Šárka (legendary figure)
Šárka ( Czech ) or Sarka or Scharka is a Czech legendary figure.
The name is known through the Maiden War , a legendary war between women and men for the rule of Bohemia . The amazon Šárka lets herself be tied to a tree and thus lures the young noble enemy Ctirad into a trap. She lets himself be freed from him and offers him mead with a sleeping potion as a thank you . When he and his men fell asleep from it, they are attacked by the Amazons. Ctirad survives and leaves Šárka buried alive after Přemysl's final victory .
Cosmas of Prague had already used the material in his chronicle, but the name Šárka did not appear until Dalimil in the 14th century. Václav Hájek z Libočan and Alois Jirásek continued to develop the story.
Bedřich Smetana dealt with the subject in his symphonic poem Šárka from 1875 and included it as the third part of his cycle Mein Vaterland .