erinthul

Caged by Fire, Freed by Ash

Added 2025-05-11 18:30:30 +0000 UTC

They locked the witch Mairen in an iron cage, suspended above the castle courtyard for all to see. She hung there for three nights—silent, unmoving, her dark eyes fixed on the tower where ravens once nested.
Below, the stake was built. Oil-soaked logs, bound tight. No trial, no plea. The people wanted fire, not justice.
On the fourth morning, they lowered her. She stepped from the cage barefoot, calm. They tied her to the stake, lit the torch.
As the flames climbed, she laughed—not in madness, but in knowing. The wind shifted. Fire flared green. The cage above groaned and snapped, crashing to the stones.
When the smoke cleared, she was gone.
Only ash remained—and silence.

Recently I went to visit this castle. It wasn't that far away from my home but for some reason I rarely traveled in that direction. It is located in a town called Liw and was built in the early XV century on marshes of the nearby river.

Funny story with this castle is that during WWII Germans wated to demolish the ruins completely and take the bricks to build a concentration camp in Treblinka. Hearing that, a young local archeologist convinced them that the castle was in fact built not by Polish kings but by Teutonic Order and not only did they not destroy the castle, but they partially rebuilt it. Unfortunately at the end of the war Germans learned the truth and killed a 28 year old Otto Warpechowski.

Hope you liked this little story. I am so glad to live in a country with so many beautiful castles so I would love to tell you more about them.

Love, Erinthul.