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Dunajov (Slovakia)

Čadca okres, Žilina region

submitted by Rob Raeside, 14 July 1999

Dunajov municipality flag
Dunajov Coat of Arms

See also:

Dunajov municipality flag

Image after Heraldický Register Slovenskej Republiky - I (2000) - Dunajov, okres Čadca, adopted 10 Jun 1998
Jarig Bakker, 19 Jun 2003

Dunajov Coat of Arms

from Heraldický Register Slovenskej Republiky - I (2000).

The Coat of Arms of the municipality of Dunajov, in Cadca district, Slovakia, has exactly the same maiden as on the Isen (Bavaria, Germay) Coat of Arms, named "Meluzína", and on this site I found this story:

"The Myth of Melusina
Emmerick, the Count of Poitou, was a wealthy and generous nobleman with two children, Bertram and Blanifert. One day as Emmerick was coming back from a hunting trip he met another count, the Count de la Foret, who through some misfortune, had lost all of his money. Out of kindness, Emmerick allowed Count de la Foret to live on his land; he also adopted his eldest son, Raymond, as a way to ease Foret's financial burden. Raymond and Emmerick became good friends and went on many hunting trips together. However, on one tragic trip, Emmerick was attacked by a wild boar, and Raymond in an effort to save him, took out his sword and killed the wild boar, yet in the process accidentally killed Emmerick as well. Raymond became extremely distraught by this event. He rode aimlessly for days on his horse, not knowing where he was going, and not knowing how to explain the accident to Emmerick's family. In the height despair, Raymond came upon a fountain in the middle of the forest: Le Fontaine de Soif ("the Fountain of Thirst"). Sitting by the fountain were three women dressed in white. Raymond had never seen a sight as beautiful as the three women. One of the women, acknowledged Raymond, and introduced herself as "Melusina." She offered Raymond some water and asked him why he looked so sad. Melusina not only comforted Raymond but also gave him advice on how to explain Emmerick's death to Bertram and Blanifert. While listening to Melusina's kind words, Raymond became enchanted by her beauty and wisdom. He fell in love with Melusina and asked for her hand in marriage. Melusina said she would marry Raymond on one condition: He was not allowed to see her on Saturdays, under any circumstances. Raymond agreed to her terms, and head back home with both good news about the marriage and bad news about Emmerick's death.

Raymond and Melusina married and shortly thereafter. Melusina, with her own hands, built a majestic castle and named it Lusinia. They had numerous children, yet every one of them was strangely deformed in some manner. Urian, their first child, had pendulous ears, with one red eye and one green eye; Gedes had a scarlet-colored face; Gyot had one eye above the other; Anthony had only one eye. Geoffrey, one of the younger sons, had boar's tusks instead of teeth; he was known as Geoffrey "Le Grand Dente" ("the Great Tooth"), or Geoffrey "the Horrible" due to his violent disposition.

Raymond and Melusina lived peacefully for a number of years. However, one Saturday night, during dinner, Raymond's father, Count de la Foret, and his brothers teased him about his wife's secretive behavior until he was unable to suppress his curiosity any longer. Raymond went upstairs to her chamber to find her, and there he heard the bath running. He quietly opened the door to the bath just enough to see an unbelievable sight: Melusina, from the waist up, was her beautiful self; yet, from the waist down, her body had been transformed into a giant serpent's tale. Raymond, although disturbed by the sight, did not mention what he saw for sometime. One day Melusina and Raymond were informed that their sons Geoffrey and Fromont had fought and that Fromont, in order to seek refuge, had escaped to a nearby monastery. However, Geoffrey, in a fit of rage, had burned down the monastery, killing not only his brother, but a hundred monks as well. Raymond was angered by the news and blamed Melusina for Geoffrey's uncontrollable behavior. When Melusina attempted to comfort him, he pushed her away and said, "Away odious serpent, contaminator of an honorable race!" Immediately after the words were uttered, Raymond regretted what he had said and asked for forgiveness. It was too late. Melusina reminded him that he had broken the vow, and said she must leave forever. Then she transformed herself into her serpentine form and flew away.

According to French legends, Melusina would fly around Lusinia and other castles where kings and noblemen lived, crying and wailing when something tragic was about to occur to the family. She became an omen of death.
<the image reminds of "Rumpelstilchen">
Jarig Bakker, 21 Dec 2003

La Fee Melusine (Mermaid Melusine) is very famous in our Poitou region, and she is the Fée protectrice du Poitou.
According to our legends (Pierre Bershure - Jehan d'Arras - Coudrette), Melusine is a daughter of the King of Alba (Scotland) and a mermaid. She came in Poitou and created a powerful dynasty, which would have her name: Lusignan (was Lusinem anagram Melusine). Always in the legendary text, the sons of her dynasty will have on them the Melusin's colours. All Lusignan and branches have "burele d'argent et d'azur" which represent Melusine dragon part: "...du nombril en aval femme serpente burelee d'argent et d'azur". The authors always links the arms to the physics representations of Melusine when she is in dragon. So are the banners. But the Poitou's armies (and the sons of Melusine's armies) have different flags. They are discribed in the legends but they are also visible in the pictures of the legends.
In the arms, Melusine is suggested (the burele).
In the flags, Melusine is represented (white dragon on a bleu flag).
Each time Melusine is at War (or troubles), she is represented as a dragon.
Each time a son of Melusine is represented, it is with the burele.
This was in the legends.
In medieval times, the Lusignans was one of the strongest poitevins dynasties, with the Thouars.
Their arms were (as we have already seen during the Marche's flag discussion) burelé d'argent et d'azur.
The banners were the same. But the flags (flammes) were white and blue (horizontaly divised).
The Lusignan used lots of differents badges regarding their possessions and their actions.
Lusignan city use now arms with ecartele of the different arms of the Lusignan branches.
Nowadays, according to the popular legend, every castle, every church is build by Mermaid Melusine, Fée protectrice et Fée bâtisseuse of Poitou region. Lots of villages have in the center an isolated stone, which is known as the "pierre de la Mere Lusine". This stone came from Melusine's dorn (apron in dialect), falled when she was building a church and the sun was coming back. In these legends, she is the heer of regional past traditionals celtics legends, of the protectives banshees.
One of the beautifulest Melusine's medieval castle not destroyed, is the Couldray-Salbart castle.
Thierry Gilabert - Parthenay Melusine city, 21 Dec 2003