Historical story

Explore Serbian culture through myths, legends and folklore

Stories are not only entertainment, but also tell the story to people. They are a way to preserve the past and carry on traditions. Myths embody the journey of people, wars, conquests and defeats and their cultural beliefs.

A brief look at Serbian culture

Serbian storytelling, myths and folklore are one of the oldest and richest traditions in Europe. During the migration of Europeans in 6 th and 7 th For centuries, the Serbs settled in the Balkans. And with them they took with them their historical traditions, cultures, myths, legends, pagan beliefs and rituals. The supernatural also had a high place in the Serbian faith.

Like many other societies at the time, Serbs lived in an extremely symbolic world where there was no wall or boundary between magic and reality. If thunder was heard rumbling around in the sky, then it was Perun, the god of the sky, thunder and lightning that communicated to them. When they roamed the mountains, they had to tread carefully since they were in the kingdom of Vilas or forest nymphs. The Serbs believed that their watermills served as meeting places for creatures such as vampires. When they lit a fire and looked at it, Svarog, the god of fire and blacksmith, was present in it.

Introduction of Christianity

on 9 th century, Christianity was introduced and adopted as the state religion. In an attempt to root it out once and for all, pagan polytheism was forced to push aside. But even then, the Serbs faithfully adhered to their culture, and ancient myths and folklore remained as strong as ever. The peasants, who accepted baptism and Christ, saw Christianity only as an addition rather than a replacement for their old faith. Therefore, a certain type of Christianity was born of the fusion of ancient rituals and rituals, cults of ancient gods with the new saints and holidays.

It was at this intersection between ancient pagan beliefs and Christianity that Serbian fables, folk tales and myths developed. As time went on, new themes and elements were incorporated into the existing ones. Migration played a fantastic role in the growth of Serbian myths and legends. From other nations came learned travelers and people, carrying on the traditions of their homeland.

Myths and folk tales in Serbia abound with many of the core elements and characters that are often found in the stories of other nations. This is not surprising, given the role that migration plays. Stories of giants, witches, animal heroes, vampires and even ordinary people who, through some magical intervention, outwit evil beings and rise to glory are popular in Serbian culture. Let's explore them in detail here.

Zmaj og Aždaja

Dominant Serbian folklore is two mythical, dragon-like creatures known as Zmaj and Aždaja.

Drag

Zmaj has a double character and can be either good or bad, a human friend or foe. He is generally regarded as a worthy opponent with extraordinary strength. Zmaj is a winged creature with one or more heads, whose whistling and howling is repeated throughout the land as he flies over land. With fire spitting from his mouth and wings, Zmaj has another trait - he can shape himself. The most common forms he takes when he does so are humans or animals, of which more often than not is an eagle or snake.

The Serbs think Zmaj is half human. Despite his cruel form, he is often considered a tribal protector or reincarnation of a highly respected ancestor. And for this reason, Zmaj has an almost godly place in Serbian culture. And as said before, he can be either good or evil, depending on the circumstances. If he gets angry, he will not hesitate to retaliate.

According to Serbian legend, the country gets a new Zmaj every year from the depths of a lake in a nearby village. A burning ball would emerge from the lake, rise to the sky and then burst into several pieces around midnight. One of the pieces would transform into Zmaj, while the other pieces would continue to fly and protect him until he developed his wings and found a place to settle. These will usually be mountains, where they are considered the protectors of the place.

Zmaj married a beautiful virgin and children were born out of this marriage, and later grew up to be great heroes. However, a beaten Zmaj often neglects its main tasks, such as protecting crops by averting bad weather and storms that often haunt the villages.

Aždaja

On the other hand, Aždaja is a completely different character. He is nothing but pure evil. He is a creature resembling a huge snake or lizard with bat-like wings, often with three or nine heads with four stubble small legs. Aždaja lives in dark and hostile places where no one would step, spitting blue fire and kicking up an infernal racket by shouting. Serious and cruel, the Serbs believe that Aždaja was born when one serpent continued to devour other serpents, and therefore wings and bones grew a century later.

Zmaj often serves as the main character in dozens of legends, folk tales, songs and poems sung after Serbia was defeated by the Ottoman Empire in 1389, at the Battle of Kosovo. For this reason, Zmaj rose to be a symbol of strength and struggle against invaders. Great Serbian heroes are often represented as Zmaj, while Aždaja stands for the Ottoman invaders.

Vilas

According to Serbian folklore, forest nymphs or Vilas live in lakes, ponds, rivers, the sky, clouds, caves and mountains. By taking on the shape of other animals, they appear as falcons, horses, swans, wolves and such. But more often than not, these creatures take the form of beautiful virgins with beautiful locks. A Vila voice is beautiful and soothing, and everyone who hears it is said to lose all thoughts of food, drink or sleep. These creatures are generally kind, compassionate, just and help the poor and needy. Everyone who discovers a Vila is said to be blessed with good luck. That is unless they are provoked or angry. In that case, a vicious look from a Vila is enough to kill you.

With all its charm and beauty, Vilas are also hard warriors. It is said that when Vilas fights, the earth shakes. They are born with healing and prophetic abilities. Young men are often enticed to dance with Vilas, which can be either good or bad, depending on Vila's mood. As warriors they are, they ride deer or horses while hunting with a bow and arrow. Any person who defies or breaks his word will be chased and killed by Vilas. Adventure circles with thick, deep grass in the forests are where these forest nymphs dance. These circles are treated as sacred and should therefore not be trampled on unless the person wishes to be cursed.

According to Serbian belief, Vilas has a special characteristic. Vilas is free from life's two greatest inevitability - death (for humans) and immortality (gods). They have the ability to decide when to die and when to be born again.

According to legend, the only way a human can gain control of a Vila is either by plucking one of the hairs or stealing feathers from the wings.

Good and evil spirits

Serbian people believe that every house has a guardian spirit, which they call syenovik or syen. Sewing is not just a guardian spirit. They have the ability to own the body of a dog, snake, hen or man.

Just as the seamstress guards the home, each forest, mountain and lake has its own seamstress, known under the word djinn. Djinn takes care of their areas, and if a passer-by does so much as just gather a branch or a leaf, they are surrounded or chased by a dense fog. The passer-by also sees frightening visions in the fog. Similar is the belief of the Albanians, who did not even dare to touch the branches of the spruce.

There are also evil spirits, known as byess, demons, devils known as dyavo and other evil spirits who can possess either dead or living bodies of humans. The latter spirits are called vookodlaks or Vlkodlaks. According to local belief, these spirits are responsible for solar energy and lunar eclipses. This belief has its roots in the old Norse belief that the sun and the moon were always chased by hungry wolves. Even today, Serbian farmers believe that eclipses occur when the sun or moon is chased by hungry dragons.

In other parts of Serbia, people generally attribute dragons to being women. They are mischievous creatures who are blamed for the destruction of vineyards and cornfields. This is because they are responsible for clouds that bring hail. When a partial eclipse of a hailstorm is about to happen, the farmers gather in the village to beat pots and bread together. Furthermore, pistols are fired and bells are rung to scare away the dragon.

Giants

Serbian folklore claims that the soul of a sleeping man is taken and driven by strong winds to mountain peaks. When souls accumulate in this way, they are transformed into violent giants who uproot trees to be used as clubs and throw boulders at each other. Their moans and hisses can be heard especially during the spring and autumn nights.

witches

In Serbian folklore, female evil spirits are supposed to be ancient women who are possessed by evil spirits. They are irreconcilable and hostile to all people, be they men, women or children. The Serbian idea of ​​such women more or less corresponds to witches.

When old women fall asleep, their souls leave the body and wander around until they have the body of a hen, or more often, a black moth. After possession, they continue to wander around until they come across houses with several children, because it is said that their favorite food is an infant's heart.

Serbian witches meet from time to time in the branches of a tree. It is believed that old women who have characteristics similar to witches attend such meetings after following the rules prescribed by the witches themselves. There are also certain sentences to be sung.

Farmers often lead hunts to find such creatures, and if they do, a jury is formed that sentences the witch to death. One of the ways to determine if an old woman is really a witch or not is to throw her into the water. If she just floats instead of struggling or swimming around, she is considered a witch. She is then burned to death. Such methods were also not unknown in England.

Vampires

Belief in vampires exists not only in Serbia but also throughout the Balkans. According to many, this belief is linked to the Orthodox Church. It claims that the bodies of those who died while being excommunicated by the Church are corrupt. Evil spirits grab these corpses and then appear in front of men in secret places to kill them.

In Montenegro, vampires are known by the names lampirs or tenatz. They feed on the blood of sleeping men, cattle and other animals. They return to their graves after nocturnal excursions by turning into mice. To discover the tombs of these nocturnal creatures, Montenegrins take a black horse and lead it into the cemetery. Suspected bodies are dug up, pierced with inserts and then burned. Although the authorities oppose such practices, villagers hold fast to the faith. When the authorities have tried to counteract such actions, local communities have threatened to leave their homes and leave entire villages desolate unless they are allowed to continue on their roads.

One of the rulers who condemned such practices was Emperor Stefan Dušan. Any village where the bodies have been exhumed and burned will be treated as if it were murder. Villagers would be severely punished and given the same sentence as having committed a murder, while the priest who approved such acts would be anematised.

Nature worship

Many Serbian poems and folk tales celebrate pagan worship. Stars, sun, earth, moon, sky, animals- almost all natural elements are placed on a shelf. It is believed that each individual has their own star, which appears in the sky when they are born and then goes out when they die.

According to pagan beliefs, the earth rests on water, while water rests on a fire that itself rests on another fire, called Zmayevska Vatra or the Fire of the Dragons.

The Serbs respect animals as well. According to their belief, the bear was in fact a man who was punished and turned into an animal. This belief stems from the fact that a bear can walk upright just as a human does. The jackal is considered to be half human since it howls at night like a crying child. In some parts of Serbia, killing a bee, snake or fox is no less than a sin.

the conclusion

Myths are not just stories. They are stories that originate from the traditions of a particular culture. Serbian myths and legends are a fusion of their own culture, Christianity and the different cultures that came to the country during the migration. While some myths may have factual origins, others are fictitious. In both ancient and modern cultures, myths have a deep purpose. They are stories that tell about human experiences, the world and its phenomena. The subjects of these legends reflect universal concerns since the dawn of time:birth and death, the afterlife, the creation of the world, the origin of man, good and evil.