Sava Savanović ( sr-cyr, Сава Савановић) is one of the most famous

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

s in

Balkan The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...

and

Serbian folklore Serbian folklore is the folk traditions among ethnic Serbs. The earliest examples of Serbian folklore are seen in the pre-Christian Slavic customs transformed into Christianity. Roots and characteristics Folklore The Apostles of the Slavs, Cyr ...

Legend

Sava Savanović was said to have lived in an old

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

on the Rogačica river, at Zarožje village in the municipality of

Bajina Bašta Bajina Bašta ( sr-Cyrl, Бајина Башта, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina river at the eastern edge of Tara National Park. According to the 2022 ce ...

.Politika: Sava Savanović još čeka da postane srpski brend
/ref> It was said that he killed and drank the blood of the millers when they came to mill their grains. Although he is usually said to have been the first Serbian vampire, there are claims that he was pre-dated in Serbian folklore by Petar Blagojević from Kisiljevo, who died in 1725. Blagojević and the affair surrounding him came to European attention at the time, under the name Peter Plogojowitz, and represented one of the earliest examples of vampire hysteria. Still, Sava Savanović remains today as the best known vampire in Serbia.

Watermill

The watermill is located from the Bajina Bašta–

Valjevo Valjevo (Serbian Cyrillic: Ваљево, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Kolubara District in western Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population of 56,145 while the city admini ...

road, in the deep valley of the Rogačica river. The location of the mill has been described as a "narrow and dark ravine". For the last several decades the watermill associated with Savanović has been owned by the Jagodić family, and is usually called "Jagodića vodenica" (''Jagodići's watermill''). It was in operation until the late 1950s. After its closure, it became a tourist site along with other attractions in Valjevo and nearby villages. By the early 2010s, the ownership problems were resolved and the local administration had the watermill made of wood and stone reconstructed and adapted into a proper tourist attraction. Plans also included that the watermill be operational again, producing the flour named after Sava Savanović while the local farmers would sell honey and

rakia Rakia, rakija, rakiya, rachiu or rakı (), is the collective term for fruit spirits (or fruit brandy) popular in the Balkans. The alcohol content of rakia is normally 40% ABV, but home-produced rakia can be stronger (typically 50–80%). Ov ...

. A construction of the proper road to which would connect it to the main one was also planned. Author of the reconstruction project was architect Aleksandar Gavović. The first finished project was the road, but just a month after it was completed, the mill collapsed in 2012. The municipal authorities issued a

tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...

public health warning, advising people that Savanović was now free to look for a new home. In 2011, it was evident that it may collapse soon, but local authorities hoped it would make it to the reconstruction. The project of recreating the watermill in its authentic form was made, but it lacked funding. Originally, only the roof collapsed (in 2012) but in the subsequent years, the wooden walls buckled as well. By December 2018, the mill was reconstructed and the access road was partially improved. The foundations and the pillars were reinforced and the new roof was built and tiled. Works are scheduled to continue in the spring of 2019 when the mill wheel, grinding stone, and artificial widening of the stream will be finished. After this is completed, the mill should become operational again.

In culture

Sava Savanović appears in the story ''Posle devedeset godina'' (''Ninety Years Later''), written by the Serbian realist writer

Milovan Glišić Milovan Glišić (6 January 1847 – 20 January 1908) was a Serbian writer, novelist, dramatist, translator, and literary theorist. He is sometimes referred to as ''the Serbian Gogol''. Legacy Glišić is considered to be one of the best ...

, and in the

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

'' Leptirica'' inspired by the story. He also appears in the novel ''Strah i njegov sluga'' (''Fear and His Servant'') written by Mirjana Novaković. In January 2010, city of

selected the mythical Sava Savanović as the touristic mascot of the city and the entire

Kolubara The Kolubara ( sr-cyr, Колубара, ) is a long river in western Serbia; it is an eastern, right tributary to the Sava river. Due to the many long tributaries creating a branchy system within the river's drainage basin, the short Kolubara ...

region. Zarožje and Valjevo are on the opposing sides of the

Povlen Povlen () is a mountain in western Serbia, located thirty kilometers west of Valjevo. It has several peaks, the three most important being Small Povlen (), Middle Povlen () and Big Povlen (), which is, ironically, the lowest. Geography It bel ...

mountain, but both claim Savanović as their brand. Local community of Zarožje threatened to sue the city, but ultimately only reported to the police in Bajina Bašta that Savanović was "stolen from them". Sava Savanović briefly appears in the

Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. He is interested in film history and horror fiction – both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at the age of eleven & ...

novel ''One Thousand Monsters'' in the

Anno Dracula ''Anno Dracula'' is a 1992 horror novel by British writer Kim Newman, the first in the ''Anno Dracula'' series. It is an alternate history using 19th-century English historical settings and personalities, along with characters from popular fict ...

series. One of the vampire refugees in Tokyo, his severed head is seen rolling out of the melee during the climactic battle for Yokai Town.

References

External links

Folklore info about Sava Savanović on Zarozje.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savanovic, Sava Serbian mythology Vampires Fictional Serbian people Slavic folklore characters Legendary Serbian people People from Bajina Bašta

Legend

Watermill

In culture

See also

References

External links