Old Czech Legends

Ancient Bohemian Legends (1894) is a fictionalised collection of legends about Forefather Čech, Krok, Libuše, Bivoj, and Horymír, including more recent legends about Žižka, Kozina, and Jánošík. For this popular work for young people, Jirásek drew from the chronicles of Cosmas, Dalimil, and Václav Hájek of Libočany. In school curricula, it is often classified as historical prose on the theme of the earliest period of history. The book has outgrown its original purpose and, due to its captivating narrative and poetic charm, has become the most beloved collection of national legends from both the prehistoric and historical eras of the nation's existence.