Corgoň

Corgoň is a statue situated in Nitra, Slovakia. It was created by Vavrinec Dunajský in 1820. The sculpture is a notorious symbol of Nitra.

According to the local legend, the real person called Corgoň was a metalworker in Nitra. He was a mighty man of a stocky build, his arms were muscled in particular. Whenever he hit the anvil with a hammer, the whole upper town would quake. He influenced the history of his town when the Ottoman Turks besieged the Nitra Castle. The attackers were just about to climb the castle line when Corgoň appeared straight from the forge. He started rolling down huge stones, which brought chaos among the Muslims. However, what scared them off more than the stones was the gigantic build and coal-black smoke-filmed face of Corgoň. Seeing him, they set off for an immediate run. He was believed to be seen extracting those huge stones from a slope assisted by evil spirits. That was how the upper town managed to face up the first Muslim attack successfully. The statue of Corgoň would embody the invincible power of this local metalworker forever. There is a simile applied to someone who shows great power in the area surrounding Nitra which says to be as mighty as Corgoň. The hero of the legend of Corgoň is the statue of Atlant. According to a certain Greek legend, Atlant was the son of Titan Jaspetos and gods punished him for his wrong doings in a form of columns that he had to hold upright forever as to keep the sky from falling. Later on Atlant was depicted carrying a globe on his shoulders.

The artistic concept of the Atlant in Nitra lies in a symbolic holding up the entire floor, which might have its origin in a myth about Corgoň whose bravery kept the Upper town safe from the Islamic raids.

References

• http://www.bbb.sk/en/castle.htm
• http://www.slovakiaphotos.com/product_info.php?products_id=4319&osCsid=b41322e9fcd4a53d9587d660883bdf02