Myth and folktales

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Muk lives in a pool. He is a big man, who waits in the hole under the shore 
for a child to pull underwater. They heard him splashing the water; he almost 
poured all of it out. Shallow shouts of the children were heard from under the 
ground (Majciger 1883: 558–561, no. 19). 
According to this folk narrative, Muk was a water sprite, the master of the spirits 
of the children, who are kept in the water depths. 
Motovilec
In Kranjska Gora in Gorenjska, people told stories about the water sprite 
Motovilec. People wanted to scare their children with him, and said to them: 
Do not go to the river Sava or else Motovilec will pull you in.
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Mital
The lake beneath Kum, not far from Radeče in Kranjska, was allegedly inhabited 
by Mital or Mitalu, an evil spirit, who most often manifested himself in the form of 
a dog. In the clear, moonlit nights, he came from his castle on the reef by the water 
or on the roofs of the surrounding mills. When angry, he caused thunderstones and 
strong winds. Johann Weichard Valvasor wrote about him,
117
 as well as Franc Kraus.
118
 
Davorin Trstenjak described Mital in the journal Slovenski glasnik: 
Ancient Carniolians believed “Mitau” to be an evil spirit who lived in a lake 
named Mitalo and manifested himself in the form of a dog.
One day, a hunter chases a stag to the lake and shoots him. The gunshot wakes 
up Mital and he creates a terrible wind, which pushes the hunter in the lake 
where he drowns.
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Also the water demon from Silesia, known as Utopilec or Topilec can have the 
head of a dog, a goose or a horse. It may appear as the dog itself or as a young man 
with fins like a fish, dressed in red, black, blue or green clothes (Petzoldt 1995). 
Mamalić
Similarly to the guardian of the home, the water sprite Mamalič from Venezia 
Giulia stayed in a house where people gave him food. Just like the dwarf-like 
116 
J. Borovski, Motovilec. Slovenski glasnik 7, no. 21 (1. 10. 1861), 117–118. 
117 
Valvasor 1689, II: 195, 207.
118 
Zeitschrift für Österreichische Volkskunde II, 1897, 146.
119 
Slovenski glasnik III, 1859, 98; Kelemina 1930: 72, no. 19.

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supernatural being Blagonič, Mamalič would also punish those who dared to eat the 
food that had been prepared for him (Mailly,Matičetov 1989). 
Rakuž
Matevž Ravnikar-Poženčan recorded stories about Rakuž. People from Gorenjska 
described it like this:
This is an apparition in a shape of a crab. With its body, he once closed Potok, 
which flows into the river Račica or Rašica (there is a village Rašica on the hill 
above it). The water that got caught behind was full of crabs.
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Brbúč
In the surroundings of Novo Mesto, people still tell stories about the water 
sprite Brbúč. He was said to live in reservoirs, wells and brooks. Adults told stories 
to children that Brbuč will pull them in the water in order to keep them away from 
reservoirs and protect them from drowning (Hudoklin 1991). 
GoBlins and dWarfs
The mysterious world of earthly treasures, be it mines, precious stones, water 
springs, fertile fields or game, was always the subject of imaginations. People believed 
that earthly treasures are watched by the dwarfs, goblins or gnomes, and other similar 
supernatural beings of a short stature. They appear everywhere – in the forests, in 
the old tree hives, mountains, mines, marshes, next to the domestic fireplace, at the 
blacksmith’s or in the shoemaker’s shop; they were also believed to fly in the air and 
bring money through the chimney.
Slavic folklore preserved the memory on many different kinds of goblins; the 
forest goblins who protect the forests, the trees, the game and forest treasures; the 
goblins in the fields who help the farmers with agricultural chores and expect a gift 
in return, like a bowl of porridge or some other food; the mountain goblins lingered 
with cattle and sometimes also surprised shepherds on the pasture. However in 
Slovenia, the most frequent were the mine goblins who watched over the ore in the 
caves and mines. 
120 
Manuscript of Matevž Ravnikar-Poženčan, Archive NUK: Ms 483, XI, no. 17.

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MINE GOBLINS
The tradition about the mountain or the mine goblins was the most widespread 
in Slovenian lore. They lived in rocky caves, pits and near golden wells, where they dug 
and liquefied ore. The location in which the treasure is buried was marked by a flame, 
which could sometimes be seen at night. People say that the treasure is “blooming”. 
Johann Weichard Valvasor wrote about goblins and noted that Zlata Gorica in 
Posavje was named after veins of gold, which disappeared when one of the noblemen 
dug a well there. Valvasor also mentions the bergmandeljci (mountain goblins) who 
lived in the mine of Idrija.
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 Whenever they were heard, great veins of gold were 
found. The local miners left them food in small pots and every year, at a given time, the 
miners set a little red coats for them in order to preserve the favour of the cave spirits.
In the town Idrija in Notranjska (Inner Carniola), which was famous for the 
mercury mines, people told stories about the mountain gnome, named perkomandelj.
Perkomandelj from idrija
Many, many years ago, an honest miner lived in Idrija. He had many children 
but little bread. One day, he went early in the morning, as usual, to the mine 
and the supervisor assigned a tunnel to him. It happened that the man with 
whom he generally dug was away sick. The miner did not complain, he just 
descended into the tunnel and began working.
As he searched tirelessly for a couple of hours for quicksilver, he spotted a tittle 
green light in the distance. When the apparition, approached he saw it was 
a perkomandelj, a little man with a little red hat on his head, with a purple 
jacket and red pants, holding a light in his hand. When the miner had col-
lected himself, he mastered all his courage and addressed the perkomandelj 
but got no reply. Without saying a word, the perkomandelj hit a wall, which 
opened and took out some very nicely crafted mining equipment. Still without 
speaking, he took his place next to the miner and both of them worked very 
hard. After eight hours, for that is how long the miners’ working day lasts, 
the little man tapped the wall again. It opened and he disappeared with his 
tools. The miner went home. 
The next morning the miner found the little man already at work. This 
went on for a whole month. A payday approached, the miner worried about 
how he should pay the little man for his work, so he went to the priest and 
explained his problem. The priest recommended that he divide the earnings 
fairly between the two of them.
When payday arrived everyone was surprised at how much the miner had 
121 
Valvasor 1689, XI: 349–350. 

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