"Boruta the Devil and his devious ways" Leczyca Favorite Tip by evaanna

Favorite thing: Boruta, the devil of Leczyca, originates in pre-Christian demons and takes his name from the Polish word 'bor' meaning forest as he was considered to be the keeper of the forest and its wildlife as well as the patron of hunters. In ancient times, the town was surrounded by marshes and waterlogged meadows and the misty air seemed to be full of supernatural creatures. Boruta was the best known of them. According to popular belief, this most cunning of Polish devils can take various shapes: that of a nobleman pacing with a sword at his side in the castle courtyard, or of an owl guarding the treasures hidden in the castle dungeons, or of a black creature with a tail and a pitchfork hanging around the Romanesque Collegiate Church at Tum. As an enormous horned fish he lures people to their death in the waters of the Bzura River, as a black horse gallops in the fields around Leczyca, pilfers honey from beehives, mills corn in a deserted mill to give the flour away to the poor.
Boruta resides in the castle of Leczyca. Legend has it that he was once a 14th century young man of noble descent who helped King Kazimierz the Great when his carriage got stuck in the nearby marshes. In return he was presented with the castle. There are many versions of the story how he later turned devil.
Apparently, towards the end of the 14th century a Mazovian prince hid his treasure in the castle dungeons, where Boruta has been guarding it for over 700 years now.
Whoever he was or is, Boruta the devil stays alive in the local folk lore and has even become the main character of a few well-known books and plays in Polish literature.