"Vila Velebita" (, often translated as 'Fairy of Velebit') is a

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 ...

n patriotic song. It originates from the second half of the 19th century, after the

Illyrian movement The Illyrian movement ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Ilirski pokret, Илирски покрет; sl, Ilirsko gibanje) was a pan-South-Slavic cultural and political campaign with roots in the early modern period, and revived by a group of young Croatian inte ...

. Its earliest recorded public performance was in 1882 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

, on the Croatian singing society "Kolo"'s twentieth anniversary party. The first recording of the lyrics and the melody dates from 1893, when

Vjekoslav Klaić Vjekoslav Klaić (21 June 1849 – 1 July 1928) was a Croatian historian and writer, most famous for his monumental work ''History of the Croats''. Klaić was born in Garčin near Slavonski Brod as the son of a teacher. He was raised in German ...

recorded it in the ''Hrvatska pjesmarica'' (lit. Croatian Songbook). He wrote down the first verse based on

Vjenceslav Novak Vjenceslav Novak (11 September 1859 in Senj – 20 September 1905 in Zagreb) was a Croatian Realist writer, dramatist, and music historian. He was born into an emigrant Czech family, of which his mother was from an emigrant Bavarian family. ...

's rendition of how the people of

Senj Senj (; it, Segna, la, Senia, Hungarian and german: Zengg) is a town on the upper Adriatic coast in Croatia, in the foothills of the Mala Kapela and Velebit mountains. The symbol of the town is the Nehaj Fortress ( hr, Tvrđava Nehaj) whic ...

sang it. The original author remains unknown, but it was sometimes ascribed to the poets Danilo Medić or to Lavoslav Vukelić, while some sources claim the melody was written by the composer Mijo Majer. While ''vila'' is often translated as "fairy" (as below), ''vilas'' are supernatural beings in Slavic folklore quite different from English fairies.

Lyrics

{, !Croatian, , English translation , - , ''Oj ti vilo, vilo Velebita,''
''Ti našeg roda diko,''
''Tvoja slava jeste nama sveta,''
''Tebi Hrvat kliko:'' : ''Ti vilo Velebita,'' : ''Ti našeg roda diko!'' : ''Živila, premila,'' : ''Živila, premila,'' : ''Živila, oj premila,'' : ''Ti vilo svih Hrvata!'' ''Velebite, vilovito stijenje,''
''Ja ljubim tvoje smilje.''
''Ljubim tvoga u gorici vuka,''
''Ličkoga hajduka.'' : ''Ti vilo Velebita'' : ''Ti našeg roda diko!'' : ''Živila, premila,'' : ''Živila, premila,'' : ''Živila, oj premila,'' : ''Ti vilo svih Hrvata!'' , Oh fairy, fairy of

Velebit Velebit (; it, Alpi Bebie) is the largest, though not the highest, mountain range in Croatia. The range forms a part of the Dinaric Alps and is located along the Adriatic coast, separating it from Lika in the interior. Velebit begins in the nor ...

,
The pride of our kin,
Your glory is holy to us,
A

Croat The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, Ge ...

exults to you: : Fairy of Velebit, : The pride of our kin! : Long live, most dearest, : Long live, most dearest, : Long live, oh dearest, : The fairy of all Croats! Velebit, the rocks of fairies,
I cherish your immortelle.
I cherish the mountain

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

,
The

hajduk A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...

of Lika. : Fairy of Velebit, : The pride of our kin! : Long live, most dearest, : Long live, most dearest, : Long live, oh dearest, : The fairy of all Croats!

Sources

*Vladimir Jagarić: ''Dileme oko nastanka popijevke "Vila Velebita"'', ''Hrvatski planinar'' 84 (1992), p11-12 Croatian patriotic songs 19th-century songs Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown

Lyrics

See also

Sources