The majestic Zborov Castle rises in the middle of a deep forest. It was once home to the brave knight Rastislav, whose great dream was to hunt the mythical beasts of legend, such as the golden stag or the thorny boar. Yet one day, as he galloped through the forest, young Rastislav came across a creature whose beauty eclipsed all the creatures of fairy tales.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gorgeous girl coming out of a nearby cottage. The woodland fairy in particular enchanted him with her beautiful fiery hair. Rastislav dismounted his horse to speak to the maiden. The maiden liked Rastislav very much, but she knew well what was said in the village about born lords who would seduce a young maiden and then leave her to the vinegar. She decided not to tell the knight her name until he had first gained her trust. He asked her to at least put some memento in place of her name to remind him of her. The girl finally gave him a cut lock of her vermilion hair, tied with a ribbon. They agreed to meet every day at sunset at the edge of the clearing.
From that day on, the knight went riding into the forest every day, trying to win the trust of his beloved. Rastislav's mother noticed that her son's behaviour had changed strangely. Therefore, she sent some scouts after the mysterious man. When she finally learned that her only son was confessing his love to a peasant woman, she became very upset. She immediately ordered Rastislav to be imprisoned in the castle until he came to his senses.
With great sadness in his heart, Rastislav watched the setting sun, holding a lock of his sweetheart's hair in his hand. As the sun set, the lock of hair in his hand lit up like a bright candle. The guards, thought the knight had lit a fire somewhere. So they quickly opened the door. Rastislav took advantage of this, and in an instant slipped past them and ran straight to the gate.
His mother saw him from the castle tower. She immediately started shouting after him to come back immediately. But Rastislav remained deaf to her threats. By then his mother's blood was boiling. With bitterness in her heart, she began to curse her offspring with the most bitter words.
No one knows exactly what happened after that, but some say that Rastislav petrified on the spot after the Baroness's curse was lifted. From that moment on, maidens from all over the area began to bring the petrified knight their curls tied with a ribbon, in memory of the innocent love of the knight Rastislav of Zborov Castle and a poor maiden.
Source : Time of Hradov compiled by Ivan Cižik
Photo: Zborov Castle
