The phenomenon of the Dunajec River Gorge formation in the Pieniny Mts. in the narrative folklore, literature and the 19th century scientific views

The Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mts. is a landscape phenomenon on a European scale. For ages it has aroused people's curiosity and imagination. Highlanders have created a lot of legends and stories around it, especially about the miracles wrought by Saint Kinga (Cunegunda) of Poland. In the 19th century it became a place of artistic inspirations. The mystery of its origin intrigued scientists and researchers who created various theories on this topic. The Polish poet and geographer Wincenty Pol formulated a theory about the runoff of lacustrine water from the Orava-Podhale Depression and the formation of gorges draining its rivers. The most popular was a literary motif of the Polish king Bolesław Chrobry, who cut the sword out of rock in the Pieniny Mts. and lowered the water of legendary lake around the Tatra Mts. The researchers suggest similar motifs in the legends of chivalry of the West, especially associated with the most famous French chivalric epic: The Song of Roland. The convergences between the archetypes identified in the mythologies of Indo-European peoples: ancient Greece, Kashmir and Nepal, and also ancient Chinese and American Indians (in Colombia in South America) are particularly interesting. This article is a synthesis and comparative analysis of the contents in narrative folklore, literary motifs and the 19th century scientific views. It is based on relevant literature, archival materials and makes a critical review of them.