Case file · Folklore / legend
Lech and the white eagle of Gniezno
The Greater Poland Chronicle (late 13th century) tells that the founder Lech saw a white eagle nesting against a red sunset, settled there and named the place Gniezno, from 'nest'.
1295 CE · 52.54, 17.59 · status: legend
The account
The legend of three brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus, founders of the Poles, Czechs and Rus', explains both the first capital and the white eagle on a red field in the Polish arms, which appears on seals from the 13th century on.
The sceptical view
A learned origin myth; the name Gniezno and the eagle emblem predate the written story.