Page 52 - Discover Winter 2021

Carols CONTINUED

chilling and more than a bit gory. His name was committing these details to rhyme, not to
Vaclav, and he was the Duke of Bohemia in the mention keeping it lighthearted.
10th century. His father had died while he was
Boleslaus’ continued campaign of bloody
very young, and he was raised by his mother
cruelty led Bohemians to wax nostalgic for
and paternal grandmother.
his brother’s reign, and so they declared him a

Vaclav’s mother was pagan, while his saint, and he was later promoted to “king” by
grandmother was a Christian, and this was Otto the Great.
a source of great conflict in the household.
So how did we arrive at the kinder,
His mother disposed of her mother-in-law by
gentler version of song that became “Good
having her assassinated, by strangling her with
King Wenceslas”? Some 500 years later,
a veil. For his part, when he came of age, Vaclav
someone in Finland wrote a lovely song about
dispatched his mother by exiling her. He then
the coming of spring. It was a lively tune with
embarked upon his
lilting lyrics, but did not
legendary mission of
get noticed much outside
delivering charity to the
of Finland, likely due at
poor.
least in part to the fact that
He would steal it was written in Finnish.
barefooted about his
Another 300 years
domain at night, giving
would pass before the
alms to the poor and
tune was combined with
those in prison. This
the legend about the
earned him a reputation
Bohemian saint, after
for being a patron saint
they were discovered by an
of the wretched. There
Englishman. In 1853, John
is no mention of the
Mason Neale published
reasons for the oddities
the resultant tune.
of his behavior. Perhaps he feared that his
altruism would not be viewed with favor by his “Good King Wenceslas” is one carol
sole remaining relative, a brother, one Boleslaus that doesn’t actually mention Christmas. In
the Cruel. Whatever his motive, a group the lyrics we learn that he went out on “the
led by Boleslaus assassinated Vaclav in 935, Feast of Stephen”, otherwise known as “Boxing
ambushing him on his way to Mass and killing Day”. Another one is “Jingle Bells”, which
him at the church door. has become synonymous with Christmas, yet
was actually written in America to celebrate
And what of his storied “good page”,
Thanksgiving.
who we are told followed our barefoot Duke
through the snow? He took revenge on one Jingle Bells has its own interesting back

of the assassins, and was in turn pursued story. Originally titled “One Horse Open
and killed. I can easily see why it would Sleigh”, it was written by James Lord Pierpont
be somewhat less than comfortable to be in 1857, and first performed by blackface singer

50 Discover Smith Mountain Lake WINTER 2020