King Matjaž

Maybe we will never know for sure who is a historical person of king Matjaž - the Slovenian greatest national hero, a just and brave king. What the legends do tell us is he sleeps under the mountain of Peca with his men, waiting for his beard to grow. This good and rightful leader will live forever and come save his people in the time of greatest need. What a brilliant symbol of eternal hope. For Google Arts & Culture, the story is interpreted by folk tale enthusiast and researcher Dušica Kunaver. Illustration by Meta Wraber. Source: Slovenian Folktales/12 slovenskih ljudskih pripovedi, Dušica Kunaver in Brigita Lipovšek, Ljubljana, 2012; original source: Koroške pripovedke, Vinko Möderndorfer, Ljubljana, 1972.