K etymologickým pověstem o Kovářově rokli v Broumovských stěnách
On etymological legends about Blacksmith’s Ravine in the Broumov Walls

Summary/Abstract: Etymological legends are an important component of verbal folklore, making it possiblefor us to interpret the names of a variety of geographic objects. In addition tohaving an anonymous author and being passed orally from generation to generation,an etymological legend is characterized by being primarily associated with rural environments.This study addresses etymological legends associated with Kovářova rokle(EN: Blacksmith’s Ravine) situated in Bromouvské stěny (EN: Broumov Walls),a nature reserve in the northeast of Bohemia. It analyses legends created by both theCzech and German population of the area while looking at differences and drawingparallels between them ‒ the most significant difference being the very reason forgiving the ravine the name it bears. According to Czech etymological legends, theravine is presumed to have been named after a blacksmith that had built a forge ina cave there to work in. In contrast, German legends believe the ravine was the hideoutof a robber called Schmied (German for “blacksmith”). Therefore, if the ravine wereto be named after him, it would be Schmied’s Ravine.

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