Serb epic poetry (Serbian: СрпÑке епÑке народне пеÑме) is a form of epic poetry written by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro. The main cycles were composed by unknown Serb authors between the 14th and 19th centuries. They are largely concerned with historical events and personages. The main instrument in performing the Serbian epic is the Gusle.
History
In 1824, Vuk Karadžić sent a copy of his folksong collection to Jacob Grimm, who was particularly enthralled by The Building of Skadar. Grimm translated it into German, and described it as "one of the most touching poems of all nations and all times".
Corpus
The corpus of Serbian epic poetry is divided into cycles:
- Non-historic cycle - poems about Slavic Mythology, particularly the Zmaj, Aždaja and Vilas
- Pre-Kosovo cycle - poems about events that predate the Battle of Kosovo
- Cycle of Kraljević Marko
- Kosovo cycle - poems about events that happened just before and after the Battle of Kosovo (no poem covers the battle itself)
- Post-Kosovo cycle - poems about post-Battle events
- Cycle of hajduks
- Cycle of uskoks
- Poems about the liberation of Serbia
- Poems about the liberation of Montenegro
Poems depict historical events with varying degrees of accuracy.
People of Serbian epic poetry
- Benedikt KuripeÄiÄ â€" 16th century diplomat who traveled trough Ottoman Bosnia and Serbia in 1530 and recorded that epic songs about MiloÅ¡ Obilić are popular not only among Serbs on Kosovo but also in Bosnia and Croatia. He also recorded some legends about the Battle of Kosovo and explained that in the whole region new poetry on the topic was composed.
- Dimitrije Karaman - the oldest known Serbian gusle player, c. 1551.
- Avram Miletić (1755 â€" after 1826) was a merchant and songwriter who is best known for writing the earliest collection of urban lyric poetry in Serbian.
- Old Rashko - one of the most important sources of the epic poetry recorded by Vuk Karadžić.
- Filip ViÅ¡njić (1767â€"1834), dubbed the "Serbian Homer" both for his blindness and poetic gift, was a guslar (gusle player).
- TeÅ¡an Podrugović (1783â€"1815) was Serbian hayduk, storyteller and gusle player (Serbian: guslar) who participated in the First Serbian Uprising and was one of most important sources for Serbian epic poetry.
- Živana Antonijević (Blind Živana) (died in 1822) was one of favorite female singers of Vuk Karadžić.
- Vuk Karadžić (1787â€"1864) was a Serbian philologist and linguist who was the major reformer of the Serbian language. He deserves, perhaps, for his collections of songs, fairy tales, and riddles to be called the father of the study of Serbian folklore.
- Petar Perunović (1880â€"1952), also known as 'Perun', he was a famous gusle player and one of the first to record Serbian epic poetry in a studio.
Characters
Popular legendary villains of Serbian epic poetry who are depicted as enemies of Kraljević Marko are based upon historical persons:
- Musa Kesedžija - he is the result of merging several historical people including Musa Çelebi son of Bayezid I and Musa from the Muzaka Albanian noble family while Jovan Tomić believes he is based on the supporter of Jegen Osman Pasha
- Djemo the Mountaineer - a member of Muzaka noble family (Gjin Muzaka) or maybe Ottoman military person Jegen Osman Pasha
- General VuÄa - Tanush Dukagjin, a member of Dukagjini noble family or Prince Eugene of Savoy or Peter Doci
- Philip the Magyar - Pipo of Ozora, an Italian condottiero, general, strategist and confidant of King Sigismund of Hungary.
Many other heroes of Serbian epic poetry are also based upon historical persons:
- Strahinja Banović â€" ÄuraÄ' II Stracimirović BalÅ¡ić
- Jug Bogdan â€" Vratko Nemanjić
- Beg Kostadin â€" Constantine DragaÅ¡
- Sibinjanin Janko â€" John Hunyadi
- Petar DojÄin â€" Petar Doci
- Maksim Crnojević â€" StaniÅ¡a Skenderbeg Crnojević
- Bajo Pivljanin - Bajo Nikolić
- Mihajlo Svilojević â€" Michael Szilágyi
Excerpts
- Slavic antithesis:
- (Kraljević Marko speaks: )
Modern example of Serbian epics as recorded in 1992 by film director PaweÅ‚ Pawlikowski in a documentary for the BBC Serbian epics; an anonymous gusle singer compares Radovan Karadžić, as he prepares to depart for Geneva for peace talk, to KaraÄ'orÄ'e, who had led the First Serbian Uprising against the Turks in 1804:
Quotes
Jacob Grimm
Charles Simic
Modern Serbian epic poetry
Serbian epic poetry is being made today in the same way. Some modern songs are published in books or recorded, and under copyright, but some are in public domain, and modified by subsequent authors just like old ones. There are new songs that mimic Serbian epic poetry, but are humorous and not epic in nature; these are also circulating around with no known author. In the latter half of the 19th century, a certain MP would exit the Serbian parliament each day, and tell of the debate over the Monetary Reform Bill in the style of epic poetry. Modern epic heroes include: Radovan Karadžić, Ratko Mladić and Vojislav Šešelj. Topics include: Balkan Wars of the 90s, 1999 Nato Bombing of Serbia, and the Hague Tribunal.
Popular Modern Serbian epic performers (Guslars):
- Djordjije 'Djoko' Koprivica
- Milomir 'Miljan' Miljanić
- BoÅ¡ko VujaÄiÄ‹
- Vlastimir Barać
- Sava Stanišić
- Miloš Šegrt
- Saša Laketić
- Milan Mrdović
See also
- Bugarštica
- Erlangen Manuscript
- List of national poetries
- The Building of Skadar
References
External links
- An article about Serbian oral tradition
- Songs from Kosovo cycle
- The Battle of Kosovo - Serbian Epic Poems Preface by Charles Simic Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, Athens 1987
- Heroic Ballads of Servia translated by George Rapall Noyes and Leonard Bacon, 1913
MP3s
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- Lesson in rhyme
- Poem for Karadjordje
- Fate of vizier Mahmud-pasha in the village of Krusa
- Pit of Korich Part 2 Part 3