Silver medal Legends of the Czech castles - Forest mother under Kasperk castle proof
Silver medal Legends of the Czech castles - Forest mother under Kasperk castle proof
Legends of the Czech castles
Myths, mysteries and fairy tales - all this is offered by the cycle of the Czech Mint entitled Tales of Czech Castles. The third commemorative medal made of pure silver commemorates the legend of the Forest Mother at Kašperk.
The wandering root is a strange phenomenon that every traveller is afraid of, because whoever steps on it or crosses it will get lost, even if he or she knows the way perfectly... Once upon a time, a mother sent two siblings - a girl and a boy from Žlíbek to visit her sister. The children stayed with their aunt, who lived in Kašperské Hory, and when they returned home, darkness overtook them. Fortunately, they knew the road, which was lined with old beech trees, and knew that when they saw Kašperk Castle, they would almost be home. They walked for a long time, looking forward to bed, but when the moon rose, they found that they were back at the beginning of the forest path. They tried a different path, but it was no use - they were still walking in circles. Surely the errant root was to blame! The children cried for help. They hoped that a traveler or a woodcutter would hear them, but instead a strange creature stepped out of the woods. When the siblings saw an old tall woman with lichen for hair and moss and birch bark for clothes, they were terriefied. They thought a witch or a curser had come for them. But the woman introduced herself to them as the Forest mother. She spoke to them in a soothing voice that resembled the rustling of branches. She told them that she was over a thousand years old and cared for the well-being of the entire forest. Anyone who harms the beasts and trees will be punished and go unseen. Only those who have nothing wrong on their conscience can see her. So the children had nothing to fear. The mother of the forest took them by the hand, led them home, and just as she appeared, she disappeared again...
The obverse side of the commemorative medal, the work of academic sculptor Majka Wichnerová, presents the kind Forest mother who came to help to two lost siblings. The reverse side is dominated by Kašperk Castle in the Šumava foothills.
A total of six castle stories are presented in the collector's series.