Croatian myths and legends
Croatia is a country of long and lush history with many legends and myths. Let us take you through an interesting history and legends that will surely tickle your imagination.
According to legend of the origin of Plitvice Lakes, a large drought prevailed at the site. All were suffering and praying for a little rain, all humans, animals and plants. Then the Black Queen appeared, took pity, and sent rain. The rain was falling until all the lakes were filled with water. The people of Plitvice have never forgotten the goodness of the Black Queen. They built her courts on a hill above the largest lake in Kozjak, in which she enjoyed the beauty and symphony of the waterfalls.
If you saw the coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia, you must have noticed the red and white chessboard. Legend has it that Croatian prince Stjepan Drzislav was captured in one of the wars. It was captured by the Venetians and Peter II. Orsolo heard that the prince played chess well. He offered him a bet – he would play three games of chess, so if the prince wins, he will be free. Prince Stjepan Drzislav won all three games. He came back free and put a checkerboard on his coat of arms.
We have written about beautiful Istria from many points of view, about its unique gastronomy, small towns that hide many artists and rich history, many natural resources, but there is also a legend about Istria. Legend has it that many giants have lived in Istria in the past, poisoned by dwarves, leaving one in each city to serve them. The giants did the toughest jobs, building cities on the hills, and in return only receiving contempt and disdain. Veli Joze served the Motovun people. One day he was sent to Venice. On the ship he met Galliot Elijah, who taught him the importance of freedom. Gaul disappeared in the storm, and Veli Joze saved himself and decided to persuade the other giants to rebel. Still, there was nothing of rebellion as the cunning dwarves of the giants bribed them with gold and wine. All the giants, except Veli Joze, returned to their cities and became slaves again. Veli Joze retreated to the mountain and decided to wait for a better moment for freedom. Perhaps still waiting, hidden on a hill overlooking the Mirna River valley.
According to folk tradition, the Greek gods could not agree on which Croatian island is more beautiful – Mljet, Korcula or Lastovo. This is a difficult question for which no real answer has been found today. Thus, one god vehemently argued in favor of the island of Mljet of Odysseus, the other, of course, opposed it and began to glorify Korcula, and the third in turn praised the beauties of Lastovo. The debate probably would have taken years if Zeus or Poseidon (both mentioned in different sources) had not decided to send their envoy to evaluate the beauty of the island on the spot. The envoy of God surfaced at the position of today’s islet of Glavat, nine nautical miles from Lastovo, twelve from Korcula and eight from Mljet. For days he looked at the islands, admired them, puzzled over their shortcomings and advantages, but he couldn’t make the decision about which one was the most beautiful. The mighty gods decided to punish his indecision by petrifying him in the midst of this beauty, that is, turning it into the tiny islet of Glavat.
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