The Mermaid
Once upon a time there was a young fisherman called Wars who lived in a little hut near the River
Vistula.
Every day he took his fishing boat and rowed towards the middle of the river to catch some fish.
One day he saw a beautiful girl bathing near one of the islands in the river. He immediately fell in
love with her.
From that day on the fisherman and the beautiful girl, whose name was Zawa, met every day. It
was quite obvious that the girl also loved the young man. When Wars suggested that they should
marry, Zawa started crying and told him that she was a mermaid and being one she could never
marry a mortal, but she promised to bring him a present when they would meet again.
The next day, when Wars rowed towards their meeting point in the river, there was Zawa waiting
for him. She was holding a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. She told Wars that they
would never meet again, but shield and sword would be her present for him.Whenever he used
them in a battle he could not be defeated. Moreover she foretold him that he would become a great
hero and the founder of a wonderful city. Before Wars could bid the beloved girl farewell, the
mermaid disappeared.
Wars was very sad, he could never forget his first love. Everything the mermaid had told him
became true. Wars became a famous hero and in return for his services he was given land at the
banks of the River Vistula where he founded a prosperous city. In memory of their great love he
called it WARSZAWA.
The above is a copy of a primary school lesson plan posted at http://www.cernet.at/PGE/pgedown5.html by the Central European Regional Network for Education Transfer. as part of primary school a lesson plan . The information may include copyrighted material, and is to be used for educational and research purposes only.