BasCelik
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BasCelik, also spelled Bash Tchelik, (Serbian for "real steal") is the great villain of his own eponymous story, similar to the Brothers Grimm's "The Crystal Orb" (Aarne-Thompson type 552A), for he hid his soul in a crystal mountain, in an egg, inside a bird, inside a fox. He kidnapped the wife of the hero of the story and forced her to work as his slave. He was an old man bound to a wall, but when the hero filled his request for water, he became extremely powerful, pulled his chains out of the wall, and unfolded enormous wings. He immediately flew off and captured the man's wife, for she was the daughter of the king who had imprisoned him. The husband was only able to defeat BasCelik with favors from his brothers-in-law, animal kings.
Actually Bash-Chelik is a Turkish word and it means Iron Head. Bash-Chelik is also a first Serbian boardgame based on same folk story and Slavic mythology.
In 1950, BasCelik was the villain of Cutotvorni Mac (The Wonderful Sword, sometimes rendered The Magic Sword, but not to be confused with the much later Bert I. Gordon film) a film by Vojislav Nanovic. In this film, BasCelik could only be slain by a particular sword. In the original legend, no weapon could harm him. Only denying him water would reduce his strength.
Bash Tchelik is part of the Monster in My Pocket series.
[edit] Sources
Woislav Petrovitch. Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians. Harrap, 1917.
Alan Garner. The Hamish Hamilton Book of Goblins. Hamilton, 1969.
Garner's version, by his own admission, is a free adapation of Petrovitch's.
Monster in My Pocket: The Scholar's Resource: Bash Tchelik invokes both versions, and materials gleaned from internet sources.
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