Mysterious Balkan Creatures: The Non-Aligned Ones

[Kazimiera]

Mysterious Balkan Creatures: The Non-Aligned Ones

Source: http://www.slavorum.org/mysterious-b...-aligned-ones/



Well, we went into the forest, swam in the beautiful lakes, saw what’s hiding in the dark, and took a walk down the scary memory lane, but we didn’t encounter all the Balkans creatures. There are still some magic beings hiding all over this area. Just wait and see.

These creatures don’t belong anywhere, but they are pretty common on the Balkans. And not just here, the whole world is their habitat.

Dragons



There are many types of dragons, but the most famous ones are Big dragons (related to aždaje). They could spit fire and fly very high (no, they didn’t have Khaleesi), but these dragons are extinct for a while now. It seems like that this type of dragons was never widespread on the Balkans. Whether because they love the harsh climate and dark caves, and we just don’t have too many of those, or because of the brave knights who hunt them all over the Middle Ages, Big dragons bypassed this area.

Because of that, people often confused them with aždaje or some other subspecies. The ones that actually live on the Balkans had the power to bring rain and that made them very important. They could turn into people and since they were very lustful, many women gave birth to dragon kids. Those children usually grew into big heroes. Dragon-heroes are common in Serbian history and it is believed that some big leaders were dragon-heroes. Just look at Đurađ Branković and his grandson whose nickname was Zmaj Ognjeni Vuk (Fiery Dragon Wolf). Pretty fierce, right?


Dwarves



Even though dwarves are inhabited in every part of the world, here, on the Balkans we don’t see them that often. Nobody knows why is that, but there are some speculations regarding vampires. Allegedly, vampires love to hunt dwarves and feed with their blood. That’s why all the remained dwarves ran away north.

The ones that stayed in this area are hiding in the woods, caves, and even basements. There are even some mutations of this species so we now have talason, škart, maljak, and many other subspecies of dwarves. The very nature of these creatures is more than fickle, so it is wise not to make deals with them. They will scam you in no time!


Cikavac



Cikavac is a winged animal with a long beak and a bag under it. It is hatched from an egg that was carried for 40 days under an armpit. The owner of this bird gets every wish granted, and he will also get the power to understand animal language. Better than a golden goose, right? Lift that armpit!


Talason



It is a subspecies of dwarves, but some folks say talason is actually a good ghost that watches over a house. It is created when someone’s shadow is built into the foundation of a house. That man dies quickly, but his soul remains attached to that building. Only dogs and people who are born on Saturday and Tuesday can see talason.


Aveti



These creatures look like a shadow, but much scarier. They don’t need to use special powers to scare you, just one glance at avet and your hair will turn gray. These wraiths live in abandoned houses and they are always cold since they are afraid of sunlight. Even though aveti look scary, they are very shy and frightened beings.

Some folks believed that aveti are souls of people who killed themselves or unbaptized ones, but that is not true. They actually have an Elvish origin, but nevertheless, aveti look pretty creepy, especially if you encounter them alone.


Witches



I will not talk a lot about witches since everybody knows who they are. Witches are not some abnormal beings; they are humans who learned how to do some magic stuff. Mainly witchcraft and curses. You can find them all over the planet and they are mostly evil and mean. You don’t want to mess with witches and do them wrong, they will pay you double. So, pay attention to who you mess with!

This is the end of the Mysterious Balkan Creatures series, and even though there are many creatures left to be explained, I will leave them to you. Watch your steps and pay attention where you go. And with whom! Good luck!

[Marzipan]

What a fun article.

When I read vampires hunt dwarves I thought of a bat like a preying bird lifting a dwarf off the ground.

There is something like a Cikavac today, I believe they are known as crabs.

Maybe one day I will see a Talason or maybe I have and didn't know.

[Kazimiera]

We don't need to look far to find "mysterious non-aligned Balkan creatures". There are plenty of them on this forum although they are more mis-aligned than non-aligned.