Animal characters in Bulgarian mythology, folklore and literature

1. Animal characters in Bulgarian mythology, folklore and literature ‘Animal Protection in Europe’ Vocational High School of Veterinary medicine, Dobrich, Bulgaria

2. Bulgarian mythology - has rich heritage that derives from three quite different groups of people:the ancient Thracians, the Slavs and the Proto-Bulgarianswho inhabited Bulgarian lands. The Thracians lived in Bulgaria from 1000BC. Bulgarian Slav Warriors The Bulgars were a war-like tribe from central Asia.

3. The Horse Once upon a timehorses were sacred.They were the companions of heroes,and galloped between the worlds bearing the gifts of life and death. Dawn is breakingBut such a dawn as you've never seen.The dawn is a young man riding on a horse.The horse breathes and makes the dawn.The moon is a ring on the young man’s finger,And his weapons are small stars.(Bulgarian ritual song for a young unmarried man)

4. The Horse Old Bulgarian songs and legendshave preserved the mystic images of aboutsupernatural horsesand heroeswho are so fast that they can outrun even the Sun. The horsespeaks, gives adviceand can evenforesee what will happen to his master. It has supernatural characteristics. for ex: It can transport man from the netherworldto this world andcosmic powers. for ex:horses are so fast that they can fly.

5. The Horse The epic hero, Krali Markoor Marko Kraleviti,was a real historical person who lived in the 14th century AD. The tales about him contain elements that go back to Thracian times and reflects some aspects of the Thracian Horseman god, who was sometimes simply called Hero. There are many heroic songs  about Krali Marko’s adventures withhis magical horse Sharkoliya.Traditionally these epic tales were told through songs. King Marko traverses nine mountains at once with his horse Sharkoliya.

6. A most interesting motif regarding the mystical traits of the horse is to be found in the Bulgarian Christmas carols One of the songs tells about the good hero and the Sun.The young lad boasted that he had a pitch-black horse, who could traverse the world in a single day.On hearing that the Sun contrived a trick to take the horse away from him.“Let's have a bet!”, the Sun suggested.“If you do outstrip me, I will allow you to marry my sister, the Bright Star. However, if I am faster than you are, you will give me your horse”. The lad agreed and they embarked on a round-the-world journey. When it got noontime the Sun said “At this time of the day I take a break for a while” and so they stopped to rest. The lad fell asleep and so the Sun set out immediately on its journey to get ahead of the young man.No sooner had the sun left that the horse spoke to the lad “Wake up, brave man, let's go,for the bright Sun has left you behind!”.So, the hero woke up, mounted his horse and beat the Sun.

7. The Zmey (a kind of dragon) Unlike most of his western counterparts,in Bulgarian heroic epics, folk ballads, ritual songs, legends and traditional tales, the zmey is not an evil beastalthough it can be deadly. The zmey, or dragonis often seen as being a friend for people and has an important place in Bulgarian myth and folklore.Each village had its own guardian zmey to protect the fertility of theland and to battle against the malignant forces that cause drought and hail.

8. The Zmei(dragon) • - Part snake, part bird, part human, zmeys are associated with both fire and water. • They live in caves, lakes or mountain palaces. • They canbecome invisible at will. • They are immensely strong, and a human who eats a dragon's heart gains some of that power. • Zmeys are predominantly male. • Conversely humans can become dragons, either through magical means or by taking certain herbs. • Zmeys often fall in love with humans, who then may grow pale and lovesick. Thedragon love can be deadly. • Zmeys are attracted by music, and have been known to seduce maidens with the beauty of their kaval-playing.

9. Bulgarian folk and Animal Tales These are stories about human experience, and about animals with human characteristics. Bulgarian folk tales often have a dark humour and include stories about tests of wit and wisdom. Many of the animal tales feature the wolf, the bear and the fox The image of the wolfis as an old, naive male animal (Kumcho Valcho), the bear is associated as an old, good-natured animal (Granny Bear), the perception of the vixen as a clever animal (Kuma Lisa) which often play tricks to the other animals and the man.

10. The Vixen in Bulgarian folklore Bulgarian fairy tales, proverbs and legends have created a very peculiar image of the vixen • The vixen has become a steady symbol of cunning, slyness, double-dealing and deceit that came from the hunting experience of ancient man. And even today Bulgarians say, ‘Beware, this person is as cunning as a fox'. In later-dated stories • The vixen’s cunnings had become the object of ridicule, and her tricks had been exposed and punished in folklore. • Instead of gaining profit, the vixen falls into her own trap.

11. “The sick carry the healthy” The following story contains all the notorious vixen tricks. Once a man was driving a cartful of fresh catch. A vixen saw him, lay on the road and pretended she was dead. When he saw her, the man got happy he would be able to make his wife a fur coat. He threw the vixen on top of his catch and rode on. Meanwhile the vixen started throwing the fish out of the cart. When the village man came home he started shouting for his wife to come out and greet him and see the present he had brought her. But the cart was empty. Meanwhile, the vixen had an unexpected guest, a wolf. But the vixen came up with another one of her stories to avoid sharing her fish with him. She lied to the gullible wolf that he could fish it out, just like she had done. She tied a fishing basket to his tail and made him dip it under the streaming water of a windmill. At feeling the heaviness of the fish basket, he got happy as he thought the fish was getting inside. While he was waiting patiently the vixen went to the miller, and began shouting that there was a wolf outside the mill. The miller started chasing the wolf with a wooden staff. The wolf ran in panic and tore off its tail. While this was going on the vixen saw that the miller had made porridge and ate it up. She went to the wolf and told him that he had hit her on the head and her brain was flowing off her head. The wolf believed her and proposed to carry her on his back. Hence the proverb, “the sick carry the healthy”.

12. The Blackbird and the Fox Another saying has it that‘vixen hunts not, but if she does, she eats her catch alone’.A fairy tale tells the story of the vixen who lured the blackbird into nesting near her den. And then she made the bird repay the favour by giving its own eggs. In other plots the vixen outwits all the other animals, often entices roosters and hens, and even takes advantage of the pussycat.With its cunnings it can even outwit man, Bulgarian folklore warns.

13. The bear in Bulgarian folklore According to traditional beliefs the bear protects against disease.Therefore it has grown into a symbol of fertility and maternal care. One legend has it that the bear originated from a girl whose mother died. The father remarried, and the girl’s stepmother turned out a very vicious woman. Every day she would send the poor girl to the river with a sack full of black wool with the task of washing the wool until it turned white. The girl toiled from morning till night but how on earth could she whiten the black wool? She prayed to God and he finally responded. He told her to put the black wool over her shoulders and transformed her into a bear. So that is why the bear walks on too paws and helps people lost in the forest, the tale concludes.

14. The bear in Bulgarian folklore If a bear hair is burned the smoke could help somebody sick from great fear to be cured. It was also believed that a bear could provide effective treatment by walking on the back of the sick person. For its ability to treat illness and to protect, the bear was not a common hunting target. Only meat-eating bears were hunted for their habit of attacking domestic animals and humans.The bear is central to a few folk tales. It has a good image and has been lovingly called Baba Metsa, Granny Bear. She sometimes marries a young guy and the two make their home in the forest.There is also the theme of various bets that a humanmakes with a bear.

15. The deer in Bulgarian folklore The deer was believed to be a friend to all mythical creatures in the woods.In both folk tales and songs wood nymphs riding winged deer, fly above chasms or go up into the skies. Very often the deer is God’s personal envoy. Whenever God has a message to communicate to humans he sends one of his angels or a saint in the image of a deer. There are many tales about doe herds led by a deer that shepherds could see in the spring. Without any fear the majestic animals would approach the rock-salt left for the sheep. Even the shepherd’s dogs would not move to chase them away. Sometimes, the does and the deer mixed with the sheep to graze together.People believed that the appearance of a deer would protect both humans and livestock from evil forces.

16. A FEW FAMOUS BULGARIAN PROVERBS AND SAYINGS WITH ANIMALS CHARACTERS A hungry bear cannot dance. (First I have to eat, then I can do everything else.) The wolf may change his fur, but his nature - never.(Always have in mind, that smb. may pretend to be changed for good, but in fact, he is still the same.) Hungry chicken dreams of millet. (People are usually dreaming for impossible things.) You count the chicks in the autumn. (Look at the results at the end of the term, not in the middle.) Two rabbits with one bullet.(When you save some trouble arranging to do several things at one place or with one person.) The swine eats the nice apples.

17. DOG PROVERBS AND SAYINGS • Feed the dog so that he can bark at you later.(When you have done a lot for someone and he has turned out to be not very thankful afterwards.) • A dog that barks doesn’t bite.(Who talks a lot will never have enough bravery to do something) • The dogs are barking, the caravan is going on.(When things are going all right despite the critics.) • To pull a knife at the face of a dead dog. (When you see someone is weaker than you but still you want to make him suffer.) • The fast bitch bears blind dogs.(= Haste makes waste.)

18. Animals in Bulgarian Literature appear in the works of some of the classics ofBulgarian literature: Yordan Yovkov, EmiliyanStanev, NikolayHaytov,Yordan Radichkov Yordan Yovkov Yordan Yovkov's work incorporates not only the spirituality of the common man but also the part animals play in helping humanity fulfill its "natural role". - If they can talk… - The White swallow (1880-1937) EmiliyanStanevis one of Bulgaria's best known writers of short stories, especially animal stories. Among his most popular stories is Valtchi Nochti (Wolves Nights).Wildlife heroes and villains; personality portraits of creatures great and small. Wild BirdThrough Forests and Waters (1943), The Greedy Bear Cub (1944), Tale of a Forest (1948), When the Frost Melts (1950) and Chernishka (1950). 1907-1979

19. NikolayHaytov He wrote short stories about birds and animals. His famous book is‘Wild Stories’- The cockoo calls; Dogs, Turtle-dove. (1919-2002) Yordan Radichkov He wrote a number of domestically and internationally acclaimed children's books. Of these Nie Vrabchetata (We, the Sparrows) has gained particular popularity in Bulgaria. In 1996 Malki zhabeshki istorii (Little Frogs' Stories) won the Hans Christian Andersen award for children's literature. 1929 - 2004