Once there was a demon and a water goblin. The demon’s name was Ur and the water goblin’s Pín. They go for a walk to the meadow next to the Hron river every day. There was a nearby forest. People supposed it is cursed. They say there is a giant rock with a silver axe stuck in it. Damned will be the greedy soul that pulls it out. Ur and Pín set out for their daily walk. They chattered about the legend of the silver axe when Ur suddenly proposed: “What if we can find it?” There was one thing, however, they did not know the way. Luckily, they met shepherd Juraj who was grazing his sheep. They asked him if he knew the way to the rock. Shepherd Juraj advised them that once they reach the edge of the forest, they must look for pieces of silver and copper which lead right to it. Ur and Pín followed the silver and copper bits to the giant rock. It was much bigger than they could imagine. They circled it three times, yet the axe was nowhere to be seen, so home they went. The next day they returned the same way. They circled it three times but found nothing. Finally, they decided to climb the rock. It took them the entire day. And lo and behold, the axe was stuck at the very top. Ur and Pín grabbed and pulled with all their strength. For they desired to have such a beautiful silver axe at home. The whole world would envy them. They almost gave up, but the axe stirred a little just at the last second. There was no question of stopping now! Axe in their hands, thunder and lightning in the sky. A terrible storm came around. The clouds fought one another with deafening thunder and dazzling lightning. The rock cracked open with Ur and Pín falling right through it, just as the legend said. When the dust settled, a big mountain called Urpín was left standing with the beautiful town of Banská Bystrica in its dale and glittering riches of copper and silver that slipped to the depths of the earth. Ur and Pín where never seen on their meadow again.
Story from the book What Is Whispered About the Copper City, Primary School Moskovská 2, Banská Bystrica. Author of the story: Rebeka Porter, Primary School SSV, Skuteckého 8, Banská Bystrica.
