Of all the bizarre figures decorating the Old Town Astronomical Clock, the skeleton has always received the most attention in folk tales. Perhaps it was the chilling contrast between the golden dial and the dry clattering of its bones, or perhaps because people have long attributed to it a strange power to peek into things to come.

The skeleton was said to be the guardian of dark times. If the clock stops for a long period, it means that difficult trials are coming for the Czech nation. In such a moment, the skeleton is said to give a signal with the first nod of its skull. However, its destructive power can only be broken by a pure soul – a boy born exactly at the New Year’s second, who runs from Týn to the clock before the last stroke of midnight on the day the machine is restarted.

Yet, the skeleton does not always appear in Prague legends as a messenger of doom. For a poor knight imprisoned in a dungeon directly above the clock, it became an unintended instrument of divine grace. The knight, who was waiting only for the executioner’s sword, saw a sparrow trapped in the skeleton’s jaws. He watched as the small bird flew to freedom after an hour of imprisonment, and at that moment, he believed that his fate could also be reversed.

His faith did not fail him – on that very day, the old dispute was settled and he was pardoned. This legend reminds us that even the most terrifying symbols can, at the right time, bring a message of hope and redemption, if we look at them with eyes that are not afraid of the dark.