In Kashubia, centuries ago, there lived giants called Stolëms.
Before humans completely took over Kashubia, the Stolëms were the rulers of this land. They resembled humans in shape, but they were several times taller. They also possessed immense strength, uprooting trees as if they were blades of grass and hurling massive boulders like tiny pebbles.
One day, as the Stolëms lay by the lakeshore, they talked about various things until their conversation turned to humans.
– There are more and more of them – said the elder.
– They cut down forests and create fields – added the younger.
– They fish from the lakes and take nuts from the woods.
– They build new villages and expand the old ones.
– Oh! This does not bode well for us!
– Not at all!
They decided that humans needed to be destroyed, but before gathering their strength, they agreed to take a short nap.
A fisherman overheard their entire conversation. Quietly, he climbed a pine tree and threw a pinecone at the elder Stolëm’s nose.
– Hey! No silly jokes, got it?
– What? I didn’t do anything! – the younger protested.
– Try that again, and you’ll see…!
When they fell asleep again, the fisherman threw another pinecone at the younger Stolëm’s nose, but he quickly calmed down. After a moment, the fisherman threw one at the elder again, then at the younger, and kept throwing until a fierce fight broke out between them.
This was no ordinary battle. The elder refused to be beaten by some youngster, while the younger was tired of always yielding to the elder and decided it was time to prove his strength. Both began uprooting trees and using them as clubs. They dug up chunks of rock from the Kashubian sands and hurled them at each other in anger. They rarely hit their target, so the stones flew past them, scattering all over the region. To this day, these boulders can be found throughout Kashubia—by roads, along lakeshores, and among fields.
Eventually, the giants exhausted their strength. They collapsed beside each other, and the elder spoke:
– Admit it, why were you throwing pinecones at me?
– I swear, brother, it wasn’t me – groaned the younger.
– I didn’t throw them at you either – the elder panted – That means someone else did.
– It must have been a human! – they exclaimed together.
But they were too weak to do anything about it. Before they fell into an eternal sleep, the elder added:
– It seems that little creature is much wiser than us. If all humans are like that, then sooner or later, this land will belong to them.
After these events, the other Stolëms coexisted peacefully with humans for a long time. However, the old giant’s words eventually came true. Today, only the stones remain as a testament to their existence, and they will likely remain much longer—perhaps even longer than humans…
And the last Stolëm was turned into a giant sculpture, standing proudly near the center named in their honor, „U Stolëma.”