Drekavac

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Drekavac (literally "the yeller") is a mythical creature in south Slavic mythology.

Contents 1 Original beliefs 2 Similar creatures 3 Modern sightings 4 In Fiction 5 Trivia 6 References

[edit] Original beliefs

Drekavac comes from the soul of a dead unbaptised child^[1].

The creature is not consistently described. One description is that its body is dappled, elongated and thin as a spindle, with disproportionately large head^[1]; yet another is that it is some kind of bird^[2]; a modern find of supposed drekavac body looked like a dog or a fox, but with hind legs similar to those of kangaroo^[3]. It may also appear in the form of a child^[1]. The one feature everyone agrees about is its horrifying yell.

Drekavac could be seen at night, especially during the twelve days of Christmas (called unbaptised days in Serbian) and in early spring, in time where other demons appear most often^[1]. In the form of the child it predicts someone's death, but in the form of the animal, it predicts cattle disease^[1]. Drekavac rarely bothers its parents, as it is afraid of dogs^[1].

Drekavac is often used as a child scare, in a similar way a bogeyman is in the West. It is probably more useful than bogeymen in rural areas, as children will surely sometimes hear a sound of some animal and attribute it to drekavac, thus becoming convinced that it really exists; which would then probably prevent them to wander far from home. In the cities, however, belief in it has faded, and Baba Roga, which more closely resembles western bogeyman, is much more used.

It is also believed that there are some variations of Drekavac (some regiond describe him a bit different that the others), but his size is often said to be one meter in height and sometimes more (It's walking on four legs). According to some stories Drekavac can live in packs. He is told to be living, less or more, deep in caves and tunnels.

Generally it is believed that Drekavac can not be killed or pass on until its soul finds its peace.

Other believed attributes

• In some parts of Serbia and Balkans it is believed that one must first have a dream about Drekavac to actually encounter one. Also Drekavac can strangle people while they are sleeping, if they did something bad to him while being a human.

• It is believed that when Drekavac screams all night long someone from the house that heard it well, will die.

• Also, it is believed that if the shadow of Drekavac falls upon some person that that person will turn sick and die.

• In some places it is believed that Drekavac's cry is due to his long fur, on which it steps often, and then yells in pain.

• It is also believed that Drekavac is afraid of light.

[edit] Similar creatures

• Bukavac, recorded in Srem, a six-legged monster with gnarled horns which lives in water, coming out of it during the night making big noise, strangling people and animals^[4].
• Jaud, similar to drekavac, becoming from a vampirised premature baby^[5].
• Nava
• Nekrštenac
• Plakavac, recorded in Herzegovina, is a small vampire, becoming of a newborn strangled by its mother, which will rise from its grave at night, return to its house and scream around it, but otherwise can't do any harm^[6].
• Svirac

[edit] Modern sightings

Though the creature is used as a child scare, adults do believe in its existence. According to the guide of a reporter of Duga magazine, numerous villagers on the mountain of Zlatibor report seeing it, and almost everyone reports hearing it^[7]. In 1992, it was reported that in the Krvavicka river the villagers have found remains of an animal which doesn't look like any known, and claimed that it is drekavac; it looked like a dog or fox, but with hind legs similar to those of kangaroo^[3]. A more recent encounter is from 2003; in the village of Tometino Polje near Divcibare, a series of attacks on sheep took place, not unlike those which are in other parts of the world attributed to chupacabras, and some villagers have concluded that they must have been perpetrated by a drekavac; other have concluded that it could not have been a drekavac because they have only heard the yells during the night, and sheep were mutilated during the day^[2].

[edit] In Fiction

Drekavac is rarely depicted in the modern fantasy. An exception is the Magic: The Gathering card. Belief in drekavac is sometimes described in fiction. An example is the book Eagles Fly Early by Branko Copic. A more recent and much more popular example comes from the movie Pretty Village, Pretty Flame where (lack of) belief in drekavac is present in one of the central points of the movie:

Halil (Bosnian Muslim): "Who torched my house?"

Milan (Bosnian Serb): "And who slaughtered my mother?"

Halil: "I haven't slaughtered your mother."

Milan: "And I haven't torched your house."

Halil: "Then who did, Milan? Maybe it was drekavac from the tunnel?"

Serbian TCG Izvori Magije says this about Drekavac: "Big headed and with long thin necks, Drekavac often jump out of whirpools to attack people who are returning home from watermills." Source for this is Slavic mythology. Card is named Drekavac iz vira meaning Drekavac from whirpool.

[edit] Trivia

• While the word "Drekavac" can mean "the yeller", a more correct meaning is "One that cries while yelling" taken from noun "Drečati" (commonly means baby cry). This is due to belief that Drekavac is a soul of unbaptised child.

Slavic mythology v • d • e

Major Gods Dazbog • Jarilo • Morana • Perun • Siwa • Svantevit • Svarog/Svarogich • Triglav • Veles • Zorya Other Gods Belobog • Berstuk • Chernobog • Dziewona • Hors • Flins • Karewit • Lado • Mat Zemlya • Mokosh • Oźwiena • Perperuna • Porenut • Porewit • Porvata • Radigost • Rod • Rugiewit • Stribog • Zirnitra • Zlota Baba Legendary heroes Alyosha Popovich • Bash Chelik • Burislav • Dobrynya Nikitich • Ilya Muromets • Ivan Tsarevich • Lech, Czech, and Rus • Libuše • Marko Kraljevic • Sadko • Solovey-Razboynik Magical creatures and plants Alkonost • Cikavac • Firebird • Gamayun • Raskovnik • Simargl • Sirin • Zmey Spirits and demons Baba Yaga • Bagiennik • Bannik • Bies • Boginki • Bukavac • Domovoi • Drekavac • Karzelek • Kikimora • Koschei • Lady midday • Leshiy • Likho • Polevik • Rusalka • Skrzak • Stuhać • Sudice • Vila • Topielec • Vampir • Vodyanoy

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Š. Kulišić, P. Ž. Petrović, N. Pantelić [1970]. “Дрекавац”, Српски митолошки речник (in Serbian). Belgrade: Nolit, 110.
2. ^ ^{a b} Z. Šaponjić. "I drekavac sumnjiv", Glas Javnosti, 2003-10-20. (in Serbian)
3. ^ ^{a b} "Gimnastika na poledici".
4. ^ Š. Kulišić, P. Ž. Petrović, N. Pantelić [1970]. “Букавац”, Српски митолошки речник (in Serbian). Belgrade: Nolit, 48.
5. ^ Š. Kulišić, P. Ž. Petrović, N. Pantelić [1970]. “Јауд”, Српски митолошки речник (in Serbian). Belgrade: Nolit, 157.
6. ^ Š. Kulišić, P. Ž. Petrović, N. Pantelić [1970]. “Плакавац”, Српски митолошки речник (in Serbian). Belgrade: Nolit, 236.
7. ^ "Ljudi i vreme".