Rose of Turaida
The Rose of Turaida or Virgin of Treiden (* 1601 in Turaida ; † 1620 ) was an orphan called Mai Rosa , whose grave in the park of Turaida Castle in Turaida ( Latvia ) is a popular destination.
Legend
After a battle at the foot of Castle Treyden or Treiden (Latvian Turaida ) in May 1601, the castle clerk Greif, searching for survivors, found a newborn in the arms of his dead mother. He raised the girl like his own daughter and named her Mai (Latvian Maija ); As she grew up she was nicknamed Rosa or Rose (Latvian Roze ) because of her great beauty . She was deeply in love with the landscape gardener Viktor Heil, who immigrated from Germany, and the two wanted to get married in autumn 1620. Shortly beforehand, a messenger - supposedly on behalf of Viktor - lured Mai Greif to Gutmannshöhle (Gūtmaņa ala), her usual meeting place. She went there accompanied by Leutha, the daughter of her adoptive father. There, the Polish mercenary Adam Jakubovski lay in wait for her with the intention of rape her because she had refused his marriage proposal. Mai offered him her kerchief, which would make the wearer invulnerable if he let her go, and asked him to test the effect of the scarf on her. After a moment's hesitation, Jakubovsky fatally wounded her with his sword. Mai died according to the motto that was embroidered on the scarf - a gift from her fiancé:
»Let the flag of courage wave
when your fate breaks the staff!
Let your life perish,
but not your honor! "
In the evening Viktor found the body of his beloved Mai in the cave. First of all, the suspicion of murder fell on him; However, a witness named Peter Skudritz appeared in court and testified that he had lured Mai to the cave on Jakubovski's order and witnessed the crime. The murderer himself has now hanged himself. Leutha, who was found after a few days of wandering, confirmed this course of events.
After the burial of his fiancée at the castle, Viktor Heil returned to his homeland. According to legend, the linden tree that he planted on Ma's grave is still green; the site is a popular pilgrimage site for newlyweds.
literature
- Magnus von Wolffeldt: Communications from the criminal law and the criminal trial in Livonia, Ehstland and Courland through act-like representation of strange crimes and conducted investigations, with advance dispatch of a treatise on the criminal law constitution. 2 parts in 1 vol. Leipzig u. Dorpat: Weigel u. Model, 1844
- Adelbert Cammerer: The Virgin of Treiden. A historical-romantic painting from the prehistory of Livonia (digitized version / Project Gutenberg)
- Adelbert Cammerer: The Virgin of Treiden. A historical-romantic painting from the prehistoric times of Livonia (Skan of the original edition from 1848 / University of Tartu; PDF; 1.9 MB)
swell
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rose of Turaida |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | May; Maija |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Orphan |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 1601 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Treyden |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1620 |
| Place of death | Treyden |