CROATIAN LEGENDS

IntroductionThere are many legends in Croatia

Many of them are about the origin of the names of villages

and towns, about saints’ lives or about heartbreaking love

As Croatia was on the border of the Austro-Hungarian and the

Ottoman empire, most of them are about the Turks

We will tell you about our three most famous legends

Čeh, Leh and Meh (RUS)2

versions, Croatian and PolishA

legend about 3 brothers and their sister – Čeh, Leh, Meh and Vilina

they ruled in 3 towns on 3 neighbouring hills in Croatia – Krapina, Psar and Šabac

The brothers united with other nations against the Romans

Vilina betrayed their plans to the Romans and she ran away

She was found by fairies and lived with them in the cave

After she gave birth to her son, the brothers walled her up in the tower and killed the Roman leader

An ox killed her son who stayed in the cave– place where he is buried Lepoglava (“Beautiful head”)

The Romans wanted revenge so they started to gather soldiers

The three brothers and citizens decided to escape

They established new countires: Čeh – The Czech Republic, Leh – Poland and Meh - Russia

Bilikum (Čeh, Leh and meh)

Rogalin, Poland

The legend of picoki – “Picokijada”

t

raditional cultural-tourist manifestation

i

t has been held since 1968, every year at the end of June

P

odravina, town of Đurđevac

p

icok=rooster

W

hile the Turkish army was attacking the Đurđevac fortress,

the Turkish general Ulama- beg couldn’t defeat the

people of Đurđevac

H

e decided to continue the siege until the people in the

fortress starve.

The inhabitants of Đurđevac were very wise and cunning

Eventually, in the surrounded fortress there was no food left

Only one little rooster remained

Đurđevac fortress today

Đurđevac coat of arms

A wise old woman suggested the commander to put

the rooster into a cannon and fire it out on the

Turkish camp

Turks thought that in Đurđevac there was so much

food that they can waste it

Ulama –beg gave up and Đuđevac was saved

HlapiĆ the Little ShoemakerT

he most famous Croatian fairy tale

A

lmost every child has read it

T

he book was written by a famous

Croatian writer Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić

at the end-of-19th century

1997. - animated film recorded

2

013. – feature film recorded

H

lapić is an orphan shoemaker

H

e lives with master Mrkonja and his wife

O

ne day he decides to go and see the world with his dog

Bundaš

cartoon

film

O

n his way he meets new friends,

and one of them is Gita

She works in a circus and decides to

join Hlapić on his journey

Together they go through many

adventures and mishaps

Finally Hlapić finds out that Gita is

his master’s long lost daughter

Thank you !

Made by: Tajana Levak, Marta Puhar, Ana-Marija

Vargantolić Gimnazija „Fran Galović” Koprivnica, Croatia