The Prague Mythological Society

31/12/2016

Happy new year, Prague!

A new secret for you to discover; The pillar of Zardan: a strange formation of three stone columns of obscure origin. It was probably originally a part of the former Romanesque Basilica, but it could also be a column for measuring time from the era of first Slavs in the Bohemian territory. A story says, that the devil threw these stones to Vysehrad in anger, when he lost a bet with a priest. The priest said he can say Mass quicker than the devil can bring a column from Rome to Vysehrad. Then he prayed to St. Peter and he helped him to win the bet.

http://vrsovicedailyphoto.blogspot.cz/2010/07/devils-pillar.html

21/08/2016

Am interesting take on the events of the Velvet spring from a mythological perspective.

https://1320frequencyshift.wordpress.com/2016/08/17/the-prague-key-harmonic-revolution/

06/07/2016

The lucky St. John of Nepomuk statue on Charles bridge.

There is a plaque fixed to a statue on Charles Bridge, depicting a man being thrown off the bridge. What is the story behind the plaque and why do people touch it?
The statue represents Saint John of Nepomuk, the court priest of King Wenceslas IV. Legend has it that he was killed by request of the king, because he refused to tell the king about the queen's confession (what was the queen's confession you ask? Well, we don't wish to suffer the same fate as Saint John!).

Actually, the truth is that he invited a bishop to Prague who was the king's enemy.

Touching the statue is a Prague ritual. It is supposed to bring good luck and to ensure that you return to Prague soon.

01/07/2016

Long ago when the Czech lands were ruled by Prince Křesomysl, a humble farmer named Horymír lived in the village of Neumětely. Horymir had a white horse called Šemík. The Prince of the Czech lands had a passion for finding treasure said to be hidden deep under the surface of the land.

Many of the farmers were encouraged to give up their trade and pursue mining. Horymír was unhappy with Křesomysl's rule and warned that neglecting farming would result in famine. Horymir's viewpoint isolated him from his peers and a group of angry miners set his house and property on fire. In a reprisal for this burning, Horymír's followers burned down the miners' village. Horymír was punished and sentenced for ex*****on. Horymir was granted one last wish before ex*****on. He requested one last ride around the castle grounds on his beloved horse Šemík. His wish was granted.

When Horymír got on his white horse, he whispered something in his ear. No one knows what was said to his horse but the result was a quick action! Šemík ran to the ramparts, jumped over them and slid down the cliff. When the on-lookers got to the ramparts, they were astonished to see Horymír and Šemík on the other side of the Vltava, galloping towards Neumětely.

The miraculous jump exhausted Šemík. The horse soon died from this dramatic escape and was buried with honour. Šemík, the gallant horse, is said to be sleeping in the Vyšehrad rock, ready to come out when his help is needed again.

22/06/2016

Houska Castle is refereed to as a possible 'gateway to hell' due to some weird facts surrounding its construction.

Houska castle, and most specifically the chapel, has been constructed over a large hole in the ground that is supposedly 'The Gateway to Hell', which was said to be so deep no one could see the bottom of it.

Half-animal-half-man creatures were reported to have crawled out of it, and dark winged creatures flew in its vicinity. Legend has it that when construction began in the castle, all the inmates that were sentenced to death were offered a pardon if they consented to be lowered by rope into the hole, and report back on what they saw. When the first person was lowered, he began screaming after a few seconds, and when pulled back to the surface he looked as if he had aged 30 years in just a few seconds. He had grown wrinkles and his hair had turned white.

Houska castle was built with no fortifications, no water, no kitchen, near no trade routes, and with no occupants at its time of completion. The castle was not built as a residence or as a protective sanctuary, but was instead built because the hole was thought to be a gateway to hell. Thus, by constructing the Gothic building, they were able to keep the demons trapped in the lower level thickest walls closest to the hole of the castle.

21/06/2016

The Emperor Rudolf II of Austria is sometimes called "The Mad Alchemist" and as Prague as under the Austria-Hungarian empire during his reign, alchemists had pretty much free reign to do as they pleased without the religious persecution that came with living in other places, such as Spain or the Papal states. He actually moed his capital to Prague from Vienna. Why? some say because Prague is a centre of mystical happenings and he wanted to be closer to them. Who knows.

What is known is, He certainly left his mark on Prague. A avid treasure hunter, and keen mystic, no doubt there is probably some secrets that he left behind here in Prague that are yet to be uncovered.

17/06/2016

FAUST HOUSE.....have you heard of it?

Many places in Prague are connected with various legends and mysteries. However, there is hardly a house more mysterious and storied than the Faust House at the Charles Square. A legend says, that the famous Doctor Faustus lived there and that the Devil took him to hell through a hole in the ceiling.

Another legend tells about a poor student living in the house, learning Black Magic and then disappearing without traces. What we know for sure, is that several alchemists used to live in the Faust House. Due to their secret experiments they were believed to be connected with the Devil and the house was believed to be cursed.

16/06/2016

The Černín Palace in Prague has a long and unsettling history.

What is now the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the 1660s up to 1851 belonged to the noble Černín family, which legends depict as being somewhat vain as well as stingy.

The family had Černín Palace built on a hill slightly higher than Prague Castle, due to their love of prestige. It took several generations of the family to complete the construction of the truly massive building, which began with designs by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini in the1660s and was finished with a monumental staircase by František M. Kaňka in 1720, with almost every famous artist or sculptor of the time contributing something.

The first ghost tale associated with the palace occurs just as the building was under construction. Count Humprecht Jan Černín was the one who commissioned the largest palace in the city, but he promised to pay each craftsman only when his work was finished.

When he died in 1682, there were no written contracts for any of the construction. The tradesman turned to one of the count’s relatives, who was adept in occult arts and a member of a secret society. The head architect at that time, Francesco Caratti, was taken blindfolded to a meeting of the secret society and the spirit of the count was raised up and asked to sign the required contracts. The spirit seems to have obliged, as the work was able to continue.

But the most famous ghost story, which concerns demons and a duchess, comes later…
A column associated with pagan princess Drahomíra stood on the square in front of the palace until 1788. Evil spirits were reputed to haunt it and at night, strange flames were sometimes seen, and the feint smell of sulphur sometimes hung in the air. It’s a pity that this went unnoticed by one particularly self-centered countess of the Černín family, who seems to have been the local equivalent of Marie Antoinette — the one who told the starving population of Paris to eat cake instead of bread. While the truth behind that quote is in dispute, her wasteful ways are not.

The Prague countess also spared no expense, bathing in milk or wine and dining on rare imported delicacies, while spending endlessly on fine fabrics and jewels.

When the Great Famine of 1770 broke out in Bohemia, she did not mend her ways. Instead she threw a ball and had special shoes made out of bread dough. This was too much even for the evil spirits on this locale. Nine demons came up and verbally taunted the countess, and then danced her into such a frenzy that the bread shoes caught fire. Some say the demons even ripped her to shreds. She was dragged down to hell — in whole or in parts.

One version of the tale says she was taken straight down from the ballroom, another that she was pulled out to the sulphury pagan column where she plunged beneath the earth in a mass of blue flames.

Now she walks the halls of the ministry at midnight, which is of course long after business hours. She is said to mostly stare at shamefacedly at her shoes as she wanders the empty offices and meeting rooms. Nobody knows how to release her from her curse, but beware, for if you dance with her you will be dragged down to the underworld as well.

You will also likely face charges for trespassing in the ministry after hours, as this only happens at midnight and the building has very high security. Anyone who has dealt with Czech bureaucracy may well choose going straight down to hell instead as it will be much easier to deal with.

15/06/2016

Prague is covered in Masonic symbols, and had one of the earliest masonic lodges in Europe.

http://www.masonicprague.cz/city-tour/

15/06/2016

SIGNATESIGNATE­MEREMETANGISE­TANGIS ROMATIBISUBITI­MOTIBUSIBITAMOR.

What? I hear you say.

For those of you not schooled in classical latin, it translates to “Emerge as a heavenly sign, you touch me and behold me in vain. Rome, love will suddenly come to you through the movement (of stars)"

This inscription is found on Charles Bridge, and to this day, no one knows what it means.

15/06/2016

LIttle known fact- Mikuláš of Kadaň actually built the Prague astronomical clock, but he was not the only person behind this historical clock tower. He collaborated with Jan Ondrejuv, who was a mathematician and astrologist. The clock was then rebuilt by the master Hanus, who is the figure from the legend who was apparently blinded by the town counselors to prevent anyone from making such a device again.

14/06/2016

Who Was the Count of St. Germain?

count of saint germain

The Count of Saint Germain

The Count of Saint Germain was not a Saint and may not even have been a Count. The place and circumstances of his birth are completely unknown. However, there have been many theories presented over the past few centuries. Some believe that he was a man of noble birth whose family was disgraced somehow and he therefore had to hide his true identity. Others believe that he was born long before his presence was documented and that he was immortal. Theosophists believe him to be an Oriental Adept. Whoever he was, he never divulged any information regarding his birth to anyone during his (known) lifetime.

It appears that the Count of St. Germain may have arrived on the scene in Europe as early as 1710. At that time, he appeared to be in his mid-forties. The story goes that he always appeared this way. He seemed to never age. From 1737-1742, he was supposedly in Persia studying alchemy. He went to Versailles in 1742 and then in 1743 he was in England for the Jacobite Revolution. He then went to Vienna to visit Frederick the Great and then to Edinburgh in 1745.

In 1755, Count Saint Germain went to India. When he came back, he stayed in the Royal Chateau of Chambord in Touraine on King Louis XV’s invitation. There he rubbed elbows with Voltaire, who appeared to be impressed by the man. Count St. Germain left France and went to Hague and London in 1760. In 1762 he supposedly went to Russia and was involved in the revolution there under the pseudonym Graf Saltikoff. He later traveled to Germany and Bavaria. All the while maintaining a middle-aged appearance. Count St. Germain died on February 27, 1784. There is a record of his death and burial.

During his time in Europe during the 1700’s, the Count of St. Germain’s acquaintances had an awful lot to say about this strange man. He was said to have had a striking appearance, especially his eyes. He was reportedly a very talented musician and composer who shared his work with Tchaikovsky and Prince Ferdinand von Lobkowitz. Two of his compositions dwell in the British Museum. One of them was written in 1745 and the other in 1760. He even performed on the harpsichord for Frederick the Great.

Count St. Germain was said to have knowledge of Sanscrit, Chinese and Arabic. He also spoke Swedish, Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Russian flawlessly. He was a painter of some renown. It is said that he could make the jewels in his paintings appear strikingly realistic. He was also a collector of diamonds and wore many of them to social events. There were claims that he could also fix flawed diamonds.

The Count of St. Germain was also said to have some very strange habits. Some people claimed that he never ate in public, but that he would drink a special tea frequently. There were also claims that he often made strange comments about his age. He would speak of times long since past as if he had been there. He reportedly told an acquaintance who had made a comment that he must be more than one hundred years old that it was “not impossible.”

Many people have claimed to be the Count of St. Germain in the centuries since his death was documented. Others have claimed to have seen him in various places. He has been referred to as “The man who does not die.” He has been credited with the gift of eternal life, or at least of extremely long life, but are any of these claims credible? It is hard to be certain because there are so many of them. However, it is extremely doubtful, for obvious reasons.

The Count of Saint Germain is credited with so many rare (and fictitious) abilities that it seems almost certain that his talents have been embellished over the years and during his lifetime. He may have encouraged this behavior, for all we know. It is quite possible that he was a very talented con man. Either that, or he was an exceptionally old, yet youthful man who was impossibly intelligent and talented. At this point, it is impossible to tell. The story of the Count of St. Germain has been told so many times, in so many ways, that the truth is probably quite different from what has been said. That leaves us with the possibility that we may never know the truth about the Count of St. Germain.

It is of course quite feasible that the illusive Count many times found himself in Prague. Of course, the OTHER Count Claude Louis, Comte de Saint-Germain, who was at the battle of Bila Hora.

Was our count ever here, rubbing shoulders with the alchemists of Prague? The society would love to find out!

14/06/2016

DID YOU KNOW?

The connector between Jindrisska Belfry (at Hay Square) and New Town Hall (at the Charles Square), divides the Wenceslas square in the mythical Golden cut, the ratio of 0.62, according to which consisted of painters, architects ... of the middle ages and according to which is organized many natural phenomena.

Read more about the 'golden cut' here; http://www.goldennumber.net/golden-ratio-history/

14/06/2016

Hidden in plain sight, the dripstone wall of Prague can be found in the Wallenstein Palace Garden.

The garden built by Albrecht of Wallenstein was divided into several major parts. The part whose most important element is the artificial rock or dripstone wall was called the secret or secluded garden (giordino secreto or giardino segreto). This section created a secretive and mysterious area where elements of artificial and real living nature mingled and contrasted, where the feeling of uncertainty was heightened by the starting images of frogs, snakes, monsters and grotesquely formed faces and various kinds of animals hidden in the recesses of the dripstone wall. The illusion of mystery and uncertainty is further enhanced by the numerous illusionary hints suggesting the wall might be penetrable by secret corridors or passageways. The artificial rock fits in naturally with the aviary, which also lends an important acoustic feature to the garden. All these—the joining of real living and artificial nature, the juxtaposition of contrasts, the creation of illusion and the placement of bizarre details—are stylistic and creative principles of the mannerist or early baroque garden conceived on the model of Italian gardens.

Is there something more sinister, or a meaning to this sculpture? Or is it simply random art? Who knows......

14/06/2016

Heinrich Himmler's stash of books on witchcraft is discovered in Czech library after being hidden for 50 years

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498908/Heinrich-Himmler-s-stash-books-witchcraft-discovered-Czech-library-hidden-50-years.html
Follow us: on Twitter | DailyMail on FacebookA rare library of books on witches and the occult that was assembled by N**i SS chief Heinrich Himmler in the war has been discovered in the Czech Republic.
Himmler was obsessed with the occult and mysticism, believing the hocus-pocus books held the key to Ayran supremacy in the world.
The books - part of a 13,000-strong collection - were found in a depot of the National Library of Czech Republic near Prague which has not been accessed since the 1950s.
Norwegian Masonic researcher Bjørn Helge Horrisland told the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang that some of the books come from the library of the Norwegian order of Freemasons in Oslo, seized during the N**i occupation of the country.
In 1935 Himmler founded the 'H Sonderkommando' - H standing for Hexe, the German word for witch - to collate as much material as possible on sorcery, the occult and the supernatural.
The bulk of the collection was called the 'Witches Library' and concentrated on witches and their persecution in medieval Germany.
One of Himmler's quack theories was that the Roman Catholic Church tried to destroy the German race through witch hunts.
He also discovered that one of his own ancestors was burned as a witch.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498908/Heinrich-Himmler-s-stash-books-witchcraft-discovered-Czech-library-hidden-50-years.html

A rare library of books on witches and the occult that was assembled by N**i SS chief Heinrich Himmler in the war has been discovered in a depot of the Czech Republic National Library.

14/06/2016

Rabbi Loeb and the Golem of Prague.

Of all the Golem legends, none is as famous as the story cycle of the Golem of Prague. There had been books, plays, and even films depicting it, and often they included the creator of the Golem of Prague, Rabbi Loeb.

Prague was home to many Jewish scholars and mystics; Rabbi Loeb was probably the most famous. He lived a long life, 1513-1609, and defended his people valiantly against their enemies. His followers loved him so much they called him "The Exalted One."
Even to a holy man, or a great mystic, creating life is forbidden. It can only be justified if many lives would be saved by doing so, and not always even then. But Rabbi Loeb was instructed to try the horrifying task. He created his Golem with divine help, using Kabbalistic formulas communicated to him in dreams. Acquiring this God-given knowledge was neither simple nor easy. The formulas were given, but deciphering them had to be done by the person himself. Worse, he had to use the Shem Hameforash -- the true name of God, which was known only to a few holy men in each generation, and was very dangerous to pronounce. The power it unleashed could turn against the man who uttered it.
This myth is unusual in that it is supposed to have happened in a specific year -- 1580. There was a new danger brewing in Prague; a notorious priest, Taddeush, planned to accuse the Jews of a new "ritual murder." Rabbi Loeb heard about it, and to avert the horrible danger, directed a dream question to heaven to help him save his people. He received his answer in an order that is alphabetical in Hebrew:

Ata Bra Golem Devuk Hakhomer VeTigzar Zedim Chevel Torfe Yisroel

The simple meaning was: Make a Golem of clay and you will destroy the entire Jew-baiting company. But this was only part of the message. The inner meaning had to be understood to be effective. Rabbi Loeb extracted the real message by using Zirufim, special Kabbalistic formulas. And when he was done, he knew he could accomplish the creation of a the Golem.
He called two people to assist him. His son-in-law, a Kohen (a Jew descended from the ancient order of priests) and his pupil, a Levite (a Jew descended from the servants of the Temple). He explained that they needed four elements -- fire, water, air and earth. The two assistants represented the fire and water, Rabbi Loeb, air, and the Golem, earth. He explained how they had to purify themselves, because unless they were completely ready, the Shem Hameforash would destroy them.

After a day of purification, they read various chapters from a particularly holy book, Sefer Yezira (The Book of Creation) and then went to the River Moldau. By torchlight, they sculpted a giant body out of river clay. The Golem lay before them, facing the heaven. They placed themselves at his feet, looking at the quiet face.

The Kohen walked seven times around the body, from right to left, reciting special Zirufim. The clay turned bright red, like fire. Then the Levite walked another seven times around the body, from left to right, reciting some more Zirufim. The fire-like redness disappeared, and water flowed through the body. He grew hair and nails. Then Rabbi Loeb walked once around the body, and placed a piece of parchment in his mouth, on which was written Shem Hameforash. He bowed to the East, West, South and North, and all three of them recited together: "And He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." The Golem opened his eyes and looked at his creator. They dressed him and took him to the synagogue, where he could get ready to start his mission.
Eventually, when the Golem was no longer necessary (and some claim he went mad and became a danger to everyone) Rabbi Loeb decided to return him to the void from which he came. He did that by recalling the Shem Hameforash, and with it the life principle, and thus restored the Golem into lifeless clay. The clay figure had to be hidden in the attic of the synagogue, and no one was permitted to enter it again until many years later. Some writers during the nineteenth century claimed that the outlines of a giant body could still be seen there.