Prastaré pověsti české – Mašek Petr (2022)

The ancient Czech legends by Petr Mašek are a unique collection of the oldest Czech tales gathered from original sources, and unlike other authors, it presents all the legends recorded from the Middle Ages to the Baroque period. Here, the reader will become acquainted with the forgotten stories of the mythical Přemyslid princes that Alois Jirásek overlooked. All the legends possess their original charm, which stimulates the reader's imagination and compels them to ponder how they might have originated and whether they have a kernel of truth. It is certainly amusing that the authors, or rather the recorders of these legends, knew more about the time of Czech paganism the further they were removed from it. Whether the origin of the legends is true or merely a product of folk creativity, it is important that our nation has lived with these legends for many centuries. Each era has taken from them what inspired it. In difficult wartime, they sought symbols of national heroes and state continuity within them, while ancient legends confirmed their age-old anchoring in the heart of Europe; in times of peace and prosperity, they were often misused, for example, in advertisements. Both instances testify that these legendary figures still live among us and are part of our lives.