Lech, Czech, and Rus
Lech, Czech, and Rus (IPA: [lɛx tʃɛx rus]) refers to a founding myth of three Slavic peoples: the Poles (or Lechites), the Czechs, and the Rus' people (the modern Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians). The three legendary brothers appear together in the Wielkopolska Chronicle, compiled in the early 14th century. The legend states that the brothers, on a hunting trip, followed different prey and thus travelled (and settled) in different directions; Lech in the north, Czech in the west, and Rus in the East. There are multiple versions of the legend, including several regional variants in Poland and the Czech Republic that mention only one or two of the brothers.
Names
The myth may also be transliterated as Lekh, Chekh, and Rus.
Other variations of Lech's name (pronounced [ˈlɛx]) include the modern Polish variation "Leszek", and Latin versions "Lechus", "Lachus" and "Lestus".
Czech, also known as Praotec Čech ("Forefather Čech", pronounced [ˈpra.otɛts ˈtʃɛx]) also comes under the Latin version "Bohemus", for the name is based on a pre-Slavic Celtic designation (Celtic tribe Boii; Boiohaemum was used in Latin for Czech lands).
Podcasts:
