Post by theshee on Oct 19, 2011 21:43:16 GMT 10
Parak, the Spring Man was an urban legend originating from the Czechoslovakian city of Prague during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in the midst of World War II. In the decades following the war, Parak has also been portrayed as a Czech superhero.
According to historians Callum McDonald and Jan Kaplan in their book Prague in the Shadow of the Swastika: a History of the German Occupation 1939-1945 (London, 1995), "the Springer" was said to leap out from shadowy alleys and startle passers-by. Oral tradition suggests that some of Parak's leaps were of an extraordinary magnitude, including the act of jumping over train carriages, similar to England's Spring Heeled Jack.
A contemporary and perhaps associated rumour concerned a "Razor Blade Man" who was said to slash at victims with razors attached to his fingers.
Researcher Mike Dash quotes George Zenaty, a noted authority on the policing of Prague during the war years, that:
... in 1940-1942 none of our police precincts in Prague informed us in their daily reports of the existence of a Spring Man. This does not mean that such rumours might not have circulated; however, it would have been impossible to include [them] in the reports without tangible proof.
Several researchers have noted similarities between the conflated rumours of Parak/Razor Blade Man and so-called "phantom attackers" such as Spring Heeled Jack and the Mad Gasser of Mattoon as well as more benign mystery figures such as Mothman.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9r%C3%A1k,_the_Spring_Man_of_Prague
Spring-heeled Czech WWII superhero reanimated for Prague fest
A highlight of the 4+4 Days in Motion performing arts festival will be a new show on the mythical Czech Spring Man who resisted the Nazis. The 16th 4+4 Days in Motion festival, which starts in Prague on Saturday, will blend theater, dance, and urban activism via often quirky events at a range of arts venues and public spaces (including a soccer stadium). But the single most hotly anticipated item on the program is a new show dedicated to Parak, or the Spring Man of Prague, a Czech superhero of urban legend said to have resisted the Nazi occupiers during World War II.
The name Parak comes from the Czech word aparo, meaning in this context spring, and arose from rumored sightings in the Prague area of a shadowy character with springs attached to his feet capable of leaping great heights and distances.
Whats interesting, though, is that it caught on most in Bohemia during the Protectorate, says Havelka of the figure he calls the only Czech superhero, who apart from springs was supposed to possess a strange mask and shining red eyes.
Early versions of the Parak legend portrayed him as a diabolical figure, even a rapist. Spotted most frequently at locations like the Olany cemetery and Vyehrad, he was a kind of bogeyman whose name was used to scare naughty children. But gradually his reputation turned positive when he became associated with the resistance against the Germans, says Havelka, 31, who is considered a rising star of Czech theater.
He used his power to jump in order to confuse the Germans. He could leap over trains or the Vltava River, and when the Germans tried to shoot him they killed one another. It was a case of Czech improvisation defeating German discipline, and it helped the Czechs, says the shows writer and director. In general, his supernatural powers grow according to how much the nation is suffering and is in need of a hero.
www.ceskapozice.cz/en/czech-living/arts-leisure/spring-heeled-czech-wwii-%E2%80%98superhero%E2%80%99-reanimated-prague-fest
According to historians Callum McDonald and Jan Kaplan in their book Prague in the Shadow of the Swastika: a History of the German Occupation 1939-1945 (London, 1995), "the Springer" was said to leap out from shadowy alleys and startle passers-by. Oral tradition suggests that some of Parak's leaps were of an extraordinary magnitude, including the act of jumping over train carriages, similar to England's Spring Heeled Jack.
A contemporary and perhaps associated rumour concerned a "Razor Blade Man" who was said to slash at victims with razors attached to his fingers.
Researcher Mike Dash quotes George Zenaty, a noted authority on the policing of Prague during the war years, that:
... in 1940-1942 none of our police precincts in Prague informed us in their daily reports of the existence of a Spring Man. This does not mean that such rumours might not have circulated; however, it would have been impossible to include [them] in the reports without tangible proof.
Several researchers have noted similarities between the conflated rumours of Parak/Razor Blade Man and so-called "phantom attackers" such as Spring Heeled Jack and the Mad Gasser of Mattoon as well as more benign mystery figures such as Mothman.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9r%C3%A1k,_the_Spring_Man_of_Prague
Spring-heeled Czech WWII superhero reanimated for Prague fest
A highlight of the 4+4 Days in Motion performing arts festival will be a new show on the mythical Czech Spring Man who resisted the Nazis. The 16th 4+4 Days in Motion festival, which starts in Prague on Saturday, will blend theater, dance, and urban activism via often quirky events at a range of arts venues and public spaces (including a soccer stadium). But the single most hotly anticipated item on the program is a new show dedicated to Parak, or the Spring Man of Prague, a Czech superhero of urban legend said to have resisted the Nazi occupiers during World War II.
The name Parak comes from the Czech word aparo, meaning in this context spring, and arose from rumored sightings in the Prague area of a shadowy character with springs attached to his feet capable of leaping great heights and distances.
Whats interesting, though, is that it caught on most in Bohemia during the Protectorate, says Havelka of the figure he calls the only Czech superhero, who apart from springs was supposed to possess a strange mask and shining red eyes.
Early versions of the Parak legend portrayed him as a diabolical figure, even a rapist. Spotted most frequently at locations like the Olany cemetery and Vyehrad, he was a kind of bogeyman whose name was used to scare naughty children. But gradually his reputation turned positive when he became associated with the resistance against the Germans, says Havelka, 31, who is considered a rising star of Czech theater.
He used his power to jump in order to confuse the Germans. He could leap over trains or the Vltava River, and when the Germans tried to shoot him they killed one another. It was a case of Czech improvisation defeating German discipline, and it helped the Czechs, says the shows writer and director. In general, his supernatural powers grow according to how much the nation is suffering and is in need of a hero.
www.ceskapozice.cz/en/czech-living/arts-leisure/spring-heeled-czech-wwii-%E2%80%98superhero%E2%80%99-reanimated-prague-fest