MAGICAL BEINGS OF SERBIAN MYTHOLOGY

The folk religion of the Serbs is treated as a religion of folk masses, religion of peasants which was originally formed in rural environment. The ancestors of Serbs brought their pagan beliefs from their old native land. Parts of these beliefs are preserved even to the present moment. But during time the religion lost its original form in great degree.

After arriving on the Balkans, the Serbs accepted Christianity and then founded their own, Orthodox church. Under its influence for several centuries many former beliefs disappeared, and many others gained totally different meanings. But the Serbs had not simply abandoned their pagan religion and changed it with a new one. Teachings of the Orthodox Church were mainly accepted by higher, elite classes of Serbian society. But new religion broke through folk masses very slowly. Serbian peasants, for example, believed into Christian God but they added him the characteristics of some pagan deities; they respected priests but they also expected from them to take over the role of a pagan druid; they respected church holidays but they celebrated them by sacrifice and practicing magic. In short, they accepted Christianity, but they often interpreted it in a nonchristian way.

All phenomena that peasants could not understand were explained by magic, often giving magic qualities to things, people and animals. They also imagined mythical beings which were, for peasants, the reason why some phenomena happened. In the following text descriptions and information about some of the most famous mythical beings are given.

Ala (Dragon)

Nothing caused so much fear in peasants like the appearance of clouds fraught with hail. That is not hard to understand. Sometimes a few minutes were enough for grains of hail to devastate fields, orchards, vineyards etc. It was believed that hailing was provoked by supernatural forces, apropos by supernatural beings. These hail carriers were imagined differently, and one of the most famous beings of that sort is ala, both familiar under the names alamunja, lemanja, ader.

Notions about ala were not the same everywhere. Some considered that it lived in the air, others that it dwelled in river whirls or lakes. Even its imaginary look varied from place to place. In Grua, people thought that ala was invisible, but that it could be heard. Its powerful hiss echoed in front of the dark, hail-carrying clouds. According to a belief from Kosovo, ala could be seen. It was imagined as an animal of giant proportions and serpentine. Alas tail drooped all down to the earth, and its head was hiding in the clouds. If someone accidentally saw the head of ala, he momentarily lost his mind.

Ala was treated as a being that led hail-carrying clouds and devastated crops. Its arrival was accompanied by thunder and storm, which pulled out trees with its roots. It was extremely strong and that is why people made a byword strong as an ala. In some places ala was believed to, actually, steal crops thus putting fruits in her enormous ears and transporting it in them. It was believed that, for example, Aleksandrovacs upa is so fertile because alas transported their prey there.

Ala could also prowl into human body. Those possessed by ala people received some of its abilities. Aloviti or alosni humans were voracious like ala (the word alav (Serbian synonym for voracious) originated from this). To assuage its redundant hunger, ala impelled possessed humans to constantly eat. They led like ala- storm clouds. When the sky turned black, they fell in trance, and their soul ascended into clouds. The ala, people would say, ascended itself.

Zmaj (Dragon)

Beside hail-carriers both hail-defenders existed. These creatures protected humans, that is, their property from hail, storm and thunder. The most famous of hail-defending kind was zmaj (dragon). Zmaj originated from a carp or an Aesculapius snake which came to a certain age (usually 40 years old). Then he would grow wings, fly out of the river and leave for his new, mountain abode. During flight his scales rebound from him in form of countless sparks. It was believed that a zmaj that originated from a carp, generated a rainy year, and the one originated from an Aesculapius snake, a dry year.

Zmaj was imagined as a male creature and described as a fiery bird with a long, snakelike tail which sparkled and radiated light around him. He lived in a forest or mountain, usually near a spring, stream or a river and he inhabited a hollow beech. On the smallest sign of bad weather, zmaj abandoned his residence, flew up to the clouds and opposed the creatures which led them.

Zmaj was also a great lover. He visited women through a chimney. Entering the house he changed into a man. He was insatiable so his mistresses soon became pale and tired. However, they enjoyed this relationship because it was more intense and attractive than the regular one. That is why these women were not interested in men anymore.

A woman could become pregnant by a zmaj. Mostly male children were born from that relationship. They inherited strength and wisdom from their father, as well as some supernatural qualities. They were called zmaje (dragons child).

In folk literature many famous heroes were shown as zmajs progeny. Such origin was attached to Milo Obili, Marko Kraljevi, Strahinji Ban, Ljutica Bogdan and etc. Also many heroes received a nickname zmaj. The most famous are Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk and Stojan upi, well-known hero of the First Serbian Uprising, named Zmaj od Noaja.

Vetica (Witch)

According to Vuk Karadi, a woman named witch has some kind of devilish ghost which comes out of her and turns into a butterfly, chicken or a turkey, then she flies about houses and eats people, especially little children. When the ghost comes out of that woman, she lies as if she were dead, and if someone turns her head where here legs are, she would never wake up.

Witches were mainly older, married women. But their destiny was determined a lot earlier. Actually, it was believed that a female child born in red placenta or conceived in a bad hour (for example around some holiday) would as a girl become mra, and when she got married she would receive witchs qualities.

Witches caused many troubles in their neighborhood when the ghost came out of them. But that transformation was not spontaneous. It was necessary for a woman to smear magical grease on her and to say certain magical words. The pot with the grease was buried at hearth and it appeared on the witchs command. The grease itself was made of herbs and some other miraculous ingredients (human blood, nails, fat).

There was not a barrier a witch could not overcome. She could enter a house through a keyhole, even through a smallest crack. It was believed that she operated with the help of a magic wand or a bar with which she opened a mans thorax, took out his heart and devoured it. After that, the chest would close by itself. The victim could die right away, or a lot later, depending on the witchs will who determined the time and the spurious cause of death.

Witches were selective in choosing their victims. They attacked most frequently their closest- relatives and friends.

Witches regularly kept secret meetings in the dead of night. They got together in some old nut tree or pear tree, crossroad etc. They came on meetings riding a mop or a shaft. On this gathering they danced and reveled. On those meetings their leader gave them tasks and accepted new members. Newcomers had to sacrifice someone from their own kin and to bestow his heart to her new friends.

Because they presented great trouble and menace for their close ones, it was important to recognize them. Such women usually had some distinguishing features. Under suspicion were usually women overgrown with hair, that is to say, women with strong eyebrows, distinct moustache or hairy legs. But that did not have to mean that every hairy woman was a witch. That is why peasants resorted to using extra actions for recognition. They threw the woman under suspicion in water and if she floated, she was pronounced a witch because it was considered that by revealing her activities a witch lost her power.

A witch could be also revealed by catching her soul. Since the soul of the witch entered the house in the body of a butterfly, if that butterfly was caught, people would burn its wing and on that occasion they used to say: Come tomorrow to borrow salt. It was believed that the next morning a woman whose soul was caught would really come and ask for salt. Burned hair or skin of that woman was the proof that she is the right person.

Sometimes a revealed witch was treated really badly. There were registered cases of banishment, even murders of the accused women. But those cases were very rare. It was mainly considered that it was enough for a witch to confess her sins, to repent and to promise to stop with her witchery.

Sometimes an ex witch gained a special status. She used her secret skills- especially her knowledge of sanative herbs in curing people and cattle. She would become, in other words, villages healer.

Mra

Mra is similar to a witch. However, only a girl could become a mra, and a witch only a married woman. It was noted that a girl- mra became witch after marriage.

Mra, like a witch, became one already with birth. That destiny awaited female children born in a bloody placenta. But mra did not kill people like a witch, she tortured them while sleeping. Mra would lie down on a mans chest, suffocate him and not allow him to get up if he wanted to escape. The man could not yell, and what is even harder, he could not breathe.

Another similarity with witches reflected in the way mra operated: her soul got out of her body and transformed into an animal of some kind (cat, butterfly, chicken). Mra was detected the same way the witch was, and she was caught under a pumpkin or a pot, after that she was burned with flame. It was believed that a captured mra would be forced to come the next morning in her human form. A revealed mra was threatened that her night activities would be revealed. In that case, she would not only lose her powers, she would also lose her place in society (for example, she could not get married).

The method of denouncing mra was, according to a folk belief, effective. Sometimes denouncing was done right after the birth. If a female child was born in a bloody placenta, the midwife took her in front of the house and announced to the village what had happened. Such denounced newborn would not become a mra later.

Vila (Fairy)

One of the cult mythical beings of Serbian mythology was a fairy. She is often encountered in Serbian folk songs, stories, adages etc.

Fairies were imagined as female beings. They were described as young women of extraordinary beauty, tall and slender girls with long, unbridled hair, which fell down their backs. Their hair was red or golden. Some animal characteristics existed in their look, too. They had wings and they could fly. They also had horse, goat or donkey hoofs. Furthermore, they spread unpleasant, animal scent around them. They could at will change into an eagle, a swan, a wolf, a snake or some other animal.

Fairies were usually dressed in long white dresses, that is why the expression white fairy is often encountered in Serbian folk songs, stories etc. Along with their wings okrilje is regularly mentioned. Okrilje is a name for a veil which fairies used to cover their head and wings, and their power was in it.

Fairies came to this world like fruit or flowers. It was believed that they got pregnant in spring by morning dew, and they gave birth in winter in their caves.

There is a legend which says that fairies are direct descendents of Adam and Eva. According to tradition, Eva gave birth to many children. One day God invited her and Adam to come before him together with their offspring. Eva got scared that God would kill her children, so she hid the half of her offspring- those more beautiful and prosperous ones- and the other half brought before God. God, of course, detected the deceit and decided to punish Eva. He blessed her children and told her to go home with them. He also told her that she would not find the other half of her children she had hidden because they ran away into the mountains and water.

Fairies dwelled in nature, far from humans. It was believed that fairies lived in rivers, streams and lakes, then in forests, underground and even in clouds. People gave them names according to their residence: planinkinje (the ones which lived in mountains), podgorkinje (the ones which lived underground), jezerkinje (the ones which lived in lakes), oblakinje (the ones which lived on clouds) etc.

Fairies gathered on mountain or forest springs, in caves or in mountain glades. Those places were called vilino kolo (fairys circle) and it was easy to recognize. Vilino kolo was circular and the grass in it was different from the surrounding one; it was either particularly thick and darker or rare and shriveled.

Their meetings passed in dancing and singing, in which they were unsurpassable. On this occasion reception of new members was performed. A newcomer became a member of fairy community by receiving wings and okrilje.

Although they lived far from humans, fairies took chosen males from human kind. They liked pretty, healthy and strong men. They hid their love, and the lovers had to do the same. In other case, they would be exposed to horrible revenge.

It is true that fairies fell in love with mortals, but they never had a desire to get married because they appreciated their freedom above all. However, in folk stories it is talked about marriages between men and fairies. That happened only when a fairy had no other choice, apropos when someone came into possession of her okrilje in which her power was. Fairies were, according to tradition, good wives: they listened to their husbands, took care of the household and raised children. But all of this was on glass legs. If a fairy managed to get the hold of her okrilje, she would leave her husband and their children and get back to her old company.

It was believed that children of men and fairies possessed some special qualities. They inherited at least a part of the powers their mothers possessed. Those who were nursed by a fairy would gain similar powers, because kinship by milk had the same significance as blood kinship. Such children were imagined as great heroes.

Imagined relation between a fairy and a human was not always based on marriage or motherhood. The lucky one could become fairys bosom-friend. The reason was usually giving help to a fairy in some kind of trouble. The most famous brotherhood in Serbian folk poetry is the one between Marko Kraljevi and the fairy Ravijojla. Marko found the fairy asleep near a spring and he protected her from the suns heat which could have harmed her beauty. Grateful fairy became Markos bosom-friend and an ally until the rest of his life. She gave him his famous horse arac, faithful paramour and made him invincible.

From mentioned it is seen that fairies could both be good or evil, depending on the occasion. However, basically they were considered good, fond of humans creatures.

A fairy was always ready to help and, as she had supernatural powers, she could help in any way. She was described as an excellent expert in sanative herbs, which she used to heal sever, even lethal wounds.

Nevertheless, despite their goodness, Serbian peasants quailed at faries. They strictly took care of not offending a fairy, because otherwise a horrible revenge expected them: they would have become blind, deaf, immovable or even die. Usually those who hurt fairy's vanity would suffer. Fairy's revenge also affected people who entered their kingdom uninvited. There were a lot of stories about sufferings of people who accidentally stepped into vilino kolo. Interrupted in dance, fairies cruelly punished the one who violated their circle. But in essence they were good, so they often repented and tried to correct their wrong doing: for example, they would heal the wounds they caused.

It is taught that fairies still live in their out-of-the-way places, but they do not mingle with humans. As the cause of their disappearance are mentioned curse of the church pontiff, as well as boons of the new age (loud music, machines, weapons), the age in which there is no place for fairies.

Rusalka

Rusalka was a being close to fairy. She was presented in a form of a young, beautiful girl with long, unbraided hair, which fell down her back. As her name says, her hair was rusa, which means it was red.

It was considered that rusalkas presented the souls of early deceased, drowned women and girls. Because of that they did not populate the whole nature, like fairies, but they were tied to springs, rivers, streams, lakes. They left their kingdom only once a year. According to general conviction, they appeared on Tuesday which preceded Duhovi, that is to say, the Holiday of Dead and operated until the next Tuesday when they diverged. That week in which rusalkas operated most intensively was called Rusalkas week.

Rusalkas were considered to be dangerous creatures which always endeavored to inflict harm to humans, especially women. The victim was lured near water and then the rusalkas would drown him or her. During Rusalkas week women needed to take special care not to offend these cruel creatures. They were not supposed to do any of female jobs like laundry, weaving and gardening.

Rusalkas, like fairies, gathered on mountain glades and springs where they spent time in dancing and singing. If someone accidentally found their kolo (circle), he would have been bewitched by the beauty of their singing and dancing. But human presence, like by fairies, was undesirable, so they drastically punished accidental passers-by. The unfortunate one received a dancing attack and he could not stop until all rusalkas left. During this occasion he could lose his mind.

However, there was protection against rusalkas. That was wormwood which rusalkas could not stand and ran away from it.

Nekrtenci (Not Christened Ones)

Serbian people often attributed demon qualities to the dead. That especially referred to people who died too soon or in a violent way. It was the same case with the souls of children who had left this world before christening. Destiny was very harsh to them and they had no opportunity to enter their community, even the dead did not accept them. Left without any refuge, the souls of nonchristened children were forced to constantly wander. This wandering creatures were known under the names nakrtenci and navije.

It was believed that nekrtenci were invisible, but that they could be heard crying out, shrieking, roaring. Their look was imagined differently. Most frequently they were described as strange birds which had all the parts of a child, but small like a hand.

Nekrtenci appeared only at night, especially in nonchristened period- from Christmas until Bogojavljanje. They were dangerous, evil beings. They attacked small children, sometimes even the embryo in mother's womb. They caused different child's diseases, even death. The target of their attacks were also young mothers from whom they took away milk.

Nekrtenci could imitate human voice, so they often called out inhabitants of their former home, usually the very confined woman. If someone called back, he would soon die. Important role in protecting the confined woman had the midwife who would, as soon as nekrtenci start calling, start banging in same metal object so the confined woman could not hear and call back. The most effective instrument against nekrtenci was fire. If they accidentally found themselves near one, they would immediately burn. That is why fire always burned in the house where the child was born, and shepards started the fire when they heard nekrtenci calling.

Vampir (Vampire)

Vampire is certainly the most famous mythical being of Serbian folk religion. His character was used in many horror stories and films, but many facts which are known to us from Holiwood films do not correspond to the data from Serbian beliefs.

Vampire is a mortuary who, from time to time, rises from his grave and comes back among the living. He was also known under the names vopir, upir, lampir, lampijer, kodlak, tenac, grobnik etc.

Everyone could become a vampire: male and female, old and young. But that did not happen without a particular reason. And there were countless reasons.

A man who died in a violent way or was buried without proper ceremony became a vampire. The reasons, sometimes, lay in the man himself, in his actions. Namely, it was believed that bad people became vampires, the ones who killed, robbed, cheated; also sinners who did not respect religion codes. Into vampires people included those who died unhappy and unsatisfied because of some unfulflled whishes or unfinished duties. Those mortuary envied the living, so they came back after death among them and endeavoured to harm them.

There were two basic conceptions of how someone became a vampire. According to the first one, the deceased became a vampire when a demon entered his body. That being breathed the life in the mortuary again, that is to say, he restored his biological functiones. According to the second version, a mortuary became a vampire because the soul of the deceased could not go to its natural habitat, in the world of the dead, so it returned to his body and stayed tied to it. That body did not decompose, but it stayed still alive and active.

Notions about the lenght of vampire's life were different. The belief that vampires lived and operated during a short time, not longer than 40 days, was spread. But in some places was considered that a vampire could live for several centuries, even forever.

The deceased who bacame a vampire usually kept his former look, but, of course, only in a certain degree. Vampire had no bones and flesh, but his body was filled with bloody, gelatinous mass. He looked like a man, but swollen like a sack, full of blood, shaggy, with big eyes and long nails.

The deceased wandered the village in the same clothes and shoes he was buried. He was always wearing shroud or dragged it behind him. It was believed that in his shroud lay his power. Vampire had the power of transformation and he could turn into any animal or object.

A vampire rested in his grave during the daylight and came out at night. He usually went among members of his family or village. He could be found in graveyard or near it, on the crossroads, in a mill. The appearance of a vampire caused total chaos. He would be scented firstly by the dogs, then horses, and after by cattle. The animals started barking, neighing, mooing and the domestic animals tried to escape. According to a belief, vampires killed people and cattle and drank their blood. Another belief was sustained that a vampire visited his widow, especially if she was young and pretty. Such woman could even get pregnant. She would give birth to a child similar to human, but without bones and flesh. Such child was called vampire (little vampire). The child inherited some characteristics from his father: he smelled badly, was black as coal, had pointy and bloody teeth etc. It was considered that a vampire, differently from humans, could see a vampire and destroy him.

Serbian peasants tried everything to prevent a mortuary from becoming a vampire. They would drive in a needle or a hawthorn through his naval or cut veins under his knees with a knife with black scabbard. That way they prevented mortuary to become swollen.

If a mortuary became a vampire after all, they would use magical protection. They used different kinds of talisman, but it was considered that the destruction of a vampire was most effective. That was not simple. Firstly, they had to find out who the vampire was and where he was. They looked for a grave which was cracked and the cross on it bent. To prevent a mistake they used a black horse which they led over the graves and the grave, the horse did not want or could not cross, was the home of a vampire.

When they discovered the vampire, everybody came to his grave, sometimes led by a priest. The very act of murder was performed by supposed vampires son (vampire). He stabbed the vampires heart with a hawthorn stake, and during that he had to be careful not to be sprayed by vampires blood. Otherwise, the unfortunate one would die and become a vampire himself.

Urokljivac

Serbian peasants believed that some people had magical powers which were expressed in their look. In other words, those persons had evil eyes. They were named urokljivac, and the powers of their look- urok (a kind of evil spell). It was enough for that person just to look at a man, an animal, a plant or some object, and something bad would happen. Uricanje (the act of casting a spell) was most dangerous when an evil look was accompanied by words of amazement or admiration.

Uricanje could be intentional or unintentional. Intentional uricanje was very rare, and that could be done only by extremly bad, dishonest people. Urokljivac often was not conscious of the evil he was causing. The power of uricanje was attached to physically or mentally defective persons, who envied the normal. Those did not have to have some significant defect. Under suspicion could be found any person who differed from the usual by their looks or actions. It needs to be noted that animals could be urokljivac too, mostly animals with unusual, notable eyes, such as a snake,a rabbit or a frog.

People and their property were mostly subjected to the activity of evil eyes. Urok usually hit the persons who had distinguished beauty, brain, goodness, fortune or some other virtue. It also affected the weak and the helpless (children, the wounded, the sick) and persons in incommon states or situations ( pregnant women, newlyweds, ploughmen, sower etc).

Serbian peasants tought of many ways how to protect themselves from urok. It was easiest to keep beings and things subjected to evil look from it. Because of that during the delivery women isolated themselves, and brides covered their faces with the veil. It was enough to distract the look of evil eyes on things less subjected to their influence. For example, they put on socks of different colour on little children so the first and the most dangerous look of an urokljivac would fall on them. Another prevention was rejection of wish for uricanje. Peasants started from presumption that dirty and unsightly persons did not cause admiration, thus no uricanje, too. The best known form of prevetion was spitting. When there was danger of urok someone would spit three times or over his shoulder thus stopping scourge.

CONCLUSION

Maybe it does not seem so, but the Serbian mythology is very rich. It is not as famous as the Greak mythology, but it is certainly very interesting. My work is only a little glimpse into the picturesque world of Serbian beliefs, but I hope it inspired you to explore this magical world further.

Literature:

1. Duan Bandi, Narodna religija Srba u sto pojmova

2. Veselin ajkanovi, Mit i religija u Srba

3. www.rastko.org.yu

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