Libuše , Libussa , Libushe or, historically Lubossa , is a legendary ancestor of the Přemyslid dynasty and the Czech people as a whole. According to legend, she was the youngest but wisest of three sisters, who became queen after their father died; she married a ploughman, Přemysl , with whom she founded the Přemyslid dynasty, and prophesied and founded the city of Prague in the 8th century.
42-431: Libuše is said to have been the youngest daughter of the equally mythical Czech ruler Krok . The legend goes that she was the wisest of the three sisters , and while her sister Kazi was a healer and Teta was a magician, she had the gift of seeing the future , and was chosen by her father as his successor, to judge over the people. According to legends she prophesied from her castle at Libušín , though later legends say it
84-647: A council at Mainz . In attendance were the three archbishops of the East Frankish kingdom— Wilbert of Cologne , Liutbert of Mainz and Ratbod of Trier —and the West Frankish archbishops of Reims ( Fulk ) and Rouen (John I) along with the bishops of Beauvais and Noyon . According to Walter Ullmann , the presence of the West Franks was on account of the "barren ecclesiastical thought" of the East, and
126-474: A family of many daughters, the youngest daughter may be an equivalent figure. Prior to his adventures, he is often despised as weak and foolish by his brothers or father, or both — sometimes with reason, some youngest sons actually being foolish, and others being lazy and prone to sitting about the ashes doing nothing. But some times the youngest son is the one that does the most work. Sometimes, as in Esben and
168-627: A makeshift table). The two grandees who found Přemysl brought him to the princely palace where Libuše married him, and Přemysl the Ploughman thus became ruler. They went on to have three sons: Radobyl, Lidomir, and Nezamysl who continued the Přemyslid dynasty in the Czech lands. In another legend, she commanded her councillors to found a city at the place where they found a man making the best of use of his teeth at midday. They set off and at midday found
210-663: A man sawing a block of wood (using his saw's teeth) when everyone else was eating; when they asked him what he was making he replied "Prah" (which in Czech means "threshold") and so Libuše named the city Prague (Czech: "Praha"). The story of Libuše and Přemysl was recounted in detail in the 12th century by Cosmas of Prague in his Chronica Boëmorum . Another early account was included in Jan Dubravius ' 1552 chronicle Historia regni Bohemiae , and Johann Karl August Musäus used this and Aeneas Silvius ' Cardinalis de Bohemarum Origine ac Gestis Historia to write his version of
252-418: A ploughman, Přemysl . She therefore related a vision in which she saw a farmer with one broken sandal, ploughing a field, or in other versions of the legend, eating from an iron table. She instructed her councilmen to seek out this man by letting a horse loose at a junction; they followed it to the village of Stadice and found Přemysl exactly as she had said (either ploughing a field, or using an iron plough as
294-596: A rival in advance, and they attempt to stop him before the quest; in others, such as Thirteenth or Boots and the Troll , he must set to tasks because they have spitefully claimed that he said he could. This rivalry is not a necessary component of the character. He may also be the only one of the brothers to set about the work, as in Dapplegrim . In some tales, such as the Norwegian version of The Master Thief ,
336-548: A widow marries a king's son (after having passed a 'Test of Character' administered by a fairy in disguise). Sibling rivalry may also spring up in these stories, but usually over the youngest daughter's marriage. They may incite their sister to break the taboo her husband has laid on her, as in Cupid and Psyche , or make it appear that she has killed her own children to make her husband hate her, as in The Dancing Water,
378-776: A younger and prettier sister may also cause intrafamily friction in a ballad. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a subversion; in most versions the hero chooses to wed the eldest princess while the youngest of the twelve daughters was the only one to realize she and her sisters were being followed during their nightly ventures. A pair of siblings, whether a girl and a boy as in Hansel and Gretel or two girls as in Snow-White and Rose-Red or Kate Crackernuts , or two boys as in The Gold-Children , often features them as co-protagonists rather than as rivals. This is, in fact,
420-543: Is often long faithful to him; he may fail many times after the initial test, often by not respecting the helper's advice. Indeed, in The Golden Bird , the fox declares that the hero does not deserve his help after his disobedience, but still aids him. This success may make his brothers an additional obstacle , as in The Golden Bird , where they overpower him and steal what he has won on his quest. In some tales, such as The Grateful Beasts , they conclude he may be
462-596: Is speculated to be from the Czech princes to the Franks , perhaps in relation to the Battle of Zásek c. 849 described in the Annales Fuldenses . Youngest son#Youngest daughters The youngest son is a stock character in fairy tales , where he features as the hero . He is usually the third son, but sometimes there are more brothers , and sometimes he has only one; usually, they have no sisters. In
SECTION 10
#1732801683260504-888: Is usually the heroine of the tale, as in The Seven Ravens , The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird (in the second generation), The Fair Fiorita , The Death of Koschei the Deathless , The Twelve Wild Ducks or The Blue Bird . Even in these tales, the youngest son may be set out: in The Seven Ravens , he is the first to guess that their sister has found them; in The Twelve Wild Ducks , he argues against his oldest brother, who wants to kill their sister as
546-685: The Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire into three kingdoms. The east–west division with the Treaty of Verdun in 843, enforced by the Germanic - Latin language split, "gradually hardened into the establishment of separate kingdoms", with East Francia becoming (or being) the Kingdom of Germany and West Francia becoming
588-646: The Kingdom of France . The term orientalis Francia originally referred to Franconia and orientales Franci to its inhabitants, the ethnic Franks living east of the Rhine. The use of the term in a broader sense, to refer to the eastern kingdom, was an innovation of Louis the German 's court. Since eastern Francia could be identified with old Austrasia, the Frankish heartland, Louis's choice of terminology hints at his ambitions. Under his grandson, Arnulf of Carinthia,
630-601: The donor that gives him his success, as Puddocky has pity on him, but usually he is tested in some manner that distinguishes him from his brothers: in The Red Ettin he is offered the choice of half a loaf with his mother's blessing and the whole with her curse , and takes the blessing where his brothers took the curse, and in The Golden Bird he takes a talking fox's advice to avoid an inn where his brothers decided to abandon their quest. This magical helper
672-411: The "different people" ( diversae nationes populorum ) of East Francia, mostly Germanic- and Slavic-speaking, could be "distinguished from each other by race, customs, language and laws" ( genere moribus lingua legibus ). In 869, Lotharingia was divided between West and East Francia under the Treaty of Meersen . The short lived Middle Francia turned out to be the theatre of Franco-German wars up until
714-624: The "eastern kingdom of the Franks" ( orientale Francorum regnum ) was "now called the kingdom of the Germans" ( regnum Teutonicorum ). In August 843, after three years of civil war following the death of emperor Louis the Pious on 20 June 840, the Treaty of Verdun was signed by his three sons and heirs. The division of lands was largely based on the Meuse , Scheldt , Saone and Rhone rivers. While
756-695: The 20th century. All the Frankish lands were briefly reunited by Charles the Fat , but in 888 he was deposed by nobles and in East Francia Arnulf of Carinthia was elected king. The increasing weakness of royal power in East Francia meant that dukes of Bavaria, Swabia, Franconia , Saxony and Lotharingia turned from appointed nobles into hereditary rulers of their territories. Kings increasingly had to deal with regional rebellions. In 911 Saxon, Franconian, Bavarian and Swabian nobles no longer followed
798-867: The Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf or The Brown Bear of the Green Glen , and courtesy to strangers, especially those who appear weak, as in The Water of Life or The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship . He generally succeeds in tasks after his older brothers have failed, as in The Red Ettin , or all three are set to tasks and he is the only one to succeed, as in Puddocky . He may happen on
840-511: The Libuše and Přemysl story was released under the name The Pagan Queen . Minor planet 264 Libussa is named in her honor. A notable theory of origin suggests the names of the Přemysl ancestors arose from a mistaken interpretation by Cosmas. According to postulation by Vladimír Karbusický , Cosmas likely contrived them when trying to read a lost Latin transcription of an old-Slavonic message. When
882-472: The Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird . Youngest daughters may also appear as not the heroine of the tale, but the bride of the hero; when there is more than one princess, the bride is almost always the youngest, as in King Kojata , The Hairy Man , The Magician's Horse , or Shortshanks . A ballad may feature three sisters solely so that the youngest of them can be preferred. The choice of
SECTION 20
#1732801683260924-718: The Witch , they scorn him as small and weak. Even when not scorned as small and weak, the youngest son is seldom distinguished by great strength, agility, speed, or other physical powers. He may be particularly clever, as in Hop o' My Thumb , or fearless, as in The Story of the Youth Who Went Forth to Learn What Fear Was , but more commonly his traits include refusal to abandon the quest , as in Tsarevitch Ivan,
966-409: The ancestral names are combined and reassessed, they can roughly cohere an assumed text: " Krok‘ kazi tetha lubossa premisl nezamisl mna ta voj‘n ni zla kr‘z mis neklan gosti vit... " In modern English, this may translate to: " Halt your steps, Tetha, and rather think, I do not intend war or evil upon you, we do not bow to the cross, we welcome guests ..." The alleged message
1008-622: The brothers are only mentioned and vanish from the tale entirely when they set out to seek their fortune. Heroines in fairy tales are more often marked out as stepdaughters, but sometimes they appear as the youngest daughter. In Molly Whuppie , it is the youngest who outwits the ogre. The White Bear in East of the Sun and West of the Moon marries the youngest daughter; in the Black Bull of Norroway ,
1050-549: The cause of their misery. Sibling rivalry in fairy tales is, in general, a trait of same-sex siblings. The ubiquity of this theme has made it an obvious target for revisionist fairytale fantasy . Andrew Lang has his Prince Prigio jeer at the notion that he should go first on the quest, when he is the oldest son; only after his two younger brothers have not returned can he be compelled to go. Likewise, in Diana Wynne Jones 's Howl's Moving Castle , Sophie, being
1092-505: The council proceeded to adopt West Frankish ideas of royal sacrality and anointing . It was "the first phase in the process of assimilation of the two halves of the Carolingian inheritance". In another church council at Tribur in 895, the prelates declared that Arnulf was chosen by God and not by men and Arnulf in turn swore to defend the church and its privileges from all its enemies. When Arnulf died in 899, his minor son, Louis IV ,
1134-488: The eastern part". The West Frankish Annales Bertiniani describe the extent of Louis's lands: "at the assigning of portions, Louis obtained all the land beyond the Rhine river, but on this side of the Rhine also the cities of Speyer, Worms and Mainz with their counties". The kingdom of West Francia went to Louis's younger half-brother Charles the Bald, and between their realms a kingdom of Middle Francia, incorporating Italy ,
1176-547: The eldest son Lothair I kept the imperial title and the kingdom of Middle Francia , Charles the Bald received West Francia and Louis the German received the eastern portion of mostly Germanic-speaking lands: the Duchy of Saxony , Austrasia , Alamannia , the Duchy of Bavaria , and the March of Carinthia . The contemporary East Frankish Annales Fuldenses describes the kingdom being "divided in three" and Louis "acceding to
1218-510: The heroine's older sisters set out to seek their fortunes before her. She may be the only one willing to fulfill a promise that their father made, as in Beauty and the Beast or Bearskin . In The Little Mermaid , it is the youngest daughter of King Triton who falls in love with the prince after she saves him from drowning. In Diamonds and Toads , the younger-&-least favoured daughter of
1260-508: The legend as "Libussa", which he included in his Volksmärchen der Deutschen (volume 3, 1784). The mythical figure of Libuše gave material for several dramatic works, including Libussa , a tragedy by Franz Grillparzer , Libuše , an opera by Bedřich Smetana , and Pole a palisáda , a novel by Miloš Urban . She is also featured as a character in Edward Einhorn 's play, Rudolf II . In 2009, an American-Czech film version of
1302-460: The more common pattern when the children are of the opposite sex, or when they are boys (usually twin boys). The story of the "kind and unkind girls" often features a pair as rivals. They are more often stepsiblings than siblings, but as siblings, the younger is generally the favored, as in Diamonds and Toads or some variants of The Red Ettin . In tales where the brothers had a sister, she
Libuše - Misplaced Pages Continue
1344-473: The most capable successor. This kingship changed from Franks to Saxons, who had suffered greatly during the conquests of Charlemagne. Henry, who was elected to kingship by only Saxons and Franconians at Fritzlar , had to subdue other dukes and concentrated on creating a state apparatus which was fully utilized by his son and successor Otto I . By his death in July 936, Henry had prevented collapse of royal power, as
1386-477: The oldest daughter, is resigned to having the worst chances to make her fortune, but is precipitated into the plot by evil magic. Tales that feature youngest sons: Tales that feature youngest daughters: East Francia East Francia ( Latin : Francia orientalis ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks ( Regnum Francorum orientalium ) was a successor state of Charlemagne 's empire ruled by
1428-458: The royal family and the kingdom. Collectively, these were known by the technical term servitium regis ("king's service"). According to the evidence of the Notitia de servitio monasteriorum , a list of monasteries and the services they owed drawn up around 817, the burden of military and monetary service was more severe in west Francia than in east Francia. Only four monasteries listed as "beyond
1470-403: The symbols and rituals of East Frankish kingship were created from scratch. From an early date, the East Frankish kingdom had a more formalised notion of royal election than West Francia. Around 900, a liturgy for the coronation of a king, called the early German ordo , was written for a private audience. It required the coronator to ask the "designated prince" ( princeps designatus ) whether he
1512-438: The terminology was largely dropped and the kingdom, when it was referred to by name, was simply Francia . When it was necessary, as in the Treaty of Bonn (921) with the West Franks, the "eastern" qualifier appeared. Henry I refers to himself as rex Francorum orientalium , "king of the East Franks", in the treaty. By the 12th century, the historian Otto of Freising , in using the Carolingian terminology, had to explain that
1554-459: The tradition of electing someone from the Carolingian dynasty as a king to rule over them and on 10 November, 911 elected one of their own ( Conrad I ) as the new king. Because Conrad I was one of the dukes, he found it very hard to establish his authority over them. Duke Henry of Saxony was in rebellion against Conrad I until 915 and struggle against Arnulf, Duke of Bavaria cost Conrad I his life. On his deathbed, Conrad I chose Henry of Saxony as
1596-464: Was Vyšehrad . Legend says that Libuše came out on a rocky cliff high above the Vltava and prophesied: "I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars." On the site she ordered to build a castle and a town called Prague. Although she proved herself as a wise chieftain, the male part of the tribe was displeased that their ruler was a woman and demanded that she marry, but she had fallen in love with
1638-544: Was crowned, but not anointed, and placed under the tutelage of Archbishop Hatto I of Mainz . Louis's coronation was the first in German history. When Louis died in late September 911, Duke Conrad I, then the Duke of Franconia , was elected to replace him on 10 November and he became the first German king to receive unction. The three basic services monasteries could owe to the sovereign in the Frankish realms were military service, an annual donation of money or work, and prayers for
1680-582: Was given to their elder brother, the Emperor Lothair I. While Eastern Francia contained about a third of the traditional Frankish heartland of Austrasia, the rest consisted mostly of lands annexed to the Frankish empire between the fifth and the eighth century. These included the duchies of Alamannia, Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia , as well as the northern and eastern marches with the Danes and Slavs. The contemporary chronicler Regino of Prüm wrote that
1722-711: Was happening in West Francia , and left a much stronger kingdom to his successor Otto I. After Otto I was crowned as the Emperor in Rome in 962, the era of the Holy Roman Empire began. The regalia of the Carolingian empire had been divided by Louis the Pious on his deathbed between his two faithful sons, Charles the Bald and Lothair. Louis the German, then in rebellion, received nothing of the crown jewels or liturgical books associated with Carolingian kingship. Thus
Libuše - Misplaced Pages Continue
1764-477: Was willing to defend the church and the people and then to turn and ask the people whether they were willing to be subject to the prince and obey his laws. The latter then shouted, " Fiat , fiat !" (Let it be done!), an act that later became known as "Recognition". This is the earliest known coronation ordo with a Recognition in it, and it was subsequently incorporated in the influential Pontificale Romano-Germanicum . In June 888, King Arnulf of Carinthia convened
#259740