History /
Origins of Polish Slavs [138]
Ok, in shortern way: you shouldn't ask anyone from where did Slavs came and where they originated. There are only theories and no one truly knows, how they emerged.
In general what we know is that Slavic people are divided on three groups: Western Slavs (Czechs, Poles, Slovaks, Sorbs), Eastern Slavs (Belorussians, Russians, Rusyns, Ukrainians) and Southern Slavs (Bosniaks, Bulgarians, Croats, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Serbs, Slovenes). Of course, there were more Slavs in the past, but they distinct before they created nations. In the past, in times when we can consider the legend, there was no nations, but tribes, so even speaking about the origins of "Polish Slavs" is not truly logical, when you talk about Lech, Czech and Rus. During Mieszko's I reign, when he created Poland, he have done this by conquering and uniting other Western Slavic tribes. He led the tribe of [Western] Polans (there were also Eastern Polans located in present-day Ukraine) and conquered e.g. Mazovians, Vistulans and Lendians. So there was no Polish Slavs, but the tribes that united with each other and created the nation (it took more time). Just let's think about... let's say... Volhynians - they lived on the area of present borderline between Poland, Ukraine and Belarus (probably). So are they Polish Slavs? Or maybe Ukrainian or Belorussian?
What I can understand in this legend is not one person, but whole group of people. Lech would be a personification of lechitic tribes that settled on modern Polish lands. Czech would be a personification of Czechs, Moravians and Slovaks, while Rus would be a general people settled on the area later known as Kievan Rus'.
Southern Slavs are not mentioned there, as we know from where they came to the Balkans. Formerly, they were living among Western and Eastern Slavs, for example Serbs on the borderline of present-day Poland and Germany, and Croats near Poland, Ukraine and maybe Slovakia. They were not indigenous inhabitants of Balkans and were not related to ancient Celts or Greeks who were living there. However, from where Slavs came in general? No one knows. Some say that Slavs are related to Scythians, other that Slavs are related somehow to Germanics, Sarmathians, Goths etc. Everything is just speculation.
Ancient Romans were literated people, however as we know they were not present in the territory of modern Poland. It was still Germania for them with Scythia and Sarmatia further on east. Local people were not that literated to leave any information about their past, so I think we will never know how we came here.
