Ancient Slovenes believed, that in the beginning reigned a golden age, when bread grew on trees and the wheat ears were half a fathom long. In this happy beginning people were good. Yet advancing time brought with it corruption and evil, so the gods decided to make an end of the world.
It started to rain heavily and the water rose high covering the earth. All the people drowned, except four. Folklore is silent concerning how three of those survivors managed to survive, but how the fourth was saved a tale is told.
He was stood on a high hill, and upon it was a vine which reached even further into the sky. As the rain poured and the water rose even to the peak of his high hill, the man grasped the vine and began to climb.
Kurent, a god, highly revered by the ancient Slavs, saw him and was most pleased, that the man sought help through one of the plants which was sacred unto Kurent. Thus he took pity and saved the poor fellow.
As the water began to recede and the earth became drier, the rescued man promised Kurent that he and his descendants would always value the two plants, sacred to him, these being the vine and the buckwheat, and that they would be forever pleased to eat their produce.
The rescued man took in one hand the vine, in the other the buckwheat stalk and went on his way in a bid to find a place to settle.
On the banks of the Adriatic Sea he stopped. From the vine that he carried, he cut a switch and planted it into the ground. And to this day they have very good wine in Prosek.
He also sowed the buckwheat. His sons spread throughout Kranjska and to this day Kranjci for the greater part live on buckwheat and value wine, and with gratitutude remember Kurent, their old benefactor.
Adapted from: www.thezaurus.com
