Dragon and girl from v. of Staravina
A while ago I do not know before how many years my grandfather told me a story. He told me that at a time there were dragons walking as men.
Dragon was looking as we are. At a time the dragon liked a girl from Bitola village of Staravina and he caught and stole her. Once he took her, he brought her to the mountain. Once the dragon had taken the girl, her mother constantly cried after her. One year passed, another year, too, the girl could not be found anywhere. Where did he take her? What did he do her? Dragon went to Thessaloniki, in order to feed her. Dragon went to Skopje, to feed. With time they received a child. The child was also in the cave.
At one time the hunters from the village of Staravina and Gradeshnica go hunting in the winter; as they were going through the mountain they met the girl in a cave. They found her with a boy and they asked her:
- What are you doing here, girl?
- Nothing, she replied.
- Where is your husband? Who did catch you? Who? She responded:
- The Dragon.
- Where is he now?, She said:
- In Thessaloniki area, I do not know.
- Come home with us.
- No, I cannot. Here is my child, how to leave him. He takes care of me, everything he brings to me.
They were wondering and wondering, she does not like to come home. Even if she comes, the dragon will take her back.
The hunters departed to go to their homes in the village. They called the girl’s mother and told her:
- Listen to this. Your daughter is at certain place and she has a child. Her mother heard this and left [to see the daughter]. She went with the hunters there and saw the daughter and asked her:
- What are you doing, daughter?
She touched the child, hugged him, how to leave him?
- Mother, if I escape, he will catch me again.
- Any relief?
- There is no relief, mother. I cannot escape from him, as it was God’s will, that’s it. Fine man is this one. Look, how much money he has. He will take money, go to Prilep and buy many things to us!
Mother told her:
- Child, try to find out politically or through some other means ask him what could cause his death- in order to poison him.
A year or two passed the girl asked the Dragon:
- Gee, my husband, there is no death for you?
- No, he replied.
When the dragon was returning from Thessaloniki or other place she was filling a bucket with water and was hiding not to meet her at the door. If he finds her he will drink her, too. She will hide in the hole and two buckets of water will bring to. Oomph one, oomph another, he will drink and after he comes to her.
- Well, he said and called her – Woman, let me tell you that my death will be caused from three pounds of salt. If you put in the bucket when I come home, to raise the bucket and to drink it. Thus, my death will come. Anything else, he said, there is no death for me.
After some time the girl’s mother went to the daughter and asked”
- Ah, daughter, did you learn anything or not?
- Mother, the girls said, his death would be from three pounds of salt; to put it into the bucket, to drink it and to die. Otherwise, there is no death for him.
Mother told her:
- Child, I will bring you three pounds of salt.
The mother left to home and took three pounds of salt. After some time she brought it to the daughter. The dragon was going here and there, he was not standing to pay attention who comes and why comes. The mother gave the salt to the daughter. Dragon’s wife put the salt in the bucket; she mixed it with the water and placed the bucket at the entrance of the cave. When time came, he returned. He lifted the bucket and drank it up. Once he drank it he turned his eyes from the wife and child and told them:
- Ah, may the God give you to become stones!
As he damned them; so they become stones and they are in the cave until today. My grandfather narrated me, in our mountains.
Tanas Vrazhinoski, Macedonian folklore legends, Matica makedonska, Skopje, 2009, 298.
Expert report on the natural/historical monuments in the municipality of Novaci
Subject: TRADITION AND LIFE in the MARIOVO PART OF MUNICIPALITY OF NOVACI
Prepared by: Igor Tasevski,
April 2014
