Balkan Mythology

Hey everybody and welcome back to Raisa's Mythological Creature Blog. Today I will be telling you 10 Mythological Creatures from Balkan Mythology.

First we have Aquarius. Aquarius is a star sign, and it means water bearer. It does appear a few times in Balkan myths and Babylonian myths, and there is a story behind it: the god of rain became a constellation called, you guessed it, Aquarius. 

Sambaris is the Balkan fertility god personifying the ritual folding the grain after the harvest, perhaps the name of the ritual itself. People offered Sambaris the leftovers of the feast organised on the eve of his celebration.

Werewolves are people with the ability to transform into a wolf or people that with the power of magic, transformed into a wolf. For some time, lycanthropes were discovered only after its death. In wolf form, werewolves killed domestic animals and people to stay alive. 

Wizunas was a dragon in Balkan Myths that devours the dead people who are  trying to climb to the top of an inaccessible mountain of heaven, mourners help them by throwing claws from lynxes and bears at a funeral pyre to redirect Wizunas.

Aitvaras is a flying ghost demonic creature manifesting itself as a rooster (it was believed that Aitvaras came to the world from a rooster egg), raven or crow, fiery snake or cat. Riches gave him sour milk or scrambled eggs , for example, cereals, hay, money, honey and milk.

Moroi are very creepy Balkan creatures. They are believed to be the souls of children that have been murdered. If its mother has killed it to hide her shame, 7 years later, her child will haunt her forever. A myth about Moroi tells that they will spread plagues not only to her, but to the entire city.

Lesovik are creatures that live in the forest and protect it and its animals. They are men with green beards, shaggy hair and boots that are worn on the wrong feet. A myth about Lesovik are that they, like bears, skunks and bats, hibernate in winter, but in spring they come back out to protect their forest and animal friends.

Muma Padurii is a creature that also lives in the Balkan forest, and her name means 'mother of the forest'. She is described as being an evil, ugly, old woman. A myth about her tells that she is a shape shifter and can change into many people and animals.

Zmeu is a man that is sometimes described as a dragon, but usually he is a creature with a man's body, a backside with scales, a tail and the ability to spit fire. A myth about him tells that he kidnaps women and tries to persuade them into marrying him. He can also change into a man but he normally stays in his natural form.

Today's final creatures are Iele. They are beautiful fairies that live in the Carpathian Mountains. A myth about Iele tells that Midsummer's Eve is when they are strongest, so people have to try and not make them angry, otherwise they can be very dangerous.

That's it for today's creatures! Join me tomorrow for more mythical critters! Bye!