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ALPINEALPINE STORIESSTORIESCOLLECTIONCOLLECTIONGimnazija Slovenj GradecGimnazija Slovenj Gradec Santorre di SantarosaSantorre di Santarosa BORG MonsbergerBORG Monsberger

Erasmus+ Alpine stories PROJECT WORK COLLECTION 2022–2024

8-121 Slovenske alpske zgodbe/Slovenian Alpine Stories 8–13 Slovanski mit o izvoru/Slavic Origin Myth – Špela Hriberšek 14–121 Slovenski bogovi in mitološka bitja/Slovenian Gods and Mythological Creatures, Gimnazija Slovenj Gradec 16–18 Triglav – Vanesa Glinšek 19-23 Zlatorog/Goldhorn – Mineja Glinšek 24–25 Perun – Jani Smolar, Bibliban 26–28 Veles – Nika Smrekar 29 Perun & Veles – Rok Klančnik 30–39 Slovanske boginje/Slavic Goddesses & Julijina zgodba o sestrah boginjah/Julija’s Story about the Sister Goddesses – Julija Košak 40 Mokoš – Kaja Koren 41–43 Divji možje in divje žene/Wild Men and Wild Women – Janja Planinšec 44–45 Belin & Belena – Janja Planinšec 46–47 The Gods of War, Wind and Darkness – Tin Sekavčnik 48–59 Jaga baba/Baba Yaga & Leonova zgodba o Jagi babi/Leon’s Story about Baba Yaga – Leon Prater, Rok Klančnik 60–65 Rokova zgodba o Kurentu/Rok’s Story about Kurent – Rok Klemenc 66–69 Zeleni Jurij in Marjetica/Green Jurij and Marjetica – Staš Konečnik 70–76 Povodni mož/Merman – Manca Tisnikar Svečko 77–81 Vile/Fairies – Maja Bračič 82–88 Škratje in palčki/Goblins and Dwarves – Naja Novak 89–94 Konji/Horses – Una Lupša 95–98 Vampirji in volkodlaki/Vampires and Werewolves – Daša Pažek 99–103 Smrt in poosebljene nadloge/Death and the Personified Plagues – Maja Vrhovnik 104–107 Duše živih in mrtvih/The Souls of the Living and the Dead – Kaja Sinreih 108–110 Ptice/Birds – Alina Jamnik 111–113 Velikani/Giants – Živa Kostanjevec 114–119 Zmaji/Dragons – Teja Sinreih 120–121 Nemški in italijanski prevodi slovenskih alpskih zgodb / German and Italian translations of Slovenian Alpine stories VSEBINA/CONTENTS

122–133 Avstrijske alpske zgodbe/Austrian Alpine stories – BORG Monsberger Graz 134-141 Italijanske alpske zgodbe/Italian Alpine stories – Ils Santorre di Santarosa Torino 142-177 Slovenski recepti iz alpskih zelišč/Slovenian Alpine herb recipes – Gimnazija Slovenj Gradec 178-197 Avstrijski recepti iz alpskih zelišč/Austrian Alpine herb recipes – BORG Monsberger Graz 198-203 Italijanski recepti iz alpskih zelišč/Italian Alpine herb recipes – Ils Santorre di Santarosa Torino 204-205 Logotipi projekta in kolofon/Project logos and colophon VSEBINA/CONTENTS

Riba Faronika Med Slovenci se je ohranilo izročilo, da je Faronika noseča riba, kipodpira svet. Ko se ta riba zgane, povzroči potres, če se potopi, papovzroči konec sveta. O ribi Faroniki govori tudi slovenska ljudska pesem. V njej Jezusprosi Faroniko, naj ne zmahne z repom in naj se ne potopi, da ne bopogubila sveta: Riba po morju plava, riba Faronika. Jezus za njo priplava po morju globočin. ʺO le čakaj, čakaj, riba, riba Faronika!Te bomo kaj prašali, kak se po svet godi.ʺ ʺČe bom jest z mojim repom zvila, ves svet potopljen bo; če se bom jest na moj hrbt zvrnila, ves svet pogubljen bo.ʺ ʺO nikar, nikar, riba, riba Faronika!Zavolj nedolžnih otročičev, zavolj porodnih žen.ʺ 1Slavic Origin MythSLOVANSKI MIT O IZVORU

Fish Faronika A tradition has been preserved among Slovenians that Faronika is apregnant fish that supports the world. When this fish moves, itcauses an earthquake, and if it sinks, it causes the end of the world. There is a Slovenian folk song that talks about fish Faronika. In itJesus asks Faronika not to swing her tail and not to move, so thatshe doesn’t doom the world: A fish swims in the sea, fish Faronika. Jesus swims after her across the sea of depths. “Oh, wait, wait, fish, fish Faronika! We’re going to ask you something, how is the world.” “If I twist my tail, the whole world will be submerged; if I roll on my back, the whole world will be destroyed.” “Oh, don’t, don’t, fish, fish Faronika. For the innocent children’s sake, for the sake of women in labor.”

Nebesni petelin in razbito jajce Zemlja je bila nekoč pusta, celotno površje je pokrivalo kamenje.Bog je zato na svet poslal nebesnega petelina, svojega spremljevalca,ki je na zemljo znesel jajce. Ko je to počilo, je iz njega priteklo sedemrek in Zemlja je postala rodovitna. Ljudje so živeli brez obveznosti,petelin pa jim je sleherni dan kikirikal, kdaj naj vstanejo, kdaj najgredo jest in delat. Ljudje pa so se kmalu naveličali petelinovega petja in so prosiliBoga, naj jih reši te živali. Bog je uslišal njihovo nespametno željo innebesni petelin je odšel. Ljudje so postajali vedno bolj nejevoljni,začeli so živeti po svoje. Njihova predrznost je rasla in pojavile so sebolezni. Ker so želeli več vode, so si dovolili razbiti petelinovo jajce.Iz njega je priteklo toliko vode, da se je utopil ves človeški rod. Rešil se je le stražar, ki je splezal na vrh gore. Tam je stala vinska trta,ki je segala do neba. Kranjec se je je v upanju prijel in ni je izpustildevet let, hranil se je z njenim grozdjem in vinom. Ker je biloKurentu, bogu veselja in vina, po godu, da se je stražar oprijelnjegovega drevesa, ga je rešil pred poplavo in voda je odtekla. The Heavenly Rooster And The Broken Egg The Earth was once dull, the whole surface was covered in stone.And so God sent the heavenly rooster, his companion, to lay an eggon the Earth. When the egg cracked, seven rivers poured out of itand the Earth became fertile. People lived without responsibilitiesand the rooster crowed every day, telling the people when theyshould get up, when they should eat and when they should work.But people soon grew tired of the rooster’s singing and they askedGod to free them of the animal. God granted their wish and theheavenly rooster went away. People became more and more annoyed, they started to live in theirown way. Their insolence grew and diseases appeared. Because theywanted more water, they broke the rooster's egg, and from the crackcame so much water, that it drowned the entire human race. The only survivor was a guard who had climbed to the top of themountain. There stood a grapevine that reached up to the sky. TheCarniola man clung to it, hopeful, and he did not let it go for nineyears, feeding on its grapes and wine. Because Kurent, the god ofjoy and wine, was pleased that a guard was clinging to his tree, hesaved him from the flood and the water went away.

1Slovenian Gods and Mythological CreaturesSLOVENSKI BOGOVI IN MITOLOŠKA BITJA

Triglav Triglav je baltoslovanski troglavi bog, prav tako pa je Triglav ssvojimi 2864 metri najvišja gora Slovenije. Obstaja kakšna povezavamed njima? Začnimo na začetku. V besedi Triglav najprej opazimoštevilo tri. Število tri je sveto število, ki naj bi predstavljalopopolnost in celovitost. Prav tako so imeli v legendah mitični junakitrojno moč: tri glave, tri srca ali tri življenja. Trojnost združuje tuditri pomembne pojme, lastnosti, osebe ali stvari. Poleg števila trilahko opazimo tudi, da ima Triglav tri glave, ki naj bi predstavljalenjegovo upravljanje s tremi svetovi: podzemeljskim, zemeljskim innebeškim. Prav zaradi tega naj bi v božanstvu Triglava mnogiznanstveniki videli združitev treh bogov v enega. Združili naj bi sePerun, Veles in Mokoš. Združevanje najpomembnejših božanstevpoteka na gori Triglav, ki je postala sveta gora, svetovna os oz. takoimenovani popek sveta. V cerkvi sv. Martina pri Silberbergu je bilacelo najdena kamnita skulptura, ki ima na glavi tri obraze. Na desnistrani in na vratu sta vklesana še dva obraza, ki bi lahko predstavljalaostanek troglavih bogov Slovanov. Skulptura, ki spominja naTriglava, je bila najdena tudi na Koroškem v cerkvi sv. Helene naŠtalenski gori nad Gosposvetskim poljem. Triglav ima tudi črnegakonja s sedlom, okrašenim z zlatom in srebrom. Njegovo glavo pakrasi zlata preveza, ki naj bi preprečila, da bi videl človeške grehe.Imel je tudi prerokovalno moč, ki se je izvajala s pomočjo kopij. Naša najvišja gora, imenovana Triglav, pa naj bi bila območjebivanja različnih mitoloških bitij, kot so bele žene, večglave kače,Zlatorog in Zeleni lovec. Ravno zaradi tega so mnogi mnenja, da jeime najvišje slovenske gore izpeljano prav iz boga Triglava, a o temni dosti znanega. Tudi v Srbiji lahko zasledimo poznavanje Triglava,ki ga imenujejo Trajan oz. Trojan. Trojan ima prav tako tri glave inje v srbskih ljudskih pesmih označen kot bog vojne. Ena glava požiraljudi, druga živino in tretja ribe. V svet je odhajal ponoči, torej jelunarni, bajeslovni lik htonskega značaja. Znana je tudi bohinjska varianta, kjer so Triglava enačili z drevesoms tremi vrhovi. Predvidevali so, da bi naj ustvaril prvega človeka, insicer žensko. Bohinjsko jezero in gora Triglav pa naj bi nastala, ko seje Triglav dvignil in je luknjo za njim zalila voda. Njegova žena Babanaj bi še danes ležala v dolini. Obstaja tudi morebitno istovetenjeTriglava s Černobogom zaradi skupne črne barve in podobnosti vimenu. Gora Triglav je pri nas upodobljena tudi na grbu, ki krasinašo zastavo, prav tako pa je upodobljen na kovancu za 50 centov. Triglav Triglav is a Balto-Slavic three-headed god. Triglav is also the highestmountain in Slovenia with its 2864 meters. Is there a connectionbetween them? The first thing we notice in the word Triglav is thenumber three. Number three is a sacred number that representsperfection and integrity. In legends, mythical heroes also had triplepowers: three heads, three hearts or three lives. Triplency alsocombines three important notions, traits, persons or things. Besidesthe number three, we can also notice that Triglav has three heads,which are supposed to represent his management of the threeworlds: underground, earthy and heavenly. Because of that in thedeity of Triglav many scientists see the merging of the three godsinto one, Perun, Veles and Mokoš. The most important deities arebrought together on mountain Triglav, which has become thesacred mountain, the world axis or the so-called navel of the world.A stone sculpture with three faces on its head was even found at StMartin's Church near Silberberg (Austria). On the right side and onthe neck are carved two more faces, which could represent theremains of the three-headed gods of the Slavs. A sculptureresembling Triglav was also found in the church of St. Helena naŠtalenski gori nad Gosposvetskim poljem. Triglav also has a blackhorse with a saddle decorated with gold and silver. On his head is agolden bandage that prevents him to see the human sins. It also haddivinatory powers, which were performed with spears.

Our highest mountain, Triglav wasalso home to many mythologicalcreatures such as White wives,Multi-Headed Snakes, Goldenhornand the Green Hunter. This is whymany people believe that the nameof Slovenia's highest mountain isderived from the god Triglav, butnot much is known about this. InSerbia, Triglav is called Trajan orTrojan. Trojan also has three headsand is referred to as the god of warin Serbian folk songs. One headdevours humans, another livestockand the third fish. He went out intothe world at night, so he is a lunar,mythological character of chthoniccharacter. The Bohinj variant is alsoknown, where Triglav was likenedto a tree with three peaks. It wasthought that he created the firsthuman being, a woman. LakeBohinj and mountain Triglav wereformed when Triglav rose and thehole behind it was flooded. His wifeBaba is said to be still lying in thevalley. There is also a possibleidentification of Triglav withChernobog due to the commonblack colour and similarity in name.Mount Triglav is also depicted onour flag, and on the 50-cent coin.

Zlatorog Nekoč pred davnimi časi so blizu Bohinjskega jezera oz. natančnejena planini Jezera in na Komni prebivale bele žene oz. vile, ki so bileprijazne do vseh ljudi. Če pa si prišel blizu njih, so povzročile velikonaravnih nesreč, lahko se je sprožil plaz, lahko so bile nevihte, lahkopa tudi celo nalivi, kar je posledično privedlo do večjih poplav. Naskalovju se je pasla velika čreda koz, ki je pazljivo spremljalačlovekov vsak korak, saj je pazila na bele vile. Bele vile pa so imele poleg koz pod svojim okriljem Zlatoroga, ki jebil glavni vodnik koz in je imel posebno moč, ki so mu jo dale vile.Zlatorog je bil beli gams, ki ima zlate rogove, a ni imel samo tega, bilje tudi neranljiv. Torej tudi, če ga je kdo ranil, ustrelil, se je lahko ssvojo posebno močjo rešil. Če je pojedel samo en list takoimenovane zdravilne triglavske rože oz. v nekaterih pripovedkahrože mogote, je bil popolnoma ozdravljen. Ta posebna žival papooseblja nebesno, sončno življenje in ima vse zaklade ter prinašaživljenje. Mnogi ljudje pa so hrepeneli po njegovih zlatih rogovih,saj bi lahko z njimi prišli do zelo iskanega zlata v Bogatinu. A to nibilo tako preprosto, saj je zaklad pazljivo pazila večglava kača.Nekega dne sta v Trbižu v mestu blizu Italije bivala dva zaljubljenca,hči krčmarja in zelo dober lovec iz Trente, ki ga imenujejo kartrentarski lovec. Bil je najboljši lovec na tem območju, zato so gaspremljale in varovale bele vile. Nekega dne pa je bilo trgovanje.Prišel je nadpovprečno bogat laški trgovec in zaradi svoje bogatostise je vanj takoj zaljubila krčmarjeva hči. Lovcu je bilo zelo težko, arekla mu je, da ji tako ali tako nikoli ne prinese darila in če je že takodober lovec, bi ji lahko kdaj poklonil tudi triglavsko rožo, a očitnoše tega ne zmore. Lovec je bil razočaran in jezen. Naposled je odšelna lov, kjer je bil odločen, da bo prišel do zaklada. Na njegovo srečoje čez nekaj trenutkov srečal Zelenega lovca, ki mu je povedal, da sespozna na zaklade ter da veliko ve o zakladu na gori Bogatin. A mnogi so menili, da lovec ni verodostojen. Oba sta se skupajpodala na lov za Zlatorogom. Kar hitro sta ga zagledala in tako ga jelovec iz Trente ustrelil, pozabil pa je, da tega ne bi smel storiti, sajgamsa varujejo bele vile. Pazljivo sta ga opazovala. Videl je, da je priskalah rastla zdravilna roža, zraven nje pa tudi druge zdravilne rože,ki se jih je lovec pogosto posluževal, ker jih je nabiral za svojo bolnomater. Ob tej misli je že hotel obupati in se vdati, a vseeno jenjegova želja po zakladu prevladala, zato je nadaljeval. A kaj kmaluse je Zlatorog s pomočjo rože ozdravil. Karseda hitro je stekel protilovcu in ga pahnil čez prepad. Tako je lovec padel in želja po zakladuga je pahnila v pogubo. Govori se, da naj bi njegovo truplo vpomladnih mesecih po reki priplavalo mimo krčme, mrtvi lovec panaj bi v rokah imel tudi zdravilne rože. Zlatorog pa je v svoji jeziopustošil kraj in gorstvo. Mnogi ljudje so prišli obiskat te dežele, avendar je bilo vse pusto in osamljeno, saj so tako bele vile kot tudiZlatorog izginili iz tega ozemlja. Pravijo pa, da se Zlatorogovi odtisividijo in poznajo na skalah blizu Triglava, kar je osupljivo. Poleg Zlatoroga pa naj bi živel tudi Srebrnokrilec, ki je bil črn kozels srebrnimi krili in je zelo divjal po skalnatem gorovju ter imel obsebi fanta in se z njim na ramenih sprehajal po skalovju. A fant, ki jebil čarodej, ni imel velike sreče, saj je bil zaljubljen. To se na prvipogled sliši dobro, a na koncu se je izkazalo, da je bil zaljubljen včarovnico. Tudi ta gams je imel posebno moč, saj ga ni mogla zadetinobena krogla, v tem sta si z Zlatorogom podobna. Zaradi tepripovedke je Zlatorog danes upodobljen na našem pivu Laško,prav tako pa je Zlatorogov kip postavljen ob jezero Jasna.

Goldhorn Once upon a time, near Lake Bohinj, or more precisely on Jezeraand Komna mountains, there lived White women or fairies whowere kind to all people. But if you got close to them, they caused alot of natural disasters (avalanches, thunderstorms, even torrentialrain), which led to major flooding. A large herd of goats used tograze on the rocks, carefully watching the humans’ every step asthey kept an eye out for the White fairies. In addition to the goats, the White fairies also had Goldhorn undertheir wing, he was the guide of the goats and had a special powergiven to him by the fairies. Goldhorn was a white ibex withgoldhorns, but not only that, it was also invulnerable. So, even ifsomeone wounded him, or shot him, he could save himself with hisspecial power. If he ate just one leaf of the so-called healing Triglavflower, or in some stories, the flower of Mogota, he was completelycured. This special animal embodies celestial, solar life, possesses alltreasures and brings life. But many people wanted his goldhorns, sothey could get to the treasures in Bogatin. But it wasn't that simple,as the treasure was carefully guarded by a multi-headed snake. Oneday, two lovers, the daughter of an innkeeper and a very goodhunter from Trenta, known as the Trentino Hunter, were stayingin Trbiž, a town near Italy. He was the best hunter in the area andwas watched and protected by the White fairies. But one day therewas trading. A super-rich Laotian merchant arrived, and because ofhis wealth, the innkeeper's daughter immediately fell in love withhim. It was very difficult for the hunter, but she told him that henever brought her a present anyway and if he is such a good hunter,he could give her a Triglav flower one day, but apparently, hecouldn’t do that yet. The hunter became frustrated and angry.Finally, he went hunting, determined to get his hands on thetreasure. Luckily for him, he met the Green Hunter a few momentslater, who told him that he knew a lot about the treasure on MountBogatin. But many people thought the hunter was not to bebelieved. They both went on the hunt for the Goldhorn. Theyspotted it quickly enough and the hunter from Trenta shot it,forgetting that he should not have done so, as the ibex wasprotected by the White fairies. They watched him carefully. He sawthat there was a medicinal flower growing by the rocks, and next toit other medicinal flowers that the hunter often used to pick for hissick mother. He was about to give up, but his desire for the treasuregot the better of him, so he continued. But soon, with the help ofthe flower, Goldhorn was healed. He ran towards the hunter as fastas he could, and pushed him over the precipice. So, the hunter fell,and the desire for the treasure drove him to his doom. His body wasseen floating down the river past the tavern in the spring months,and the dead hunter was carrying medicinal flowers. AndGoldhorn, in his anger, ravaged the place and the mountains. Manypeople came to visit these lands, but it was all desolate and lonely, asboth the White fairies and Goldhorn had disappeared from theterritory. But it is said that the Goldhorn's footprints can be seenand known on the rocks near Mount Triglav, which is astonishing. In addition to Goldhorn, there was a silver-winged black goat livingon the slopes of Mount Triglav, with a boy by its side, and walkedwith him on its shoulders. But the boy, who was a wizard, was notvery lucky, because he was in love, which sounds good at first, butin the end, it turned out that he was in love with a witch. This goatalso had a special power, no bullet could hit it, in this respect it issimilar to Goldhorn. It is because of this tale that Goldhorn isdepicted on our beer Laško. By lake Jasna in Kranjska gora, there isalso a statue of Goldhorn.

Perun, Gromovnik Stari Slovani so verjeli, da je Perun najmočnejši med vsemi bogovi.Perun sedi na vrhu drevesa življenja, ob koreninah pa prebiva Veles,bog podzemlja. Pogosto se je vzpel na vrh drevesa, da bi izzval inrazjezil Peruna. Rad je kradel njegove predmete ali celo Perunovoženo Mokoš. Perun je nato jezen preganjal Velesa ter sprožalsmrtonosne strele in bliske tam, kjer se je Veles skrival. Njegova jezaje vedno usahnila, ko je bil Veles premagan. Bibliban, Perun (avdio) Perun, God of Thunder Ancient Slavs believed that Perun was the mightiest of all gods.Perun sits on top of the world tree, but at the bottom, lives Veles,god of the underworld. He would often climb the tree to anger andprovoke Perun. He liked to steal his belongings or sometimes evenPerun’s wife Mokoš. Perun would then chase Veles in anger andunleash deadly thunder and lightning wherever Veles would hide.His anger would always stop when Veles was defeated. Jani's Song About Perun Perun, mighty god of thunder, How you look like, we just wonder, In Slavic lands your name resounds, thunder strikes and lightning pounds. Symbol of justice, ways of the past, Your presence has been felt at last. Protector of warriors, father of war, We fought in battles hearing your roar. Halestorm, destroy the lands, To you Perun we raise our hands. Giving us strenght, the enemy hell, Everyone is under your spell.

Veles Veles je vzhodnoslovanski bog. Vlada podzemlju, živini in povzročakaos. S svojim telesom lahko zapre vodni tok in s tem povzroči sušoali poplavo. Njegova smrt naj bi prinesla rodovitnost. Pogosto jeprikazan kot kača, lahko pa tudi kot zmaj ali črni bik. Naj bi imel triglave in s telesom, zvitim v krog, simboliziral večno kroženje časa(ouroboros). Ko prevlada nad nebesno silo, povzroči kaos inpropad. Lasti si vzhod ali jug, njemu posvečena žival pa je volk, vkaterega naj bi se spremenil pozimi in vodil duše umrlih. Zaklade, kijih ukrade, shranjuje v svojem zlatem gradu, narejenim iz skale, brezoken in vrat. Votlino lahko odpre le posebna trava, ki cveti nakresno noč v najvišjih hribih. V tem gradu sam počiva v obliki kače,ovite trikrat okoli kamene mize. Slovenci ga poznamo po našiljudski pesmi Pegam in Lambergar, kjer predstavlja Pegama. S širjenjem krščanstva v naših krajih njegove funkcije prevzame svetiNikolaj. Manifestaciji Velesa sta Leši in Zeleni Jurij. Spoznajmo njegovo vlogo v temeljnem mitu. Veles in Perun sta dolgoletna sovražnika. En vlada v podzemlju,drug pa na nebu. Veles skuša povečati svoje podzemno bogastvo,zato Perunu krade blago, zlatega kozla, čredo, včasih pa tudi ženoMokoš in vse to zapre v svojo gorsko dolino. Jezen Perun Mokošodvzame status božanstva in jo prežene v podzemlje, kjer se spremniv demona, Velesa pa preganja s strelami. Ta se običajno skriva zahrastom, zato naj bi bilo to drevo, ki ga največkrat zadane strela. Koga končno dobi, ga ubije, a ker boga ni mogoče ubiti, se ta cikelzgodbe ponavlja v neskončnost. Veles Veles is an East Slavic god. He rules the underworld, the livestockand causes chaos. He can block the water flow with his body,causing drought or flooding. His death is said to bring fertility. Heis often presented as a snake, but he can also be a dragon or a blackbull. He's supposed to have three heads and, with his body curledinto a circle, symbolises the eternal cycle of time (ouroboros). If heoverpowers the heavenly force, he can cause total collapse. Velesclaims the east or the south, and the animal dedicated to him is thewolf, which he is supposed to turn into during the winter to guidethe souls of the dead. He stores the treasures he steals in his rockcastle with no windows or doors. The hollow can only be openedby the special grass that blooms on Bonfire Night in the highesthills. In this castle, he rests in the form of a snake wrapped threetimes around a stone table. Slovenians know him from our folksong Pegam and Lambergar, where he represents Pegam. With the spread of Christianity, his functions were taken over bySaint Nicholas. The manifestations of Veles are Leši (master of theforest) and Zeleni Jurij (announces the beginning of spring). Let's see what his role is in the founding myth: Veles and Perun are long-term enemies. One rules the underworld,the other rules the skies. Veles wants to increase his undergroundwealth, so he steals Perun's goods, his golden goat, and sometimeseven his wife Mokoš, and imprisons them all in his mountainvalley. The angry Perun takes away Mokoš's godess status andbanishes her to the underworld, where she is transformed into ademon. He chases Veles away by lightnings. Veles usually hidesfrom him behind an oak tree, so it is thought to be the tree mostoften struck by lightning. When Perun's lightning finally hits him,Veles dies. But because it is impossible to kill a god, the cycle repeatsitself endlessly.

Slovanske boginje Stari Slovani so poznali več boginj. Najpomembnejša je zagotovoboginja Živa, ki je boginja življenja, rodovitnosti, ljubezni inplodnosti. Povezana je z življenjem, žetvijo in setvijo. Njena drugaimena so Siwa, Sivve, Sieba, Syba, Siba in Dsiva, povezujejo pa jo zindijsko boginjo Siwo. Je največje žensko božanstvo v slovanskimitologiji. Kot življenje samo naj bi se pojavila že 2000 pred našimštetjem, ko je v družbi prevladoval matriarhat. Boginjo Živopooseblja voda oz. studenec sveže vode, ki je vir vsega življenja.Ljudje so si jo predstavljali sedečo, na glavi naj bi imela okras vobliki sončnih žarkov, ogrnjena pa naj bi bila z lahkim plaščem, agolih prsi in ramen. V levi roki drži žitno klasje, v desni pa sadež,podoben jabolki. Povezujejo jo tudi z boginjo ruskih Slovanov,boginjo Mokoš. Ta je predstavlja mati Zemljo, ki varuje in odvzemaživljenja. Je tudi boginja čarovništva in rodovitnosti. Poročena najbi bila s Svarogom, njun zakon pa predstavlja združitev neba inzemlje. Njen dan je bil petek, za ta dan so bila nekatera opravilaprepovedana. Na severu Rusije so si jo predstavljali kot žensko zveliko glavo, dolgimi lasmi, dolgimi rokami in poudarjenimi prsmi. Izjemno pomembna je bila tudi boginja Vesna, ki je po mnenjunekaterih boginja pomladi, pomladanske radosti, bujnosti inmladosti ter preganjalka zime. Nekateri pa menijo, da so bile vesnebitja, sorodna vilam, ki so stanovale v palačah na vrhovih gora,skupaj pa so prebujale naravo. Če naj bi takrat opazile, da jih nekoopazuje, je sledila kazen. Pojavlja se tudi kot družabnica Vesnika, kije sončni junak. Predstavljena je kot lepo mlado dekle v svetlihbarvah s cvetjem in zelenjem. Povezana je tudi z boginjo Majo, okateri se ne ve veliko, ve se le, da je bila boginja narave. Izjemno so spoštovali in častili boginjo Zemljo, ki je mati boginja. Jevir vse rasti, zdravja in iz nje izvira vse življenje. Ljudje naj bi bilinjeni otroci in so jo zato častili vsak dan in kjerkoli. Njeno drugo ime je tudi Zemela. Nima fizične podobe in si je zato ne moremopredstavljati, vendar občasno nastopa kot dobra kača. Podobno kot rimska boginja Aurora in grška boginja Eos je Doganaoz. Zora boginja jutranje zore in večerne zarje. Njeni otroci naj bibili štirje vetrovi in zvezda Danica. Predstavljali so si jo kot mladodekle, vsakodnevno prinašalko svetlobe, ki ji sledi sonce. Kot nasprotje boginje Žive so stari Slovani poznali njeno sestro,boginjo Morano, ki je boginja smrti, zime, teme in tudi prerojenja.Njeno ime ima podoben koren kot besede »umreti«, »moriti«ipd. Baski so jo imenovali Mari, Irci pa Morrigan. Moranovelikokrat enačijo z Moro, čarovnico, ki je ponoči mučila ljudi.Znak za zaščito proti njej je bil pentagram, ki so ga ljudje vrisovali napohištvo in vrata. Moranino lutko naj bi na začetku pomladisimbolično odnesli iz vasi in zažgali, tako pa naj bi preprečili smrt invzpodbudili rast na poljih. Predstavljena je kot visoka starka v beliobleki, ki lahko spreminja svojo obliko. Njena odposlanka naj bibila sova, ki je naznanjala smrt v bližnji prihodnosti. Podobno kot Morana je tudi Baba boginja smrti in prerojenja. Pridrugih slovanskih narodih je to Baba Yaga, pri nas pa ni velikihrazlik med Babo in Jago babo. Povezana naj bi bila z indijsko Kali.Predstavljajo jo togi kipci golih ženskih postav, ljudje pa so jo videlikot smrt v podobi bele ženske s koso.

Slavic Goddesses The ancient Slavs knew several goddesses. The most important iscertainly the goddess Živa, who is the goddess of life, fertility, andlove. It is associated with life, harvest, and sowing. Her other namesare Siwa, Sivve, Sieba, Syba, Siba and Dsiva, and she is associatedwith the Indian goddess Siwa. She is the greatest female deity inSlavic mythology. As life itself, she appeared as early as around 2000BC, when society was dominated by matriarchy. The goddess Živais personified by water or the spring of fresh water that is the sourceof all life. People imagined her to be sitting, with an ornament inthe shape of sun rays on her head, covered in a light cloak, but withbare chest and shoulders. In her left hand she holds an ear of cornand in her right an apple-like fruit. She is also associated with thegoddess of the Russian Slavs, the goddess Mokoš. She representsMother Earth, who protects and takes life. She is also the goddess ofwitchcraft and fertility. She is said to be married to Svarog, theirmarriage representing the union of heaven and earth. Her day wasFriday, for that day some tasks were forbidden. In the north ofRussia, she was imagined as a woman with a large head, long hair,long arms, and accentuated breasts. The goddess Vesna was also extremely important, who, accordingto some, is the goddess of spring, springtime joy, exuberance, andyouth, who chases away winter. Some believe that Vesna are beings,related to fairies, who lived in palaces on top of mountains, andtogether they awakened nature. If at that time they notice thatsomeone is watching them, a punishment should follow. She alsoappears as the companion of Vesnik, who is a hero. She isrepresented as a beautiful young girl in bright colours with flowersand greenery. She is also associated with the goddess Maja, aboutwhom not much is known, it is only known that she was thegoddess of nature. The Slavs greatly respected and worshiped the goddess Earth, as sheis the mother goddess. Earth is the source of all growth, health, andfrom it springs all life. People were said to be her children andtherefore they worshipped her every day and everywhere. Hersecond name is also Zemela. She has no physical form and thereforecannot be imagined, but occasionally appears as a good snake. Like the Roman goddess Aurora and the Greek goddess Eos,Dogana /Zora is goddess of morning dawn and evening dawn. Herchildren are said to be the four winds and the morning star. She wasimagined as a young girl who daily brings light, followed by thesun. As the opposite of the goddess Živa, the ancient Slavs knew hersister, the goddess Morana, who is the goddess of death, winter,darkness, but also rebirth. In Slovenian, her name has a similar rootto the words "to die", "to kill", etc. The Basques called her Mari, andthe Irish called her Morrigan. Morana is often equated with Mora,the witch who tormented people at night. A sign for protectionagainst her was a pentagram, which people drew on furniture anddoors. Morana's doll is supposed to be symbolically taken out ofthe village and burned at the beginning of spring to prevent deathand encourage growth in the fields. She is represented as a tall oldwoman in a white dress who can change her shape. Her emissarywas said to be an owl that heralded death in the future.

Julijina zgodba o sestrah boginjah Nekoč pred davnimi časi so v deželi po imenu Slovenija živele sestreZora, Vesna, Živa in Morana. Vendar pa to niso bile navade sestre,njihova mama je bila namreč boginja Zemlja in zato so vse imelečudežne sposobnosti. Zora je napovedovala jutranjo zarjo, Vesna jeprinašala pomlad, Živa je prinašala življenje, Morana pa smrt. Vseskupaj so tvorile neuničljiv cikel življenja ter skrbele za mir inblaginjo v deželi. Več stoletji so varovale njene prebivalce in počasiso ljudje pozabili nanje. Prej so jih dnevno častili s templji in tudimed delom, a časom so se oddaljili od teh navad in s tem je ugašaltudi spomin na boginje. Te seveda s tem niso bile zadovoljne, zatoso se želele ponovno okrepiti in se razodeti ljudem. A ko so videle,kako so ljudje ravnali drug z drugim in kako so uničevali zemljo, sosi premislile. Počasi je narod pozabil, da so boginje kadarkoli obstajale. S tem paso začele pešati njihove moči in nekega leta pomlad ni prišla. Vesnase je trudila, da bi jo priklicala, a so bile njene moči tako oslabljene,da ni zmogla. Sestre so jo poskusile potolažiti, a bila je neutolažljiva.Nato se nekega jutra sonce ni pokazalo na obzorju. Zori jezmanjkalo moči in nič ni pomagalo. Ostala je le tema, svet pa jeosvetljeval le blag sijaj nočnih zvezd. Ljudje so postali prestrašeni, aniso vedeli, kaj naj storijo. Nato pa se je zgodila tragedija. Živa,prinašalka življenja, je zbolela. Polja so postala nerodovitna, reke inpotoki so nehali teči, drevesa niso več rodila in najhujše, matere nisomogle imeti otrok. Vse, kar je ostalo na svetu, je bila tema in smrt.Moranine moči namreč niso opešale, še več, zdelo se je, da vsakič, kokatera od njenih sester izgubi svojo moč, jo ona sama pridobi. Sestre so bile prestrašene. Niso si želele, da bi ljudje trpeli, zato so seodločile, da bodo poklicale mati Zemljo. Menile so, da bo tazagotovo poznala rešitev za njihovo težavo. A ko so jo le priklicale inse dogovorile za srečanje, so bile presenečene. Celo Zemlja, izvor vsega življenja na svetu, je bila izčrpana in postarana. Seveda so jovse zaskrbljene spraševale, kaj je narobe. Dejala jim je: "Hčerke mojedrage ... Ljudje so pozabili na nas, s tem pa so pozabili tudi na to, daje zemlja sveta. Vidite, ljudje uničujejo našo preljubo pokrajino in čebo šlo tako naprej, jo bodo zelo kmalu dokončno uničili. Najhujepri tem pa je, drage moje, da jim me ne moremo pomagati. Lahkojih vodimo, a dokler se sami ne začnejo zavedati škodljivih posledicsvojih dejanj, se ne bo nič spremenilo. Ko pa bo prišla generacija, kibo želela nekaj spremeniti in bo to tudi naredila, se bo stanjeizboljšalo. Nič prej in nič kasneje."Nato je odšla. Vesna, Živa, Zorain Morana so takoj začele razmišljati, kaj bi lahko storile, a ko pomesecu dni niso našle rešitve, so se vdale. Leta so minevala, generacije so se menjevale in ljudje so počasipozabili, da je prej obstajal lepši in boljši svet. Vse pa se jespremenilo nekega dne, ko si je skupina otrok za seminarsko nalogoizbrala temo starih verstev. Ko so iskali podatke za nalogo, so napodstrešju starega dvorca našli staro knjigo. Ker so bili radovedni,so se odločili, da jo bodo prebrali. Začeli so z branjem in kmalu sebili popolnoma prevzeti nad čudovitimi opisi in slikami pokrajine.Vse je bilo zeleno, cvetele so živo pisane rože in kristalno čista vodaje bila obsijana z zlatimi sončnimi žarki. Prelistavali so knjigo inkončno prišli do poglavja z naslovom Boginje. Z zanimanjem so gazačeli brati in tam so našli opise sester. Prevzeti nad njihovo lepotoso se odločili, da bodo prav one glavna tema njihove predstavitve.Dolgo so se pripravljali nanjo in res so nek petek prišli na vrsto, datudi oni predstavijo svojo temo. S svojo nalogo so navdušili tako učiteljico kot sošolce. Govorili so opomembnosti varovanja okolja, ki je sveto, o pravilnem ravnanju zzemljo in o svetih ritualih. Ker so se naučili, da je petek Živin dan,so se za popestritev naloge odločili, da sošolce naučijo Živinopetkovo molitev. Ko so jo skupaj odrecitirali, se je zgodilo nekajnepozabnega. V malem lončku na polici je bilo nekaj zemlje

in droben poganjek je pognal iz nje. Otroci so bili navdušeni.Učiteljica je takoj poklicala vse ostale razrede in skupaj so se naučiliŽivino molitev. V tistem trenutku je vzcvetela lipa, ki je stala predšolo. Takrat so začeli verjeti, da je vse, kar so prebrali, res. Otroci sopesem doma naučili svoje starše in beseda o tem, kako je trebaravnati z naravo in izvajati rituale, se je širila. S tem pa se je počasipovečevala tudi Živina moč. Ko so našli molitve še za Vesno, Zoroin Morano, so začeli tudi te dnevno izrekati in jih častiti. Tako se jeznova obudili spomin na boginje in te so počasi pridobivale moči.Ker so začeli ljudje spet pazljiveje ravnati z naravo, se je začela zemljaobnavljati in mati boginja Zemlja je pridobivala moč. Tudi sestre sopridobivale svoje sposobnosti in nekega dne se je sonce znovapokazalo in prišla je pomlad. Ljudje so začeli še natančneje delovativ skladu z rituali in tako so boginje pridobivale še več moči. Naravaje vzbrstela v vsej svoji lepoti in potoki so znova zašumeli. Boginje so bile presrečne. Znova so opravljale svoje dolžnosti in kerso imele toliko moči, so bile rože še lepše, dnevi daljši in travnikibolj zeleni. Ljudje so znova postavljali templje in izvajali sveterituale, ker pa so vedeli, kaj se lahko zgodi, če ne bodo spoštovalinarave, so boginje še bolj častili in jih niso nikoli več pozabili. Takoostaja spomin nanje živ še danes. Julija's Story about the Sister Goddesses Once upon a time, in a land called Slovenia, there lived sisters Zora,Vesna, Živa and Morana. However, these were not ordinary sisters,for their mother was the goddess Earth, and that is why they all hadmagical abilities. Zora foretold the dawn, Vesna brought spring,Živa brought life and Morana brought death. Together, theyformed an indestructible cycle of life, ensuring peace and prosperityin the land. For centuries they protected its inhabitants and slowlypeople forgot about them. Earlier, they were worshiped daily intemples and also while working, but as time passed, they drifted away from these customs and the memory of the goddesses fadedaway. They were not happy with this, of course, and wanted to re-empower themselves and reveal themselves to the people. But whenthey saw how people were treating each other and how they weredestroying the land, they changed their minds. Slowly, the nation forgot that goddesses had ever existed. And withthat, their powers began to wane, and one year, spring did notcome. Vesna tried to summon it, but her powers were so weakenedthat she could not. The sisters tried to comfort her, but she wasinconsolable. Then one morning the sun did not appear on thehorizon. Zora had run out of strength and nothing helped. Onlydarkness remained, and the world was illuminated by the soft glowof the night stars. People became frightened, but they did not knowwhat to do. Then tragedy struck. Živa, who was the bringer of life,fell ill. The fields became barren, the rivers and streams stoppedflowing, the trees stopped producing and, worst of all, the motherscould not have children. All that was left in the world was darknessand death. Morana's powers did not fail, moreover, it seemed thatevery time one of her sisters lost her powers, she herself gainedthem. The sisters were terrified. They did not want people to suffer and sothey decided to call on Mother Earth. They thought that she wouldsurely know the solution to their problem. But when they calledher and arranged to meet her, they were surprised. Even the Earth,the source of all life in the world, was exhausted and old. Naturally,they all asked her what was wrong. She said to them, "My deardaughters. People have forgotten about us, and in doing so theyhave forgotten that the earth is sacred. You see, people aredestroying our beloved landscape, and if they continue like this,they will destroy it completely very soon. The worst part of it, mydears, is that we cannot help them. We can guide them, but untilthey themselves become aware of the harmful consequences of their

actions, nothing will change. But when a generation comes alongthat wants to make a difference and does so, things will improve.No sooner and no later." She left. Vesna, Ziva, Zora and Moranaimmediately started thinking about what they could do, but whenafter a month they had not found a solution, they gave up. Years passed, generations changed and people slowly forgot thatthere used to be a better and more beautiful world. But everythingchanged one day when a group of children chose the topic ofancient religions for their term paper. When they were looking forinformation for their assignment, they found an old book in theattic of a mansion. Curious, they decided to read it. They startedreading and were soon completely captivated by the beautifuldescriptions and pictures of the landscape. Everything was green,brightly coloured flowers were blooming and the crystal clear waterwas bathed in golden rays of sunshine. They leafed through thebook and finally came to the chapter entitled 'Goddesses'. Theybegan to read it with interest and found descriptions of the sisters.Overwhelmed by their beauty, they decided that they would be themain subject of their presentation. They had been preparing for a long time and indeed one Friday itwas their turn to present their topic. They impressed both theirteacher and their classmates. They talked about the importance ofprotecting the environment, which is sacred, about the propertreatment of the earth and about sacred rituals. As they had learntthat Friday is the Day of Živa, they decided to teach their classmatesthe Živas Friday Prayer to spice up their assignment. When theyrecited it together, something unforgettable happened. There wassome soil in a small pot on the shelf and a tiny sprout sproutedfrom it. The children were delighted. The teacher immediatelycalled all the other classes and together they learnt the prayer. At that moment, the tree that stood in front of the schoolblossomed. Then they started to believe that everything they hadread was true. The children taught their parents at home and theword spread about how to treat nature and perform rituals. Andslowly, the power of the Niva grew. When they found prayers forVesna, Zora and Morana, they began to say and worship themdaily. In this way, the memory of the goddesses was revived andthey slowly gained strength. As people began to be more carefulwith nature again, the earth began to regenerate and the mothergoddess Earth was gaining power. The sisters were also gaining theirabilities back and one day the sun reappeared and spring came.People began to follow the rituals more closely and so the goddessesgained even more power. Nature grew in all its power and thestreams murmured again. The goddesses were overjoyed. They were once again doing theirduty, and because they had so much power, the flowers were evenmore beautiful, the days longer and the meadows greener. Peoplebuilt temples and performed sacred rituals again, but because theyknew what could happen if they did not respect nature, thegoddesses were more revered and not forgotten, and so theirmemory remains to this day.

Divji možje in divje ženeDivji možje naj bi bila bitja orjaške postave, ki so poraščena z dlakoali mahom. Zadrževali so se po gozdovih v hribovitem svetu. Zelodobro so poznali živali, rastline in naravo. Ljudem so lahko bilinaklonjeni ali pa so jim povzročali škodo. Prepoznani so bili posvoji jasnovidnosti, zato so ljudem napovedovali dobro ali slaboletino, pomembnejše dogodke v letu in predvsem vremenskepojave. Če so bili človeku naklonjeni, so mu podali nasvete oobdelavi polja in so ga naučili novih veščin. Kadar so prejeli daritvev obliki hrane, so smrtnikom pomagali pri delu na polju, v gozdu inz živino. Hkrati pa je moral biti človek zelo previden, namreč zeloradi so si prisvojili dekleta in jih odpeljali domov, kjer so služile kotgospodinje ali celo žene. Marsikateremu kmetu so poteptalipridelek in odnesli njegovo ženo. Zato se jih ljudje poskušali znebitina različne načine, npr. nastavljali so jim pasti, jih opivali zalkoholom, podili so jih z medvedom, namesto tobaka in pipe sojim nastavljali smodnik in puško ... Divji mož, imenovan Stric Viktor, je gozdnemu možu vednopomagal in mu dal svoj plašč. Medtem pa je bil kosmati možizjemno neroden in veliko komu poteptal vrt. Divje žene so živele po votlinah. Imele so dolge nepočesane zelenelase in nazaj obrnjena stopala ter dlani. Svojega pošastnega otrokapa so velikokrat raje zamenjale za človeškega. Tesno so povezane skanibalizmom. Za večerjo naj ne bi jedle samo malih otrok, ampaktudi odrasle ljudi. Tako kot divji možje so povzročale veliko škode.Ljudem so se prikazovale pred nevihtami in slabim vremenom, ssabo pa so kot čarovnice prinašale točo. Marsikdaj so k sebiprivabile človeka, da je opravljal delo. Medtem pa so jim včasihzaupale svoja skrivna znanja, ki pa jih človek ni smel razkriti, ko se jevrnil med svoje ljudi. Wild Men and Wild Women Wild men are supposed to be giant creatures, covered with hair ormoss. They lived in the woods of the hills. They knew animals,plants and nature very well. They could be kind to people or causedthem harm. They were known for predicting good or bad harvest,important events of the year and, above all, the weather. If theyfavoured a man, they would help him on the field and thought himnew skills. When they received offerings in the form of food, theyhelped people with their chores. At the same time, one had to bevery careful, because they often kidnapped women and took themhome, where they had to serve as housewives. The Wild men woulddestroy farmer´s crops and take their daughter or wife. Therefore,people tried to get rid of them in various ways, for example they settraps for them, intoxicated them with alcohol, sent bears afterthem, instead of tobacco and a pipe they set them up withgunpowder and a gun… A Wild man named Uncle Viktor alwayshelped a working man in the forest and he would give him his coat.Meanwhile, the Hairy Man was extremely clumsy and trampledmany people´s gardens. Wild women lived in caves. They had longuncombed green hair and backwards facing feet and palms. Manytimes, they switched their inhumanly child with a human one.They are also associated with cannibalism. For dinner theywouldn’t eat only small children but also grown- up people. Justlike the Wild men, they caused a lot of damage. They showedthemselves to people before storms and bad weather, bringing hailwith them just like witches. Many times, they would make a manstay with them and do their housework. However, they sometimestrusted them with their secret knowledge, which a man was notallowed to reveal, when he returned to his people.

Belin in Belena Belin ali Belen je že v imenu povezan z belo barvo, ki simboličnopredstavlja sonce in svetlobo. Belin je človekoljubni nebeškizdravnik, ki ima sposobnost s svojim ključem vračati vid oslepelim.Velja za najvišjega boga v obdobju pastircev in poljedelcev. Je vselejdobronamerni bog in tako nasprotnik Črnoboga, ki je poosebitevzla. Njegov odposlanec je kozorog z zlatimi rogovi. Povezujemo gatudi z dvignjeno desnico. Navzven izgleda kot starec s sivo brado,oblečen v belo obleko, ki pomaga s svojo svetostjo izgubljenim vtemnem gozdu. Pojavlja se v spremstvu različnih vil in beličev oz.duhov, ki spremljajo dobre vile. Tesno je povezan z vodo in naj biimel zdravilne moči. Zgodbe pravijo, da nekje stoji njegov zdravilenkamen, imenovan Belinova kapa. Ta ima ključen pomen pri izdelaviBelinovega čaja, sestavljenega iz devetih zelišč, ki morajo bitinabrane v enem dnevu in natlačene v kamnito posodo. Posoda pamora biti 21 dni otežena z Belinovo kapo. Nato se skuha čaj, ki imanadnaravne moči in sposobnost ozdravljenja. Prav tako je tesno povezana z vodo Belinova žena Belena, ki prinašazdravje. Predvsem pa skrbi za razvoj bitij ter je zavetnica narave inrodovitnosti. Njuna svetišča so postavljena v visokih gorah inhribih. Človek je moral najprej dokazati svojo vero v oba boga,preden se je lahko priporočil božanstvoma. Belin and Belena Belin´s or Belen´s name is already associated with the colour white,which symbolically represents the sun and light. Belin is a heavenlydoctor, who has the ability to return sight to the blind with hisspecial key. He is considered the highest god in the era of farmersand is a well-intentioned god in contrast with Črnobog. His helperis a capricorn with golden horns. He is often showed with a raisedright hand. Outwardly, he looks like an old man with a grey beardand dressed in a white robe, who helps those who get lost in darkforests find their way home. Belin also appears in the company offairies and many spirits. He is closely related to water and it is saidthat he has healing powers. Stories say that somewhere in themountains there stands his healing rock, named Belinova kapa or Belin´s cap. The meaning of the rock is a key for the making ofBelin´s healing tea. The tea is made out of nine different herbs,which must be collected in one single day and then pressed into astoneware bowl. The container must be weighed down with Belin´s cap for 21 days. Then a tea is made, which has supernaturalhealing powers. Belin´s wife Belena, who brings health, is also closely associatedwith water. Above all, she takes care of the development ofcreatures and is a goddess of fertility. Their sanctuaries are placed inhigh mountains and hills. A man first had to prove his faith in bothgods, before he could recommend himself to them.

The Gods of War, Wind and Darkness In Slavic mythology, the gods of war, wind and darkness areSvetovid, Stribog and Črnobog. Each of them has its own placesomewhere on the world tree. Stribog is considered the god of the sky, air and wind. He is the linkbetween the earth and paradise. People often invited him into theirhomes to dine with them, believing that the wind was associatedwith wealth and prosperity. Stribog appears in the form of an old man with a beard, holding awar horn. With this horn he awakened the winds, his grandsons,which blew across the surface of the earth. Stribog, together withJarilo, is a protector of Vesna, the goddess of youth and spring.Every winter, together they defeat Morana, the goddess of death,and bring spring back to us humans. Svetovid is the god of war and conflict. He has four heads, eachhead looking in its own cardinal direction. Svetovid has seeneverything that has happened or will ever happen in this world. Herides a white horse and wields a sword that is said to be invincible.The Slavs often sacrificed animals to the god of war, and the BalticSlavs even considered him the god of all gods. By far the most sinister god among these three is Črnobog. Even hisname tells us his nature (black god). Črnobog is the god of bad fate,darkness and evil. People associated him with mass death, hungerand disease. The Slavs believed that any kind of luck, good or bad,was the result of divine interference. Misfortune came from the evilgods and good fortune from the good ones. Rituals and ceremonieswere held by the light of torches and large bonfires that appeasedthe black god. Women who participated in such rituals danced andeven offered snakes to the Črnobog. People drank from an offeringcup. Černobog is the greatest god of the underworld and issometimes equated with Veles.

Jaga baba Pehtra baba, znana tudi kot Šiška baba, Ježi baba ali Jaga baba jeslovansko mitološko bitje, hči Viya in žena Velesa, ki ima v slovanskimitologiji kar nekaj interpretacij. Na zunaj je npr. po ruskemizročilu predstavljena kot zelo suha vila oziroma čarovnica, ki živi vgozdu, njeno bivališče pa je koča na kurjih nogah. Vjužnoslovanskih in slovenskih deželah pa je bolj znana kot čarovnicas kačjim repom, je pa tudi voditeljica divje jage in stroga varuhinjaženskih opravil. Ideologija o njej je v vseh slovanskih kulturah dokaj podobna – kotprinašalka svetlobe je znana po svoji prijaznosti in velja za lepoprikazen, po drugi strani pa je kot voditeljica duš mrtvih znana kotstrašna ženska, povzročiteljica neviht in prinašalka snega, ljudje paso se ji priporočali tudi za dež. Govorice o njej, ki po nekaterih izročilih veljajo za resnične, pravijo,da je zlobna ženska, ki ubije vsakogar, ki jo zmoti, in je otroke tako,da si jih speče v svoji pečici. Otroci, ki ji pobegnejo in jo prelisičijo,so potem bolj pridni ter spoštljivejši do staršev in starejših. Čepravtovrstne govorice veljajo za resnične, pa je prava resnica nekolikodrugačna. Jaga baba naj bi bila ženska, h kateri bojevniki, princi inheroji pridejo po nasvete, ona pa jih vodi in jim svetuje. Nudi jimtudi hrano, pijačo in prenočišče, jim pomaga v boju ter jim dajedarila, kot so žrebci ipd. Včasih jim postavi uganko, ki so josposobni rešiti le najvrednejši, in če nanjo odgovorijo napačno, jihlahko pogubi, v nasprotnem primeru pa nagradi. Baba Yaga Pehtra baba, also known as Šiška baba, Ježi baba or Jaga Baba (alsoBaba Jaga) is a Slavic mythological creature, the daughter of Viy andthe wife of Veles, who has quite a few interpretations in Slavicmythology. On the outside, for example, according to Russiantradition, she is represented as a very skinny fairy or a witch wholives in the forest, and her residence is a hut on chicken legs. InSouth Slavic and Slovenian lands, she is better known as a witchwith a snake's tail, and she is also a leader of "divja jaga" (wild hunt)and a strict guardian of women's affairs. The ideology about her is quite similar in all Slavic cultures - as abringer of light, she is known for her kindness and is considered abeautiful apparition. On the other hand, as a leader of the souls ofthe dead, she is known as a terrible woman, a bringer of storms anda bringer of snow, and people are afraid of her. People alsorecommended themselves to her for rain. Rumors about her, which according to some traditions are believedto be true, say that she is an evil woman who kills anyone whodisturbs her and eats children by baking them in her oven. Childrenwho run away from her and outwit her are then more diligent andrespectful to their parents and elders. Although such rumors areconsidered to be true, the real truth is a bit different. Jaga Baba issaid to be the woman to whom warriors, princes and heroes comefor advice, and she guides and advises them. Shee also offers themfood, drinks and lodging, helps them in battles and gives them giftssuch as stallions etc. Sometimes she gives them a riddle that only theworthiest can solve, and if they answer it wrong, she can destroythem, otherwise she rewards them.

Leonova zgodba o Jagi babi Pisalo se je leto 1779, Ivan se je zgodaj poleti, kmalu po uvedbiobveznega šolstva v avstro-ogrskem cesarstvu, pripravljal na njegovtretji teden pouka. Iz njegovega skromnega domovanja je zgodajzjutraj krenil na pet kilometrov dolgo šolsko pot do podeželske šole.Pot od njegove hiše se je počasi spremenila v skromen kolovoz, ki jevodil skozi zelene smrekove gozdove, le-ta pa se je pozneje, pokakšnih treh kilometrih hoje, razširil v lokalno cesto, ki se je vila poprostranih travnikih ob manjšem močvirju. Vodila je vse do mesta,kjer je Ivan obiskoval svojo učno ustanovo. Sonce je ravno vzhajaloin sončni žarki so posijali skozi še zadnje redke oblake megle, ki jekmalu zatem izginila. Vzdušje na ta poletni dan je bilo čudovito, čene celo malce magično. Ivan je moral prehoditi še zadnji manjši gozdiček, ki je bil zaradigostega rastja smrekovih dreves precej temačen, skozi goste iglice soprihajali le majhni kančki svetlobe. Vedno je imel rad hojo po temdelu poti, saj je bil precej navezan na naravo, gozdiček mu je, kadarje hodil skozenj, celo nudil majhno duhovno očiščenje.Kmalu je izza debla nekega drevesa pogledala masivna postava, ki joje Ivan kmalu prepoznal. Bil je njegov sošolec Marko, v roki je držalželezno palico, na njegovem obrazu pa je bil mrk izraz. Ivan je bilnegativno presenečen, saj je vedel, da se mu ne obeta nič dobrega, sajje Marko imel Ivana, čeprav ta ni bil ničesar kriv, že od začetkašolanja iz neznanega razloga na tarči. A vseeno je pozdravil Marka inga povprašal, kaj ga je prineslo sem. Marko se je približal ter brezizrečene besede zamahnil z železno palico; udarec je Ivana zadel poramenu in delu obraza, za trenutek se mu je zasvetilo in zgrudil se jena mestu. Marko je pristopil ter mu zabičal, naj se ne približuje več

njegovim sošolcem in prijateljem, češ da negativno vpliva na njih.Povedal mu je tudi, naj po pouku pazi, ko bo hodil tukaj. S temibesedami se je Marko obrnil in odšel. Ivan je, lahkega srca kot je,potočil nekaj grenkih solz, a se je kmalu zatem pobral. Ni razumel,zakaj se je njegov sošolec nenadoma obrnil proti njemu. Usedel se je na bližnji štor ter premišljeval, ko so se iznenada spustiličrni oblaki, strele so udarile z vseh strani in začelo je škropiti, za sabopa je zaslišal težke korake. Zagledal je temno podobo in se prestrašil,misleč, da je spet naletel na težave, vendar je zbral pogum tervprašal: "Kdo si in kaj hočeš storiti z mano?" Podoba se je samopribližala, on pa je sklenil, da je noče razjeziti in je zato ni gledal voči. Medtem je na kratko pomolil bogovom; bil je namreč precejvelik vernik v slovanska božanstva. Ko je bitje pred njim stalo narazdalji kakšnih dveh metrov, je spregovorilo. Močan ženski glas jerekel: "Ne boj se, Ivan, vidim, da si pogumen fant. V prihodnjeračunaj name. Dam ti še nasvet: ko pade mrak, trikrat potolči polesu." S temi besedami je stvor izginil neznano kam, pred njim pa sose pojavili trije hlebi kruha ter vrč mleka. Ponižno je sprejel dobrine,se zahvalil, jih nekaj pojedel in popil, ostalo pa shranil za pozneje.Nato je nadaljeval svojo pot. Med hojo je bil zelo zmeden, vseskozi je premišljeval o svojemsrečanju ter si zastavljal vprašanja, vendar na njih ni našel odgovora.V šoli se je kar malo izogibal pogovorom s sošolci zaradi Markovegrožnje, vendar so se vsi želeli pogovarjati z njim, saj je bil zaradisvoje dobrodušnosti zmerom zaželen v družbi. Pouk je minil brez problemov, a ko se je na poti domov približevaltemnemu gozdičku, je postajal vedno bolj skeptičen. Spomnil se jena starkine besede, zbral pogum ter se podal skozi gozd. Prehodil niniti polovice poti, ko so mu prekrižali pot znani ljudje. Kotobljubljeno, so bili tam Marko in njegovi prijatelji, vsak s svojimorožjem; nekateri z železno palico, drugi z lesenim kijem ali palico. Vseh skupaj je bilo pet. Ivan se je ob pogledu nanje precej prestrašil,a kmalu je njegovo telo napolnil magičen občutek sreče, poguma inzbranosti. Ivan ni rad fizično obračunaval z ljudmi, bil je mirnenarave, a se je bil kljub temu pripravljen postaviti zase kot še nikoli.Marko je zavpil: "Dajmo ga!" in se s prijatelji vred vsul nanj. Ivan jebil pripravljen, točno je vedel, kaj storiti. Prvemu zamahu se je za lasizognil, takoj zatem pa je neprijatelju vzel lesen kij ter zamahnil znjim. V hipu sta na tleh obležala kar dva in to samo z enimudarcem. Ostali trije so se kar malo prestrašili, a vseeno so ganapadli. Ivan je z lahkoto z golimi rokami premikastil in zbil na tlatudi dva druga, ki sta nemočna obležala na tleh kljub premoči vštevilu in orožju. Boril se je častno in hrabro. Tako je ostal le Marko,ki ga je Ivan za trenutek izgubil z vidika. Obrnil se je, zatem pa bum,udarec železne palice ga je zadel ravno na teme in nemočno jeobležal na tleh. Marko se je zasmejal ter z viška gledal nanj. Kmaluzatem, ko je ponovno pridobil zavest, je črna mačka padla z drevesanedaleč stran – spomnil se je na starkin nasvet, trikrat je potolkel polesu in srednje veliko drevo se je iznenada zrušilo naravnost naMarka. Tako je napadalec utrpel precej hude poškodbe, Ivan pa gaiz časti več ni poškodoval, kljub temu da je nasilnež ležal na tleh brezvsakršne moči; raje jo je karseda hitro ucvrl proti domu. Ko je bil na varnem doma, je znova premišljeval in posvetilo se muje; na pomoč mu je priskočila sama Jaga baba, ki ga je prepoznalakot bojevnika in ga vseskozi varovala pred številnimi nevarnostmi.Šel je pred hišo, da si odpočije od vseh naporov in očisti um vspokoju narave, ko se je znova prikazala stara čarovnica, a tokrat ssabo ni prinesla nevihte. In res je bila sama Jaga baba, ki mu je rekla:"Dragi Ivan, izkazal si se in rešil mojo uganko, pokazal si pogum inravnal častivredno. Za nagrado ti bom vedno stala ob strani in tečuvala, tvojega sovražnika pa prestrašila tako, da si nikoli več ne boupal znašati nad tabo." Ivan je odgovoril: "Zelo hvaležen sem za vašadejanja, resnično hvala, gospa Jaga baba." Starka je pripomnila:"Zate sem samo Baba."

Ivan se je še enkrat ponižno zahvalil, nato pa sta se poslovila. Odšelje v hišo ter poskušal zaspati po napornem dnevu. Jaga baba je celoposlala rahel dež, ki je zalil rastje pred hišo ter mu pomagal zaspati. Na poti do gozdička se je pršenje hipoma spremenilo v blaznonevihto, strele so začele švigati vsepovsod. Marko in njegoviprijatelji so si komaj opomogli od pretepa ter se čudili, kako je lahkoIvan tako močan in spreten. Blisk in grom sta jim pognala strah vkosti in črna senca se je pojavila pred njimi, v tem hudem nalivu jebila skoraj neprepoznavna. Zgrabila je Marka in ga vzela s sabo.Njegovi prijatelji so ob pogledu na vse to ostali brez sape. Marka je nenadoma zgrabila panika, solze so mu napolnile oči, saj jeprepoznal Jago babo in njeno domovanje, v katerega je bil pripeljan,iz pravljic, ki sta mu jih pripovedovala mama in babica. Pri priči jepokleknil in začel v joku prositi za milost ter se opravičevati za svojadejanja. Ob pogledu na peči, v katerih naj bi pekla otroke, binamreč vsakega streslo do kosti. Jaga baba mu je strogo zabičala, najbo v prihodnje pozornejši na svoja dejanja ter se opraviči za svojenapake. Marko se je v hipu iz ponosnega fanta, polnega samegasebe, spremenil v ponižnega in prijaznega. Jaga baba ga je natospustila, vendar je kljub bližini doma trajalo par ur, da je Markonašel dom, saj je bil do konca prestrašen in zbegan. Naslednji dan sta se pri pouku srečala Ivan in Marko. Marko se jenemudoma opravičil za svoja dejanja in priznal, da je vse naredilsamo zato, ker je Ivanu zavidal njegovo priljubljenost in spoštovanjemed sošolci. V opravičilo mu je izročil tudi par daril in jedi. Fanta sta postala kar dobra prijatelja, spremembe v Markovemobnašanju pa so bile očitne; iz fanta, polnega samega sebe, se jespremenil v dobrosrčnega, skromnega človeka. Tudi drugi so toopazili in na Marka začeli gledati drugače. Navsezadnje je spoznalsvoje napake, četudi na zastrašujoč način. Leon's Story about Baba Yaga The year was 1779, and Ivan was preparing for his third week ofclasses in the early summer shortly after the introduction ofcompulsory schooling in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From hismodest home, he set out early in the morning on the five-kilometerschool route to the rural school. The path from his house slowlyturned into a modest carriageway that led through green spruceforests, which later, after about three kilometers of walking,widened into a local road that led through vast meadows next to asmall marsh. It led all the way to the town, where Ivan attended hiseducational institution. The sun was just rising and rays of lightwere shining through the last thin clouds of fog, which soondisappeared. The atmosphere on this summer day was wonderful,if not a little magical. Ivan had to walk through the last small grove, which was quite darkdue to the dense growth of spruce trees, only small specks of lightcame through the dense needles. He always liked walking along thispart of the path, as he was quite attached to nature, the grove evenoffered him a small spiritual cleansing whenever he walkedthrough. Soon, a massive figure looked out from behind the tree trunk, whoIvan recognized shortly after. It was his classmate Marko, he washolding an iron rod in his hand, and there was a grim expression onhis face. Ivan was negatively surprised, because he knew thatnothing good was going to happen, since Marko had been targetingIvan, even though he was not guilty of anything, since thebeginning of school for some unknown reason. But he still greetedMarko and asked him what brought him here. Marko approachedand without saying a word swung an iron rod; the blow hit Ivan onthe shoulder and part of the face, everything brightened up in frontof his eyes for a moment and he collapsed on the spot.

Marko stepped up to him and ordered him not to approach hisclassmates and friends anymore, saying that he was having anegative influence on them. He also told him to be careful when hewas going to walk here after school. With these words, Markoturned around and left. Ivan, light-hearted as he is, shed a few bittertears, but he picked himself up soon after. He didn't understandwhy his classmate suddenly turned towards him. He sat down on a nearby tree stump and pondered what he didwrong, when suddenly black clouds descended, lightning struckfrom all sides and it began to sprinkle, and he heard heavy footstepsbehind him. He saw a dark figure and was frightened, thinking thathe was in trouble again, but he mustered up the courage to ask:"Who are you and what do you want to do with me?" The figureonly moved closer, and he decided that he didn't want to anger it(whatever it was), so he didn't look it directly in the eyes. Meanwhile, he prayed briefly to the gods; he was a rather strongbeliever in Slavic deities. When the creature stood in front of him ata distance of about two meters, it spoke. A strong female voice said,"Don't be afraid, Ivan, I see you are a brave boy. Count on me inthe future. And I’ll give you another piece of advice: when darknessfalls, knock three times on the wood." With these words, thecreature disappeared into an unknown place, and three loaves ofbread and a jug of milk appeared in front of him. He humblyaccepted the goodies, thanked for them, ate and drank some, savingthe rest for later. Then he continued his way. He was very confused as he walked, constantly thinking about hismeeting and asking himself questions he could not find answers to.In school, he avoided talking to his classmates a bit because ofMarko's threat, but everyone wanted to talk to him. This was a bithard for him, as he was always wanted in the company because ofhis good-tempered nature. He passed through his classes without any problems, but as heapproached the dark grove on his way home, he became more andmore skeptical. He remembered the old woman's words, gatheredup the courage and set off through the forest. He had not evengone halfway when familiar people crossed his path. As promised,Marko and his friends were there, each with his weapon; some withan iron rod, others with a wooden stick or staff. There were five ofthem in total. Ivan was quite frightened when he saw them, butsoon his body was filled with a magical feeling of happiness,courage and concentration. Ivan did not like to physically settleaccounts with people, he had a calm nature, but was neverthelessready to stand up for himself like never before. Marko shouted:"Let's beat him!" and rushed at him with his friends. Ivan was ready,he knew exactly what to do. He narrowly avoided the first swing,but immediately after that he took a wooden club from the enemyand swung it. In no time, as many as two were lying on the ground,and that with just one hit. The other three frightened a bit as theysaw this, but they attacked him anyway. Ivan easily beat the livingdaylights out of two of them with his bare hands and knockedthem to the ground. Two more enemies were lying helpless on the ground despite the superiority in numbers and weapons. Hefought honorably and bravely. The only one left was Marko, whomIvan momentarily lost sight of. He turned around, and then boom,the blow of the iron rod hit him right on the vertex, and he layhelpless on the ground. Marko laughed and looked down at him. Shortly after he regained consciousness, a black cat fell from a treenot far away - he remembered the old woman's advice, he tappedthe wood three times and the medium-sized tree suddenly fellstraight on Marko. Thus, the assailant suffered rather severeinjuries, and Ivan, out of honor, did not wound him anymore,despite the fact that he was lying on the ground without any strength; rather, he quickly took off towards home.

At home, safe, he pondered again when it dawned on him; JagaBaba herself came to his aid, recognizing him as a warrior andprotecting him from many dangers. He went outside the house torest from all his efforts and clear his mind in the tranquillity ofnature, when the old witch appeared again, but this time she didnot bring the storm with her. And indeed, it was Jaga Baba herselfwho said to him: "Dear Ivan, you proved yourself and solved myriddle, you showed courage and acted honorably. As a reward, I willalways stand by your side and guard you, and I will frighten yourenemy so that he will never dare stand above you again." Ivanreplied: "I am very grateful for your actions, thank you very much,Mrs. Jaga Baba." The old woman remarked: "I'm just Baba for you."Ivan humbly thanked her once more, and then they bid farewell. He went into the house and tried to take a nap after a busy day.Jaga Baba even sent a light rain that watered the vegetation in frontof the house and helped him sleep. On the way to the grove, thisspray of rain turned into a mad storm, lightning started strikingeverywhere. Marko and his friends barely recovered from the fightand wondered how Ivan could be so strong and skilled. Theapproaching lightning and thunder sent fear into their bones and ablack shadow appeared before them, almost unrecognizable in thisheavy downpour. It grabbed Marko and took him to her house.His friends gasped at the sight of all this, almost wetting their pants.Marko suddenly panicked when he saw that he was brought to herhome and tears filled his eyes. He recognized Jaga Baba and herhome from the fairy tales told to him by his mother andgrandmother. He immediately knelt down in front of her andbegan crying and begging for mercy while apologizing for hisactions. The sight of the ovens in which she was supposed to bakethe children would shake everyone to the bone. In an instant,Marko changed from a proud boy, full of himself, to a humble andkind one. Jaga Baba then let him go, but despite the proximity of his home, ittook a couple of hours for Marko to find it, as he was completelyscared and confused. Ivan and Marko met at their classes the next day. Markoimmediately apologized for his actions and admitted that he onlydid it because he envied Ivan his popularity and respect among hisclassmates. He also handed him a couple of gifts and dishes as anapology. Over the next few days, the two became quite goodfriends, and the changes in Marko's behavior were evident; hechanged from a boy full of himself to a kind-hearted, humbleyoung man. Others also noticed this and began to look at Markodifferently. Ultimately, he realized his mistakes, albeit in afrightening way.

Rokova zgodba o Kurentu Nekega neznanega dne je Kurent hodil okoli in naposled srečalZimo, ki je ravno potresavala sneg po Gorenjskem. Kurent je zaradidolgčasa brez znanega razloga izzval Zimo. Predpostavil je, da če jopremaga v dirki, bo on potresaval sneg po svetu, kolikor se mu bozaželelo. Zima je sprejela izziv in Kurent je določil pravila. Z Zimobosta dirkala peš po različnih krajih in kdor zmaga v teh bo določil,kako dolgo bo tam vladala zima. Prva dirka je bila preko Istre do sredine Soče, v kateri je zmagalKurent. Med dirko je izkoristil bližnjico skozi vinograd, katerega jezaradi pomoči pri zmagi blagoslovil za sedem let. Po dirki je določil,da tukaj Zima ne bo vladala kaj dosti, zato je še danes tam najtoplejein skoraj nič snega. Naslednja dirka je potekala po gorah Alp. Tokratso si tekmo ogledali tudi Perun, Mokoš in Vesna. V tej dirki jezmagala Zima, zato tam skoraj ves čas vlada mrzlina in belina.Zaradi poraza pa se je Kurent odločil, da si bo naslednjič zagotovilzmago, saj se je zbal, da bo na koncu imel več porazov kot zmag.Naslednja dirka je potekala skozi Koroško. Med dirko je Kurentneprestano izrabljal nepravične poteze, kot so spotikanje in njegovebožanske gosli, ki so Zimo za nekaj časa onesposobile teka. Nakoncu dirke pa je bilo le par korakov razlike med obema. Zaradizelo očitnega guljufanja s strani Kurenta se je Zima pritožila, tosporekanje pa se še vedno dogaja, zaradi česar ima Koroška regija šedanes popolno razmerje med mrzlino in toplino. Naslednja dirka je potekala po Notranjski regiji, kjer je bilzmagovalec neznan, zaradi izenačenja pa je še danes vremenskostanje Notranjske neznano, saj niti Kurent niti Zima tam ne vladataves čas. Po kratkem predahu se je začela tekma za Dolenjsko, kjer sokmetje ponovno pomagali Kurentu in njegovim vragolijam, skaterimi je dobil dodaten centimeter, potreben za zmago. V zahvaloje Dolenjcem blagoslovil trto in preostale pridelke, predvsem ajdoza naslednja leta, Zima pa še do danes vrne Dolenjcem milo za dragos kratkimi, a mrzlimi zimami. Sledila je Bela krajina, kjer je dirkaponovno potekala podobno kakor na Dolenjskem, vendar tukajZima ni dobila možnosti za maščevanje in je še danes tam milo intoplo podnebje. Zima je zaradi velika števila izgub zahtevalapočitek, ki je trajal neznano število dni in noči, po katerem sta sledilile še zadnji dve dirki. Prva izmed teh je bila skozi Štajersko, kjer je bilizid zelo tesen, zato si Kurent in Zima delita nadzor nad snegom inmrzlino na Štajerskem. Kmalu pa se je začela zadnja dirka. Ta je potekala po Prekmurju,tokrat pa rezultat ni bil tesen ali neodločen. Kurent je dokajprepričljivo premagal Zimo, tokrat na skoraj pravičen inenakovreden način. Zaradi vseh izgub in izgube nadzora nad lastnonalogo se je Zima vdala in prepustila večinski nadzor nad snegomKurentu. Ob nespoštovanju tega pa se zberejo skupine ljudi,preoblečene v podobe Kurenta, in preganjajo Zimo in pravijo, naj sevrne naslednje leto ter naj se do takrat izogiba teh krajev. Po mnenjunekaterih je to tudi začetek tradicije kurentovanja, kjer ljudje vKurentovo čast sledijo tradiciji njihovih prednikov in strašijo Zimov spomin njune dirke in dogovora. Kaj pa Kurentov razlog za dirko?Ta še do danes ni znan in tudi najverjetneje nikoli ne bo.

Rok's Story about Kurent On an unknown day of an unknown year Kurent was strollingaround and coincidentally came across Winter, who was justsprinkling snow around the Gorenjska region. Kurent - being boredout of his mind, with nothing better to do challenged Winter to afoot race around and across nearby regions. He set the bet, that ifhe beats her, he could be the one who controls how much snowfalls on each region to his heart’s content. Winter accepted the betand challenge so Kurent began explaining the rules. Winter and hewould race on foot across and around different regions andwhoever got there first would be the one to decide how much snowand frost would fall there. The first race went from Istria up to the halfway point of the Sočariver. During the race, Kurent ran through a vineyard to gainadvantage over Winter. He blessed the vine for 7 years. After therace, which he won, it was decided that the region would not haveany snow and shall rather stay warm and pleasant all year round,which holds true to this day. The next race went through themountainous Alps. However, this time the racers had an audienceas well. These were the gods Perun, Mokoš and Vesna. This racewas won by Winter by a long shot, so to this day we can see theresults of frost and snow peaks everywhere. The difference betweenWinter’s and Kurent’s performance concerned Kurent, as he fearedhe would end up being the overall loser, with more loses thanvictories. In retaliation he decided to cheat. On the next race takingplace in Carinthia, Kurent constantly threw Winter off balance andused his divine fiddle to incapacitate Winter for some time. Theend result, however, was only a few steps of an advantage forKurent. Because of the blatant cheating Winter got upset, and thesituation escalated to an argument which lasts to this day, which iswhy half of the year is under Winter’s control and the rest is underKurent’s. The next race took place in Notranjska region. Here the resultswere unclear, as both cleared the set finish at the same time,therefore neither Winter, nor Kurent really have control over thesnow and frost. After a short breather the next race began, this timethrough the Dolenjska region. During this race, the local farmershelped with Kurent’s shenanigans which ensured the winning inchover for Kurent. As a sign of gratitude, he blessed their crops andvine especially. However, the displeased Winter retaliates with short, but harsh and cold winters. Another short breather and the next race began. This time it was ina small region known as “Bela Krajina”, where a similar situation asthe one previous happened. However, here Winter wasn’t able toenact her revenge upon the people and Kurent, leaving the climatemild and warm. Because of the pilling amount of loses Winterdemanded a longer break, whose length is still a mystery to this day.After the break the final two races were declared. The first of thembeing through the Styrian region, where both Kurent and Winterwere tied yet again and share their influence of the climate to this day. Soon the final race, through Prekmurje began.Here Kurent won fair and square, being in his home turf. The finalrace was won by him by a longshot and Winter was very muchupset for losing a large portion of control over her only job andtask. Therefore, she sometimes extends her influence and inretaliation some people dress in suits that resemble the Kurent andperform dances to scare Winter away, demanding she returns nextyear only and to avoid these lands until. For some researchers thismight be the beginning of the tradition of the so-called“kurentovanje”, where people in the memory of the race, Kurentand their ancestors scare Winter of to remind her of the deal shemade with Kurent. And the reason for this whole race? Thatremains unknown even to this day and most likely will stay soforever.

Zeleni Jurij in Marjetica Pred davnimi časi je živel bog z imenom Zeleni Jurij. Bil je deseti sinvrhovnega boga Peruna. Njegovi ženi je bilo ime Marjetica in bila jenjegova sestra. Vsako leto je šel na Zemljo in blagoslovil žetev, da solahko Slovani dobro jedli. Slovanom se je vsako leto zdelo boljsamoumevno, da imajo dobro žetev in vsako leto so Juriju podarilimanj in manj daril. Jurij je imel najraje gozdne sadeže, ki so mu dalimoč, da je lahko na koncu zime premagal Velesa, gospodarja Zime,in se vrnil nazaj, da je lahko prinesel dobro letino. Nekega leta pa Jurij ni prišel nazaj in Slovani so imeli zelo slaboletino. Marjetica tudi ni vedela, zakaj ga ni nazaj, in odločila se ga jepoiskati. Sprva se je odločila, da gre poiskat Peruna, da ga povpraša,če je kje videl Jurija in če ji ga pomaga poiskati. Ko je prišla doPerunovega bivališča, ji je Perun rekel, da nima časa pomagati priiskanju, ampak videl pa ga je, ko je šel obiskati Velesa. Bil je zaprt, aPerunu se ni zdelo, da je žalosten. Marjetico je to zelo presenetilo inodločila se je, da gre sama do Velesa. Pot do Velesa ni bila lahka.Morala je iti čez Zeleni gozd in Rdeče morje. Ko pa je prispela do Velesa, je ugotovila, da Jurij ni bil zaprt v ječi, ampak se je prostosprehajal. Marjetico je to zelo čudilo in prišla je do teorije, da kerletos Jurij ni dobil dovolj gozdnih sadežev, ni mogel premagatiVelesa. Ni pa vedela, zakaj Jurij ni zaprt. Jurij ni opazil Marjetice,zato se je lahko čez dan Marjetica skrivala in opazovala, kaj dela.Zasačila ga je pri tem, kako se dobiva z drugo žensko. To jo je zelorazjezilo in hitro je stekla do Jurija. Ugotovila je, da je po svojemporazu spoznal neko žensko, ki pa je bila dobra Velesova prijateljicain prepričala ga je, da Jurija spusti. Jurij ji je bil zelo hvaležen invanjo se je zaljubil. Ženski se je Jurij prav tako zdel simpatičen inpostala sta ljubimca. Jurij je torej ostal v Velesovem svetu zaradiženske. To je Marjetico tako razjezilo, da je s strelo ubila Jurija innjegovo ljubimko. Zaradi tega se je spremenila v grdo boginjo smrti,imenovano Morano. Za tem je še sama umrla. To je Slovane izučilo in v spomin Juriju in Marjetici so Perunudarovali veliko gozdnih sadežev. Zaradi tega sta se Perunu spetrodila Jurij in Marjetica. Tako se bo ta zgodba ponavljala do koncasveta.

Green Jurij and Marjetica Long ago there lived a god named Zeleni Jurij. He was the tenthson of the supreme god Perun.His wife's name was Marjetica andshe was his sister. Every year he went to Earth and blessed theharvest so that the Slavs could eat well. Each year the Slavs took itmore for granted that they had a good harvest, and each year theygave less and less gifts to Jurij. Jurij loved the fruits of the forest,which gave him strength so that at the end of winter he coulddefeat Veles, the lord of Winter, and return to bring a good harvest. One year, however, Jurij did not come back and the Slavs had a verybad harvest.Marjetica also didn't know why he hadn’t been backyet, and she decided to look for him.At first, she decided to go findPerun and ask him if he had seen Jurij anywhere and if he wouldhelp her find him. When she got to Perun's abode, he told her thathe didn't have time to help with the search, but that he had seenJurij when he’d gone to visit Veles. He was imprisoned, but he didnot seem sad. Marjetica was very surprised by this and decided togo to Veles alone. The road to Veles was not easy.She had to crossthe Green Forest and the Red Sea.But when she reached Veles, Jurijwas not locked up in a prison, but was walking freely.Marjetica wasvery surprised by this and she came up with the theory that becauseJurij did not get enough forest fruits this year, he could not defeatVeles.But she did not know why Jurij was not imprisoned. Jurij did not notice Marjetica, so during the day Marjetica couldhide and watch what he was doing.She caught him seeing anotherwoman.This made her very angry and she quickly ran to Jurij. Shefound out that after his defeat he met a woman who was goodfriends with Veles and who convinced him to let Jurij go. Jurij wasvery grateful for this and fell in love with her. The woman alsofound Jurij attractive and they became lovers.Jurij therefore stayedin Veles' world because of a woman.This made Marjetica so angrythat she killed Jurij and his lover with a lightning bolt.Because ofthis, she turned into an ugly goddess of death called Morana. Afterthat, she herself also died. This taught the Slavs a lesson and in memory of Jurij and Marjeticathey gave Perun many forest fruits. Because of this, Jurij andMarjetica were born again to Perun. This story will be repeateduntil the end of the world.

Povodni mož Povodnega moža so si po večini predstavljali kot velikega,luskastega, zelenega ali pa tudi kot kosmatega moža, včasih pa so gapredstavljali tudi z ribjim repom. Povodni mož naj bi bil oblečen vzeleno suknjo in pisane hlače, na glavi naj bi imel rdečo kapo, nanogah pa obute steklene ali srebrne čevlje. Ljudem naj bi se povodnimož prikazoval v podobah berača, mladega moža, mladega fanta alipa se je prikazoval celo kot plesoči deček. Živel naj bi v morju,jezerih, rekah, potokih, izvirih studencev oziroma v vseh virih vode.Tukaj je imel svoj podvodni grad. V pravljicah so ti gradovipredstavljeni kot zelo lepe palače, polne draguljev, vse grajskedvorane pa so razsvetljevale zlate ribice. Podvodnemu možu so bilepodrejene vse vodne živali in tudi vodne vile. Po Sloveniji so verjeli v različne povodne može, na primer vPovodnjaka, Jezernika, Vodenega človeka, Vodnarja, Vodovnika,Vodnega moža, Muka, Gestrina, Salmsonarja, Motovilca, Mitala,Brbuča, Vancaša in Mamalića. Povodni možje pa se niso razlikovalisamo po imenu, ampak tudi po značilnostih in kraju bivanja. Salmsonar, tako so mu rekli na Goriškem, naj bi živel v vodi,podnevi naj bi se sicer zadrževal le v vodnih globočinah, ponoči panaj bi se prikazoval na vodni površini. Tiste pa, ki jih je Salmsonarnašel v vodi, naj bi potegnil na morsko dno, kjer jih je zakopaloziroma shranil, da so se pozneje tudi oni spremenili v Salmsonarje.

Gestrin, ki naj bi živel v Dravi, se je prikazoval ponoči v družbimorskih deklic. Imel je plavuti namesto nog in bi je zelo hudenarave. Ljudi naj bi Gestrin metal v pečine. Ribiči so imeli v navadi,da so mu metali v vodo prstan, zavit v rutico, ker so s tem želelipridobiti njegovo prijaznost. Povodnemu možu na Štajerskem so rekli Vancaš. Ko so se ljudjehoteli kopati, pa niso našli vode, so po navadi rekli: "Bo trebaVancašu ofer dati." Muk naj bi živel ob izlivu Pišence v Savo, kjer naj bi imel na dnutolmuna kristalni grad. Človeka, ki se je sklonil nad vodno gladino,da bi videl njegov grad, je Muk zgrabil za roko in ga odnesel v vodnivrtinec. Ob mesečnih nočeh je Muk sedel na skali in vzdihoval zasinom Mukom, ki ga je ugrabil nek popotnik. Zelenjak naj bi živel na Gorenjskem in čuval jezero v Močilniku, vKranjski Gori pa naj bi živel povodni mož Motovilec. Mital (hudi duh) naj bi živel v jezeru pod Kumom, blizu Radeč naKranjskem. Ljudem se je prikazoval v pasji podobi. Ob jasnihmesečnih nočeh je iz svojega gradu prihajal na čer ob vodi ali pa celona strehe bližnjih mlinov. V jezi pa je povzročil hude nevihte inburje. Mamalič v Baški v Julijski krajini se je celo držal hiš, kjer je dobivalhrano. Tako kot škrat je kaznoval tistega, ki mu je odvzel obrok. Brbuč je živel v vodnih zbirališčih, vodnjakih in studencih v okoliciNovega mesta. Z njim so predvsem strašili otroke, da se ne biutopili. Številne pripovedke pripovedujejo, da naj bi v Sloveniji povodnimožje živeli v Dravi, Savi, Muri, Krki, Kolpi, Sotli, Soči, v potočkihIžice in Rašice, v izvirih in potokih Olima in Obirska, v jezerih, kotso Blejsko, Bohinjsko, Vrbsko in pa tudi Cerkniško jezero. Povodnimožje se lahko tudi selijo iz enega jezera v drugo. Ponavadi sorazlogi za selitev obnašanje ljudi, npr. metanje kamnov v jezero,preklinjanje, žvižganje, pokanje z biči ali zvonjenje zvonov ipd. Če ječlovek v vodo vrgel kamen, je povodni mož prihrumel na površjevode in vpil: "Kdo je izbil mojemu sinu žlico iz rok?" Tudi pohorskipovodni mož iz črnega Ribiškega jezera se je močno vznemiril, če soljudje v jezero metali kamenje, in zaradi tega povzročil hudonevihto. Po nekaterih pripovedkah se povodni možje selijo iz jezer spomočjo kmetovega voza in volov. Za plačilo kmetu je povodnimož obesil vrečo zlata na volov rog. V različnih pripovedkah je tudiplačilo povodnega moža lahko različno, npr. povodni mož lahkovolu napolni roge z zlatom, najpogosteje pa naj bi plačeval z ogljem,žeblji, luskami in podobno, ki naj bi se ob jutranjem svituspremenili v zlato, ampak le, če so se ljudje držali njegovih navodil.Pogosto pa so zaradi neučakanosti ljudje ostali praznih rok. Ljudje naj bi včasih tudi ujeli kakšnega povodnega moža. Ko jepovodnemu možu končno uspelo uiti iz ujetništva, so se iz ljudinorčevali, saj so povodni možje vedeli veliko stvari, ki ji ljudje niso, aljudje tega niso znali izkoristiti. Ljudje naj bi povodnega moža ujelitako, da so mu nastavljali hrano, vino in s smolo namazane škornje. Najpogostejši motiv v pripovedkah o povodnih možeh je ugrabitevotrok ali žena, ta motiv se pojavi tudi v Prešernovem Povodnemmožu, kjer povodni mož ugrabi Urško in jo odpelje v Ljubljanico.Povodni mož pa je poleg otrok in žen ogrožal tudi dojenčke vzibelkah.

Merman Povodni mož (Merman or Water sprite) is mostly imagined as alarge, scaly, green or hairy man, but sometimes he is also believed tohave a fish tail. Povodni mož is dressed in green jacket and colorfultrousers, with a red hat on his head and glass or silver shoes on hisfeet. It is said that sometimes Povodni mož appears to people in theform of a beggar, a young man, a young boy or even as a dancingboy. Povodni mož lives in the seas, lakes, rivers, streams, springs,basically in any source of water. It is said that he has his underwatercastle there. In fairy tales, these castles are told to be very beautifulpalaces, full of jewels and all the castle halls are illuminated bygoldfish. All the water animals and also water fairies are submittedto Povodni mož. Across Slovenia, they believe in various versions of Povodni mož,for example Povodnjak, Jezernik, Vodeni človek, Vodnar,Vodovnik, Vodni mož, Muk, Gestrin, Salmsonar, Motovilec, Mital,Brbuč, Vancaš and Mamalić. All the different versions, however,differ not only in the name, but also in characteristics and the placesthey live. Salmsonar is what they call the merman in Goriško. During theday, Salmsonar stays only in the deepest parts of the water, but atnight he appears on the surface. Those that the Salmsonar finds inthe water, he pulls to the bottom, where he buries or stores them,so that later they too turn into a Salmsonar. Gestrin lives in the Drava River and at night he appears in thecompany of mermaids. It is said that he has fins instead of legs andthat he is of a very fierce nature. Gestrin allegedly threw peopleagainst cliffs. The fishermen used tothrow a ring wrapped in a scarfinto the water, because they wanted to gain Gestrin´s kindness. In Štajerska, Povodni mož is called Vancaš. When people want tobathe or swim, but cannot find water, they say ˝We will have to giveofferings to Vancaš.˝ Muk lives where the Pišene River flows into the Sava River, wherehe has his crystal castle at the bottom of the river pool. The person whostops above the surface of the water to see his castle will get grabbedby the arm by Muk and carried away into a whirlpool. On moonlitnights, Muk supposedly sits on a rock and sighs for his son Muk,who was kidnapped by a traveller. Zelenjak lives in Gorenjska and he guards the lake Močilnik. Andthe merman of Kranjska Gora is called Motovilec. Mital (evil spirit) lives in the lake under Kum, near Radeče inKranjska. It is said that he appears to people in a form of a dog. Onclear moonlit nights, he supposedly comes out of his castle to thereef by the water or even to the roofs of nearby mills. When he isangry, he can cause severe storms. Mamalič in Baška in Julijska Krajina sticks to houses that give himfood. Like a dwarf, he punishes anyone who takes away his meal. Brbuč supposedly lives in water reservoirs, wells and springs in the surrounding area of Novo Mesto. They mainly only talk aboutBrbuč to scare children so that they won’t drown. Many stories say that in Slovenia, water spirits like Povodni možlive in the rivers Drava, Sava, Mura, Krka, Kolpa, Sotla and Soča, inthe streams of Ižica and Rašica, in the streams and springs of Olim

and Obirsk and in Lake Bled, Bohinj, Vrbsko and also in the lakeCerknica. Povodni mož can also migrate from one lake to another.Usually the reason is people’s behaviour, such as throwing stonesinto the lake, cursing, whistling, cracking whips or ringing bells andthings like that. If a person threw a stone into the water, Povodnimož would rise to the surface and shout: ``Who knocked the spoonout of my son's hands?'' Even Povodni mož from the black LakeRibnica in Pohorje got very upset if people threw stones into thelake and because of that he would cause a severe storm. Accordingto some tales, Povodni mož migrates from lakes with the help offarmers and their carts and oxen. To pay the farmer, Povodni možwould hang a sack of gold on the horn of the ox. In differentstories, the payment of Povodni mož can also be different, forexample he could pay by filling the ox's horns with gold, but mostoften he would pay with charcoal, nails, scales and such. Thesepayments supposedly turned into gold at dawn, but only if peoplefollowed his instructions. Often though, people were left emptyhanded because they were impatient. People could also catch Povodni mož. When Povodni mož finallymanaged to escape from captivity, he would make fun of the peoplewho caught him, because he knew many things that people didn’t,but they didn’t know how to take advantage of that. People couldcapture him by setting up some food, vine and boots smeared withtree resin as a trap. The most common motif in stories about Povodni mož is theabduction of children and women, this motif also appears in ourpoet France Prešeren's Povodni mož, where Povodni mož kidnapsUrška and takes her to the Ljubljanica River. In addition tochildren and women, he also poses a threat to babies in cradles.

Vile Slovanska mitologija pripoveduje o skrivnostnih bitjih z dolgimizlatimi lasmi in belimi oblekami, ki za vedno ostajajo mlade. Živijov drevesih, razpokah, votlinah, na vrhu gora, v vodnih izvirih ingloboko v gozdovih. Zbirajo se ob mraku, da skupaj pojejo inplešejo. Kjer se zadržujejo, tja prinesejo rodovitnost. Imajo celonadnaravne zdravilne moči. Prikažejo se le določenim ljudem obdoločenem času. Svetujejo jim, kam in kdaj naj sejejo, orjejo inpasejo živino. Napovedujejo letino in prerokujejo prihodnost. Taeterična bitja so slovanske vile različnih vrst. Vile vesne živijo v lepih palačah visoko v gorah. Pogovarjajo se otem, kakšno bo to leto, kakšna bo letina, kdo bo umrl. Okrognjihovih palač je velik krog, iz katerega med letom ne smejo, kroglahko zapustijo samo meseca februarja. Temu mesecu zato pravijotudi vesnar. Februarja pridejo v doline in se vozijo vsak večer odenajste do dvanajste ure na nizkih lesenih vozičkih po robovih cest.Kolesa vozičkov pogosto škripajo, a sliši jih le tisti, ki mu je tonamenjeno. Tistega, ki ga povozijo, umre čez leto in en dan. Če sekak človek splazi do njihovih domov poizvedovat o prihodnosti,mora biti pazljiv, da ga ne opazijo. Poleg vil vesen poznamo tudi vile rojenice. Ob rojstvu otrokaustvarijo in napovejo njegovo prihodnost, zato so se jim ljudjeskušali prikupiti in so jim tik pred porodom oziroma ob rojstvuotroka nastavljali pogače in vino. Prvo, tretjo ali sedmo noč porojstvu otroka pridejo tri lepe, visoke in sloke žene ter novorojenčkuprerokujejo usodo. Prva je oblečena v belo in napove dobredogodke, druga je oblečena v rjavo in napove nesrečne dogodke,tretja, oblečena v črno, pa napove smrt. Ne poznamo le vil, ki živijo na kopnem. Vodne vile so ženska vodnabitja v podobi vselej mlade, lepe deklice z ribjim repom. Živijo vglobini bistrih voda, v jasnih nočeh prihajajo na bregove, kjerplešejo, pojejo in si češejo dolge lase. Ljudem so pomagale pri deluna polju, za plačilo pa so jim ljudje nastavljali hrano. Včasih so se primožile na kmetijo in imele otroke,ki pa so jih po rojstvu umorile. Če pa je katera k sebi v vodo potegnilamladeniča, da bi ga imela za svojega spremljevalca, je ta za vedno ostal mlad. Ljudiso učile plesati in peti, saj so bile izredno pevsko nadarjene. Čisto nasprotje prej omenjenih vil so vile babe. So strašne, grozovzbujajoče vile, a kljub temu veljajo za dobre, ki rade priskočijo napomoč. Pripisane so jim mnoge čarovniške sposobnosti. Po njih sopoimenovane gore (Baba v Makedoniji), vrhovi (Mala in VelikaBaba v Italiji), skalni previsi in osamelci. Poznamo različne babe, naprimer zlato babo, ki je bila porodničarka. Poznamo tudi pehtrobabo, ki velja za grdo, strašno in kosmato bitje. V eni roki imaburkle, v drugi sekiro, da jo vsadi človeku v hrbet. Na hrbtu pa nosikoš. Okrog hodi med pustom in ob svetih treh kraljih ter strašiotroke. Lahko te oslepi, če do nje nisi spoštljiv, čez leto dni pa tipovrne vid. Pehtra je vremenski demon, kar pomeni, da lahkovreme spreminja po svoji volji. V slovanski mitologiji tako ne poznamo le pozitivnih vil, ampaktudi negativne. Vile so res lepa in skrivnostna bitja, a nikoli ne veš,kaj se ti godi, če si s kakšno prekrižaš poti.

Fairies Slavic mythology tells of mysterious creatures with long golden hairand white dresses who stay young forever. They live in trees, cracks,cavities, on top of mountains, in water springs and deep in forests.They gather at dusk to sing and dance together. Wherever they stay,they bring fertility. They even have supernatural healing powers.They are only shown to certain people at certain times. They advisehumans where and when to sow, plough and graze livestock. Theypredict the harvest and foretell the future. These ethereal beings areSlavic fairies of various kinds. The Vesna fairies live in beautiful palaces high in the mountains.They talk about what the year will be like, what the harvest will belike, who will die. There is a large circle around their palaces, whichthey are not allowed to leave during the year, and can only leave inFebruary. That's why this month is also known as the "Vesnar". InFebruary, they arrive in the valleys and ride on low wooden cartsalong the roadsides every evening from 11pm to 12pm. The wheelsof the trolleys often squeak, but only the person they are meant forhears them. The one who gets run over dies in a year and a day. If aman creeps into their homes to enquire about the future, he mustbe careful not to be seen. In addition to the fairies Vesne, there are also fairies Rojenice. Theycreate and predict the future of a child at birth, which is why peopleused to try to woo them by offering them cakes and wine justbefore or at the birth of the child. On the first, third or seventhnight after the birth of a child, three beautiful, tall and thin womencome and prophesy the fate of the newborn. The first is dressed inwhite and foretells good events, the second is dressed in brown andforetells unfortunate events, and the third, dressed in black,foretells death. It's not just land-based fairies we know. Water fairies are femalewater creatures, always in the form of a young, beautiful girl with afish tail. They live in the depths of clear waters, coming to the bankson clear nights to dance, sing and comb their long hair. They usedto help people work in the fields, and for a fee, people gave themfood. They used to come to the farm and have children withhumans, but after their birth they murdered them. If one of thempulled a young man into the water to be her companion, he stayedyoung forever. They taught people to dance and sing, as they wereextremely talented singers. The exact opposite of the aforementioned fairies are the Babafairies. They are scary and terrifying but they are considered goodfairies who are always willing to help. They are attributed withmany magical abilities. Mountains (Baba in Macedonia), peaks(Mala and Velika Baba in Italy), rocky overhangs and isolated placesare named after them. There are different types of Babas, such asGolden Baba, who was an obstetrician. There is also a Pehtra Baba,who is considered an ugly, scary and hairy creature. In one hand sheholds a “burkle”, in the other an axe to put in a man's back. On herback, she carries a basket. These fairies go around during Carnivaland the Three Kings' Feast, scaring children. They can blind you ifyou're not respectful to them and they can give you your sight backin a year. Pehtra is also a weather demon, which means she canchange the weather at will. In Slavic mythology, there are not only positive fairies, but alsonegative ones. Fairies are really beautiful and mysterious creaturesand you never know what awaits you if you cross paths with one.

Škratje in palčki Škratje so bajeslovna bitja s telesom otroka in obrazom starčka,imajo belo brado, oblečeni pa so v višnjevo jopico, rdeče ali zelenehlače ter rdečo koničasto čepico. Poudarjajo življenjsko energijo.Opazimo jih lahko, kadar se pojavijo v obliki črne mačke, žabe,teleta ali zvezdnega utrinka. Letali naj bi celo po zraku in skozidimnike spuščali denar. Njihovo glavno prebivališče je podzemnisvet, zato jih katoliška cerkev večkrat primerja s hudičem. Ponekaterih pripovedih pa naj bi se podobno kot zmaji izvalili iz jajcasedem let starega črnega petelina. Gozdni škratje varujejo gozdne zaklade, poljski pomagajo ljudempri poljedelstvu, planinski pa se zadržujejo pri živini. Rudniški ali gorski škratje kopljejo in talijo rudo ter rudarjem vzameno za hrano s trkanjem kažejo, kje kopati. Rudarji so znamenom, da ohranijo zavezništvo s škrati, le-tem nastavljali lončeks hrano in ob določenem času v letu rdečo suknjico. Rudniškeškrate je močno motilo popivanje v rudniku, zato je Berkmandeljcrudarju, ki si je nosil žganje na delo, to vedno spil. Ko mu je rudarnastavil zanko in ga poskusil opiti ter prisiliti, da mu pokaže, kje vrudniku so skrita največja bogastva, ga je ta ukanil. Peljal ga je pocelotnem rovu in mu kazal, kje se nahaja zlato. Ko je rudar končnoprispel nazaj domov, njegove družine ni bilo nikjer in ugotovil je, daje po rudniku hodil tristo let. Berkmandeljc sicer velja za prijaznegaduha, vendar posebej ne mara žvižganja in vpitja v jamah, zato sorudarji tiho, da ga ne razjezijo. Vodni škratje ljudem ne koristijo in tudi ne škodujejo, dokler ljudjev njihovih vodah ne lovijo rib in rakov. Njihov najhujši sovražniknaj bi bil povodni mož, ki jih je pregnal iz njihovega prvotnegabivališča. Ti škratje so radodarni, vendar če jih razjeziš, zasujejojezero, v katerem loviš ribe. Škratje, ki jih najdemo doma, se imenujejo tudi hišni duhovi, tenajdemo v goriščih, pod pragom ali v solnici, saj naj bi sol preganjalazle duhove. Če tem škratom ljudje ne pripravijo hrane, se jimmaščujejo, najraje pa jedo proso. Ti škratje so zaščitniki domov. Škrata lahko dobi človek v službo s krvno pogodbo, v kateri škratuobljubi svojo dušo, otroka ali ženo. Odkupi se mu lahko le tako, daugane njegovo ime. Zaradi krvne pogodbe so večkrat primerjani shudičem. Škratje so ljudi naučili kovaštva, zdravljenja, obdelovanja kovin,peke kruha in mnogih drugih veščin. Škratje ljudem pomagajo brezplačila, kadar človek to uporabi za korist drugim ali pa za svojepreživetje. Ljudem pa radi tudi nagajajo tako, da se skrijejo v temnihgozdovih, globelih, gorskih votlinah in odmaknjenih krajih. Neprenašajo preklinjanja, priseganja, žvižganja, popivanja v rudniku inkrohotanja v gozdovih. Vsakdo, ki stori katero od naštetih stvari, seizpostavi nevarnosti, da bi prišel škratu v oblast. Posebna skupina neprijaznih škratov se imenuje škarifiči, budekičiali vedomci. Ti naj bi zapeljevali ovce, odpeljali otroke, še posebejdeklice, in povzročali, da se človek v naravi izgubi. Ti škratjenastopajo kot zlobna in hudoželjna bitja, zato jih večkrat primerjajos hudičem. V kamniških planinah naj bi bili strašna nadlega ljudem,pravičnim in nepravičnim. Kadar je kdo preklel: »Naj te škratodnese,« so škratje tisto reč zares odnesli. Škrat v Hudi peči naj bibil grozen slepar, ki zvrne nesrečo na vsakega ne glede na to, ali jenjegov prijatelj ali sovražnik. Je majhne postave in s seboj nosivrečko zlatnikov, ki jo obljubi vsakemu, ki poklekne pred njim. Kočlovek to stori, dobi vrečko zlata, vendar s tem zlatom ničesar nemore plačati. Denar so namreč začarani listi, ki jih le žrtev vidi kotdenar.

Palčki so škratom sorodna bitja, ki pa so prijaznejši in delujejočloveku v prid. Še posebej radi pomagajo ljudem pri šivanju oblek inčevljev in pri obdelovanju dragih kamnov. V literaturi se največkratpojavijo Kanih, Čatež, Orko in Škopnik. Čatež je pol človek in pol kozel. Lahko je nevaren, saj popotnike aligozdarje, če jih sreča ob mraku ali polnoči, spravi v panični strah injih s posnemanjem glasov zapelje v neznane kraje. Včasih naj bi tudispuščal kamenje z gora, kradel grozdje in se opijal. Na mestih, kjer seje zadrževal, pa naj bi se pojavili izviri pitne vode. Drvarjem prinašavodo, če so žejni, planinskim pastirjem pa jagode in maline. Orko je duh divjin, ki v gozdnem in gorskem svetu straši ljudi,pripovedovali so, da naj bi bil duh mrtvega, ki nima miru. Ljudemse nastavlja v podobi osla, če bi kdo sedel nanj, bi zrasel do zvezd inčloveka spustil proti tlom, nato pa ga prestregel, da se temu ne bi kajzgodilo. Škopnik se prikazuje v podobi gorečega snopa slame, po drugihizročilih pa po nebu leta v podobi goreče ptice, žarečega bitja aligorečega možaka. Če bi sedel na streho hiše ali na gnojišče, bi naj toprineslo nesrečo. Drugo izročilo pa govori, da prinaša bogastvo insrečo. Če bi kdo pokazal za njim, bi se mu posušila roka. Dušil najbi otroke v spanju, posebej če so domači prižgali trsko na obehstraneh. Smrt škratov je zapisana le v dveh primerih. V prvem se je škratzmedel in prehitro obrnil, ob tem se je zaletel v skalo in umrl. Odtakrat naprej naj bi na tistem mestu umrlo mnogo živali in celo enaženska. V drugem primeru pa je človek škrata z zunanjo stranjoprstov udaril po glavi in ga s tem ubil. Človeka so nato lovili škratje,a jih je odgnal z molkom.

Goblins and Dwarves Goblins are mythological beings, with a body of a child and a faceof an old man. They have a white beard and are dressed in a cherryred cardigan, red or green pants and a red hat. They represent life’senergy. They could be spotted when they shapeshifted into a blackcat, a frog, a calf or a shooting star. They were said to be flying in the sky and throwing money throughpeople’s chimneys as well. Their main residence is the undergroundworld, because of that the Catholic church compares them to thedevil. There are seven different kinds of goblins. Forest goblins took care of the woods, the field ones helped peoplewith their field work, and the mountain ones stayed with thelivestock. The mine goblins dug and melt ore. They helped miners byknocking on the parts of the cave where the ore was. They did thatfor food. In the hope of keeping a friendly relationship with thegoblins, miners used to give them food and clothes. The goblinsreally hated people that got drunk at work, which is why a goblinnamed Berkmandeljc always drank the miners’ alcohol. One minerdecided to create a trap for the goblin. He prepared a lot of alcoholfor him and when Berkmadeljc drank all of it he got very drunk.That’s when the miner captured him. He made Berkmandeljc showhim where all the gold is and they walked all over the cave. Whenthe miner came home, his family was not at home anymore and herealized that he had spent 300 years in the cave with Berkmandeljc.Berkmandeljc is known to be a good spirit but he doesn’t likescreaming or whistling in the caves, which is why miners stay quiet. Water goblins were neither good or bad to people. They left usalone as long as we didn’t fish in their lakes. However, if people did,they would get mad and bury the lake they took their fish from.Their worst enemy is Merman who took their home from them. Goblins can also be found at home; they are called house spirits.They hid by the fireplace, in the doorstep and in the salt cellar-people believed that salt kept bad spirits away. If these goblinsdidn’t receive food by the people, they took their revenge.However, they are the protectors of homes. A person could get a goblin to work for them by signing a bloodcontract. In such a contract a man promised to give the goblin hischild or wife and he could get out of it only by guessing the goblin’sname. Goblins taught people how to heal, bake, handle the metals andmany other things. They only helped people without payment if they used the help forothers or if the person they were helping was in serious danger. They also liked to scare people in dark forests, hollows and otherscary places. They hated cursing, swearing, whistling, drinking in caves andlaughing in forests. Anyone who did any of these things was indanger of being kidnapped by the goblins. There is a group of goblins named either Škarifiči, Budekiči orVedomci that were known to be evil. They were believed to steal

Dwarfs are similar to goblins, but they are nicer and they helppeople. They especially liked to help with sewing and processing ofgemstones. Čatež is half human and half goat. He can be dangerous if he metanyone in the dark, he made them panic and lose themselves in thewoods. Sometimes he even threw rocks from mountains, stolegrapes and got drunk. In places where he sat a water sourceappeared. He is also said to give miners water and shepherds berries.Orko is a ghost of wilderness who scares people in the mountains,he is said to be a ghost of a dead person who didn’t achieve peace.He appears as a donkey and when people sit on him, he grows tothe stars and throws people of his back. But he catches them rightbefore they could hurt themselves. Škopnik appears as a bundle of straw that’s on fire but some saythat he flies in the sky looking like a man or bird on fire. If he sitson your roof or manure it’s supposed to bring bad luck. But insome literature, he is said to bring good luck and abundance. If youpoint at him, your hand dries. He is said to choke children in theirsleep. The death of goblins is only written about twice. In the first case agoblin got confused and he turned around too quickly and hit hishead into a rock. Since then, at that exact place, there were manymore deaths of animals occurred, and even a woman died there. Inthe second example a human hit the goblin’s head with the outsideof his head and the goblin died. He was then chased by othergoblins, but he made them go away by remaining silent. Konji Konji v slovanski mitologiji in ljudskem izročilu zavzemajopomembno mesto. Tako poznamo polkonja ali kentavra, ki je bilpol človek in pol konj in predstavlja divje, zemeljske ali vodne sile.Zgoraj je človeške postave, spodaj konjske, živel je ob vodi ali vgoratih predelih. V Sloveniji najdemo na Štajerskem, Gorenjskem in v Beneški Sloveniji nekaj izročil opolkonjih. Prav tako so vključeni v slovenske pripovedke. V eniizmed njih junak čaka zvezan v vreči, da ga vržejo v vodo. Medčakanjem pregovori nekega gospoda, da zleze v vrečo namesto njega,sam pa se z njegovo kočijo in konji vrne domov, kjer reče, da je našelv vodi bič, s katerim je mlatil tako dolgo, da se je rešil. Grošelj, avtorpripovedke, je uporabil staro izročilo o polkonjih, ki poosebljajorazpenjeno, razbičano vodo. Začetki vseh štirih letnih časov so zaznamovani z likom konja. Takopoznamo belega konja, ki ga jezdi pomladni sveti Jurij, ki premagazmaja in izžene zimo in je simbol rodovitnosti. Krstnik je rojen skonjskimi kopiti in privzema konjsko podobo ter oznanja poletje.Okoli Vurberga naj bi bila ovita kača, ki ga je zasledovala, ko jeugrabil krono iz kačje dežele. Rešil se je s pomočjo svojih hitrih konjin brata dvojnika, imenovanega Veles, Zmaj, Krut, Trot, Triglav, Črtipd. Ko se poletje prevesi v jesen, Jarnik ustreli belega konja, a lezato, da se lahko ta ob božiču ponovno rodi in naznanja tako kotzima ponovno rojstvo oziroma svobodo.

Beli konj ali Zlatorog je prav tako omenjen v več pripovedkah. V eniizmed njih nastopa že zgoraj omenjeni sveti Jurij, ki ga jezdi. Jurij jepostal junak, zmagovalec, ko je svet rešil pred pogubo in ubilstrašnega zmaja. Zdaj postane žrtev, saj ga iz pohlepa in strasti ubijenjegov lastni brat Jarnik. Toda Jurijev konj je nesmrten in iz njegovekrvi zraste roža življenja, triglavska roža. Jurij jo zaužije, oživi in semaščuje s tem, da brata pahne v brezno. Belega konja je posedovaltudi srbski Dažbog. V slovanski mitologiji bliskovitega konja jahajobliskoviti bogovi. Konji s kopitom povzročijo blisk, ki mu sledi dežkot vir vode. Nam najbližje predkrščansko boštvo, ki ima vlogo zaščitnika konj, je keltska Epona. Njen kult je bil razširjen tudina Koroškem in Štajerskem, njej posvečeni dan pa so praznovali 18.decembra. Nekatere pripovedke opisujejo konje kot prikazni v beli podobi, kiso kot nočni prividi, vilinska bitja ali zaklete duše umrlih. Mednjesodi tudi beli konj z jezdecem na hrbtu, ki je hodil preko pred njimrazprte vode. To naj bi se dogajalo za Črno pečjo. Na Goriškem se je ohranil spomin na morske konje, vodna bitjaimenovana salmnsonarji. Živeli naj bi v globokih vodah, ponoči pabi se naj prikazali na vodni površini in utopili tiste, ki so v vodi,tako, da jih potegnejo na morsko dno, zakopljejo, nato pa se tudi tikasneje spremenijo v salmsonarje. Spomin na konje so ohranile tudi nekatere šege. Tako je sveti Štefanprevzel vlogo božanstva, povezanega s konji, in postal zavetnikkonjev. Še danes ponekod po Sloveniji blagoslovimo konje naŠtefanovo. Jurijevo pa naznanja pomlad, saj je sveti Jurij rešil deželopred izgubo. Poznamo še črnega konja ali vrana, ki je simbol mladosti inživljenjske sile ter večkrat omenjen v pesmih in pripovedkah. Imelga je baltoslovanski Triglav. Poznamo tudi samoroga, ki ima na čeluv spiralo oblikovan rog, ki naj bi imel mistično moč, zdravilnelastnosti pa naj bi imela tudi njegova kri. Ukroti ga lahko le devica.Tako so ga lovci ujeli z zvijačo. V gozd so pripeljali devico, kateri jestekel v naročje in zaspal. Potem so prišli lovci, ga ujeli ter odpeljali vkraljevo palačo. Od tod izvira povezava samoroga z devico Marijo inJezusom Kristusom. Predstave o konju kot daritveni živali so Slovani ohranili v svojemizročilu. Konjska žrtev je bila potrebna za obnovitev in obstojkozmičnega redu. Perun, njihovo najvišje božanstvo, je bil v tesnipovezavi s konjem, rodovitnostjo in obnovitvenimi procesi. Vbajeslovnih likih, kot so Božič, Jurij, Kresnik, Zlatorog, se pojavljajodoločena dejanja in sestavine, kot je boj z grozečo silo, rastlina sčudežno močjo, rodovitnost ipd. Vsi štirje mejniki so na nek načinpovezani s konjem in bogom groma. Horses Horses occupy an important place in Slavic mythology. Thus, weknow the half-horse or centaur, who was a half-man, half-horse,representing the wild, earthly or watery forces. The upper half is ahuman torso and head, below there is a body of a horse, and it livedby the water or in mountainous areas. In Slovenia, there are a quitea few traditions about half-horses in Štajerska, Gorenjska andBeneška Slovenia. They are also included in Slovenian tales. In oneof them, the hero waits tied up in a sack to be thrown into thewater. While waiting, he persuades a gentleman to climb into the

sack for him, and he returns home with his carriage and horses,where he says he found a whip in the water with which he thrashedlong enough to save himself. Grošelj, the author of the tale, usedthe old tradition of half-horses, which personify the foaming,whipped water. The beginnings of all four seasons are marked by the figure of thehorse. Thus, we know the White Horse, ridden by Saint George inspring, who defeats the dragon and banishes winter and is a symbolof fertility. Krstnik, born with horse’s hooves and taking the formof a horse, heralds summer. A serpent is said to have been wrappedaround Vurberg, chasing him when he snatched the crown fromthe Snakes Land. He saved himself with the help of his fast horsesand his twin brother, called Veles, Dragon, Krut, Trot, Triglav, Črt,etc. As summer turns to autumn, Jarnik shoots the white horse, butonly so that it can be reborn at Christmas, heralding, like winter,the rebirth or freedom. The White Horse - Zlatorog (Goldhorn) is also mentioned inseveral tales. One of them features the aforementioned SaintGeorge, who rides it. George became a hero, a victor, when he savedthe world from destruction and slayed a terrible dragon. Now hebecomes a victim. He is killed by his own brother, Jarnik, out ofgreed and passion. But George’s horse is immortal and from itsblood grows the flower of life, the Triglav flower. George uses it,revives it and takes revenge by driving his brother into the abyss.The Serbian Dažbog also owned a white horse. In Slavicmythology, the lightning horse is ridden by the lightning gods.Horses hoof a lightning bolt, followed by rain as a source of water.The closest pre-Christian deity that plays the role of horse protectoris the Celtic Epona. Her cult was also widespread in Carinthia, anda day dedicated to her was celebrated on 18th December. Some tales describe horses as apparitions, in white, like apparitionsof the night, elf-like creatures or the cursed souls of the dead. Theseinclude a white horse with a rider on its back, walking across thewater that opened up in front of it. This is supposed to behappening behind the Black Furnace. In Gorizia, the memory of the seahorses, water creatures calledSalmnsonar, has been preserved. They are supposed to live in deepwaters, and at night, they appear on the surface of the water anddrown those who are in the water by pulling them to the seabed,burying them, and then later turning them into Salmsonars. Some local customs have also preserved the memory of horses.Thus, Saint Stephen assumed the role of a deity associated withhorses and became the patron saint of horses. Horses are stillblessed on St Stephen’s Day in some places around Slovenia. StGeorge’s Day heralds spring, as Saint George saved the countryfrom loss. There is also the black horse or crow, which is a symbolof youth and life force and is mentioned several times in songs andtales, and the Balto-Slavic Triglav, which has a unicorn with a spiralhorn on its forehead, which is said to have mystical powers, and itsblood is also said to have healing properties. Only a virgin can tameit. So, the hunters caught him by trickery. They brought a virgininto the forest, and he ran into her arms and fell asleep. Then thehunters came, captured him and took him to the royal palace. Thisis the origin of the unicorn’s association with the Virgin Mary andJesus Christ.

The notion of the horse as a gift animal was preserved in Slavictradition. The sacrifice of the horse was necessary for therestoration and existence of the cosmic order. Their supreme deity,Perun, was closely associated with the horse, fertility andregenerative processes. In fairy tale characters such as Santa Claus,George, the Nutcracker, the Golden Horn, certain actions andingredients appear, such as fighting a threatening force, a plant withmiraculous powers, fertility, etc. All four milestones are in someway linked to the horse and Perun, the god of thunder.Vampirji in volkodlaki Nekateri ljudje so se zaradi težkih grehov po svoji smrti vračali nazajmed ljudi v svoje domače kraje, medtem ko so njihova telesa ostalapremrla v grobu. Takšne demonske mrtvece v slovanski mitologijiimenujejo vampirji. Duše teh bitij so po smrti še vedno bivale vtelesih pokojnih, kjer so bile ujete. Ponoči so vstajale iz svojihpočivališč in hodile drugim ljudem sesat kri, saj so le tako ohranjalesvoje telo pred razpadom. V grobove so se vampirji morali vrniti šepred jutranjim svitom oziroma preden je zapel prvi petelin. Medtem časom pa niso ljudem le pili krvi, temveč so jih tudi nadlegovali.Večkrat so se vračali na dom in spali s svojimi ženami ali pa jihspolno zlorabljali. Zaradi tega se je lahko rodil celo otrok. Vampirjiso bili nevarni predvsem nezaščitenim, kot so ljudje v nezavarovanihhišah. Ogrožali so otroke v zibelkah, ki jih starši ob odhodu nisoprekrižali. Takim so izsesali možgane in kri. Pogosto so prihajali khišam, kjer so stanovalci zvečer pozabili sneti kotel iznad ognjišča. Vkotel so izbljuvali kri in jo skuhali. Takšna kri je ob zaužitju imelazdravilne učinke, saj naj bi žrtev, ki ji kri pripada, ozdravila vsehbolezni. Tudi vampirji so imeli svoje šibkosti. Moč so izgubili pred cerkvijo,križem ali ognjem. Ubiti se jih je dalo na več načinov. Najpogostejeso jim z glogovim kolom prebodli srce, onemogočiti pa se jih je dalotudi tako, da so truplu odrezali glavo in jo položili med noge ali paga preprosto sežgali. Pokopavali so jih »na zobe«, torej z obrazomproti zemlji. Vampirje so ponekod enačili z volkodlaki, saj je tudi zanjih značilno pitje krvi in seksualni vampirizem.

Volkodlak je mejno bitje, ki hkrati pripada človeškemu svetu insvetu živali, saj se lahko iz človeka spremeni v krvoločnega volka zgosto sivo dlako, tenko prirezanimi ušesi, ostrimi kremplji ter črnimrepom, v katerem ima skrito vso svojo moč. Človek lahko volkodlakpostane po naravni poti, in sicer če se rodi v srajčki (placenti) ali znogami naprej. Rodi se tudi iz zveze med žensko in volkom in čenosečnica vidi volka po luninem zahodu. Tak otrok je že od rojstvazaznamovan z volčjimi znamenji, kot so porastlost z volčjo dlako alivolčji zob v ustih. Prav tako pa se lahko v volka spremeni tudičlovek, ki je uklet zaradi grehov ali materine zakletve. Za njihovopreobrazbo je dovolj, da se povaljajo v krtini ali ostalini na polju.Volkodlaki se pojavljajo predvsem pozimi okrog božiča, v časudvanajsterih volčjih noči, ob polni luni ali v sedmem dnevu tedna.Kadar sta se dva volkodlaka v podobi volka tepla, je nastal sončnimrk. Ljudje so volkodlaka dostikrat poskušali odrešiti. Rešiti ga jega bilo mogoče, če so ga ob rojstvu pravočasno obrnili ali pa mu vramo všili košček srajčke. Zakletega volkodlaka pa se da rešiti, če muvržemo kruh v božjem imenu ter če mu raztrgamo kožo. Koumrejo, jih prav tako kot vampirje pokopljejo »na zobe« ali zžebljem pod jezikom. Vampires and Werewolves Some people, because of their grave sins, returned to their homesafter their deaths, while their bodies remained in the grave. In Slavicmythology, such demonic corpses are called vampires. After death,the souls of these creatures still resided in the bodies of thedeceased, where they were trapped. At night, they would rise fromtheir resting place and go suck other people's blood, as this was theonly way to keep their bodies from decaying. The vampires had toreturn to their graves before dawn or before the first roostercrowed. During this time, they not only drank people's blood, but also harassed them. They often returned to their homes and sleptwith their wives or sexually abused them. A child could even beborn as a result of that. Vampires were a danger especially to theunprotected, such as people in unsecured houses. They were athreat to children in cradles who were not protected by the sign of across by their parents when they left. They sucked out the brainsand blood of such children. Vampires often came to houses wherethe occupants had forgotten to take the cauldron off the hearth inthe evening. They poured blood into the cauldron and boiled it.Such blood, when consumed, had healing effects, as the victim towhom the blood belonged was said to be cured of all diseases. Vampires also had their weaknesses. They lost their strength infront of the church, the cross or the fire. There were several ways tokill them. Most often, they were stabbed through the heart with ahawthorn stake, but they could also be incapacitated by cutting offthe head and placing it between the legs, or by simply burning thecorpse. They were buried "on their teeth", that is with their face tothe ground. Vampires were sometimes equated with werewolves, asthey are also characterised by blood drinking and sexual vampirism. A werewolf is a creature that belongs to both the human andanimal worlds, because it can transform from a human into abloodthirsty wolf with thick grey fur, thinly cropped ears, sharpclaws and a black tail that holds all his power. A person couldbecome a werewolf naturally, by being born with placenta or withtheir feet forward. It could also be born from a union between awoman and a wolf or if a pregnant woman saw a wolf after themoon had set. Such child was marked from birth with wolfmarkings, such as being covered in wolf hair or having wolf teeth. Aperson who was cursed because of their sins or a mother's cursecould also turn into a werewolf. All they needed to do to transformwas roll in dirt. Werewolves appeared mainly in winter around

Christmas, during the Twelve Nights of the Wolf, at full moon oron the seventh day of the week. When two werewolves in the formof wolves were fighting, a solar eclipse occurred. People often triedto save a person from becoming a werewolf. He could be saved if hewas turned at birth or if a piece of placenta was sewn into hisshoulder. A cursed werewolf could be saved by throwing bread athim in God's name and by tearing his skin. When werewolves died,they were buried "on their teeth" or with a nail under the tongue,just like vampires.Smrt in poosebljene nadloge V slovanski kulturi sta se razvila pojma slaba in dobra smrt. Dobrasmrt pomeni, da človek umre naravne smrti ob pravem času napravem kraju in v družbi sorodnikov. Najbolj primeren čas za smrtsta jesen in zima, saj je takrat odprta meja z drugim svetom.Najboljši prostor, kjer lahko človek umre, pa je njegov dom. Če soizpolnjeni ti pogoji, mrtvi varno preidejo na drugi svet. Medumiranjem sorodniki niso smeli glasno jokati in omenjatiumirajočega, da ne bi njegova duša krenila s prave poti, in izpolnitiso mu morali vse želje. Pri slabi smrti pa duše niso prešle na drugostran in so ostajale v zemeljskem prostoru kot škodljivi demoni. Toso ljudje želeli preprečiti z različnimi rituali. Trupla so bosa ali zzvezanimi nogami pokopavali na nikogaršnji zemlji, da se ne binjihove zle duše sprehajale po Zemlji. Po izročilu so slabo smrtdoživeli ljudje, ki niso pretrgali vezi z življenjem, niso umrli naravnesmrti, in tisti, ki so bili v času življenja v stiku z zli duhovi. Smrt ali smrtnica naj bi imela podobo stare in grozljive ženske, ki jeoblečena v belo. Prikazovala se je kot suha ženska s koso v roki ali skošem na rami in le redko v podobi okostnjaka. Predstavljali so si jotudi kot angela smrti, moškega, ki spremlja kugo, in kot deklico.Prekmurci so verjeli, da se prikazuje pred zoro, večinoma pa se jeuveljavilo verovanje, da prihaja ponoči k ognjišču, da bi se ogrela inče se ne more, ubije gospodarico in tudi druge stanovalce. Verjeli sotudi, da ima smrt goreče sveče, ki predstavljajo človeška življenja, inko začne sveča ugašati, se smrt odpravi po tisto osebo.Napovedovalci smrti so se največkrat pojavili v podobi mačke, sove,ptice smrtnice in psa. V Sloveniji je bilo razširjeno prepričanje, dasmrt napove zvezdni utrinek. Poleg smrti so se pojavile poosebljene nadloge. Mrak ali mračnikpooseblja bolezen. Prikazoval se je v podobi velike žene ali moža, kinaj bi imela žareče oči in trohneč obraz.

Otrokom je prinašal bolezen, imenovano mračnina, ki je povzročalaprebavne motnje in nespečnost. V Beli krajini je bil predstavljen kotvelik črn kosmat mož, ki so se ga branili z narobe obrnjenimcopatom. Na otoku Krk pa naj bi Mrak predstavljal pošast, ki sebojuje s soncem. Najbolj poznana poosebljena nadloga je Mora. Predstavljali so si jokot bitje človeške, živalske ali nadnaravne podobe, ki se je lahkopomanjšala in skozi ključavnico ali špranjo prišla do svoje žrtve.Speče ljudi in živali naj bi dušila ali sesala, otrokom pa pila kri.Ljudje so se zjutraj zbudili z otečenimi prsmi, zato so ji pripisovalitudi seksualna nadlegovanja. Moro so si predstavljali tudi kot zlegaduha v podobi starke z dolgimi kremplji in žarečimi očmi,razkuštrane ženske s krvavimi očmi, zgrbančenega dedka, mačke spetimi nogami in kot črno senco. Razlagali so si jo tudi kot človeka,ki mu ponoči uhaja duša in kot duha umrlega grešnega človeka. ZaMoro so največkrat označili žensko z domnevnimi čarovniškimisposobnostmi in človeka, ki si je prišel kaj sposodit v hišo, kjer jeponoči strašila mora. Pred Moro so se branili na različne načine.Nož so zataknili v ključavnico ali pa zapičili v vrata, na zibelke sorisali Morino znamenje v obliki pentagrama, otrokom soblagoslovili srajčke in jim obešali za vrat amulete, živini pa so vkorito dajali ogledala. V nekaterih virih je Mora ostanek boginjesmrti Morane, ki so si jo predstavljali kot visoko žensko v belem, kise lahko spremeni v konja in volkodlaka. Zadnja poosebljena nadloga pa je Netek. Predstavljali so si ga kotmožica, moža silne postave in bitja, ki ni ne človek ne žival. Potovalje po svetu in na domačijah zahteval hrano. Če so ga dobropostregli, jim ni škodoval, če pa ga niso, je njihov gospodar še istidan umrl, preživele pa je prizadela lakota. Netek naj bi imel velikoskupnega s kugo in smrtjo, enačen pa je bil tudi s hudičem. Nekateripa trdijo, da naj bi bil ognjeno, sončno bitje, ki varuje domačeognjišče. Death and the Personified Plagues Slavic culture has developed the concepts of a bad and a gooddeath. A good death means that a person dies a natural death at theright time, in the right place, and in the company of relatives. Thebest time to die is either autumn or winter when the border withthe other world is open. But the best place for a person to die is intheir own home. The dead pass safely to the other world if theseconditions are met. While dying, relatives were not allowed to cryloudly or mention the dying person, so that his soul would not gooff the right path, and all wishes had to be granted. In the case of abad death, the souls did not cross over to the other side butremained on Earth as harmful demons. People have tried to preventthis through various rituals. Bodies were buried barefoot or withtheir feet bound in no man's land to prevent their evil souls fromroaming the Earth. According to tradition, people who did notbreak their ties with life, did not die a natural death and those whowere in contact with evil spirits during their lifetime experienced abad death. Smrt, or smrtnica, is said to have the image of an old and dreadfulwoman dressed in white. She appeared as a skinny woman with ascythe in her hand or a basket on her shoulder and rarely as askeleton. She was also imagined as an angel of death, a man whoaccompanies the plague, and as a little girl. The people fromPrekmurje believed that she appeared before dawn, but the beliefthat she comes to the hearth at night to warm herself and if shecannot, kills the mistress and other residents was widely held. It wasalso believed that Smrt has burning candles representing humanlives, and when the candle starts to burn out, Smrt goes to get thatperson. The most common death predictors were the cat, the owl,the death bird and the dog. In Slovenia, it was widely believed thata glimpse of a shooting star foretold death.

In addition to death, other personified plagues appeared. Mrak orMračnik personified sickness. He appeared in the form of a largewoman or man, supposedly with glowing eyes and a smoulderingface. He brought a disease called Mračnina to children, whichcaused indigestion and insomnia. In Bela Krajina, he wasrepresented as a big, black, hairy man who was defended with awrong-turned slipper. On the island of Krk, Mrak is said torepresent a monster fighting the sun. The most well-known personified scourge is Mora. She wasimagined as a creature of human, animal or supernatural form thatcould shrink down and reach her victim through a keyhole or crack.She is said to suffocate or suck on sleeping humans and animals anddrink the blood of children. People woke up in the morning withswollen breasts, which is why sexual harassment was attributed toher. Mora was also imagined as an evil spirit in the form of an oldwoman with long claws and glowing eyes, a dishevelled womanwith bloodshot eyes, a wrinkled grandfather, a cat with five legs,and a black shadow. She has also been interpreted as a man whosesoul escapes at night and as the spirit of a dead sinful man. Morawas most often identified as a woman with alleged magical powersand a man who came to borrow something from a house that Morahaunted at night. They defended themselves in different waysagainst Mora. They stuck a knife in the lock or in the door, drew apentagram-shaped plague on cradles, blessed children's shirts, hungcharms around their necks, and placed mirrors in cattle troughs.According to some sources, Mora is a remnant of the death goddessMorana, who was imagined as a tall woman in white that couldtransform into a horse and a werewolf. The last personified scourge is Netek. They imagined him as a littleman, a man of strong stature and a creature that was neither humannor animal. He travelled the world, demanding food fromhomesteads. If he was served well, he did them no harm, but if hewas not, their master died the same day and the survivors sufferedfrom starvation. Netek is said to have much in common with theplague and death and was also equated with the devil. Some claimthat he is supposed to be a fiery, solar creature that guards the homehearth.

Duše živih in mrtvih Duša je del človeka, ki predstavlja našo duhovno stran življenjskegacikla. V starih časih je enim pomenila slab in drugim pozitivenprizvok, saj je človekov dvojnik, ki ga ne moremo razložiti in si gapredstavljati. Znano je, da predstavlja nekaj, kar samotno blodi znami po svetu v različnih podobah. Nav je pokojnik ali oni svet,navje pa duša umrlih. V mitologiji so si duše razlagali kot meglico aliduha, ki zapusti spečega ali mrtvega skozi usta. Kot skrivnostnasapica lahko ponoči švigne prek neba in tava po svetu. Zmožna jeprevzeti različne podobe živali, kot so konji, mačke, metulji, kače,volkovi, jeleni, medvedi ali celo starka, ki se prikaže ob polnoči vnočni mesečini. Če je človeška duša povezana z zlom, lahko izvršujezla dejanja ob posmrtnem ter spečem potovanju po svetu. Če je popoti kaj ne ustavi, se vrne v svoje telo. Ko se je osebi pritihotapila zahrbtom smrt, so domači odprli vrata in okna, da bi duša lahkozapustila hišo. Po štiridesetih dneh minule smrti je duša obiskaladomače kraje in se zadrževala na grobu, zato so tja nastavili hrano.Mnoge duše po smrti ne najdejo miru in se vračajo na svet, dadokončajo svoje delo na Zemlji, naj bo to neporavnan dolg,zaobljuba, greh ali skrb za bližnje. Obstaja tudi zgodba o zakletih dušah, ki so si jih predstavljali kotpoosebljene oziroma materializirane pokojnike ali brezglaveduhove. Lahko prevzamejo podobo goreče roke ali žareče lučke, kišvigajo nad avro tistih, ki so umrli nasilne smrti, ter tistih, ki so kogaumorili. Duše so najbolj aktivne na dan smrti, ko je prehod medtem svetom in onim najlažji. Ko ura dopolni polnoč, se prične plesmrtvih, saj imajo takrat duše največjo moč, ples pa zaključijo ob trehzjutraj. Kot angel smrti se je ženska, ki je izgubila prvorojenca, povezala zonstranstvom preko svojega sina in izvajala posmrtni kult. Smrt jepredstavljala grozljiva, v belo oblečena ženska, ki je nosila v rokikoso in na hrbtu koš. Prikazala se je le ob polnoči in po končanemdelu v svojem bivališču ugašala sveče, ki so predstavljale življenjakmalu mrtvih ljudi. Smrt pa je nakazovalo kikirikanje petelina,mijavkanje okoli hiše in zvezdni utrinek. The Souls of the Living and the Dead The soul is the part of the human being that represents ourspiritual side of the life cycle. In the old days, it had a badreputation for some and a positive one for others, because it is like ahuman’s clone that we cannot explain or imagine. It is known torepresent something that wanders alone with us in the world invarious appearances. Nav is the deceased or the other world, andNavje is the soul of the dead. In mythology, souls were interpretedas a mist or a spirit that leaves the sleeping or dead through themouth. Like a mysterious breeze, it can whistle across the sky atnight and wander the world. It is capable of taking on differentanimal appearances, such as horses, cats, butterflies, snakes, wolves,deer, bears or even an old woman that appears at midnight in themoonlight. If the human soul is connected to evil, it can commitevil acts while the host is sleeping or in the afterlife journey. Ifsomething stops the soul along the way, it returns to its body.When death crept up behind the person, the family used to openthe doors and windows to allow the soul to leave the house. Fortydays after death, the soul was believed to visit its home and stay atthe grave, so food used to be placed there by the relatives.

Many souls find no peace after death and return to the world tocomplete their work on Earth, whether it is an unsettled debt, avow, a sin or taking care for loved ones. Our mythology also describes cursed souls, which were imagined aspersonified or materialised deceased persons , or headless spirits.They can take the form of a burning hand or a glowing light, whichflickers over the aura of those who have died of violent deaths andthose who have murdered the person deceased. Souls are mostactive on the day of death, when the transition between this worldand the other is easier. When the clock strikes midnight, the danceof the dead begins, as this is when souls are at their greateststrength, and at 3a.m. they finish. A woman who had lost her first-born child was believed to be anangel of death and can connect with the afterlife through her sonand perform a cult of the deceased. Death was represented by acreepy woman dressed in white, carrying a scythe in her hand and abasket on her back. She only appeared at midnight and afterfinishing her work, she blew out the candles in her residence ,representing the lives of the soon-to-be-dead. Death was signalledby the crowing of a rooster, the twinkling around the house and ashooting star.

Ptice V slovanski mitologiji je pogost simbol ptic. Večinoma so bileupodobljene kot pol ptica in pol ženska. Alkonost je bila s spodnjo polovico telesa podobna orlu, zgoraj pa jebila prelepa ženska z dolgimi lasmi in prodornimi očmi. Bila naj biupodobitev boga Velesa. Prebivala je v rajskem vrtu z višjimi bogovi,a je bila sposobna prehajati med svetovi. Njen močan čarobni glas jeljudem prinesel srečo in veselje, njena jajca pa so lahko povzročilauničujoče nevihte. Bila je utelešenje svetle strani božanstva. Pogostoje upodobljena s ptico Sirin, ki je utelešenje temne strani. Tudi Sirin je pol ptica in pol ženska, le da je njena spodnja polovicapodobna sovi s temnomodrim in vijoličnim perjem. Ima človeškoglavo in prav tako predstavlja poosebitev boga Velesa. Živi vpodzemlju, a lahko tudi ona prosto prehaja med svetovi. Imamočan glas, ki lahko ljudi spravi v trans ali norost ter jim preprečičutenje prave sreče. Ni dobrohotna, ljudi pa s svojim glasompogosto zvabi v nevarne situacije. Ker naj bi se bala glasnih zvokov,so ljudje, da bi jo pregnali, pogosto trobili na trobente ali zvonili zzvonovi. Tretja mitična ptica je Gamajun. Ima žensko glavo, njeno pisanoptičje telo pa nima ne kril ne nog, zato leti s pomočjo repa. Imapreroške sposobnosti in je glasnik bogov. Lahko vidi preteklost inprihodnost, svoje napovedi pa pove le tistim, ki lahko razumejogovor ptic. Živela naj bi na samotnem otoku daleč na vzhodu. Jesimbol inteligence in modrosti, njen padec pa napoveduje smrt. Rarog je ognjeni demon, pogosto upodobljen kot ognjeni sokol,lahko tudi kot zmaj. Po ljudskem izročilu se lahko izleže iz jajca, kise ga devet dni in devet noči pusti na peči. Nekateri ga opisujejotudi kot majhnega ptiča, ki ga lahko nosimo v žepu in ki s temljudem prinaša srečo in veselje.

Birds Birds are a common symbol in Slavic mythology. Usually, they weredepicted as a half-bird, half-woman. Alkonost was a creature with the body of an eagle, but her head wasthat of a beautiful woman with long hair and piercing eyes. Said tobe a depiction of God Veles, she was able to travel freely betweenworlds, but usually dwelt in the paradise garden along with thehigher gods. Her magical voice brought happiness and joy topeople, and her eggs could create devastating thunderstorms. Shewas the embodiment of the bright side of divinity. She is oftendepicted with Sirin, who is the embodiment of the dark side. Sirin was also a half-bird, half-woman, except her lower halfresembled that of an owl with dark blue and purple feathers. Shehad a human head and also represented the personification of thegod Veles. She lived in the Underworld, but she too could movefreely between worlds. Her powerful voice could put people into atrance or drive them to insanity, preventing them from feeling truehappiness ever again. She was not benevolent, and often luredpeople into dangerous situations with her voice. Because she wassaid to be afraid of loud noises, people would often blow trumpetsor ring bells to drive her away. The third mythological bird is Gamayun. She had the head of awoman, and her bird body was covered in colourful feathers. Sheused her tail to fly, since she had neither wings nor legs. She had prophetic abilities and was said to be the messenger of thegods. Being able to see both the past and the future, she gave herprophecies only to those who could speak with birds. She wasbelieved to live on a lonely island far to the east. She was a symbolof intelligence and wisdom, and her fall portended death.

Giants According to myth, people thought of giants as supernatural, hugecreatures that had natural powers and could be kind as well ashostile to their surroundings. In Koroška and in the Mežiška valley, it was said that there used tobe giants called Ajdi who had human form. The giants had livedonly on Zlata Gora (Gold Mountain) as the first population, andfrom there they moved to other places. They were so big that if theywanted to talk to each other, they didn't visit each other, but theytalked from mountain to mountain. They were also known forbuilding giant altars that were almost as big as the mountainsthemselves. The rocks they needed for construction were broken atKaravanke, but unfortunately they only had one big heavyhammer, which they threw and borrowed from each other. If Ajdneeded a hammer, he just called another one and he hammered itback. They didn't go to fetch water like us, with containers, butthey just leaned down from the mountain and scooped it up fromthe river. Ajdovska deklica (Ajd girl) who was very large, oftenhelped them with their work. She brought lunch to the workers,and many times she picked up ploughmen, horses and plows fromthe fields and carried them all to her home, considering them astoys. She was considered kind, she liked to help people in need, andthey always left her wine, bread and meat as a reward. Ajdovskadeklica was not only a guide but also a Fate (a fairy-type creaturewho tells you the future). When it got dark, she used to visit youngmothers and prophesied to the newborns how they would live. But it was said that the Ajdi were idolaters, so God once got angryand sent a fierce storm on them. So the rivers grew terribly andflooded the valleys. The water also submerged those giant altars andwith them the giants. Slowly, the water began to drain away, but itdid not drain away from everywhere. Where there were deepvalleys, the water remained and the Koroška lakes were formed. Velikani Po mitu naj bi si ljudje velikane predstavljali kot nadnaravna,ogromna bitja, ki imajo naravne moči in so lahko hkrati tudiprijazni, še pogosteje pa sovražni do okolice. Na Koroškem in v Mežiški dolini so pripovedovali, da so včasihživeli velikani, imenovani ajdi, ki pa so imeli človeško podobo.Velikani naj bi kot prvo prebivalstvo živeli le na Zlati gori, od tampa so se razselili še drugam. Bili so tako veliki, da če so se hoteli medseboj pogovoriti, niso hodili drug drugemu na obisk, temveč so sepomenili kar od gore do gore. Prav tako pa so bili znani po tem, daso sezidali velikanske oltarje, ki so bili skoraj tako veliki kot samagora. Skale, ki so jih potrebovali za gradnjo, so lomili naKaravankah, na žalost pa so imeli le eno veliko težko kladivo, ki so siga metali in sposojali drug od drugega. Če je ajd potreboval kladivo,je le poklical drugega in ta mu ga je zalučal nazaj. Po vodo nisohodili tako kot mi, s posodami, temveč so se le nagnili z gore in jozajeli s periščem iz reke. Pri delu jim je velikokrat pomagala ajdovskadeklica, ki je bila zelo velika. Delavcem je prinašala malico,velikokrat pa je s polj pobirala orače, gonjače, konje in pluge in vsenosila v svoje bivališče, saj jih je imela za igrače. Veljala je za prijazno,rada je pomagala ljudem v stiski, za nagrado pa so ji vedno pustilivino, kruh in meso. Ajdovska deklica pa ni bila samo vodnica,ampak tudi sojenica. Ko je padel mrak, je obiskovala mlade materein prerokovala novorojenčkom, kako bodo živeli. Govorilo pa se je, da so bili ajdi malikovalci, zato se je Bog nekočrazjezil in nad njih poslal hudo nevihto. Tako so reke strašno naraslein poplavile doline. Prav tako je voda potopila tiste velikanskeoltarje in z njimi tudi velikane. Počasi je voda začela odtekati, vendarni odtekla povsod, tam, kjer so bile globoke doline, je voda ostala innastala so koroška jezera.

Zmaji Zmaji so mitološke pošasti, katerih mitologijo ljudstev najdemo povsem svetu. V izročilih se med seboj razlikujejo, vsem pa je skupnaluskasta koža, valjenje jajc in nasploh podobnost kačam. Danes jihsrečujemo v sodobni umetnosti, posebej v žanru fantazije. Prav takopredstavljajo simbol vladarskih in življenjskih moči. Povezujemo gas strelo in rodovitnostjo. Lahko živi pod vodo, največkrat pa podzemljo ali na njej. Med tistimi, ki so živeli v gorah, poznamo zmaja vgori Krim, ki naj bi povzročal občasno tresenje Barja. Boj z zmaji jepogosto osrednje dejanje v kozmoloških mitih. V slovanskimitologiji poznamo različne zmaje, kot so npr. atmosferski zmaj,zmaj iz petelinjega jajca, vrhniški zmaj, Pozoj in mnogi drugih. Zmajmed seboj povezuje živalski, človeški in nadnaravni oz. demonskisvet. Znan pa nam je tudi ta, ki je prebival v jezeru pri Solčavi, tam, kjer jedanes Matkov kot. Ta kraj še danes imenujejo Jezera. V njem je živelLintver, ob jezeru pa so se velikokrat pasle krave kmeta Žibota. Koso se krave jezeru preveč približale, je Lintver na breg poslal takomočne valove, da jih je odneslo. V tem jezeru so ljudje radi lovili ribein po koncu so ribiške mreže posušili na veliki skali (Ribča peč).Skalo je začel kljuvati Lintver in ljudje so postavili stražo. Zmaj jepeč prekljuval in voda je poplavila do cerkvenega praga v Solčavi. Zvodo je prišla zibelka, v kateri je bil otrok. Na koncu je Lintverjaubil macesen s tremi vrhovi. Eden izmed zmajev v južnoslovanski mitologiji je Bazilisk. V alkimijije simboliziral ogenj, ki napoveduje pretvorbo kovin. Postaroverskih predstavah naj bi predstavljal strupeno kačo s krili inpetelinjimi tacami. Njegova strupenost je povzročala smrt, že če si gapogledal. Rodil se je iz petelinjega jajca, ki je bilo zakopano v blatuali pa v prisotnosti kač in krastač. Nekateri so verjeli v zaščitno močteh živali, kar sklepamo po najdbah amuletov na Balkanu. Prav takoso ga uporabljali v srednjeveški medicini, saj naj bi imel zdravilnomoč. Poznamo tudi Malavra, ki je Bazilsku podoben zmaj. Ta je bolj kotkači podoben velikemu črnemu kuščarju. Kot že prej omenjenstrupeni zmaj, lahko ljudi ubije le s sapo. Izročilo o Malaverjunajdemo na Primorskem ter na Krasu. Malavar je sorodenmočeradu, modrasu in meglenščaku. Močerad je v Reziji imenovantudi kot žabarok in je izjemno strupen. Če ta žival skoči nate, se jene moreš več znebiti. Iz te nevarnosti se lahko rešiš le, če segreješmleko. Znan je tudi skok, ki se razvije iz kače. Nastane, če ji odsekašrep in ji zrastejo noge. Skok je tako močen, da lahko podrekaterakoli vrata, če se zaleti vanj. Viza oz. Iza je uničevalni zmaj. Naj bi se nahajala v trohnečem lesubukve in se z njim tudi hranila. Ko je nekoč tega zmanjkalo, se jeodpravila na podsredski trg in ga uničila. Nastane na vsakih sto let,ko napoči točno določena ura, minuta in dan. Ta dan vpliva na vserastline in živali. Ko viza prileti na plan, se naredi tema, začnebliskati in liti kot iz škafa.

Dragons Dragons are mythological monsters whose mythology is found incultures all over the world. They differ from each other, but they allhave scaly skin, hatch eggs, and have a general resemblance tosnakes. Today we can see them in contemporary art, especially inthe fantasy genre. They also represent the symbol of power and lifeforces. They are associated with lightning and fertility. Dragons canlive underwater, but most often underground or on it. Amongthose who lived in the mountains, we know of a dragon in MountKrim, which is said to cause periodic shaking of Barje. Fightingdragons is often a central action in cosmological myths. In Slavicmythology, we know various dragons, such as: the atmosphericdragon, the rooster's egg dragon, the Vrhniški dragon, Pozoj andmany others. Dragons connect animal, human and thesupernatural world. We also know the one who lived in the lake near Solčava, whereMatkov kot is today. This place is still called Jezera today. Lintverlived in it, and farmer Žibota's cows often grazed by the lake. Whenthe cows got too close to the lake, the Lintver sent strong waves tothe shore and they were washed away. People liked to fish in thislake and when they finished, they dried the fishing nets on a bigrock (Fish Stove). Lintver began to peck at the rock and the peoplestarted guarding it. The dragon pecked through the stove and thewater flooded up to the threshold of the church in Solčava. Withwater came a cradle in which was a child. In the end, the Lintverwas killed by a three-topped larch.

One of the dragons in South Slavic mythology is the Basilisk. Inalchemy it symbolizes fire, which heralds the transformation ofmetals. According to ancient beliefs, it is supposed to represent apoisonous snake with wings and rooster´s feet. Its toxicity can causedeath just by looking at it. He was born from a rooster's egg thatwas buried in mud and presence of snakes, toads. Some believed inthe protective power of these animals, which we conclude from thefinds of amulets in the Balkans. It was also used in medievalmedicine, as it was said to have healing powers. We also know Malavr, which is a Basilisk-like dragon. It looks morelike a large black lizard than a snake. Like the dragon mentionedearlier, it can kill people with just its breath. The tradition ofMalaver is found in Primorska and Kras. The malavar is related tomany other dragons. Močerad is also known as žabarok in Reziaand is extremely poisonous. If this animal jumps on you, you can´tget rid of it. The only way to save yourself is if you heat up milk.Another dragon is called Skok, it is developed from a snake. It isborn when you cut off his tail and the legs grow back. Skok is alsovery powerful. It can knock down any door if it crashes into it. Viza or Iza is a destroyer dragon. It can be found in decaying beechwood and it also feeds on it. One time, she ate all the wood andwent to the podsredski square and destroyed it. It occurs everyhundred years, when a specific hour, minute and day arrives. Thisday has an affect on all plants and animals. When visa comes out, itbecomes dark, it starts to flash and rain.

German translations of Slovenian Alpine stories Italian summaries of Slovenian Alpine stories

1Austrian Alpine StoriesAVSTRIJSKE ALPSKE ZGODBEAttractions Grossglockner Alpine RoadAustria’s highest mountain road pass showcases the Austrian Alpsthrough a 48 kilometers long road that features no less than 36turns. The road is usually open only between May and October. It’snamed after the highest mountain in the country. The road has amaximum elevation of 2500 meters. Am Dachstein On cloudless days, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the HoheTauern and as far as Slovenia. Visiting the Dachstein Sky Walk isalso a must when you’re visiting Dachstein. The steel structureweighing 40 tons can withstand wind speeds up to 210 km/h. Thereis also a full circle around the mountain station. St. Anton am Arlberg A ski resort in the Tyrolean Alps, it is often referred to as the“Beginning of the alpine skiing” because of its role in inventing thesport. You can conveniently get to the slopes of Rendl and Vallugaby cable cars and lifts. When you’re not playing on the slopes, makesure to check out the Museum St. Anton.

The Dead Snow On the Dachstein, there are several "enchanted" or "snowy" alpinepastures. One of them is the Karls-Eisfeld, another the Gosauer-Eisfeld, and the third, a trough-shaped glacial ice called "the deadsnow". In the good old days, the latter was one of the best and mostextensive alpine pastures far and wide. The grass there grew soluxuriant and tall that the cows gave an extraordinary amount ofexcellent milk. Soon the distiller's wife was no longer able to takecare of the entire alpine estate on her own. She had so much to do,so she employed a few young, hard-working maids. Regardless,there was still plenty to do. Butter and lard, cheese and scotch wereproduced in such quantities that the distiller, who was also theowner of the estate, didn't know what to do with it. And because itwas going so well, the distiller became greedy. Once upon a time, astrong thunderstorm swept over the Dachstein, and the swollentorrents tore away the footbridges and bridges. The maids asked thedistiller's wife if they should go over to the woodcutting site andcall the woodcutters to repair the bridges. The distiller said: "Oh,we don't need a woodworker, we don't use wood anymore! Webuild our bridges ourselves, out of pure cheese and scotch." So be it!The bridges were really only made from the best cheese and fromexcellent scotch, and extra-fine butter was also used, so that theindividual parts held together well and firmly. But when the lastfootbridge was finished, the punishment of the heaven fell uponthe wicked women who so sinfully squandered the glorious gifts ofGod. The whole alpine estate sank. Since then, eternal snow hascovered the grassy soil that was so fertile; the hut also turned into afrozen heap of snow, and the woman distiller along with her maidsand her cattle also turned to ice. Frau Hitt The prominent rock needle that rises high above Innsbruck is thestony landmark of Tirol’s capital. In appearance, it resembles awoman (German: Frau) on a horse, hence the name. According tothe legend, this iconic peak of Nordkette Range is a petrified giantqueen, named Frau Hitt, who was known for her avarice and self-indulgence. There are various versions. One widespread story isthat Frau Hitt offered a beggar woman only a stone to eat. Thebeggar woman was so incensed by this mockery that she cursed thegiantess and her horse, which were then turned into stone as aneternal punishment. Die Fliegende Glocke (The Flying Bell) The legend of the Flying Bell tells the story of an old church in theAustrian Alps. Inside this church hangs a special bell that is said topossess magical powers. It is believed that every night, this bellcomes to life and takes flight from its church tower. It floats abovethe majestic mountains, spreading its beautiful sound throughoutthe region. The people in the surrounding villages firmly believethat the sound of the Flying Bell brings luck and blessings. Theyshare stories of wishes coming true and illnesses being cured whenthey hear the bell's sound. Many people make their way to thechurch to catch a glimpse of this magical phenomenon.

Der Drachensteig (The Dragon’s Path) In the depths of the Austrian Alps, there once lived a mightydragon who ruled over the land. He guarded his treasures in a secretcave at the summit of the mountain. However, the people in thesurrounding villages were brave and determined to defeat thedragon and claim his treasures. They formed a group of courageouswarriors and began the perilous ascent of the Drachensteig. After along and fierce battle, they finally managed to defeat the dragonand retrieve his treasures. Since then, the Drachensteig has been areminder of the people's brave fight against the dragon and hasbecome a symbol of courage and adventure. Lünersee – The Grumpy Volcano, Vorarlberg/Rätikon Mountains Above the village of Brand in the Vorarlberg Rätikon Mountains, avolcanic mountain range, Lake Lünersee spreads out as a deep bluemirror at 1,970 m. It is surrounded by high rocky walls, which onlyleave a narrow opening to the north. The people of Vorarlberg saythat all sorts of ghosts live in this lake. It is also prophesied that thevolcano will one day erupt. Its water will then reach the seventhstep at the “Bludenzer Kirchenstiege” and the entire inner Walgauwill be flooded. The only reason why this hasn't happened so far is due to a hugeboulder that is forged to the underground opening using powerfuliron brackets, thus preventing the eruption. Zireiner Lake – Where Clay Turns into Gold, Tyrol/RofanMountains All hikers who fall asleep on the lakeside, overwhelmed by suchbeauty, should be warned at this point: the eye draws themmercilessly into the depths! According to another legend, ashepherd once looked after his cattle in the vicinity of Lake Zirein.He wanted nothing more than a chunk of clay to seal the walls ofhis little hut. A little girl showed him a place where he could findenough clay. He used it to repair his walls. When he woke up thenext day, the clay had turned into pure gold. The clay deposit abovethe hut, however, had disappeared forever. Meerauge (The Eye of the Sea) – The Lake that Crosses Borders The Meerauge is located 1052 m above the sea level in the idyllicBodental in Carinthia. It is a dead ice hole created by a glacierduring the Ice Age. It is said that the Meerauge is connected underground with otherbodies of water, even with the sea. They say that the farmer's fullyloaded herd of oxen once ran away during the hay harvest and fellinto the Meerauge. When the farmer reached the shore a fewminutes later, he could only watch inactively as the cart and oxensank. Several weeks later, the yoke of the oxen was found floatingon Lake Veldes in what is now Slovenia, on the other side of theKarawanken. That's what you call a story that unites people. Today, the Meerauge is accessible via a well-secured path. It can beeasily reached from the Bodenbauer Inn, which is located at the endof the Bodental.

König Dodo (King Dodo) Long ago, when the Styrian Alps were dominated by forests andwild animals, a mighty king named Dodo lived in the Gesäuseregion. King Dodo was known for his strength and knowledge andruled his kingdom with wisdom and kindness. The people in hiscountry admired him. One day, King Dodo decided to hold a great feast to show hispower. He invited people from all parts of the country andpromised a sumptuous feast. The feast was held in a large clearingin the middle of the Gesäuse. The tables were richly set withdelicious food and drink. Music played and people danced andcelebrated energetically. But when the celebrations were in fullfervor, the mountains began to tremble and the ground shook. Theking and his guests were horrified because they knew that this was asign from the gods. The river Enns, which flowed through theGesäuse, suddenly receded and revealed a mysterious cave in themountain. A storm burst out of the cave, destroying the feast. Thepeople fled in fear. King Dodo realised that he had angered the godswith extravagance and wasteful behaviour. He begged forgivenessand promised to change his life and rule his people withhumbleness and respect. The gods, moved by his regret, ended thestorm and stabilized the earth. From that day on, King Dodo was revered as a wise and just ruler.He led his people to peace and prosperity, and the Styrian Alpsflourished. Today, you can find a national park called Gesäuse inthis very area. It is famous for biodiversity and it is a wonderfulplace to visit. The Wandering Stone In Zillertal, about half an hour’s walk from the little village ofFügen, in a small valley on the right side of the entrance to the vastforest of Benkerwald, lies a piece of rock, some two cubic feet inmeasure, bearing on its top, a cross chiseled in the stone. The rock isknown all around the country for returning to its original spot timeand time again, even after being removed from its resting place bysupernatural agencies. Why it wanders in this strange mannernobody knows, but why it stands there is known to every littlechild in the country. At the end of the last century, two peasant women of Fügen wereengaged by the day in cutting corn at the nearby farm of Wieseck,on the Pancraz mountain. The farmer, anxious to get in his cornwhile the fine weather lasted, promised to increase their wages ifthey hastened on with their work. Both the girls doubled theirefforts at this promise, but at the end of the week, instead of payingthem the same, the farmer in augmentation of their wages gave toone of them two loaves of bread, while to the other he gave butone. On their way home, close to Fügen, and on the spot wherenow lies the stone, the two women began to quarrel about thebread, and, at last, the dispute grew so hot that they fell to fightwith their sickles, and, like tigresses, the sight of blood seemed onlyto increase their ferocity; and what seems to be incredible, butwhich is nevertheless perfectly true, they fought until they both felldown and bled to death on the spot. Here they were buried, andover them was placed the stone which still remains there. None ofthe villagers will pass that way after nightfall. There are countless people who have convinced themselves of thewonderful property of the ‘Wandelstein,’ and many are thewarnings given by the country folk to travelers who seek to passthere after the sun has set.

He soon came to the designated spot and began excavating. Afterhe dug a hole, three dwarves climbed out of it and asked him whathe was doing here. He was about to answer them when heremembered that he wasn't allowed to speak. The dwarves keptasking and teasing until finally, the farmer got angry and beat themall down. He faced a lot of difficulties but he overcame them all.Then, he went back to the dwarves with the stone. They called tohim from a distance to ask him to bring the stone with him. Yes, heshouted loudly, without thinking about the ban. As soon as heuttered the word, there was a terrible sound of thunder, thedwarven stone fell out of his hand and into the middle of theUntersberg, where it got stuck and is still stuck today. After sometime, when people climbed the mountain, they found the farmerdead. Don’t Start Something with a Mermaid According to a legend, there once lived a beautiful mermaid in thelake, and a wizard fell in love with her. To win her favour, the witchLanwerda advised him to disguise himself as a jeweller and create arainbow from the Rosengarten to Latemar. However, the mermaidwas startled by the entire act and disappeared into the lake forever.The wizard was so angry that he threw the jewels into the lake,along with the pieces of the rainbow. That’s the reason why thelake shines in such beautiful colours. The Dwarven Stone There once lived a poor farmer in Untersberge, who was cuttingdown a tree. Suddenly, he saw a gray dwarf standing beside him,who asked him for his name. The farmer told his name to the dwarfand continued his work calmly. But the dwarf started drawing singsin the air and whistled three times. Once he did the signs, hundredsof dwarves appeared and they all continued to watch the farmer.But the farmer started feeling uncomfortable. The dwarves askedhim if he could do them a favor and when he agreed, the dwarvescommanded him to follow them along. After some time, theyarrived at a rock. One of the dwarves hit the rock three times. Therock split open and a long corridor came into sight. They entered itand walked until they made it to old steel doors, which opened forthem on their own and lead them into a giant hall which waslighted by thousands of candles. The walls were made out of marbleand the floor was covered with silver plates. In the middle of thehall, there was throne, decorated with gold and diamonds. The kingof the dwarves was sitting on the throne, surrounded by twelveother dwarves holding peculiar weapons in their hands. The kingwaved the farmer forward. The farmer walked forward to thethrone, stood there, and waited for what would happen to him.The king asked him if he was ready to fetch the famous dwarvenstone; this stone allows the dwarves who possess it to betransformed into humans. The king told the farmer about thelocation of the buried stone, but he also advised him to take it outof the ground as carefully as possible since a giant was guarding it.The farmer was also instructed to be back in three days. He was notallowed to speak a word during this time. If he managed to fulfill allof these conditions, he would become the richest man in the entireworld. The farmer promised to do everything and set off.

Party in a Mountain Church A long time ago, there used to be a mountain church whereshepherds from the surrounding alpine areas could attend Sundaymass. However, on one occasion, young men and women dranktoo much and started dancing inside the church. Suddenly, anunknown elderly woman appeared in the church. She cursed thebehaviour of the young people and began pouring water on thefloor from a vessel she had with her. The water got deeper anddeeper until not only all the people drowned, but the entire churchsank into the waters. Only the tip of the church tower was stillpeeking out from the water. As if that wasn’t enough, years later, afarmer tried to pull the church out from the water using two bulls.He wrapped a long chain around the church tower. However, justat the last moment, when the doorstep of the church was about tocome out of the water, the bulls ran out of strength, and the churchsank forever to the bottom of the lake. A Crime Story A family has been murdered in the French Alps. A British-Iraqi engineer named Saad al-Hilli, his wife Iqbal, hermother Suhaila al-Allaf, and a passing cyclist named Sylvain Mollierwere shot and killed in a secluded area. The victims were found in acar on a remote forest road near Lake Annecy. The couple's twoyoung daughters survived the attack, with one hiding beneath hermother's legs, and the other found alive but severely injured. Thecase gained significant media attention due to its unusual natureand the apparent lack of an immediate motive. The investigationinvolved French and British authorities, and it remained a high-profile unsolved mystery for several years. Various theories and speculations emerged, including the possibilityof a family dispute, a professional hit, or a connection to thevictim's work, or Middle Eastern politics. However, none of thesetheories were definitively proven, and the case remained unresolvedfor a considerable period. In 2017, a former French police officer named Eric Devouassouxwas briefly considered a suspect, but he was ultimately cleared dueto lack of evidence.

1Italian Alpine StoriesITALIJANSKE ALPSKE ZGODBEFairies - Part One According to popular myth, the Alps’ fairies’ weddings withshepherds were not always positive for both; due to the differenceof their personalities and the fairies’ delicate and sensitive temper,even the least rude act had a big impact on them and couldpotentially transform their feelings in total hatred towards the man. The Vaud Alps’ fairies were brunettes and beautiful with acharacteristic oriental beauty, while the popular myth describedfairies in other regions as blonde and pure, with Nordic traits;however, both types of fairies were dressed in white and soft snowwhich sent glares all around them or changed colour to match theiriris colour. One of the most beautiful legends about brunette fairiesis known throughout the Ormonts valley: this legend talks aboutthe Aî’s tower, a high cliff located near the little Aî’s lake. On thetower’s northern part, it’s possible to see an obscure cave, known asthe barma of Aî’s fairies. FAIRIES in PIEDMONT Alps - TRANSLATION OF STORIES FROM AN OLD FAIRY-TALE BOOKMaria Savi Lopez, "Leggende delle Alpi"

Fairies - Part Two I found myself among the dangers of the mountain, at an altitudeof around 2000 metres, in solitude that no other sound of humanvoice reached, where every memory of city life died. While the oldman was describing the vision that had appeared to him that night,I thought I saw the fairies go by with crowns of edelweiss, standingon chariots of fire, in a splendour of light, followed by goblins intheir dizzying race up the crests, the hills and the very high tops. In this belief of the nocturnal race of the fairies on our Graian Alps,which must not be confused with the merrymaking of the witches,there is much connection with other beliefs which persistthroughout the entire chain of the Alps; and especially towards theTyrol and the Austrian regions, where there is a vivid memory ofthe goddess Bercht, who had an extensive cult in antiquity and wasmentioned by Tacitus. There are many legends concerning this goddess and her followers,and they were collected with great care, like flowers of the past thatthe invading civilization could soon overwhelm into oblivion. Theynarrate that, especially from Christmas to the Epiphany, thegoddess, shining with bright light, passes over the mountains, andwith her entourage of fairies and witches, collects the offerings thatthe alpine farmers place on the roofs of the houses. Many of thesefairies are hideous and have long sticks and sacks in which theyplace their gifts. On their journey they make an infinite number ofjumps. In other mountain villages, the race of the hill goddess, so calledPerchten, takes place, according to the conviction of the mountainpeople, on the last night of carnival. Then the fairies divided intotwo groups, in one of these are the beautiful ones, splendidlyadorned with ribbons. Fairies - Part Three In other mountain villages, on the last night of carnival, the race ofthe goddess called Perchten takes place following the directions ofthe inhabitants of the mountains. The fairies are divided into twogroups, in the first you could see the beautiful fairies, that areadorned with ribbons and flowers, in the other the ugly ones aregathered, they dressed in a frightening way; they are laden withchains and rattles, and they carry a lot of rats on their robes. Thebeautiful fairies have a staff adorned with ribbons; the ugly onesthrow ashes in the faces of the Alps dwellers, the goddess Berchtjumps among them, and according to the distance covered by herjumps the Alps dwellers’ harvest of the year, whether scarce orabundant, depends. Perhaps as a last memory of the parties that had to be celebrated inancient times, in honour of the strong goddess, it is a costume fromAlipinians to do a dance that takes her name. This, however, hasnothing special in the movements of the four dancers who performit; they are dressed in very rich robes, of yellow and red colour,adorned with ribbons, and they wear a crown of feathers. In the Austrian Alps there is a belief that on the night of St.Michael the goddess Bercht, always shining with her entourage,passes by and blesses the good or punishes the bad, and evenchildren follow her by singing a very sad dirge. In the Swiss Alps there is a belief that the fairy procession takesplace on the second day of the year, or on the third if the yearbegins on a Saturday; however in winter the beautiful goddess hasher throne underground, where her flock is also found; but she alsoreturns to the earth dressed with incredible prosperity, and shethrows rye flour on the little fields of the mountains, or atChristmas, she dressed as a huntress, she runs followed by a crowdof light spirits, and she is a special protector of good girls.

This goddess Bercht changes her name in Rhine and Elbe, and shetransforms into the goddess Freya, who, next to her brother Freyr,in the Walhalla, was the divinity of the rain, of the sunlight, thefertility of the earth and love; but again, towards the frost of theNorth transforms herself again and becomes the goddess Holda. However, by whatever name she is called, she is the most powerfuland beautiful figure of Norse mythologies, and it is said that she canbe seen especially in the sites where her temples were erected. In theMiddle Ages her figure has a malevolent influence, and it wasbelieved that she would frighten children. On Horselberg, inThuringia, she was believed to certainly lead to ruin those who, likeTannhäuser, were bewitched by the false words of the beautifulgoddesses. Under this new aspect, she was confused with Venus,but despite the tales that wanted to make an evil demon, thepopular tradition shows her almost always with her peacefulbeauty, with very long golden hair and splendid robes, she issmiling in the mists of the mountains and companion of themighty gods Dunar-Thor and Wuothan-Odin. In her last transformation in faraway Scandinavia, the goddessBercht, who became Holda, starts with her entourage a new life inthe mountains. She appears between the sadness of the Nordiclandscape, she wears blue clothes, with a white veil, and she is thequeen of the mountain spirits and of all mysterious communities.She protects the good girls, and the legend says that if you touch herbed of feathers, it will snow, while she quickly changes her look. The Legend of the Wolf and the Fox One day the wolf and the fox decided to go and steal cream from afarmer. The fox guarded the exit while the wolf continued to drinkthe cream. When the fox heard the footsteps, he ran away, while thewolf got stuck because it had a swollen belly. The wolf took thebeating, while the fox, laughing so much, fell into a bush and hurthimself. When they met again, the wolf saw the hurt fox and thought thatshe too had been beaten, so the wolf helped her get to the den. The Devil’s Bridge In a little village in Lanzo Torinese inhabited by the Droneresi inthe 1378 a bridge was built on the river Stura, to connect the littlevillage to the town of Turin. Droneresi had built the bridge two times and every time it felldown. Droneresi were so sad that the devil proposed to build asolid bridge for them, but in return, the people of the village wouldhave to offer him a soul, the first soul to cross the bridge. The people of the village deceived the devil, however. They didn'tfood a dog for a few days and then took some cheese and made itroll over the bridge. The dog followed the cheese and crossed thebridge. The devil became very angry and violently slammed his fistson the rocks, leaving a hollow on the floor that we now call "Marmitte dei giganti". You can still see them near the bridge behindthe Church of San Rocco.

Miracle of Machaby Near Arnald Castle, at the shrine of Machabv, there was a cave,where a viper witch and a seven-headed devil lived. They keptimprisoned victims destined for the sabba. One of the imprisonedgirls began to pray to the lady of Machaby. The girl asked the otherprisoners to pray with her. The Snow Madonna heard their prayers and pointed them to a holeto escape from the cave. The prisoners broke the rock and becamefree again. And this is the miracle of Machaby. The Legend of Grigna It is said that a warrior who was as beautiful as terribly ruthlesslived near the Lario. One day, a brave knight saw her and he fell inlove with that splendid woman. Not being able to live without herbeauty, the knight wanted to go to her to offer her his heart. Ifunsuccessful, he would have preferred to die than to live a lifewithout her. The warrior saw him approaching from above and, when he tookthe road towards the fortress, she ordered a sentry to kill him. Thesentry killed the knight with his arrow. Seeing what had happened, God immediately transformed the cruelwoman into a mountain, the Grignone, and the sentry who obeyedthe command into the Grignetta. The Legend of the Mountain and the Little Star Once upon a time, there was a very large lonely mountain that wascrying endless tears. Unfortunately, nothing else was living close toher, a tree, a flower or something else, that could console her, so themountain continued to be alone. One evening, the stars in the sky were playing cheerfully with eachother, when they noticed that the mountain was all alone andcrying. So one small, brave little star came down from the sky toland on the cold rocks of the mountain and to console her. But thelittle star wasn't used to the cold and was starting to suffer too. To reciprocate the star's kindness, the mountain took the star andwrapped her in a light white down to warm her. And to keep herfirmer, so as not to suffer from the wind, the mountain gave herdeep roots that entered could penetrate its stones. The little starwas now safe and warm and, when the sun rose, the first edelweissflower was born.

Slovenian Alpine Herb RecipesSLOVENSKI RECEPTI IZ ALPSKIH ZELIŠČ

BOMBONI Z ISLANDSKIM LIŠAJEM Laboratorijski pribor:  velika izparilnica,  steklena palčka,  žlička,  električna plošča ali plinski gorilnik,  trinožno stojalo,  lesene paličice,  silikonski modelčki,  papir za peko. Sestavine:  sladkor (do oznake 200 ml v čaši),  islandski lišaj (do oznake 100 ml v čaši),  1 velika žlica limonovega soka,  1 velika žlica hojevega medu,  0,5 žličke zmletega ingverja. Priprava: V izparilnici zmešajte vse sestavine. Zmes na plošči ali gorilniku segrevajte do vrenja. Na rahlem ognju kuhajte še od 15 do 20 minut in občasno premešajte. Odstavite in pustite nekaj minut, da se zgosti. S pomočjo žlice oblikujte majhne bombončke, ki jih položite na papir za peko, ali tekočo zmes na tanko vlijte v silikonske modelčke. Ko se ohladijo, jih posujte z mletim sladkorjem. Uporaba: Bombončke/lizike uporabite v primeru suhega kašlja in hripavosti, pri preobremenjenih glasilkah ali pri suhi sluznici grla in žrela.

CANDY WITH ICELAND MOSS Laboratory accessories:  large evaporator  glass twig  teaspoon  electric hotplate or gas burner tripod  wooden sticks  silicone moulds  baking paper Ingredients: sugar (up to the 200 mL mark in the beaker)  Iceland moss (up to 100 mL mark in the beaker)  1 large spoon of lemon juice  1 large spoon of fir honey  0,5 teaspoon ground ginger Preparation: Combine the ingredients in an evaporator. Heat the mix on a hotplate/burner until it comes to a boil. Cook over low heat for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and leave for a few minutes to thicken (like a syrup). Using a spoon, form small candies by placing them on baking paper or by pouring the liquid mixture thinly into silicone moulds. Once cooled, sprinkle with icing sugar. Use: Use the candies/lollies for dry coughs, hoarseness, congested vocal cords, or dry mucus membranes of the throat.

MEDENE LIZIKE Z ISLANDSKIM LIŠAJEM Laboratorijski pribor:  velika izparilnica,  steklena palčka,  2 veliki žlici,  žlička,  električna plošča ali plinski gorilnik in stojalo,  lesene paličice,  silikonski modelčki,  peki papir,  celofan. Sestavine:  3 velike žlice hojevega medu,  3 velike žlice sladkorja,  2 žlički zmletega suhega islandskega lišaja,  1 žlička zmletega ingverja. Priprava: V izparilnici segrevajte sladkor do svetlo rumene enotne mase. Dodajte med in med mešanjem kuhajte, dokler se masa ne preneha peniti (vsaj šest minut). Zmesi dodajte zmleti ingver in zmleti islandski lišaj, dobro premešajte in odstavite z gorilnika/plošče. Z žlico nanesite zmes na papir za peko v obliki krogov. Še v vročo maso takoj potisnite leseno paličico in počakajte, da se masa strdi. Maso lahko postavite še za eno uro v hladilnik, nato lizike previdno odlepite in zavijte v celofan.

HONEY LOLLIPOPS WITH ICELAND MOSS Laboratory utensils:  large evaporator  glass rod  2 large spoons  teaspoon  electric hob or gas burner and stand  wooden sticks  silicone moulds  baking paper  cellophane Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons of honey from the fir tree  3 Tablespoons of sugar  2 teaspoons ground dried Iceland moss  1 teaspoon of ground ginger Preparation: Heat the sugar in the evaporator until it turns light yellow. Add the honey and cook while stirring, until the mixture stops foaming (at least 6 minutes). Add the ground ginger and the ground Iceland lichen to the mixture, mix well and remove from the burner/plate. Spoon the mixture onto the baking paper in circles. Right away, while the mixture is still hot, insert a wooden stick into the mixture and wait for it to set. You can place the mixture in the fridge for another hour, then carefully peel off the lollipops and wrap them in cellophane.

KOPALNA SOL Laboratorijski pribor:  epruvete,  500 ml čaše,  terilnica s pestilom,  spatule/žlice,  majhne žličke,  plutovinasti zamaški,  alufolija,  barvni papir,  vrvica (rafija). Sestavine:  groba morska sol,  barve za živila,  eterično olje (smreka/bor),  posušene smrekove/borove iglice. Priprava: Pripravite si čaše s soljo. Med mešanjem počasi dodajajte barvilo do želene barve (barva posušene soli bo nekoliko manj intenzivna) in pustite, da se posuši. Po želji lahko dodate suhe smrekove/borove iglice. S pomočjo žličk napolnite epruvete, na sredini in na koncu dodajte nekaj kapljic eteričnega olja. Zamašite z zamaškom in barvnim papirjem.

BATH SALTS Laboratory equipment:  test tube beaker, 500 mL  mortar and pestle  spatula/spoon  small spoon  cork mat  aluminium foil  colored paper  string (raffia) Ingredients: sea salt  food coloring  etheric oil (spruce/pine)  dried spruce/pine needles Preparation: Prepare beakers with salt. While mixing slowly start adding the prefered coloring (the color of dried salt will be less intense) and let it dry. Optionally you can add spruce/pine needles. With small spoons fill up the test tubes, in the middle and at the end add a few drops of etheric oil. Cover with cork and colored paper.

DIŠEČE KOPALNE BOMBICE Laboratorijski pribor:  250 ml čaša,  steklena palčka,  žlica,  silikonski modelčki,  papir za peko,  papirnate posodice,  celofan,  vrvice. Sestavine za 4 manjše bombice:  1 čaša (~240 ml) NaHCO3,  0,5 čaše koruznega škroba,  0,5 čaše citronske kisline,  3 velike spatule grenke soli (MgSO4 ∙ 7 H2O),  2 čajni žlički mandljevega olja,  1 čajna žlička vode,  15 kapljic eteričnega olja smreke/bora,  nekaj žlic suhih smrekovih/borovih iglic. Priprava: V veliki čaši zmešajte natrijev hidrogenkarbonat, citronsko kislino, koruzni škrob, grenko sol in suhe iglice. V manjšo čašo zlijte vodo, mandljevo olje in eterično olje. Počasi dodajajte tekoče sestavine v suhe in ves čas mešajte. Če se po mešanju zmes ne drži rahlo skupaj, še malo poškropite z vodo. Zmes porazdelite v modelčke in dobro stisnite. Pustite stati dve do tri ure, nato bombice odstranite iz modelov, položite na papirnate brisače in pustite čez noč. Ko se strdijo, jih zavijte v celofan ali folijo za živila, da preprečite dostop vlage.

FRAGRANT BATH BOMBS Laboratory accessories:  a beaker, 250 mL  a glass stick  a spoon  silicone molds  baking paper  paper cups  cellophane  strings Ingredients for 4 smaller bombs:  1 beaker (~240 mL) of NaHCO₃  0,5 beaker of corn starch  0,5 beaker of citric acid  3 big spatulas of bitter salt (MgSO₄ · 7 H₂O)  2 teaspoons of almond oil  1 teaspoon of water  15 drops of spruce/pine tree essential oil  a few spoons of dry spruce/pine tree needles Preparation: In the big beaker mix, NaHCO₃, citric acid, corn starch, bitter salt and dry needles. In the smaller beaker pour water, almond oil and essential oil. While stirring, slowly add the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. If the mixture doesn't stick slightly together after stirring, sprinkle it with a little water. Divide the mixture in the molds and squeeze well. Let it sit for 2 to 3 hours, then remove the bombs from the molds, lay them on a paper towel and leave overnight. When they harden, wrap them in cellophane or food foil to prevent moisture from entering.

SOLNI PILING z MATERINO DUŠICO Laboratorijski pribor:  velika izparilnica,  500 ml ali 1000 ml čaša,  steklena palčka,  spatula/žlička,  tehtnica,  silikonski modelčki,  papir za peko. Sestavine:  200 g morske soli (fine in grobe),  80 g kokosovega masla,  20 g olivnega olja,  1 žlica posušene materine dušice,  5 kapljic eteričnega olja materine dušice. Priprava: Kokosovo maslo stehtajte v izparilnico in segrevajte na vodni kopeli, da se maščoba stali. Nato malo ohladite. V čašo dajte tretjino soli (začnite s fino), dodajte eterično olje in premešajte s palčko ali spatulo. Med mešanjem dodajte olivno olje, nato pa še ohlajeno kokosovo. Vmešajte preostalo sol. Gosto, mazavo zmes nadevajte v lončke in čez noč hranite v hladilniku.

SALT PEELING (BODY SCRUB) WITH THYME Laboratory equipment:  big evaporating dish  beaker, 500 or 1000 ml  glass rod  spatula/ teaspoon  a scale  silicone moulds  parchment paper Ingredients:  200 g sea salt (fine and rough)  80 g coconut butter  20 g olive oil  1 tsp dried thyme  5 drops of thyme essential oil Preparation: Weigh the coconut butter into the evaporating dish and heat it over a water bath for the fat to melt. Then let it cool a little. Put a third of the salt into the beaker (start with fine sea salt), add the essential oil and stir with a glass rod or a spatula. While mixing add olive oil, then cooled coconut butter. Mix in the remaining salt. Pour the thick and greasy mixture into moulds and keep them in the refrigerator overnight.

DEODORANT Laboratorijski pribor:  250 ml in 500/1000 ml čaša,  steklena palčka,  spatula/žlička,  tehtnica. Sestavine:  40 g kokosovega olja,  30 g NaHCO3 (soda bikarbona),  30 g koruznega škroba,  od 15 do 20 kapljic eteričnega olja (brin ali timijan in limonska trava). Priprava: V 250 ml čašo zatehtajte kokosovo olje. V večji čaši zmešajte natrijev hidrogenkarbonat in koruzni škrob. Dodajte zmehčano kokosovo maslo in po želji eterično olje. Dobro premešajte in napolnite posodice. Hranite na hladnem. DEODORANT Laboratory equipment:  beaker, 250 and 500/ 1000 ml  glass rod  spatula/teaspoon  a scale Ingredients:  40 g coconut oil  30 g NaHCO3 (baking soda)  30 g corn starch  15 – 20 drops of essential oil (juniper or thyme and lemon grass) Preparation: Weigh the coconut oil into the beaker (250 ml). In a large beaker, mix baking soda and corn starch. Add softened coconut butter and, if desired, essential oil. Mix well and fill the containers. Store in a cool place.

MAZILO ZA USTNICE Laboratorijski pribor:  velika izparilnica,  vodna kopel,  steklena palčka,  2 spatuli,  silikonski modelčki. Sestavine:  28 g čebeljega voska,  20 g kakavovega masla,  52 g kokosovega olja,  0,5 kavne žličke medu,  od 10 do 15 kapljic eteričnega olja (meta in limona/kamilica ali mandarina). Priprava: Čebelji vosek, kakavovo maslo in kokosovo olje stehtajte v izparilnico. Segrevajte na vodni kopeli in mešajte. Tekočo zmes ohladite na 40 °C in dodajte eterično olja. Napolnite posodice in počakajte, da se popolnoma ohladi in strdi. LIP BALM Laboratory equipment:  big evaporating dish  water bath  glass rod  2 spatulas  silicone moulds Ingredients:  28 g beeswax  20 g cocoa butter 52 g coconut oil  0,5 tsp honey  10-15 drops of essential oil (mint and lemon/chamomile or tangerine) Preparation: Weigh beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil into the evaporating dish. Heat over a water bath and stir. Cool down the liquid mixture to 40°C and add essential oil. Fill the containers (silicone moulds) and wait for it to cool down and harden completely.

TIMIJANOVA KREMA Laboratorijski pribor:  250 ml in 500 ml čaši,  velika izparilnica,  vodna kopel,  steklena palčka,  lij,  kavni/čajni filter,  mešalnik. Sestavine:  voda,  50 g mandljevega olja,  30 g olja pšeničnih kalčkov,  15 g čebeljega voska,  10 g kokosovega masla,  velika pest materine dušice/timijana. Priprava: Čebelji vosek in kokosovo olje stehtajte v izparilnico. Segrevajte na vodni kopeli in mešajte. Počasi dodajajte obe olji, da dobite gladko zmes. V čašo dajte pest materine dušice in prelijte z vrelo vodo. Pokrijte pustite 10 minut, nato filtrirajte. Staljeno maščobno zmes prelijte v večjo čašo, prilijte oparek in z mešalnikom stepajte toliko časa, da se ohladi. Napolnite posodice in počakajte, da se strdi.

THYME CREAM Laboratory equipment:  beaker, 250 and 500 ml  big evaporating dish  water bath  glass rod  funnel  coffee/ tea filter  mixer Ingredients: water  50 g almond oil  30 g wheat germ oil  15 g beeswax  10 g coconut butter  handful of thyme Preparation: Weigh beeswax and coconut oil into the evaporating dish. Heat over a water bath and stir. Slowly add both oils, to get a smooth mixture. Add a handful of thyme and pour over hot water. Cover for 10 minutes, then filter. Pour the melted mixture into a bigger beaker, pour in the infusion, and mix with a mixer until it cools down. Fill the containers and wait for it to harden completely.

MASAŽNA HRANILNA PLOŠČICA Laboratorijski pribor:  velika izparilnica,  vodna kopel,  steklena palčka,  2 spatuli,  silikonski modelčki. Sestavine:  25 g čebeljega voska,  45 g kakavovega masla,  30 g olivnega olja. Priprava: Vse sestavine stehtajte v izparilnico. Segrevajte na vodni kopeli in mešajte. Tekočo zmes vlijte v silikonske modelčke in počakajte, da se ohladi. MASSAGE BAR Laboratory equipment:  big evaporating dish  laboratory water bath  glass rod  2 spatulas  silicone models Ingredients: 25 g beeswax  45 g cocoa butter 30 g olive oil Preparation: Weigh all ingredients in the evaporating dish. Heat on the water bath and stir. Pour the liquid mixture into silicone models and let it cool.

OLJE ZA NOČ BREZ KAŠLJA Laboratorijski pribor:  steklenička z zamaškom. Sestavine:  50 ml mandljevega olja,  5 kapljic eteričnega olja timijana. Priprava: V mandljevo olje nakapljajte eterično olje in močno pretresite. Namažite prsni koš. OIL FOR A COUGHLESS NIGHT Laboratory equipment:  bottle with a lid Ingredients: 50 mL of almond oil  5 drops of thyme essential oil Preparation: Pour the thyme essential oil drops into the almond oil and shake it up strongly. Apply the oil on your chest.

MEŠANICE ČAJEV Z ALPSKIMI ZELIŠČI PLANINSKI ČAJ Sestavine: šipek, robida, lipa, meta, materina dušica, plahtica, borovnica, jagoda, smreka, bor. ŽELODČNI ČAJ Sestavine: tavžentroža, kamilica, kumina, pomarančna lupina. ČAJ ZA ŽENSKE BOLEZNI Sestavine: plahtica, preslica, kopriva, srčna moč, plešec. ČAJ PROTI VNETJU OČI IN UST Sestavine: smetlika, kamilica, komarček. ČAJ PROTI VROČINI Sestavine: bezeg, lipa, kamilica. ČAJ ZA DIHALA Sestavine: jeglič, janež, komarček, lapuh. POMIRJEVALNI ČAJ Sestavine: materina dušica, melisa, hmelj, sivka. TEA BLENDS WITH ALPINE HERBS MOUNTAIN TEA Ingredients: dog rose, blackberry, linden leaves, mint, thyme, lady's mantle, blueberry, strawberry, spruce leaves, pine leaves GASTRIC TEA Ingredients: centaury, chamomile, caraway, orange peel TEA FOR FEMALE ILLNESSES Ingredients: lady's mantle, common horsetail, stinging nettle, tormentil, capsella TEA AGAINST EYE AND MOUTH INFECTION Ingredients: eyewort, chamomile, fennel TEA AGAINST FEVER Ingredients: elderflower, linden leaves, chamomile RESPIRATORY TEA Ingredients: cowslip, anise, fennel, coltsfoot CALMING TEA Ingredients: garden thyme, melissa, hops, lavender

Austrian Alpine Herb RecipesAVSTRIJSKI RECEPTI IZ ALPSKIH ZELIŠČ

MARIGOLD OINTMENT “Ringelblumensalbe” Ingredients:2 handfuls of marigold blossoms 5-6 EL coconut oil Preparation: 1. Snap off the flowers. If necessary, rinse and spin dry. Place the flowers on a table so that small inhabitants can evaporate.2. Heat coconut oil on low heat. In terms of quantity, it should be the same amount of coconut oil as flowers. In any case, enough for the fat to absorb the flowers.3. Cut the flowers into small pieces and place them in the hot fat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. The coconut oil should only show very small bubbles. It must not be too hot, otherwise the flowers would be fried.4. Set the pot aside and let it rest for 24 hours. Place a paper towel between the pot and the lid so that the residual moisture can escape.5. The next day, reheat the grease and filter it through a clean linen or cotton cloth. Squeeze the flowers well. Pour the liquid ointment into small glasses and close well.

CALENDULA SOAP Ingredients: 25 g dried calendula flower heads or petals  500 g olive oil  63 g sodium hydroxide  113 g distilled water  114 g coconut oil (refined)  91 g shea butter  227 g calendula-infused olive oil  23 g castor oil  3 tsp May Chang essential oil Preparation: 1. Infuse 25 g dried calendula flowers in 500 g olive oil for a month in a sealed jar, shaking it occasionally. 2. After a month, strain the flowers from the oil. 3. Dissolve lye crystals in water outdoors, allowing it to cool. 4. Melt solid oils, add liquid oils, and cool both to around 100 °F / 38 °C. 5. Pour lye solution into oils.6. Add optional essential oil and pour into the mould. 7. Place the soap in a preheated oven for 12 hours. 8. Allow soap to rest for another day, then remove it from the mould. 9. Cut it into bars and cure for 28 days in an airy place.

YARROW SOAP Ingredients:  3 g beeswax  150 g curd soap  150 ml yarrow water or yarrow tea  50 ml yarrow oil extract Preparation: 1. Prepare a tea infusion from the yarrow. 2. Use approximately 2 teaspoons yarrow with 200 ml of water. 3. Pour the boiling water over it and let it steep for 10 minutes. 4. Then melt the beeswax in a water bath and pour in the hot tea. 5. Stir and continue to heat until it is simmering slightly. 6. Gradually add the grated soap flakes (grate curd soap with a kitchen grater to flakes) and stir until a thick broth is formed, and start to boil it briefly. 7. After that, pour oil extract into the mixture, stir well, remove from the heat, and let cool. 8. Then pour the liquid herbal soap into the soap mould. 9. After it is completely cooled down and hard, you can slowly take it out but be careful. Yarrow soap is pleasant for all skin types.

CHAMOMILE LOTION Ingredients: 1 cup dried chamomile flowers  1.5 cups sweet almond oil  90 g distilled water  11 g emulsifying wax NF  25 g chamomile-infused sweet almond oil  5 drops chamomile essential oil Preparation: 1. Fill a jar with 1 cup dried chamomile flowers and sweet almond oil. Seal, shake, and store in a dark place for at least two weeks. 2. After two weeks, strain the oil. 3. Measure oil-based ingredients in one jar and water-based in another. 4. Place jars in a pan with hot water, heat for 20 minutes until both contents reach 75°C/165°F. 5. Pour heated water into the oil-phase jar, stir, and let it cool. Stir every five minutes. 6. Stir every ten minutes. 7. When lotion is 45°C/110°F or cooler, add chamomile essential oil.

SHOWER CREAM WITH STONE AND ALPINE ROSE Ingredients: Springwater  Stone Pine Hydrosol  Sugar Based Surfactant  Sesame Oil  Citric Acid  Olive Oil  Stone pine-Alpine Rose-Honey Tincture  Stone Pine Oil  Lemongrass Preparation: 1. Place in a container: 12-16 teaspoons of water, 1-2 teaspoons of stone pine hydrosol, 2-3 tablespoons of sugar-based surfactant, 1-2 tablespoons of oil, depending on the desired level of moisture, a small pinch of citric acid is needed, approximately ¼ teaspoon, 1 teaspoon Swiss pine and alpine rose honey tincture, ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum (and adjust for the desired consistency), 1-2 drops stone pine-Alpine Rose-Honey Tincture (and adjust according to the desired fragrance). 2. Let it cool down for a few hours. Shelf life: 12 months (store in a cool, dark place at 8°-10°, preferably in the refrigerator).

ROSE SHOWER/BATH SALTS Ingredients: Sodium chloride  Sunflower oil Jojoba oil  Wild rose seed oil  Beetroot  Rosebuds Preparation: 1. Crush the dried rose buds and put them in a container. 2. Put everything else in a bowl. For the oils = 1-2 tablespoons each. 3. Add ground beetroot and mix thoroughly to give it colour. 4. Add the crushed rosebuds to the mixture and mix them evenly. 5. Let the mixture dry for a few hours or overnight 6. Store rose bath salts in an airtight container to preserve freshness. Application: For use as a shower salt and body scrub, rub the body in circular motions, paying extra attention to rough areas like elbows. Alternatively, for use as a bath salt: add 1-2 tablespoons to the bath and run hot water.

ARNICA OINTMENT FOR MUSCLE AND JOINT PAIN Ingredients: 100ml vegetable oil (e. g. sunflower)  1 handful of arnica flowers  7-8g beeswax (e. g. from the pharmacy) Preparation: 1. Put flowers with oil in a heatproof jar. 2. Put the jar in a water bath over low heat for 2 hours. 3. Pass everything through a sieve. 4. Place it again in the water bath. 5. Add beeswax and wait until it‘s completely melted. MOUNTAIN HERBS ICED TEA Ingredients:  4 tsp herbal tea (e.g. mountain herbs)  Herbal lemonade (e.g. Almdudler)  Ice cube  Lemon slices  Mint leaves Preparation: 1. Brew the 4 tsp of mountain herbal tea hot and then let it cool. Put the desired amount of ice cubes in a glass and fill half of the glass with the tea and top it with herbal lemonade. 2. Garnish with lemon slices and mint.

RIBWORT COUGH SYRUP Ingredients: One hand full of fresh ribwort leaves200 g brown sugarOptional: the juice of half a lemon2 screw-top jarsPreparation: You must include 2 to 3 months waiting time for this recipe.1.Firstly you need to collect the leaves of ribwort. It grows mainly along roadsides, for example, in the forest or near fields. Be sure to collect clean and intact leaves. 2.Wash the leaves at home and gently pat them dry with a cloth. 3.Then cut them into small pieces. 4.Now you should sterilize one of the screw-top jars. This will kill germs that could later lead to mold growth. Don’t forget about the lid! 5.Put the first layer of ribwort leaves in one of the two jars and cover it with some of the sugar. Now fill up the glass by alternating between the two ingredients. Press the layers down with a spoon every now and then. The last layer should be sugar. 6.Close the jar and place it in a dark place for about two or three months. 7.Sterilize the second screw-top jar. 8.Place the cough syrup in a water bath until it becomes liquid. 9.At this point you can add some lemon juice if you like. 10. Pour the cough syrup through a sieve into the second screw top jar and store it in a cool place. The cough syrup has a shelf life of several months due to its high sugar content.

HERBAL LEMONADE Ingredients:1 large bunch of herbs (lemon balm, mint, basil, rosemary) 1 piece of ripe lemon1 liter of apple juicePreparation: 1. Mix the apple juice and the juice of one lemon in a larger saucepan. 2. Rinse and shake off herbs. If there are unsightly leaves, remove them. Then twist the stems so that the herbs are slightly squashed. Then add it to the pot with the apple juice. 3. Bring the mixture to the boil, turn off the stove and leave the pot covered for 30 minutes. Then squeeze the herbs over the juice and throw them away. 4. If you have small leaves in the juice, you can simply strain it through a fine sieve. 5. Let the juice steep in a bottle in the fridge for a few days. 6. On hot days, splash with plenty of water and enjoy the cool refreshment.

Italian Alpine Herb RecipesITALIJANSKI RECEPTI IZ ALPSKIH ZELIŠČ

BEESWAX BODY CREAM Laboratory equipment:  2 beakers  1 crystallizing dish  1 empty plastic container with a lid  1 spatula  1 thermometer Ingredients: 120 g sunflower oil  8 g beeswax pellets  40 ml distilled water  5 g cetyl alcohol Preparation:

VICK'S VAPORUB Laboratory equipment:  Beaker  Crystallizing dish  Empty container  Spatula Ingredients: 1g Menthol crystals  50g Coconut oil  25g Shea butter  25g Almond oil  30 drops Alpine Herbs essential oil 6 drops Geranio Essential Oil  12 drops Orange Essential Oil Preparation:

Erasmus+ Alpine stories PROJECT WORK COLLECTION 2022–2024 Avtorji besedil: dijaki/students – Gimnazija Slovenj Gradec, Ils Santorre di Santarosa, BORG Monsberger. Avtorji grafik in ilustracij: dijaki/students – Gimnazija Slovenj Gradec, prof. Aleš Gangl, Rok Klančnik. Avtorji fotografij: dijaki/students – Gimnazija Slovenj Gradec, prof. Andreja Šeliga Reberčnik. Lektura: prof. Katja Kotnik, prof. Tjaša Čuček. Urejanje publikacije: prof. Nina Rainer Klančnik.