![Slavic doragon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Slavic_doragon.jpg)
A Slavic dragon is any
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
in
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...
, including the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
''
zmei'' (or ''zmey''; ),
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
''zmiy'' (), and its counterparts in other Slavic cultures: the
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
''zmey'' (), the
Slovak ''drak'' and ''šarkan'',
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
''drak'',
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
, the
Serbo-Croatian
Serbo-Croatian () – also called Serbo-Croat (), Serbo-Croat-Bosnian (SCB), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), and Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS) – is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and ...
''zmaj'' (), the
Macedonian ''zmej'' (змеј) and the
Slovene ''zmaj''. The
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
''
zmeu
The ''Zmeu'' (plural: ''zmei'', feminine: ''zmeoaică'' / ''zmeoaice'') is a fantastic creature of Romanian folklore and Romanian mythology.
Though referred by some sources as a dragon, the zmeu is nevertheless distinct, because it usually has c ...
'' is also a Slavic dragon, but a non-cognate etymology has been proposed.
A ''zmei'' may be beast-like or human-like, sometimes wooing women, but often plays the role of chief antagonist in
Russian literature
Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia and its émigrés and to Russian language, Russian-language literature. The roots of Russian literature can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were c ...
. In the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
, the ''zmei'' type is overall regarded as benevolent, as opposed to malevolent dragons known variously as '', ''
ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to:
Places
* Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village
* Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province
* Ala, Gotland, Sweden
* Alad, S ...
'' or ''hala'', or ''aždaja''.
The
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
''smok'' (e.g.
Wawel Dragon
The Wawel Dragon ( pl, Smok Wawelski), also known as the Dragon of Wawel Hill, is a famous dragon in Polish legend.
According to the earliest account (13th century), a dragon ( gr, holophagus, "one who swallows whole") plagued the capital city ...
of
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
) or the
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
or
Belarusian ''smok'' (смок), ''tsmok'' (цмок), can also be included. In some Slavic traditions ''smok'' is an ordinary snake which may turn into a dragon with age.
Some of the common motifs concerning Slavic dragons include their identification as masters of weather or water source; that they start life as snakes; and that both the male and female can be romantically involved with humans.
Etymology
The Slavic terms descend from
Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the Attested language, unattested, linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately ...
''
*zmьjь''. The further derivation that Serbo-Croatian ''zmaj'' "dragon" and ' "earth" ultimately descend from the same Proto-Slavic root ''zьm-'', from the
zero grade
In linguistics, the Indo-European ablaut (, from German '' Ablaut'' ) is a system of apophony (regular vowel variations) in the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE).
An example of ablaut in English is the strong verb ''sing, sang, sung'' and its ...
of
Proto-Indo-European
Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...
''
*ǵhdem'', was proposed by Croatian
linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...
Petar Skok. Lithuanian scholarship also points out that the connection of the snake (''zmey'') with the earthly realm is even more pronounced in folk incantations, since its name would etymologically mean 'earthly (being); that which creeps underground'.
The forms and spellings are Russian: ''
zmei'' or ''zmey'' (pl. ''zmei'' ); Ukrainian: ''zmiy'' (pl. ''zmiyi'' ); Bulgarian: ''zmei'' (pl. ''zmeiove'' ); Polish ''zmiy'' (pl. ''żmije''); Serbo-Croatian ''zmaj'' (pl. ); Slovene ''zmaj'' ''zmáj'' or ''zmàj'' (pl. ''zmáji'' or ''zmáji'').
Russian zmei
In the legends of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
and
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, a particular dragon-like creature,
Zmey Gorynych
A Slavic dragon is any dragon in Slavic mythology, including the Russian '' zmei'' (or ''zmey''; ), Ukrainian ''zmiy'' (), and its counterparts in other Slavic cultures: the Bulgarian ''zmey'' (), the Slovak ''drak'' and ''šarkan'', Czech '' ...
( or ), has
three to twelve heads,
[ and
Tugarin Zmeyevich (literally: "Tugarin Dragon-son"), known as ''zmei-bogatyr'' or "serpent hero", is a man-like dragon who appears in Russian (or ]Kievan Rus
Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
) heroic literature.[ The name "Tugarin" may symbolize Turkic or Mongol ]steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the temperate grasslands, ...
-peoples.
Chudo-Yudo
The Chudo-Yudo (or Chudo-iudo, ; pl. ''Chuda-Yuda'') is a multi-headed dragon that appears in some wondertale variants, usually considered to be water-dwelling.[ Some legends portray him as the brother of Koshchey the Deathless, and thus the offspring of the witch ]Baba Yaga
In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, also spelled Baba Jaga (from Polish), is a supernatural being (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a deformed and/or ferocious-looking woman. In fairy tales Baba Yaga flies around in a ...
; others present him as a personification of the witch in her foulest form. A Chudo Yudo is one of the guardians of the Water of Life and Death, and his name traditionally was invoked in times of drought. He can apparently assume human-like forms and is able to speak and to ride a horse. He has the ability to regenerate any decapitated heads.[
The term ''Chudo-Yudo'' may not be a name for a specific type of dragon at all, but rather a fanciful term for a generic "monster". According to this explanation, the term is to be understood as a poetic form of ''chudovishche'' () meaning "monster", with a ending appended simply for the rhyme. ''Chudo'' in modern Russian means "a wonder", and once also had the meaning of "a giant"; "yudo" may relate to ''Iuda'', the Russian form of the personal name "Judas", with connotations of uncleanness and the demonic.
Three- and six-headed ''zmei'', slain by the titular hero in "Ivan Popyalov" (, "Ivan Cinders", ]Afanasyev
Afanasyev (masculine; Афанасьев) or Afanasyeva (feminine; Афанасьева) is a Russian last name. It is derived from Afanasy which is etymologically directly connected to Athanasios (Αθανάσιος), a very common Greek masculin ...
's tale #135)["Ivan Popyalof", .] appear as six-, nine-, and twelve-headed Chuda-Iuda in the cognate tale #137 "Ivan Bykovich" (). The inference is that Chudo-Yudo must also be a dragon, even though the word "serpent" (''zmei'') does not appear explicitly in the latter tale.[ The six-, nine-, and twelve-headed Chuda-Yuda that appear out of the ]Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
are explicitly described as ''zmei'' in yet another cognate tale, #136 " Storm-Bogatyr, Ivan the Cow's Son" (). The Storm-Bogatyr possesses a magic sword ( sword Kladenets), but uses his battle club (or mace) to attack them.[
A Chudo-Yudo's heads have a remarkable healing property: even if severed, he can pick them up and re-attach them with a stroke of his fiery finger, according to one of these tales,][ comparable to the regenerative power of the ]Lernaean hydra
The Lernaean Hydra or Hydra of Lerna ( grc-gre, Λερναῖα Ὕδρα, ''Lernaîa Hýdra''), more often known simply as the Hydra, is a snake, serpentine water monster in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Its lair was the lake of Le ...
that grows its head back.
Folktales often depict Chuda-yuda as living beyond the (the name may suggest "Stench River")—that is, in the realm of the dead, reached by crossing over the ("White-hot Bridge").
Smok
The terms ''smok'' ("serpent") and ''tsmok'' ("sucker") can signify a dragon, but also just an ordinary snake. There are Slavic folk tales in which a ''smok'', when it reaches a certain age, grows into a dragon (''zmaj'', etc.). Similar lore is widespread across Slavic countries, as described below.
Some common themes
Snake into dragons
The folklore that an ancient snake grows into a dragon is fairly widespread in Slavic regions. This is also paralleled by similar lore in China.
In Bulgaria is a similar folk belief that the ''smok'' ("Aesculapian snake
The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among the ...
"[) begins its life-cycle as a non-venomous snake but later grows into a ''zmei'' dragon after living 40 years. Or, if the body of a ]decapitated
Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...
snake () is joined to an ox or buffalo horn, it grows into a lamia after just 40 days, according to Bulgarian folk tradition published by in the 19th century.
There are also among the East Slavic folk the tradition that a viper
The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...
transforms into a dragon. In Ukrainian folklore the viper needs 7 years to metamorphosize into a dragon, while in Belorussian folklore the requisite time is 100 years, according to one comparison.
The weather-making dragon, ''ismeju'' (or ''zmeu
The ''Zmeu'' (plural: ''zmei'', feminine: ''zmeoaică'' / ''zmeoaice'') is a fantastic creature of Romanian folklore and Romanian mythology.
Though referred by some sources as a dragon, the zmeu is nevertheless distinct, because it usually has c ...
''[), of Romanian ]Scholomance
The Scholomance ( ro, Șolomanță, italic=no , Solomonărie ) was a fabled school of black magic in Romania, especially in the region of Transylvania. It was run by the Devil, according to folkloric accounts. The school enrolled about ten stude ...
folklore is also locally believed to grow out of a snake which has lived for 9 years (belief found at "Hatzeger Thal" or Hațeg
Hațeg (; german: Wallenthal; hu, Hátszeg) is a town in Hunedoara County, Romania with a population of 9,340. Three villages are administered by the town: Nălațvad (''Nalácvád''), Silvașu de Jos (''Alsószilvás''), and Silvașu de Sus ( ...
).
Weather
Locally in Ukraine, around Lutsk
Lutsk ( uk, Луцьк, translit=Lutsk}, ; pl, Łuck ; yi, לוצק, Lutzk) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast (province) and the administrative center of the surrounding Luts ...
, the rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
is called ''tsmok'' ("sucker") which is said to be a tube that guzzles water from the sea and rivers and carries the moisture up into the clouds.
There is the notion (thought to be inspired by the tornado) of a Slavic dragon that dips its tail into a river or lake and siphons up the water, ready to cause floods.
In Romanian folklore, dragons are ridden by weather-controlling wizards called the Solomonari
The Solomonar or Șolomonar ( German phonetization: ''Scholomonar'') is a wizard believed in Romanian folklore to ride a dragon (zmeu or a balaur) and control the weather, causing rain, thunder, or hailstorm.
They are recruited from common folk an ...
. The type of dragon they ride may be the ''zmeu
The ''Zmeu'' (plural: ''zmei'', feminine: ''zmeoaică'' / ''zmeoaice'') is a fantastic creature of Romanian folklore and Romanian mythology.
Though referred by some sources as a dragon, the zmeu is nevertheless distinct, because it usually has c ...
''[ or the '']balaur
A balaur ( pl. ''balauri'') in Romanian folklore is a type of many-headed dragon or monstrous serpent, sometimes said to be equipped with wings. The number of heads is usually around three, but they can also have seven heads or even twelve hea ...
'', depending on the source.[Marian (1879): "Cînd voiesc Solomonarii să se suie în nori, iau friul cel de aur şi se duc la un lac fără de fund sau la o altă apă mare, unde ştiu ei că locuiesc balaurii ith_these_[goldenreins,_the_Solomonari_rein_their_dragons_called_''balaurii''_that_they_use_instead_of_horses.html" ;"title="olden.html" ;"title="ith these [golden">ith these [goldenreins, the Solomonari rein their dragons called ''balaurii'' that they use instead of horses">olden.html" ;"title="ith these [golden">ith these [goldenreins, the Solomonari rein their dragons called ''balaurii'' that they use instead of horses, quoted in: Hasdeu, Bogdan Petriceicu; Brâncuș, Grigore (1976) edd., ' 3, p. 438.]
The lamia and the hala (explained further below) are also generally perceived as weather dragons or demons.
Balkan Slavic dragons
In Bulgarian lore, the ''zmei'' is sometimes described as a scale-covered serpent-like creature with four legs and bat's wings, at other times as half-man, half-snake, with wings and a fish-like tail.
In Bulgaria, this ''zmei'' tends to be regarded as a benevolent guardian creature, while the ''lamya'' and ''hala'' were seen as detrimental towards humans.
Zmei lovers
A favorite topic of folk songs was the male ''zmey''-lover who may marry a woman and carry her to the underworld, or a female ''zmeitsa'' (zmeitza) who falls in love with a shepherd. When a ''zmei'' falls in love with a woman, she may "pine, languish, become pale, neglect herself.. and generally act strangely", and the victim stricken with the condition could only be cured by bathing in infusions of certain herbs, according to superstition.
In Serbia, there is the example of the epic song ''Carica Milica i zmaj od Jastrepca'' ( sr, Царица Милица и змај од Јастрепца) and its folktale version translated as "The Tsarina Militza and the Zmay of Yastrebatz".
Zmey of Macedonian fairy tales
In most Macedonian tales and folk songs they are described as extremely intelligent, having hypnotizing eyes. However, sometimes Zmey's could be men who would astrally project into the sky when there is a storm to battle the Lamia, a female evil version that wants to destroy the wheat. They were also known as guardians of the territory, and would even protect the people in it. Hostile behaviour was shown if another zmey comes into his territory. They could change their appearance in the form of a smoke, strong spark, fire bird, snake, cloud but almost afterwards he would gain the form of a handsome man and enter the chambers of a young maiden. They fell in love with women who were conceived on the same night as them, or born in the same day as them. He usually guards the girl from a small age and his love lasts forever. Some girls get sick by loving a zmey, and symptoms include paleness, shyness, antisocial behaviour, watery eyes, quietness and hallucinations. They didn't live a long life, because it resulted in suicide. Zmeys would kidnap girls and lead them into their mountain caves where she would serve him.
Benevolent zmei of the Balkans
There is a pan-Balkan notion that the ''zmei'' (known by various cognates) is a sort of "guardian-spirit dragon" against the "evil" types of dragon, given below. One explanation is that the Balkan ''zmej'' symbolized the patriotism, patriotic dragon fighting the Turkish dragon, a way to vent the local population's frustration at not being able to overthrow the long-time Ottoman Empire, Turkish rule.
Zmaj of Serbian fairy tales
The zmaj dragon in Serbian fairy tales nevertheless have sinister roles in a number of instances. In the well-known tale[ "A Pavilion Neither in the Sky nor on the Earth" the youngest prince succeeds in killing the dragon (''zmaj'') that guards the three princesses held captive.
]Vuk Karadžić
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić ( sr-Cyrl, Вук Стефановић Караџић, ; 6 November 1787 (26 October OS)7 February 1864) was a Serbian philologist, anthropologist and linguist. He was one of the most important reformers of the moder ...
's collection of folktales have other examples. In " The Golden Apple-tree and the Nine Peahens", the dragon carries away the peahen maiden who is the hero's lover. In "Baš Čelik
''Baš Čelik'' (, ), meaning "head of steel", from Turkish ''baş'' for "head" and ''çelik'' for "steel", is a Serbian fairy tale, collected by Vuk Karadžić. It is similar to the Brothers Grimm's " The Crystal Orb" ( Aarne–Thompson type 5 ...
" the hero must contend with a dragon-king.
Lamia
The or ''lamya'' ( bg, ламя), derived from the Greek lamia
LaMia Corporation S.R.L., operating as LaMia (short for ''Línea Aérea Mérida Internacional de Aviación''), was a Bolivian charter airline headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, as an EcoJet subsidiary. It had its origins from the failed ...
, is also seen as a dragon-like creature in Bulgarian ethnic population, currently inhabiting Bulgaria, with equivalents in Macedonia (''lamja'', ''lamna''; ), and South-East Serbian areas ( ).
The Bulgarian lamia is described as reptile- or lizard-like and covered with scales, with 3–9 heads which are like dog's heads with sharp teeth. It may also have sharp claws, webbed wings, and the scales may be yellow color.
The Bulgarian lamia dwells in the bottoms of the seas and lakes, or sometimes mountainous caverns, or tree holes and can stop the supply of water to the human population, demanding sacrificial offerings to undo its deed. The lamia, bringer of drought, was considered the adversary of St. Ilya (Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
) or a benevolent zmei.
In the Bulgarian version of Saint George and the Dragon
In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...
, the dragon was a ''lamia''. Bulgarian legends tell of how a hero (actually a double of St. George, denoted as "George of the Flowers", ''Cveten Gǝorgi'', bg, цветен Гьорги[) cuts off the heads of the three- or multi-headed Lamia, and when the hero accomplishes its destruction and sever all its heads, "rivers of fertility" are said to flow.][, after Auguste Dozon.] This song about St. George's fight with the lamia occurs in ritual spiritual verse supposed to be sung around St. George's day.
One of the versions collected by ethnologist begins: " (George of the Flowers fared out / Going around his congregation /On the road he met the fallow
Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting pest life cycl ...
lamia..)".[ Another version collected by Marinov substitutes "Yuda- Samodiva" in the place of the lamia.][ Three rivers gush out of the dragons head-stumps: typically one of corn, one of red wine, and one of milk and honey. These benefitted the crop-growers, ]vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
growers (winemakers
A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes:
*Cooperating with viticulturists
*Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...
), and the beekeepers
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees.
Beekeepers are also called honey farmers, apiarists, or less commonly, apiculturists (both from the Latin '' apis'', bee; cf. apiary). The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees i ...
and shepherds, respectively.[
.
]
Other evil Balkan dragons
There is some overlap or conflation of the lamia and the ''hala'' (or ''halla''), although the latter is usually conceived of as a "whirlwind". Or it might be described as regional differences. The ''lamia'' in Eastern Bulgaria is the adversary of the benevolent zmei,[Benovska-Sabkhova, Milena (1995) ''Змеят в българския фолклор'' erpents in Bulgarian Folklore pp. 47–50, cited by ] and the ''hala'' or ''ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to:
Places
* Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village
* Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province
* Ala, Gotland, Sweden
* Alad, S ...
'' takes its place in Western Bulgaria.
This motif of hero against the evil dragon (lamia, ala/hala, or aždaja) is found more generally throughout the Balkan Slavic region. Sometimes this hero is a saint (usually St. George).[ And after the hero severs all its (three) heads, "three rivers of wheat, milk, and wine" flow out of the stumps.][
]
Hala
The demon or creature known as ''hala'' (or ala Ala, ALA, Alaa or Alae may refer to:
Places
* Ala, Hiiu County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Valga County, Estonia, a village
* Ala, Alappuzha, Kerala, India, a village
* Ala, Iran, a village in Semnan Province
* Ala, Gotland, Sweden
* Alad, S ...
), whose name derived from the Greek word for "hail" took the appearance of a dense mist
Mist is a phenomenon caused by small droplets of water suspended in the cold air, usually by condensation. Physically, it is an example of a dispersion. It is most commonly seen where water vapor in warm, moist air meets sudden cooling, such a ...
or fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
, or a black cloud. Hala was believed to be the cause of strong winds and whirlwind in Eastern Bulgaria, whereas the lamya was blamed as the perpetrator in Southwestern Bulgarian lore. In Western Bulgarian tradition, the ''halla'' itself was regarded as the whirlwind, which guarded clouds and contained the rain, but was also regarded as a type of dragon, alongside the folklore that the ''smok'' (roughly equated with "grass snake" but actually the Aesculapian snake
The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among the ...
[) was a crag-dwelling whirlwind.
These ''hala'' were also known in East and Central ]Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. Similar lore occur in Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
, Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
.
Aždaja
The demon ''hala'' was also called by other names regionally, in some parts of Bulgaria they were known as ''aždarha'' ( bg, аждарха) or ''ažder'' (), in Macedonian as ''aždaja'' or ''ažder'' (), in Serbian as ''aždaja'' ().
The word ' or ' is borrowed from Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
''azdahā'' (), and has its origins in the Indo-Iranian mythology
Indo-Iranian peoples, also known as Indo-Iranic peoples by scholars, and sometimes as Arya or Aryans from their self-designation, were a group of Indo-European peoples who brought the Indo-Iranian languages, a major branch of the Indo-European l ...
surrounding the dragon '' azidahā''.[ As an example, in some local Croatian icons, ]St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
is represented as slaying the aždaja and not a ''zmaj''.
Pozoj
A ''pozoj'' is a dragon of legends in Croatia. In Međimurje County
Međimurje County (; hr, Međimurska županija ; hu, Muraköz megye) is a triangle-shaped county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje. Despite being the smallest C ...
, the Čakovec
Čakovec (; hu, Csáktornya; la, Aquama; german: Tschakathurn) is a city in northern Croatia, located around north of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. Čakovec is both the county seat and the largest city of Međimurje County, the northernmost, s ...
''pozoj'' was said to dwell beneath the city, with its head under the church and tail under the town square, or vice versa, and it could only be gotten rid of by a ''grabancijaš'' (a "wandering scholar", glossed as a " black ">agicstudent").
The ''pozoj'' is also known in Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
, and according to legend there is one living underneath Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...
, causing an earthquake whenever it shrugs. Poet (1866) has published some tales concerning the pozoj in the '' Slovenski glasnik'' magazine, which also connected the creature to the ''črne škole dijak'' ("black school student"), which other Slovene sources call ''črnošolec'' ("sorcerer's apprentice"), and which some equate with a ''grabancijaš dijak''
Dragons in Slovenia are generally negative in nature, and usually appear in relation with St. George
Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
. The Slovene god-hero Kresnik is known as a dragonslayer
A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classific ...
.[
]
Representations
There are natural and man-made structures that have dragon lore attached to them. There are also representations in sculpture and painting. In iconography
Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...
, Saint George and the Dragon
In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...
is prominent in Slavic areas. The dragon is a common motif in heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
, and the coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
of a number of cities or families depict dragons.
The Dragon Bridge ( sl, Zmajski most) in Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
, Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
depicts dragons associated with the city or said to be the city's guardians, and the city's coat of arms features a dragon (representing the one slain by Kresnik).[
The coat of arms of Moscow also depicts a St George (symbolizing ]Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
) killing the Dragon (symbolizing the Golden Horde
The Golden Horde, self-designated as Ulug Ulus, 'Great State' in Turkic, was originally a Mongols, Mongol and later Turkicized khanate established in the 13th century and originating as the northwestern sector of the Mongol Empire. With the fr ...
).[Soboleva, N. A. (2002), ' 'Russian State Symbols: History and Modernity'' Moscow, Vlados, p. 43. .]
Some prehistoric structures, notably the Serpent's Wall near Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, have been associated with dragons as symbols of foreign peoples.
In popular culture
* ''Ilya Muromets
Ilya Muromets (russian: Илья Муромец), or Ilya of Murom, sometimes Ilya Murometz, is one of the ''bogatyrs'' (epic knights) in Bylinas of Kievan Rus.
He is often featured alongside fellow bogatyrs Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popo ...
'' (1956 film), Zmey Gorynych, or as 'Zuma the Fire Dragon' in the English version.
* (1965 animation, Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Union Cartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, Formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm) is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Launched in ...
)
* ("A Pavilion Neither in the Sky nor on the Earth", 1978 animation)
See also
* Chuvash dragon
Verechelen ( Chuvash: ''Вӗрӗҫӗлен'' (; ) or ''Вӗриҫӗлен, Вӗриҫлен, Вриҫлен'', Russian: ''Вереселень'') also known as Chuvash dragons which are winged fire-breathing and shape shifting dragons. The legend ...
* Smok Wawelski
''Smok'' (meaning "dragon" in Polish) is an extinct genus of large carnivorous archosaur. It lived during the latest Triassic period (latest Norian to early Rhaetian stage, between 205–200 Ma). Its remains have been found in Lisowice, ...
– dragon of Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
* Zahhak
Zahhāk or Zahāk () ( fa, ضحّاک), also known as Zahhak the Snake Shoulder ( fa, ضحاک ماردوش, Zahhāk-e Mārdoush), is an evil figure in Persian mythology, evident in ancient Persian folklore as Azhi Dahāka ( fa, اژی دهاک ...
(or ''Aži Dahāka'') – Iranian dragon
* žaltys
A žaltys (, literally: ''grass snake'') is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. As sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė, it is a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility. People used to keep it as a pet by the stove or other spe ...
* zduhać
A zduhać ( Cyrillic: здухаћ, ) and vetrovnjak (ветровњак, []) in Serbian tradition, and a dragon man in Bulgarians, Bulgarian, Macedonians (ethnic group), Macedonian and southern Serbian traditions, were men believed to have an in ...
* Zilant – dragon of Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
* Zirnitra – Wendish dragon and god of sorcery
* Dobrynya Nikitich and Zmey Gorynych
''Dobrinya and the Dragon'' (russian: Добрыня Никитич и Змей Горыныч, ''Dobrynya Nikitich i Zmey Gorynych'', ) is a Russian traditionally animated feature film directed by Ilya Maksimov, made by Melnitsa Animation Studi ...
(2006 animated feature film)
* Mavrud
Mavrud (, from Greek, μαυρό ''(mavró)'', "black") is a red wine grape that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines, indigenous to the Balkan region. It's growing in some regions in Albania, Thrace region in Bulgaria, some re ...
wine - story of a lion or lamya defeated by hero
* Coats of arms of Ljubljana
Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center.
During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...
* Serpent's Wall, according to a legend, plowed by a dragon
Explanatory notes
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
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Further reading
* Baeva, Virha.
Loved by a Dragon: Topoi and Idiosyncrasies in Oral Narratives from Bulgaria
. In: ''Études balkaniques'' 1 (2016): 128-150.
*"Zmeys and Zmeyitsas (Bulgarian)". In: Sherman, Josepha (2008). ''Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore''. Sharpe Reference. p. 522.
{{Slavic mythology
Slavic legendary creatures, Dragons
Bulgarian folklore
Russian mythology
European dragons
Magic (supernatural)
Characters in Bylina
Slovene mythology
Mythical many-headed creatures