Gabriel Travel
Gabriel Travel
The Story of Horymír and Šemík
During the rule of Prince Křesomysl, a farmer named Horymír lived in Neumětely with his intelligent white horse, Šemík. The prince encouraged people to abandon farming in favor of mining, believing treasures were hidden underground. Horymír warned this would lead to famine, but miners retaliated by burning his property. In response, Horymír and his men set the miners’ village on fire.
Horymír was sentenced to death. As a final wish, he asked to ride Šemík once more around the castle. During the ride, Šemík leapt over the castle ramparts, slid down the cliff, and crossed the Vltava River, carrying Horymír to safety.
The leap exhausted Šemík. Before dying, he asked Horymír to build him a tomb. Though the tomb is now lost, legend says Šemík sleeps within the Vyšehrad rock, ready to return if needed.
© Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Michal Kmínek, CC BY-SA 3.0
