Krsnik fights vampires, vukodlak or wurdulak (essentially a werewolf of Croatian folklore), and other evil spirits that roam the night. Interested in more myth content? People believed that evil fairies could create a storm, wind or hail, and some spoke of seeing them jumping on waves after horrible ship wrecks. It's the olm, a blind, cave-dwelling salamander, also called the proteus and the "human fish", for. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". However, the most common belief is that krsnik fights trigas taking an animal form. These two dogs will start to fight and he should throw a rock on the black one. In the caves of Slovenia and Croatia lives an animal that's a cross between Peter Pan and Gollum. They felt ashamed for having so many children, so they said six to trick God, and brought six of them before Him. 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. He was also a god of war, and as such, was armed with some pretty powerful weapons.if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'meettheslavs_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_5',115,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); His armament included firestone arrows (special arrows, kind of like thunderbolts) and golden apples. It is nearly impossible to list all the things fairies are capable of. 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. And join more than 6 thousand other people. Triglav roughly translates to someone who has 3 heads. The Slavic version of fairies called Ville, taught him all about medicine and magic. 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. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. 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. But her family would not have it, and her father said he would turn them both to stone before he allowed her to leave. Myths about giants are commonplace in many different mythologies around the world. 3. There are also a number of myths around Croatia about how fairies come to be, since theyre all young women. Both Vedi and Giants are humongous creatures with bodies covered with hair. It does both good and evil. In its simplest form, Shtorka can be explained as an evil creature, with no determined form. The legend tells that, for 16 years after his death, Jure would arise from his grave by night and terrorise the village. Father Giorgio said: Look, trigon, there is Jesus Christ who saved us from hell and died for us. 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. Apart from stealing horses, fairies were also known by their night dancing and singing. 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 . from the village of Medvee near Kruevac in Serbia in 1725 in the report of the local doctor from Vienna at a time when Serbia is ruled by Austria (1717 1739). 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. As he died, Zvonimir cursed his people, saying that never again would they have a king of their own blood. Either way, both of them are parts of a wider European tradition. They usually live in mountains or deep inside forests. According to Scandinavian mythology, the Kraken is a giant mythical sea creature , said to be 1 mile (1.61 km) long, that attacks ships and is so huge that its body could be mistaken for an island. In the Istrian version: And he chucked a cep mushroom into the river, saying that once the cep reemerges, everything will be fine.. There are so many of them (in almost every folklore from around the world). He beats children with birch branches or kidnaps them in his sack and takes them to his lair. He worked hard ploughing in his fields, and lived simply. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Good, air fairies, always loved to help people. 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. 80 to 140 million years ago, or in the Cretaceous period, dinosaurs were present in the region of Istria. Weve put together a list of Croatian folk creatures, along with some of the most popular and widespread Croatian legends. God asked them how many children they had, and they had twelve. The most widespread belief is that moras are daughters of witches, whose female children inherit their sinister characteristics. The following 14 pages are in this category, out of 14 total. He of course promised it without thinking twice. The Croatian word for a giant is Div. 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. Clearly, Antonio was meant for more than the mortal coil. The Croatian people recognised her sacrifice, and gathered the last of their forces to beat back the remaining Ottomans. Cyclops. lo.observe(document.getElementById(slotId + '-asloaded'), { attributes: true }); Crowned in Solin in 1076, as a ruler, Zvonimir focused on the economic and cultural development of the Croatian state. Thank You in Polish? container.appendChild(ins); And so one day, when they asked him to help irrigate their lands by ploughing rivers into the ground, he agreed. The hardworking giant was very offended, and abandoned his work. And who were these krsniks? Sheep farmer Andre tells that while he was herding sheep he got sick and could not walk anymore, so he sat under a tree and started calling for help. Also known as the Big Grey Man, this 10 . He did that and never saw the fairy or the child again. Once a man enters, he has to go further and deeper, wondering the cave until he dies in the darkness from sorrow and misery. However, before the wedding, the fairy asked her fianc to swear he would never call her a fairy! Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. He ploughed a furrow from the lake to the ocean, and named it Dragonja. Clearly the Croatian people had a thing with flies. Werewolfs arrival is always accompanied by strong wind on which he floats, which makes him difficult to catch. They fight among themselves with torches, talk about who they hurt and plot where to find their next victims. King Zvonimir agreed, and gathered his population. A werewolf is usually a wicked man come back to life, or someone whos body was jumped over by a cat or chicken (just bad luck). According to their habitat, people spoke of cloud fairies (Oblakinje), water fairies (Vodarkinje, dwelling in lakes, rivers, and wells), field fairies (Poljske), while the most common types were living in woods and hills (Zemne, Planinkinje or Podgorkinje). Eventually, the last bit of food that remained in urevac was a skinny little rooster. If you had been alert enough and took his hat off or caught him, he would be giving you gold coins every day. Most of the things that we know about ancient Slavic gods came from oral tradition because early Christians were meticulous in destroying all traces of the old Slavic gods and goddesses. This myth was and still is a topic of discussion among Croatian people, politicians, and scholars. Where they live and how they are classified. Such descriptive terms include: [citation needed] Tutelary deity Bannik (banya, sauna) Bolotnik (swamp) Dvorovoi (yard, land) Almost all cultures and civilizations have some sort of myth about the undead, blood sucking creatures or vampires. Myths about bloodthirsty creatures like vampires existed even in ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Peru, India and China, according to the myths and deities who had vampire characteristics. The Plitvice Lakes National Park is probably the most famous national park in Croatia. To start telling about events inescapably means to miss out on some details that do not belong to a general order of linear storytelling. trigas are harmless until the age of 24, when that they become malicious towards people. They like giving gold to girls and handsome boys. I cover the travel and myth/legend posts. A rooster much like the one that saved the people of urevac. Jure also appeared to his terrified widow in her bedroom, who described the corpse as looking as though he was smiling and gasping for breath, and would then sexually assault her. Perhaps most strikingly though, these fairies have animal legs hiding beneath their white dresses. It flies between the legs of weary travellers at night, picking him up and whisking him off in the wrong direction, dropping him off in strange lands. There is no more room for fairies in such a conscious narrative order, they have to hide from view. I studied some ancient mythology in uni, and I love learning about other places and cultures. Croatian myths and folktales have a rich Slavic mythology, but there are also a wealth of Croatian myths and folk tales told in the many Croatian languages that belong to this eastern Europe republic. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Striga can transform into a number of animals, including frogs and cats. The young man jumped out of the bushes and seized her fairy wings. They have been an object of desire, beauty and luck. Antonio was a beautiful man so beautiful that every woman around him would fall in love with him, but he paid them no mind. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Unfortunately, during the Christianization of the Slavic tribes, most of the statues and temples dedicated to the Old gods were destroyed. They are male, and considered to be brothers to Lamyas. The people believed that krsniks had the power to heal people and domestic animals cursed by trigas and other demons. Because of that, when old peasants would see a fly coming out of someones mouth while sleeping, they would place a rock over their mouth so the soul could not return to the trigas body. According to folklore, peace finally returned to the region after Jures decapitation. This Croatian myth, based on the legend about the assassination of King Zvonimir, is extremely interesting. Interestingly, wolves were very much associated with demonic forces, and Croats often referred to the devil as wolf. We cant imagine a better way to learn about it than through traveling so thats what were doing. They revolted, and violently attacked their king. He died in 1089 under mysterious circumstances that still plague the minds of historians. 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. It's the sort of stuff that needs flickering light from a dying fire and a howling wind whistling outside, occasional draughts . They are born in a red or black placenta and with a small tail. Striga are magical women who are either old and ugly or extremely beautiful. Their Slavic word vila also tells us they live in clouds. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. It was then claimed that the Christian youths had become too debauched hanging out with the fairies. Their name, vila, is associated with clouds and in some myths they bring storms to destroy crops. It wasnt Villas who taught him magic, but instead, he attended a school of black magic in ancient Babylon (even cooler) [2]. All the gold, shining in the sun, would immediately turn to a hard rock. It seems they have simply disappeared, vanished into thin air, or moved to some other areas. Here is a brief segment about some of the most famous ones. 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 cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Slavic mythology, and in turn Croatian as well, had its share of gods and goddesses. var container = document.getElementById(slotId); Out of all fantastic creatures known by our people, fairies have always been their favorites. A guardian of the fountains of the water of life, she lives with two or three sisters (all known as Baba Yaga) in a forest hut that spins continually on birds' legs. The model itself was made several years ago for a proof-of-concept mobile AR app about Croatian intangible cultural heritage dating mostly from Pre-Christian times. Veles would resurrect, and the ultimate battle would continue. On this branch, a small fairy washes in sun and drinks dew. It is said that our folk would give up on a belief in any creature, but never fairies. Yet, it seems that the main reason why fairies are gone is the fact that people have changed themselves. 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). trigas lead normal lives by day, just like any other people. Her body is thin as a fir-tree, light as a bird, and she sometimes has golden wings. But the most common is transforming into a fly and leaving their bodies through their mouths. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'meettheslavs_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_6',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-meettheslavs_com-medrectangle-4-0'); So, when we are talking about Vedi and Giants, we are talking about Slavic, and in particular Croatian versions of these myths. 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. They also awarded heroes with the best of horses, they built towns and ships people had never sailed in before. Another folk tale makes no mention of the horrid demons, but does say that fairies come from children. The girl stole through the camp, and took a torch to the camps gunpowder stores. 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. Another story refers to a dragon which was imprisoned in a steep cliff somewhere near Rovinjsko Selo, and even to these days some say that two dragons guard the entrances to the underworld below Pian. So the werewolf doesnt actually have to turn into a wolf, but rather be demonic. Stop tormenting us!. Then they tried to kill her with a knife, but she kept laughing. 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. 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. container.style.width = '100%'; The helpless fairy agreed and after a while gave birth to a child. In some tales, these creatures represented hill, forest or field demons, or souls of non-baptized, aborted, killed children, sometimes even small devils. God therefore decided to deform the fairies balance and beauty, turning their feet into hoofs. Once upon a time, they received a peasant who they taught how to heal, handing him the fairy book. The tale goes that it is most dangerous to fly on an orko just before the dawn, because once the rooster crows orko disappears and the unfortunate rider plummets down to the ground and gets killed. Those who managed to see her say they were unable to resist her. 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. 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. Let me know, and Ill be more than happy to add it. Several days later, a great wind came, killing women who were doing laundry at sea. Another legend that stands halfway between reality and myth is the story of Mila Gojsali. Millions of tourists flock to visit this magnificent landscape that is consisted of 16 crystal shades of blue and emerald lakes which are connected by many rivers, streams, caves, and waterfalls and are surrounded by luscious green woodland. Cyrillic Script: What Is It & Who Uses It? From that day, he could not heal people anymore and eight days later he was killed by fairies. While most stories and myths share the same structure and characters, some are unique to Croats. She was so beautiful that he put off his attack, spending the night with her instead. 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. If one passes the test, does not utter a word, repeat specific phrases or keep to moral commandments, the fairies are willing to grant them an immense power they possess. King Zvonimir was a real Croatian king, ruling in the early 11th century. Drekavac (Drekavac or Screamer) is demon from Southern Slavic folklore, created from dead, unbaptized toddlers. Some were spread worldwide, and some remain unknown. Orko will get between peoples legs and transport them to some foreign land (like a desert or a swamp), and he would just leave them there. Most often depicted as a giant with one eye, the cyclops (which means 'circle-eyed') first appeared in ancient Greek mythology. It bites and beats people, makes children ill, and messes with childrens diapers to make them cry. The village has changed, the country has changed, and most of all, the relation towards fairies has changed, so stories and dreams about them became less and less frequent. 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. When the krsnik come of age (this age varies), they go through an initiation ceremony with older krsnik, and gain their full powers. Legends, myths and stories are full of amazing creatures that were once a reality forthe ancient people. The fortified town of urevac was under attack by the Turkish army in the 16th century. People therefore say these are now fairies and elves, and today there is as much invisible as there is visible world because the invisible ones have been procreating and dying just as us visible people. ins.dataset.adChannel = cid; Did we miss one of your favorite Croatian myths or legends? An account of Grando's beyond-the-grave antics . Croatian Cryptids Category page View source Croatian Cryptids are Cryptids found in Croatia, Balkan county folklore,Slavic Mythology and folk believes. window.ezoSTPixelAdd(slotId, 'adsensetype', 1); The nation was aware of the energy flows in the region andhave known how to channel and use these forces through megalithic structures. Meet the Slavs covers topics related to the Slavic culture, history, mythology and more.