Illustrations for Belarusian legends

Illustrations for Belarusian legends were partially created for Zviazda newspaper and electronic encyclopedia Spadčyna

Legend “How Miensk appeared” tells about a mysterious giant magician Mieniesk who flew around the country in his mill and joined the most powerful people together. Later on, these people formed the Belarusian nation. Meanwhile, the mill ground not grain but stones which are now abundant in Belarus.

Legend “Marysia’s park” tells a sad love story of duke Radzivil’s daughter Marysia and an ordinary horse keeper. Of course, the duke could not let the young people marry and they decided to run away… However, the duke learned about their plans and the horse keeper was murdered. Meanwhile, Marysia was waiting for her beloved in Niasviž park where she got frozen in despair.

Each illustration reflects all peculiarities of the corresponding legend giving vent to imagination.

How did Viĺnia, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, appear? The legend says that the Grand Duke Gedzimin saw a giant mountain in his dream. A metal wolf, giant like rocks, was standing on this mountain and a hundred of wolves were howling from his jaws. This howling was so strong that Gedzimin woke up and ordered to bring soothsayer Liazddziejka to him. The soothsayer thought for a while and advised to found a new capital in the place the Duke saw. The fame of that capital was to spread all over the world like growling of that metal wolf.

“The Black Lady of Niasviž” is a story which is famous even because of theatre performances. Barbara Radzivil married the King of Rzeczpospolita (Polish Commonwealth) secretly from the Warsaw elite. However, she was not Queen for a long time – the King’s mother Bona Sforza, Italian by origin, poisoned the young woman… The King was in despair and did not know what to do. He came to Niasviž, where his wife came from, and saw Barbara in the mirror… Since then, the spirit of the Black Lady of Niasviž is said to have been walking around the castle…