Adventurous Storys and Tips on writing
  • Home
  • Top Tips on writing a good story
  • Extracts from other story examples
  • The king of the fishes
  • The Cobbler of Krakow and Smok the Dragon of Wawel.
  • Adventure at Sandy Cove
In the days when trees could cry and cats could fly there lived in 
Poland, underneath Wawel Hill, beside the Vistula River, a terrible 
dragon called Smok Wawelski. 
 
First, Smok stole their cats and dogs. Next, he ate their sheep and 
cows. In the end, Smok paid his attention to grabbing young 
maidens! 
 
Soon it was the turn of the King’s daughter to be fed to the dragon. 
In desperation, he offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to 
anyone who could rid the city of this terrible beast. 
 
Princes came and Princes went. Some ran as soon as they 
clapped sight on Smok. Others ventured under the city and were 
never seen again. In the end, a cobbler called Krak came to the 
city. 
 
“You’ll never defeat the dragon,” said the King, noticing that the 
cobbler had no sword. 
 
“Do not worry,” replied Krak, “I will give him a meal that he will not 
forget in a hurry!” 
 
First, Krak took a leathery cow’s skin. Next, he stuffed it full of the 
hottest herbs and spices with a bag full of sulphur! After that, he 
sewed the skin together to make it look like a dead cow. 
 
Finally, Krak threw the mighty meal down into Smok’s lair calling, 
“Dinner time, my beauty!” 
 
The dragon ate it up in one gulp. First, he felt a burning pain. Then 
his stomach roared like fire. Finally, the dragon flew to the river 
Vistula where he drank and he drank and he drank till the river was 
almost dry. The more he drank, the more his stomach swelled. It 
swelled and it swelled and it swelled till in the end it burst with a 
huge bang. 
 
So it was that the cobbler married the princess and became King 
Krak. Why he was so popular - that they named the city after him – 
Krakow. 
Powered by
✕