Monika Kropej Focusing on Slovenian mythology, the book contains a review of Slovenian mythological, historical, and narrative material. Over 150 supernatural beings are presented, both lexically and according to the role SUPERNATURAL that they have in Slovenian folklore. ey are classied by type, characteristic features, and by the message conveyed in their motifs and contents. e material has been analysed in the context of European and BEINGS some non-European mythological concepts, and the author deals with FROM SLOVENIAN MYTH AND FOLKTALES theory and interpretations as well as the conclusions of domestic and foreign researchers. e book forms new starting points and a C classication of supernatural beings within a frame of a number of M sources, some of which have been published for the rst time in this book. Y CM Monika Kropej is a Research Advisor of the Institute of Slovenian MY Ethnology at the Scientic Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of CY CMY Sciences and Arts, where she works in the section for folk narrative K research. She is the author of the books Pravljica in stvarnost (Folk Tale and Reality), Od ajda do zlatoroga – Slovenska bajeslovna bitja (From Ajd to Goldenhorn – Slovenian Supernatural Beings) and A Treasury of Slovenian Folk Tales. She is co-editor of the journal Studia mythologica Slavica, and a recipient of the 1996 Golden Emblem of the Scientic Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts. AND FOLKTALES MYTH FROM SLOVENIAN BEINGS SUPERNATURAL 29 € ISSN 1581-9744 Kropej Monika 7896129 544287 STUDIA MYTHOLOGICA SLAVICA SUPPLEMENTA SUPPLEMENTUM 6 Zbirka/Series STUDIA MYTHOLOGICA SLAVICA – SUPPLEMENTA Supplementum 6 Uredniki zbirke/Editors of the Series Monika Kropej, Andrej Pleterski, Vlado Nartnik Monika Kropej SUPERNATURAL BEINGS FROM SLOVENIAN MYTH AND FOLKTALES Prevod/Translated by Nives Sulič Dular in/and Valentina Batagelj Lektoriranje/Proof reader: Terry Troy Jackson Oblikovanje/Graphic art and design JJK design Izdala in založila/ Published by Založba ZRC v sodelovanju z Inštitutom za slovensko narodopisje ZRC SAZU ZRC Publishing in association with the Institute od Slovenian Ethnology at ZRC SAZU Zanj/Represented by Ingrid Slavec Gradišnik in/and Oto Luthar Glavni urednik/Editor-in-Chief Aleš Pogačnik Tisk/Printed by Collegium Graphicum, d.o.o., Ljubljana Slika na ovitku/Cover picture Zvonko Čoh, “Črnošolec” (Sorcerer’s Apprentice) Studia Mythologica Slavica Spletna stran/Webpage: http://sms.zrc-sazu.si CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 398.4(497.4) KROPEJ, Monika Supernatural beings from Slovenian myth and folktales / Monika Kropej ; [prevod Nives Sulič Dular in Valentina Batagelj]. - Ljubljana : Založba ZRC = ZRC Publishing : Inštitut za slovensko narodopisje ZRC SAZU = Institute of Slovenian Ethnology at ZRC SAZU, 2012. - (Zbirka Studia mythologica Slavica. Supplementa, ISSN 1581-9744 ; suppl. 6) ISBN 978-961-254-428-7 265590528 Knjiga je izšla s pomočjoAgencije za raziskovalno dejavnost RS / Published with the support of the Slovenian Research Agency. Copyright 2012, Založba ZRC/ZRC Publishing, ZRC SAZU, Ljubljana Vse pravice pridržane. Noben del te izdaje ne sme biti reproduciran, shranjen ali prepisan v katerikoli obliki oz. na katerikoli način, bodisi elektronsko, mehansko, s fotokopiranjem ali kako drugače, brez predhodnega pisnega dovoljenja lastnikov avtorskih pravic (copyright)./ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior premission of the publishers. M ONIKA KropeJ SUPERNATURAL BEINGS FROM SLOVENIAN MYTH AND FOLKTALES SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTRE OF THE SLOVENIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND ARTS LJUBLJANA 2012 CONTENTS Preface ................................................................................................................................9 COSMOLOGY ...............................................................................................................13 Creation of the World ...............................................................................................15 Faronika the Fish .......................................................................................................19 The World Is Supported by a Bull .......................................................................20 Kurent ..........................................................................................................................22 The Formation of Fertile Soil ...............................................................................23 Folktales about Kurent .........................................................................................30 The Central Slavic myth ...........................................................................................34 Perun and Veles .....................................................................................................34 Kresnik ...................................................................................................................35 Zeleni Jurij (Green George) ..................................................................................45 Mother Goddess, Mokoš ......................................................................................47 Jarnik, the Wolf-Shepherd ...................................................................................53 Zlatorog – Goldenhorn .............................................................................................58 The Wild Hunter ...................................................................................................64 The Miraculous Flower .........................................................................................68 The Mountain Treasures and the Mysterious Hoofed Animals .....................70 Svarog ..........................................................................................................................77 Triglav..........................................................................................................................79 Belenus and Belestis ..................................................................................................81 The Tenth Child .........................................................................................................85 Mythical Animals ..............................................................................................97 The Unicorn ................................................................................................................98 The White Hind .........................................................................................................99 Sea Horse and Centaur (Polkonj) ............................................................................99 Snake ......................................................................................................................... 101 The Water Snake ..................................................................................................102 The Snake Queen or the Snake King ................................................................102 Snake as the Mythical Ancestor ........................................................................104 Snake as the soul of a deceased .........................................................................104 Chasing away the snakes ...................................................................................106 Dragon .......................................................................................................................108 Atmospheric Dragon and the Dragon from the Rooster’s Egg ....................108 Chasing away the dragons ................................................................................. 111 The defeated dragons .......................................................................................... 113 The Ljubljana Dragon and the Argonauts ...................................................... 114 Basilisk (Bazilisk)................................................................................................. 115 Malavar ................................................................................................................. 116 Močerad, Meglenščak, Modras ........................................................................ 117 Modras (Viper) .................................................................................................... 117 Viza ....................................................................................................................... 118 Mythological birds .................................................................................................. 118 Rooster .................................................................................................................. 118 Bird of Paradise and the Golden Bird .............................................................. 119 Animals in Star Constellations – The Bear ..........................................................121 BETWEEN HEAVEN and EARTH .......................................................................125 The Giants .................................................................................................................126 The Golden, Silver and the Bronze Age and the Giants Ajdi( ) .....................126 The Rib of the Pagan Girl in Gornji Grad .......................................................127 Giants Building Castles on the Mountains .....................................................128