Popielids (Polish: Popielidzi) was a legendary[1] ruling dynasty of either the Polans, Goplans or both tribes. They were to rule the lands of Poland prior to the start of the Piast dynasty.
The only document mentioning the dynasty, as well as the last of its members, is the mediæval chronicle of Gallus Anonymus[2]. According to it, Popiel was ousted by certain Piast the Wheelwright, who in turn gave the power to his son, Siemowit. According to a popular legend, Popiel was then eaten by mice in his tower on the Gopło lake[3].
Because of lack of tangible archaeological proofs of the dynasty's existence[4], little is known of it. Some scientists speculate, basing mostly on the linguistic analysis of personal names, that the Piasts (whose name in Slavic means the one to care for or the one to educate) were initially Popielid mayors of the house responsible for education of the princes, in a similar relation as the Carolingians and Merovingians[5]. Some also speculate that the legend of carnivorous mice (myszy in modern Polish) might contain a grain of truth as the word bears semblance to the name of the first historical ruler of the Piasts, Mieszko (whose name meant bear in old Polish, but see the name section of the article on Mieszko I for controversy on the subject).