Pan Twardowski

06/03/2012 09:03

In one of the earlier posts—the one about pigeons on the Main Square—I mentioned a person named Pan Twardowski. I decided to write a little more about him here, as his story is one that has a strong connection with Krakow. Pan, or “Mr.” Twardowski supposedly lived in Krakow centuries ago. There is still much speculation as to whether he really did exist, or whether he was simply a figure of folk legend. In any case, the stories surrounding him claim that he was a nobleman who vigorously immersed himself in sorcery. He very much wanted to find answers to questions such as the secret of eternal life, magical healing powers, and the ability to turn ordinary metal into gold.

In looking for answers, he took himself straight to the devil himself. In exchange for a deal at the crossroads, Pan Twardowski was told that he would eventually, of course, have to go to hell. Twardowski, however, was not a fool. He had it put into his contract that the devil could only take him at a time when Twardowski was in Rome. Of course, Twardowski intended to avoid Rome at all costs for the rest of his life. After years of successfully tricking the devil, the poor fool made an awful mistake. In an effort to slake his thirst one day on the way home, Twardowski mistakenly entered into a bar called, in Polish, “Rzym,” or “Rome.” The devil, of course, seized upon the opportunity and showed him with a toothy grin the little clause in the contract that Twardowski had signed many years earlier.

As for what happened next, I’ve heard at least two versions. One says that Twardowski managed to flee from the devil on, who’d have guessed it, a giant chicken, and flew up into the sky, not stopping until he made it to the moon! The second version states that the devil grabbed his victim and started to cart him off to hell. The frightened Twardowski prayed furiously to the Virgin Mary, who in turn heard his plea and ordered the devil to release him. When he did, Twardowski fell from the sky and landed on the moon.

Here, the story again unites. Even though he played with fire, legend apparently did not want him to spend the rest of his days in hell. Rather, both versions claim that the sad and lonely man sits up to the present on the moon and looks down, continually in longing for his beloved Krakow. As it turns out, he has a little friend there to keep him company, a person whom he had turned into a spider a long time ago. Each month it is said in Krakow that the tiny creature spins a long line, comes down into the city, and returns to the moon to share all of the local gossip with his friend Pan Twardowski.

Just in case this story is true, don’t kill any spiders when you’re Krakow; you might cut off Twardowski’s only lifeline to news from town.