Today is a National Holiday – Czech Statehood Day and the Feast of Saint Wenceslas (Svatý Václav). Most businesses and stores are closed as well as government offices. Wenceslas is the Patron Saint of Bohemia, the Spiritual Protector of the Czech Lands. He was actually the Duke of Bohemia from 921 to 935, but he was elevated to Sainthood and posthumously declared King by the Catholic Church after his assassination in 935. Only 24, Wenceslas was murdered by his younger brother, aptly named, Boleslaus, the Cruel.

Although he lived only a short life, Wenceslas managed to gain a reputation as a heroic and virtuous leader, and he became revered not only in the Czech Republic but in England. He became symbolic of what a good and kind king can, and should be. If you are old enough, you may remember singing about him at Christmas time…. “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen. Where the snow lay roundabout, deep and crisp and even.”

An ancient legend, (not unlike that of King Arthur), says that in the country’s darkest hour, in order to save it from ruin, this equestrian statue will come to life and King Wenceslas will lead an army of knights who now sleep beneath Blaník, a mountain in Central Bohemia. Upon crossing the Charles Bridge in Prague, the king’s horse “will stumble and trip over a stone, revealing the legendary sword of Bruncvík. With this sword, King Wenceslas will slay all the enemies of the Czechs, bringing peace and prosperity to the land” (Wikipedia)

I don’t know about you, but I love a story like this. It’s a classic. The setting of wrong to right. The power to “fix things.” A power that at some point we all wished that we possessed to fix the things in life that are making us miserable, or a power to restore, if not good, at least some smattering of justice to the world. Ultimately, it’s about hope. All religions and myths exist to give us hope. Hope is what we need when we are having a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.” And when I get tired from fighting my own battles, I would gladly give over to a mythic sized, sword wielding, very good king who rides in on horseback.

What about you dear Readers? Have you ever felt this way?