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The most beautiful legends of Szczecin for children

The Legend of Sedina and the Founding of Szczecin

Sedina is a mythical goddess and an old symbol of Szczecin (a port city in north-west Poland, close to the Baltic Sea). She represented the city’s seafaring spirit. Sedina lived on Mount Olympus and loved sailors. One day she left the mountain of the gods, boarded a ship, and, with Hermes and a loyal griffin, sailed into the unknown. She reached a place where a river flows into the sea and makes a wide delta. She chose one lonely hill there as her new land. On the top she planted an oak tree. She put an acorn in the ground; Hermes placed a feather next to it (a sign of a quick mind), and the griffin added its lion’s claw (a sign of courage). Sedina watered the seed with salty water—a symbol of love for the sea. Soon a wide, strong tree grew.

“From today, this will be my home!” said Sedina.

And that is how, according to the legend, Szczecin was founded. (audio in Polish language)

Sedina coloring page to print:

The Griffin – a mythical creature and a symbol of Szczecin

A griffin is a mythical animal with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Its image appeared in Pomerania at the end of the 11th or the start of the 12th century. The ruling dynasty in Western Pomerania took the name “the Griffins” from this creature and made it the emblem of their land. Their residence was the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle in Szczecin. The Griffins were one of the longest-ruling dynasties in Europe, and you can visit their castle in the city today.

Pomeranian Dukes' Castle in Szczecin - the residence of the Griffin dynasty

Griffin – coloring page to download and print:

The Legend of the Maiden Tower (Tower of Seven Coats)

At the foot of the Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle stands the Maiden Tower, also called the Tower of Seven Coats. It is one of Szczecin’s symbols and a surviving part of the city’s medieval defensive walls.

According to the legend, a Pomeranian duke from the Griffin dynasty ordered seven coats made from very fine, expensive fabric. The tailor’s wife loved the material so much that she begged her husband to sew her a dress from the leftover pieces.

The duke and his court admired the coats. They were beautiful. But the joy did not last long. Soon someone told the duke that the tailor’s wife had been seen walking through the town in a dress made from the same fabric.

As punishment, the dishonest craftsman was locked in the castle tower, which since then has been known by these names.

Coloring page to print – the Legend of the Tower of Seven Coats:

The Legend of the Sunken Town and the Bells of Lake Głębokie

Lake Głębokie is one of the favorite places for Szczecin residents to relax and enjoy the beach. The legend says that where the lake is today, there was once a small German town with a little church. It suddenly sank and was covered by water. Every year on St. John’s Night (Midsummer, around 23–24 June), the bells of the sunken town would ring.

One sunny day, two girls were washing doll clothes in the lake when two bells rose from the depths. The bells shone so brightly in the sun that one girl hung the wet clothes on one of them to dry. At noon, one bell sank back into the deep, but the one with the laundry stayed above the water.

Back in the village, the girls told everyone what happened. Many people went to the lake to take the bell to their church. They put the bell on a wagon pulled by six horses, but it would not move. When the girls took the laundry off the bell, the ground suddenly shook, and the bell, the wagon, and the horses all sank into the lake.

Even today, some say that on St. John’s Night you can still hear the bells of the sunken town from Lake Głębokie.

The Legend of Emerald Lake in Szczecin

Picturesque Emerald Lake (Jezioro Szmaragdowe) lies on the edge of Szczecin in the Zdroje district, inside the Beech Forest (Puszcza Bukowa). It gets its name from its beautiful turquoise water. The lake formed in a former chalk mine.

According to the legend, the underground tunnels of the chalk mine were home to a mischievous spirit called Skarbnik (the Treasurer), a guardian of mines. He hid precious jewels and stones in one of the caves.

One day, when miners broke into his treasure with their pickaxes, Skarbnik became angry and flooded the whole mine so that people would not take it. This is how Emerald Lake was created. Its waters still shine in the sun, said to hide the sunken jewels.