Juraj Janosik, the Slovak Robin Hood, has inspired Slovak artists during centuries

"Every Slovak knows who is Janosik", writes Hana Hloskova in the book about Slovak myths. However, there is a question: why even that person became a Slovak national hero? Juraj (George) Janosik lived in 1688 – 1713 and he was a robber. Together with a group of friends plundered, robbed, and burned the houses of rich people. According to legend he never harmed the poor in any way; on the contrary, he gave them money and gifts. Maybe that is the reason of his popularity. Hence, the story circulated that Janosik robbed the rich to feed the poor, and the comparison with Robin Hood. Folk tales present Janosik as a hero who had superpower. Creators of the first Slovak movie were inspired by Janosik in 1921. Many other tales, films, songs and books about Janosik have appeared in Slovak art and in Polish art too.