The legend of Bivoj

Back in the days when Libuse still ruled the Czech lands, the hills of what would one day be Prague were covered by a deep, dark, thick forest. A trip across the river and over to Prague Castle was fraught with danger - not only from thieves and renegades, but also from the wild things that lived in the forest: the wolves, the bears, and the wild boars. One legendarily wild boar became so vicious that he absolutely terrorized the people at Vysehrad Fortress, as his lair was just outside its gates - at Kavci Hory (the seat of Czech Television today). This boar had grown so mean and wild and bold that he would actually attack hunting parties, tearing the dogs and the men asunder. The people at Vysehrad ventured out only when necessary. Enter Bivoj, who was secretly in love with Libuse's oldest sister, Kazi. Determined to get her attention somehow, he went to Kavci Hory to track the boar, and devise a way to trap him. From the trees, he observed the boar a full week - learning his habits and trying to find the beast's weakness. Finally, he decided the time was ripe. His plan was to sneak up and kill the boar while it was taking its daily 3pm nap in a clearing (interestingly enough, the clearing where the boar used to nap is exactly in the same spot as the office of the General Director of Czech Television today - and the GD of Czech TV also takes a nap there at 3pm every day.)

Of course, as luck would have it, the boar skipped his nap on that day. While Bivoj was busy sneaking up on the boar, the boar snuck up on him! Bivoj was so scared he did the only thing he could think of to do - he reached out and smacked the boar as hard as ever he could. Now, Bivoj was no wimp. When he smacked something, it stayed smacked - the boar did, anyway. It fell down, and it stayed down. Bivoj quickly trussed the pig's feet and by the time the boar woke up, its was a lost cause. He was slung over strong Bivoj's back, and both Bivoj and boar were on their way to Vysehrad Fortress, where Libuse and Kazi were walking together in the gardens. Suddenly, the girls heard cheering. When they came out to the fortress gates to see what all the hubbub was about, they say Bivoj - looking pretty rakish and sexy - with the boar snorting and writhing on his back, trying to get away. Brave Bivoj was being cheered by all the people of the court, and all the people who'd tagged along when they'd seen him pass on his way there.

Bivoj dispatched the boar with proper medeival pomp, in a bloody one-on-one match that reads like a bullfight. Kazi and Libuse were mightily impressed, and Bivoj's deepest desire was fulfilled. It wasn't long after everyone recovered from the hangover they'd earned celebrating Bivoj's triumph with the boar that they had to nurse the one they'd got from Bivoj and Kazi's wedding feast. .