Popielids

Popielids ( _pl. Popielidzi) was a legendarypl icon cite journal | author = Aleksander Brückner | year = 1897 | month = | title = O Piaście | journal = Rozprawy Wydziału Historyczno-Filozoficznego Akademii Umiejętności w Krakowie | volume = XXXV | issue = | pages = 307–352 | id = | url = ] ruling dynasty of either the Polans, Goplans or both tribes. They were to rule the lands of Poland prior to the start of the Piast dynasty.

The only document mentioning the dynasty, as well as the last of its members, is the mediæval chronicle of Gallus Anonymusen icon la icon cite book | author =Gallus Anonymus | coauthors =Knoll, Schoer, Bisson, Schaen | title =The Chronicles and Deeds of the Dukes Or Princes of the Poles | year = | editor = | pages =17-22 | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =Central European University Press | location = | id =ISBN 978-963-9241-40-4| url =http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN9639241407&id=Xr0nW9ChZl0C&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=Popiel&sig=HOUfkIwdp8RihjXotTvHkS5b04I | format = | accessdate = ] . According to it, Popiel was ousted by certain Piast the Wheelwright, who in turn gave the power to his son, Siemowit. According to a popular legend, Popiel was then eaten by mice in his tower on the Gopło lakeen icon cite book | author =Jan Bondeson | coauthors = | title =Two-Headed Boy, and Other Medical Marvels | year = | editor = | pages =91-92 | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =Cornell University Press | location = | id =ISBN 978-0-8014-8958-7 | url =http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN080148958X&id=qHQNw69S-9cC&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=Popiel&sig=gOrIDDSUiDS2Po9RP7g3qWuDwIQ | format = | accessdate = ] .

Because of lack of tangible archaeological proofs of the dynasty's existenceen icon cite book | author =Jerzy Lukowski | coauthors =Hubert Zawadzki | title =A Concise History of Poland | year =2001 | editor = | pages = | chapter = | chapterurl = | publisher =Cambridge University Press | location =Cambridge | id =ISBN 978-0-521-55917-1| url =http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&vid=ISBN0521559170&id=NpMxTvBuWHYC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Popiel&sig=7ic7Dbn8NqGZzMZsGzJERBZ6ISY | format = | accessdate = ] , little is known of it. Some scientists speculate, basing mostly on the linguistic analysis of personal names, that the Piasts (whose name in Slavic means "the one to care for" or "the one to educate") were initially Popielid mayors of the house responsible for education of the princes, in a similar relation as the Carolingians and Merovingianspl icon cite journal | author = Tadeusz Wojciechowski | year = 1895 | month = | title = O Piaście i piaście | journal = Rozprawy Wydziału Historyczno-Filozoficznego Akademii Umiejętności w Krakowie | volume = XXXII | issue = | pages = 171–221 | id = | url = ] . Some also speculate that the legend of carnivorous mice ("myszy" in modern Polish) might contain a grain of truth as the word bears semblance to the name of the first historical ruler of the Piasts, Mieszko (whose name in fact signified "bear" in old Polish language).

Notes

References

# cite journal | author = Czesław Deptuła | year = 1973 | month = November-December | title = Średniowieczne mity genezy Polski | journal = Znak | volume = XXV | issue = 233-234 | pages = 1365–1403 | id = | url =
# cite web | author=Jan Popiel, Sławomir Popiel | title=Popiel | publisher= | year=1998 | work=King Popiel | url=http://kingpopiel.tripod.com/english/frames1.htm | accessdate=