They are considered to be mainly water creatures. He is known to chases bad children around with sticks or chains, hitting them . He ploughed a furrow from the lake to the ocean, and named it Dragonja. The first documented use of the word vampire is for a person by the name of Arnold Paola (probably: Arnaut Paul?) From green sprites at the bottom of the river, to serpentine dragons and men who cannot die so they kill old people. Nowadays, the collective memory of these beliefs is preserved in the ancient texts and oral traditions. The doors to these caves are in fact small holes through which only a fairy can enter transformed into a snake. Although he is seemingly friendly and prone to joking with an occasional traveler, arent all of us today a little like aimless riders on Orkos back? Add to Favorites Croatian lavender doll, traditional folk souvenir, purple girl woman, handmade hanging ornament hand made in Croatia straw hat sachet puppet . Orko can only be reined with a lamb wool thread or a rosary, and the man who succeeds in it becomes fairy-like himself. Every year they would have a battle which would always end in Veleses death. Get 1-2 emails a month with the latest articles on Slavic culture, mythology and history. After that night, a young woman came to his door and asked to borrow a kilo of salt. As he died, Zvonimir cursed his people, saying that never again would they have a king of their own blood. Here Is How You Say It. Not only has this major discovery put Bale on the world map of paleontological sites, but the site near Bale is the only one of its kind in the Mediterranean. The most impressive set of these hills is called Mordele, and it consists of three hills called the Grand Mordele, the SmallSt. Angel and the Grand St. Angel. In other words, maybe ideological promises are not the best of foundations for building ones own identity and life, even if they pretend to be post-ideological (invisible hand of the market). Another legend that stands halfway between reality and myth is the story of Mila Gojsali. One day, the Byzantine emperor and the Pope sent a letter asking for the good Croatian kings help. Reported sightings. The Croatian people is a South Slavic ethnic group with a long history, whose roots can be dated back to the 7th Century. Mining, one of the first major industrial branches in Istria, started to fundamentally change the economy, as well as the entire life in Istria. His archnemesis was a Slavic god of the underworld called Veles. Now, why golden apples (you might ask)? After a while, he heard someone calling back and this voice was getting closer and closer. According to Poganik, and other supporters of this idea, the people who settled in Mordele and Picugi during the Bronze Age wereresponsible for the construction of other megaliths in Europe. A short guide through traditional fairy beliefs. Boys watched very carefully not to thread on such grass, not to cross the fairies. On top of neighboring SmallSt. Angel hill is a series of very heavy stone blocks lined up in the shape of a horseshoe. trigas are harmless until the age of 24, when that they become malicious towards people. The stories about moras occur in Croatia all along the coast, from Istria to Konavle and in the Dalmatian hinterland, and it is often mentioned that people are the most certain that mora truly exists. Eventually, the last bit of food that remained in urevac was a skinny little rooster. He found them healthy and happy, but also scared as they saw God. Legends, myths and stories are full of amazing creatures that were once a reality forthe ancient people. Those who managed to see her say they were unable to resist her. Werewolf: Wolf-human shapeshifter (Global Culture) Dragon: Depicted as fire-breathing and winged (Global Culture) Chimera: Hybrid Fire-breathing creature (Greek Mythology) Loch Ness Monster: Aquatic monster (Scottish Folklore) Mermaid: Human-fish Hybrid (Global Culture) Yeti: Ape-like being/entity (Nepalese . Out of all fantastic creatures known by our people, fairies have always been their favorites. Apart from being stuck in a long-time feud with Perun, Veles is also a Slavic god of earth, livestock, waters, and the underworld, often depicted as a dragon (or a serpent). Another folk tale makes no mention of the horrid demons, but does say that fairies come from children. Once upon a time, giants and mythical creatures shared the land with men. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. As is common in folklore, there is no standard set of characteristics, or names, and spirits or magical creatures are referred to by many names, often identifying their function or the place or environment of their activity. Hi! On the contrary, more than ever wewant to hear stories about them, draw their shapes and let our imagination run wild This maybe be so because, in a way, they are symbols of ourselves, symbols of our consciousness and subconsciousness. He is, in fact, the last king to rule his native land before a period of anarchy, and eventually a union with Hungary. He worked hard ploughing in his fields, and lived simply. Were Glenn and Katja! ins.dataset.fullWidthResponsive = 'true'; One day he hid in bushes near the place where the fairy used to bathe. Braided manes were a sign that the horse spent the night with fairies and no one dared unbraid them. Were from South Africa, and have a keen interest in history, mythology and culture. People quickly called for the priest and started unearthing the grave. It wasnt Villas who taught him magic, but instead, he attended a school of black magic in ancient Babylon (even cooler) [2]. There are also fairy caves, the people used to say, in which no one can enter but fairies. With an uncommonly large wolf population within the Romanian forests, Pricolici are a very dominant part of rural folklore. It is believed that a malik steals and hides cattle, just to return it in a few days, but cows can no longer give milk. Interested in more myth content? Sometimes it happened they seduced boys and had children with them, while there are also mentions of them stealing pretty children to teach them healing skills, deep in the woods. They are described as ordinary women or men with a special, either hereditary or acquired sinister powers. The two Slavic siblings, Baba Roga and Baba Yaga, although different, have their share of similarities. Perhaps most strikingly though, these fairies have animal legs hiding beneath their white dresses. From that day, he could not heal people anymore and eight days later he was killed by fairies. But the very concept of a vampire comes from the Balkans and Eastern Europe, where the myths about vampires were common and from where they were spread to Western Europe during the 18th century. Whether an unfortunate traveler runs into him or steps on his trail, Orko would hurl them into the air and throw them miles away from their destination. Another story tells of a young man falling in love with a fairy and wanting to marry her. ( Dieter Holstein / Adobe Stock) The Legendary Kraken . Croatian and Slavic history is filled with mythological figures. According to the tales of old folk, a werewolf is very similar to a triga. If someone discovers a person who is a triga and calls out its name, the triga loses its power or never acquires it. These are mostly steep cliffs, high mountains, inapproachable pits and large caves. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It is believed that the formation of the vampire legend is associated with Slavic animistic cults. There was a story once about fairies dwelling in a cave full of dripstones. Well, in Slavic mythology, golden apples were known as the ultimate force of destruction (think of it as a nuclear bomb, and youll get the picture). They would often find people who were walking by the graveyard dead and bloody. Unlike them, trigas are born in a red or black placenta. On many occasions they gave such weapons to heroes, with whom they would often become blood sisters. It is believed they cast spell on small children who then get sick and die, they break up young couples, make people barren, cause a stroke or make someone drown. Moras are malicious spirits, who in traditional succubus fashion suck the life out of their victims and torture them with desire. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Prints of these monumental animals were found in 1934 in Brijuni, and later on the peninsula Marlera near Medulin as well as on a small island Fenoliga and a small bay in Premantura. Meet the Slavs is your most comprehensive online resource about Slavic people, their cuisine, culture, history, mythology, and more. He is one of the few gods that almost all Slavic people revered, feared, and worshiped. He gave her the wings and the fairy, regaining her freedom, flew away in an instance and disappeared. While youre there, be sure to visit Pazin Castle, one of our favourite castles in Croatia. After some exorcism prayers, Stipan Milai (one of the villagers), took a saw and sawed the head off the corpse. Nera would not give up on her love, and vowed to give up her immortality and divinity to be with Antonio. Before entering the pond to take a bath, she laid her wings down near him. It seems the giants work ethics, one of their key qualities, was an inspiration to story writer Vladimir Nazor, who was the first one to bring them back to public memory. Encouraged by such a discovery some peopleeven todayon Picugi arrange small pieces of stones in a spiral form according to the Fibonacci sequence a matrix that is woven into the whole natural world. Baba Yaga can ride through the airin an iron kettle or in a . If youd like us to research and write about a particular place, get in touch! Can you even imagine, a tradition so strong it didnt even need to be written down to be spread across a whole country? In such cases, people believed that fairies left their hoof trails in rocks and trod the surrounded grass during their fairy dances. In such condition, as people say, they cannot move or breathe until the morning and some die under moras pressure. Slavic, Istrian and Croatian mythology is full of mystical creatures, both evil and good. King Zvonimir was a real Croatian king, ruling in the early 11th century. It therefore seems that original Slavic beliefs were somewhat changed in the period of great migrations and settling of new areas. But, there are also a couple of stories in which they are evil and tend to kidnap people and keep them captive (for entertainment purposes, I suppose).if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'meettheslavs_com-box-4','ezslot_9',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-box-4-0'); Krsnik, in my opinion, is one of the most interesting creatures from Slavic mythology. According to the folk belief, malik is an ambivalent creature. Divovi would often help people with their housework in return for some food and shelter. The village priest, Giorgio, who had buried Jure sixteen years previously discovered that at night somebody would knock on the doors around the village, and on whichever door he knocked, someone from that house would die within the next few days. She has long unbridled blond hair that hangs freely down her forehead and back all the way to the ground. The next day he again met the same man, who told him: Stand on my foot and look over your left shoulder. Monsters such as vampires and strigoi have long been staples of horror movies, video games, and romantic novels targeted at teens. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'meettheslavs_com-leader-1','ezslot_0',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-leader-1-0'); Veles is associated with the willow tree. Feasibility Study for Croatian Traditional Arts and Crafts These two dogs will start to fight and he should throw a rock on the black one. They fly among the clouds, and can transform into clouds themselves, as well as birds and flowers. Welcome to our blog! This list may not reflect recent changes . This is a quick animation test of an old 3D model I stumbled across in my Dropbox files. Most often depicted as a giant with one eye, the cyclops (which means 'circle-eyed') first appeared in ancient Greek mythology. And for 900 years, the curse stood. In these places a man can be recharged with good energy, food spoils more slowly, and some are deepening their inner senses so they can see and communicate with the spirits. Once a man enters, he has to go further and deeper, wondering the cave until he dies in the darkness from sorrow and misery. Only then a young krsnik gets his final powers. To save the life of her true love, Nera slipped back into the water and returned to her family, never seeing him again. It is a well known fact that fairies fall in love very easily. Children who have been naughty for the year receive more than just a lump of coal for the holiday season from Krampus. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],'meettheslavs_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_8',117,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-medrectangle-3-0'); So, buckle up, and let me tell you about some of the most well-known legends from Croatian mythology. It is believed that, just like with trigas, people who lead wicked lives or dead men jumped over by a chicken or a cat would become werewolves. They take milk from cows and steal hearts from oxen, making them unfit for work and useless. If someone would by any chance notice fairys unusual legs and look astonished, the fairy would immediately punish them with one of her vicious spells. Transformed into a fly, mora enters through keyholes, holes in doors and windows, and moras entrance to a room is usually marked by something breaking or falling down. In early morning when it rains these grasses have certain formations that give birth to fairies. He can leave his human body, and travel the world as an animal spirit (it was never specifically said which animal, but nevertheless, so cool). There was a story in west Istria about a fairy falling in love with a man from Funtana and them deciding to officially marry. Studies of these hills have been made during Austro-Hungarian Empire when they discovered the remains of a fort from the Iron Age. Meet the Slavs covers topics related to the Slavic culture, history, mythology and more. The old beliefs from Croatia say that every fairy is a fine woman, always young, white-faced, and dressed in white. The roots of Croatian folklore can be traced back to pre-Christian times when various tribes and cultures inhabited the region, each with unique traditions and beliefs. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. A fairys voice was an example of unconceivable beauty and it was believed that the one who hears a fairy sing will hear no other voice ever again. Here is a brief segment about some of the most famous ones. These Croatian myths and legends are a terrific opportunity to understand the culture and traditions that make this Balkan country unique. The legend tells that, for 16 years after his death, Jure would arise from his grave by night and terrorise the village. They are male, and considered to be brothers to Lamyas. Croatian folklore is very much tied in with the Slavic tradition. A traveler wondering in would never get out. Those who saw a fairy, say this happened at night in woods, a clearing in a forest, a glade, or by a lake, stream, or river. In southern Istria (Croatia), there lived a giant as big as a mountain, Ban Dragonja. Over time, Christian influences merged with pagan elements, resulting in a rich and complex folklore that reflects the country's diverse cultural heritage. Let me know, and Ill be more than happy to add it. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". At the site of the megaliths allegedly sacrifices were offered and priests conducted magicand prophesied the future. The Motovun Forest, the River Mirna and Motovun seem to have a special place in the legends of giants, since most legends refer to this area. Triglav roughly translates to someone who has 3 heads. Todays science is nothing but an attempt at classifying random events into known and legitimized models. People believe that mora is an unwedded young woman who becomes a witch once she gets married. Antonio would often bathe in the sea. When the villager did that, the man asked: What can you hear? The villager replied he heard bells ringing in the other village. They can forge weapons capable of cutting through iron and the hardest rock. Zmey The Lamya's mortal enemy, the Zmey is a dragon which in Bulgarian myths is mostly considered to be a creature that helps people, rather than being a menace to them. Did we miss one of your favorite Croatian myths or legends? Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These creatures have reportedly been sighted in Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her problem is the lack of a wish to change her social role. This is the motif of an object cast into a river or the sea, which will one day resurface and bring luck to people. They say that her power and her life lie in her hair. ins.className = 'adsbygoogle ezasloaded'; She sacrificed her chastity, and when he fell asleep, she slipped out. It was then claimed that the Christian youths had become too debauched hanging out with the fairies. At one moment he could serve as an excellent excuse for husbands who would stay in the town or the tavern for too long, and in the next he would become a guardian of the village line, making each night trip outside the village dangerous. They also believed that a person who was very wicked during life returns from the dead as a triga. var cid = '6354310426'; 2. Since the furrow was running from the river, water gushed through it and began to flood the Pazin valley. The young man jumped out of the bushes and seized her fairy wings. These myths have been passed on through generations and millennia through stories. People told that in this cave there was a garden full of various types of flowers and plants, so beautiful and magnificent like it was the Garden of Eden. In many myths, theyre very ashamed of their animal legs, the result of a curse for being too proud of their beauty. Slavs formed a new type of a fairy that lost a part of its former features and acquired some new ones. According to historical records, Jure Grando (1579 1656), a villager from Kringe, a small town in Istria, was the first European vampire. In order to prevent dead people rising from their graves, when suspecting someone could turn into a werewolf, the people would cut their tendons behind the knee, or hammer nails into their heels. Such a method of killing a werewolf was usually done by priests at dawn or in daylight, when it is believed werewolves return to their graves to sleep. King Zvonimir agreed, and gathered his population. It happened, according to folk stories, at the moment a black cat jumped over the body of a girl just as she was about to be buried. A wise old woman approached the commander, and suggested he launch the rooster from a cannon at their enemy. And, if you look at the course of history, you could say that the curse did its job. There was also a small house, built of crystals, the floor was laid with pearls and violets, and the table in the house was always full of the best dishes in golden bowls. On that very moment, these concealed children became invisible. People in Croatia also used to believe it is very hard to see a fairy at all, because they are invisible, and can be seen only by those with a pure heart and without a sin. Youve got Pegasus, from Greek legends, youve got Unicorns, and so on. Just like in China, where many dinosaur bones from the Gobi Desert contributed to the shaping of folk tales of huge beasts with long tails, claws and sharp teeth through which they spit fire, similar legends about dragons who devoured humans were occurring in Istria. Krsnik, too, have the ability to turn into a fly, and seek out their enemies in that form. Read about Hungarian Mythology andPortuguese Mythology. Nevertheless, according to a number of indicators, over the centuries they acquired many features from the Ancient Greek mythology, in which they are similar to nymphs and sirens. The Croatian word for a giant is Div. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. They revolted, and violently attacked their king. Because of his demise, the power of Croatian royalty diminished exponentially to a point where Croatia was never again an independent kingdom with its own native ruler. In the old tales he had already been known not only as helper, but also the one who knows where the buried treasure lies (a very frequent motif in the legends of Istria). In its simplest form, Shtorka can be explained as an evil creature, with no determined form. To their great surprise, the girl was sitting in the grave combing her hair, all covered in blood. Then they tried to kill her with a knife, but she kept laughing. In one tradition, this is the ghost of the woods, while in the other it is a subterranean creature that possesses the secrets of the blacksmith and mining trades. The girl stole through the camp, and took a torch to the camps gunpowder stores. Had the rooster not stopped them, the Arena would also have had a roof, the legend says. The next day she returned and told her husband to bring their child to the top of the hill so she could breastfeed it. It bites and beats people, makes children ill, and messes with childrens diapers to make them cry. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Often benevolent and kind-hearted, giants can also be cruel, stealing humans they come across and keeping them captive. The world turned towards some other values and customs, in which there was no longer room for fairies. The Legend And Curse Of King Zvonimir It does both good and evil. When Father Giorgio eventually came face to face with the vampire, he held out a cross in front of him and yelled Behold Jesus Christ, you vampire! At the moment they stop with everyday jobs, which usually happens late in the evening or at midnight, they turn into a frog, cat, dog, pig, ox, butterfly, or some other animal. Perhaps the most widespread belief is that fairies steal the best, mostly white, horses from stables and ride them all through the night. She is especially ashamed of those and always tries to hide them from people. After that moment, a krsnik becomes true fighter against trigas and evil, sworn to help people. Krsnik fights vampires, vukodlak or wurdulak (essentially a werewolf of Croatian folklore), and other evil spirits that roam the night. When the krsnik come of age (this age varies), they go through an initiation ceremony with older krsnik, and gain their full powers. The young man, wanting everyone to see him dancing with a fairy, went to get his wife, but she was all sad and refused to dance. But as soon as a human entered the cave, everything turned to plain stone. And so one day, when they asked him to help irrigate their lands by ploughing rivers into the ground, he agreed. Croatian Folklore Stories and Legends The Curse of King Zvonimir This Croatian myth, based on the legend about the assassination of King Zvonimir, is extremely interesting. Some researches suggest that his name translates to father of all gods. On the other hand, some suggest that strig (from Stribog) translates to uncle. Snow White is old enough to become a woman, but is reluctant to leaving her girlhood (it is this liminal situation that makes her so beautiful). The latter was brought to Istria during miners migrations, by miners coming to work to Istria and by Istrian miners working in mines across Europe. Nevertheless, God left them with their beauty and wisdom, so they kept living in woods, giving birth to their offspring. So, its something like uncle god? Most myths have mora sitting on their victims, strangling them to death. This is supported by a frequent motif in legends of the giants, and Istria is not alone here. This is pretty obvious in the fairy tale of Snow White. Top 10 Greatest Mythological Creatures and Legendary Creatures of Myth and Folklore. The triga would soon die and the village would be free of this plague. The origin of his name Krsnik can be found in the word krst, meaning a cross. According to researchers of Slavic deities, Triglavs 3 heads were a representation of the sky, earth, and the underworld. They are born in a red or black placenta and with a small tail. These are also characteristics of the post-colonial writings that are an attempt at creating identity, but also a threat to colonizers that the time of the giants could return. They healed them from deadly wounds, gave them fertility, gold and wisdom, and in general protected them from evil water fairies. var slotId = 'div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-box-3-0'; Their name, vila, is associated with clouds and in some myths they bring storms to destroy crops. They used to say that krsniks also, just like trigas, could leave their bodies while sleeping, in the form of a fly, and this way go to distant lands to fight trigas and werewolves. There is no more room for fairies in such a conscious narrative order, they have to hide from view. ins.style.display = 'block'; At that point, the people of Peroj decided to make a horse walk across the graveyard to see what happens. On Picugi were excavated more than 500 graves from the period from the 11th to the 1st century BC, and even to this day it is uncertain to which nation these graves belonged. The vampire according to the folk belief, the vampire is a dead man who rises from his grave at night to suck peoples blood, and has magical and supernatural powers. If youve liked this article and would like to read more about Slavic mythological creatures, be sure to check out this one about a Slavic woodland fairy. var lo = new MutationObserver(window.ezaslEvent); Out of shame, they escaped to thick woods, where they are still hiding today, ashamed of showing their legs when dancing with other girls. Both Vedi and Giants are humongous creatures with bodies covered with hair. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We fall to different empty ideological promises about this or that system of living being the best if we want a happy life, while relying the least on our own strengths and a firm step forward. They like giving gold to girls and handsome boys. In the folk beliefs in Croatia (Dalmatia and Istria), people often mention trigas, or witches. Along with towns and churches, the thing that differs giants from fairies the most is their responsibility towards the landscape. The Croatian people recognised her sacrifice, and gathered the last of their forces to beat back the remaining Ottomans. She managed to hide under their protection until the step mother performed her duty and tricked her into adult world, destroying her symbolic girls body. Throughout history, these places have evoked worship and admiration in Istrian people, and their imagination has created many legends about these places. On this branch, a small fairy washes in sun and drinks dew. It is believed that maliks are to be thanked for good catch in fishing and that they bring treasure to those who manage to steal their red caps. One who would see a fairy, without uttering the word fairy, could speak to her. Such a sentence, found in an old Istrias tale, unmistakably indicates the plausibility of the above thesis. In nature there are animals and organisms that feed by sucking fluids of other animals, one of which is blood, sothe term vampirism or blood suckingis used in zoology for animals such as leeches, mosquitoes and some bat species. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); Dog-haired man is among rare mythical creatures that can be related to real historical events. Because of that, they placed a nail or some other sharp object in the mouths of such persons, to prevent them from ever returning to life, to do evil and bite people.