In Slavic faith oak trees ware considered magical or even sacred. It was believed that Perun, the God of thunder and lightning, had a special affection for oaks – after all mighty, tall oaks were stricken by Perun’s lighting more often than other trees, yet they seemed to be able to survive the strike, often without any noticeable harm. Additionally oaks were not only a source of valuable medications (oak bark is used in traditional medicine to this day) and excellent building material, but also provided acorns – which were food for animals and, in times of hunger, for humans as well.
In June 2016, during a violent summer storm, the oldest of Polish oak trees fell. The oak was called Bolesław - the name of many of Polish kings, meaning “great glory”. Bolesław was 800 years old, which means that he sprouted when England was under the rule of king Henry III and the French king Louis IX was just about to start the Eight Crusade to free the Holy Land from the hands of Muslims.
Although, for obvious reasons, Bolesław the oak never emigrated, he “lived” in many countries – in Poland, in the Holy Roman Empire, in Denmark, the German Empire, Weimar Republic, in the Third German Reich and in the end he “came” back to Poland.
The “body” of the fallen giant can still be seen in Ustronie Morskie, near Kołobrzeg, Poland. It was decided that Bolesław will not be removed from his resting place, but instead will be kept there as a natural monument.
The comic strip was inspired by the story of Bolesław and created to honour the death of the oldest of Polish oaks.