printed in 1536. Neither the original, except of several pages, nor the Polish translation published in 1536, has survived to our time, only a single unique copy of one of later impressions is available (Słupecki, 1991; Derwich 1992, p. 238-268).

Powieść rzeczy isiey sets the beginnings of the monastery in the times of Mieszko I (late lOthc.) and ascribes the decisive role in its founding to the prince’s wife, Dąbrówka, who “took iiking for (...) a certain place, called Łysa Góra because of the castle Łysieć which stood there, which was named so because it could be seen from a distance and looked white. In this castle dwelled a lady who got extremely proud as she had defeated the great Alexander at this mountain, and ordered to worship herself as goddess Diana. But for such a terrible blasphemy she was immediately punished by God, she found her castle destroyed by thunder and herself with ałl the servants humiliated. Until now large heaps of stone have been lying there. There was also a tempie of three idols, called Lada, Boda and Leli, in this place. Simple people came there on the first day of May to pray and bring offerings. Therefore Dąbrówka, having pulled down their shrine, ordered to erect a church devoted to the glory of the Holy Trinity.” She imported six monks from Sazawa and “built for them a smali monastery,” later “in the sixth year after the coronation endowed with a greater name and rebuilt in stone” by her son, Boleslaus the Brave (Powieść rzeczy istey; Krzyżanowski, 1956, p. 269-270; Piekarski, 1930; Słupecki, 1991; Derwich, 1991).

As J. Gacki (1873, p. 18) remarked, the mention about “Diana” from Łysieć corresponds to an episode from the legendary account of Polish history in Master Vincent’s chronicie (I, 9), the story about the war between queen Wanda and Alexander the Great, who allegedly invaded Poland from Moravia, conquering Silesia and the Cracow region. He was defeated by a ruse devised by Lestek, who ordered to prepare silver imitations of shields and to “bring them to a high mountain peak opposite the sun, so that they glittered immensely.” The invader, appalled at the view, was defeated, while the cunning Lestek was elected king. A fifteenth-century Galaxy of Polish Kings (MPH, vol. 3, p. 216) locates Lestek’s victorious battle with Alexan-der near Łysieć. It is rather logical - if Alexander had earlier conquered Silesia and the Cracow region, nearby Łysieć, visible from a distance, might have been the summit on which the shields glittered. Vincent was under-stood in this way by his commentators, although it is difficult to decide whether he himself thought so, but such a possibility is worth arguing for.

For Długosz (Annales, I, vol. 1, 1964, p. 101) Łysieć is the most import-ant mountain in Poland. He wrote: “Among mountains I assign the highest position to the Calvary because of its famę and notoriety, and I cali it the prince of mountains.” Only afterwards did the Cracow historian list the Cracow Wawel Hill, although it was the royal seat. According to Długosz (Annales, II, vol. 1, 1964, p. 255), Łysieć is the highest peak of the country, “the summit of the mountains called Calvary whose height is unrivalled in

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