The Headless Templar: A Tale from Prague
Next to the Powder Tower, on Prague's largest crossroads, stands a grand building once known as the Prague Municipal House. According to legend, it is home to one of the city's most beloved and ancient headless apparitions—a city known for its many such spirits. Each has its tale: the headless monk of Pohorelec, the headless nun of Kampa, and the cavalcade of the 14 headless riders of Charles Square all share single legends. The Templar knight, however, has many stories attributed to him, one of which dates back 600 years.
At that time, he was the Grand Master of the Bohemian branch of the illustrious Order of the Templars. But envious and greedy secular and ecclesiastical powers, seeking to usurp the order's vast wealth, began persecuting Templars with false accusations and bringing them before unjust tribunals. The entire order was eventually extinguished in dungeons and on gallows. The Templars of the Kingdom of Bohemia met the same fate, and the last to die was their Prague Grand Master, beheaded by the executioner's sword.
Even as his head was severed, the Bohemian knight, unblemished and fearless, refused to bow to human malice. Before kneeling at the execution block, he solemnly vowed that, after death, he would eternally serve as a witness, accuser, and visible reproach of human injustice and iniquity.
The spirit spends its days in the mezzanine of House No. 6 on Temple Street, built on the grounds of the old Templar headquarters. The knight’s presence does not disturb the house's residents, but his horse, which once occupied the stables now converted into a two-room apartment, is another matter. Occasionally, an unpleasant stable odor pervades the apartment. Despite the landlord repeatedly lowering the rent, many tenants have come and gone.
Around 11 PM each night, the headless Templar descends to the ground floor, saddles his horse, and roams the streets, spreading fear. For six centuries, he has ridden the same route behind Tyn Church. Dressed in magnificent steel armor, a white Templar cloak adorned with a red cross drapes from his shoulders. At his side hangs a Damascus steel sword. His horse, adorned with silver buckles and harnesses, matches his grandeur. The knight’s figure ends at the steel collar of his hauberk, for his helmet—containing his severed head—is held in his left hand, pressed to his armored chest.
The Templar has a fondness for drink, a habit forgiven by the kind-hearted people of Prague. After centuries of wandering the city streets, the knight began to feel as parched as he had during his rides in the Holy Land's deserts. Unable to bear it any longer, he sought an oasis to quench his thirst.
One night, he stopped in front of a tavern, left his horse in a side street, and entered. The patrons were stunned into silence. The knight, acting with complete nonchalance, grabbed a mug of beer from a nearby table and began to drink. He took his head out of his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Without a word, he brought the mug to his lips, and the head began gulping down the beer, draining the entire jug and licking its lips. The patrons fled the tavern in terror.
Left alone, the Templar began drinking all the leftover beer on the tables, but the only result was puddles of beer pooling beneath his feet. This happened many times, and only the tavern’s excellent beer kept it from losing customers. The tavern keeper had a daughter named Juliana, who was tasked with cleaning up the Templar’s beer puddles. Sensitive and brave, Juliana approached the knight one evening and said:
"Sir Knight, you cannot drink this way. You must properly place your head on your neck so the beer does not spill onto the floor."
The knight obeyed, placing his head where it belonged, and drank again. For the first time in centuries, he was able to drink properly. Tears welled in his eyes as he gazed gratefully at the young woman. Finally free from his unquenchable thirst, he removed a heavy gold ring from his finger and gave it to Juliana as a reward.
Juliana had not broken a curse but had freed the knight from his torment of thirst. With the ring’s sale, the tavern keeper and his daughter built a new house and transformed their tavern into a lucrative business. In gratitude, they placed a sign with a golden ring on their new establishment.
