Myth and folktales

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the God of Heavens, and some sources even indicate that they might be the tenth, 
or the twelfth, brothers. Both are said to have their opposite counterpart, or a twin 
brother. The counterpart of Zeleni Jurij is Jarnik, or the Wolf-Shepherd (the Master 
of the Wolves), appearing in autumn from the world beyond, from across the waters, 
he unties the wolves and thus announces the arrival of winter. The counterpart of 
Kresnik is the false Kresnik, named Vedomec, whom Kresnik has to fight in order 
to ensure a good harvest in his land. 
The old Slavic deity Mokoš and her daughter, the young goddess Živa, whose 
name in Slovene folklore is often Vesna or Marjetica (Margaret) or Deva (Virgin), are 
Slavic parallels of the Indo-European old and young goddesses examined by Emily 
Lyle (2007, 67–68). Together with Perun and Veles, Mokoš has been classified as one 
of the principal Old Slavic deities (Ivanov, Toporov 1983). Therefore, Mokoš was the 
predecessor and the mother of young deities such as Deva, which has been confirmed 
by the toponyms (Šmitek 2006). It follows from the Slovene folk narrative and song 
tradition that the parents of both Kresnik and Zeleni Jurij were Perun and Mokoš; 
at the same time they were also the parents of Vesna and Marjetica, who were the 
sisters and simultaneously the brides, of Zeleni Jurij and of Kresnik.
Slovene narrative tradition thus confirms the conclusion of August Wünsche 
that ancient cultures regarded the calendar year and its segments as related in kinship 
(Wünsche 1986). In Slovene narrative tradition, the cosmogonic deities appear as mar-
ried couples, brothers, sisters, and children. It also confirms the conclusion that this kin 
connection is based on kinship ties among gods who had created the year and its course. 
Over the course of many years, people’s attitude toward these myths has 
changed. Mythological stories gradually transformed into unrelated legends or 
belief tales, which in turn became increasingly fragmented. Their content changed 
more than the narrative genres themselves. Today, the supernatural beings from 
old cosmogonic narratives have acquired a mostly demythicized image. Stories 
help us preserve the memory of mythological characters that accompany the year 
and its cycle. 
The changing images of these folk belief narratives result from continuously 
changing cultural and social contexts, whereby supernatural figures acquire a 
demythizised image in contemporary belief tales, narratives, and urban legends. 
This contemporary image may approximate spirits and witches, and it may acquire 
commercial and humorous features. However, surprisingly enough, these ancient 
supernatural beings are extraordinarily persistent in the Slovenian narrative tradi-
tion even today. At the same time, they also appear in folklore events, contemporary 
customs as well as in literature and art.

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58
ZlatoroG – Goldenhorn
According to popular tradition from the Alpine regions in Slovenia, Zlatorog  
(Goldenhorn) is a white chamois with golden horns, the leader of white goats, 
which grazed in the magical gardens on the mountain tops on Mt. Triglav, the 
highest mountain in the Julian Alps. The mountain garden and the people living 
underneath were protected by the white ladies who were local fairies or Fates. 
Zlatorog was immortal: even if he is struck in his heart, from a drop of his blood 
blooms the miraculous healing flower of Triglav (Triglavska roža). As soon as 
the wounded Zlatorog eats the flower, he is cured. Zlatorog is the owner of all 
the treasures guarded by a snake with several heads, and people believed that 
whoever could manage to get hold of his golden horn could take the treasures 
(Kropej 2003: 134). 
The folk legend about Zlatorog from the Julian Alps was first published by Karel 
Dežman in 1868. Since that time, more popular tales of this kind have been traced, 
attracting the attention of many researchers and artists. Concerning a hunter and a 
magical animal, this legend has survived in Slovenian folk tradition for centuries. It 
reflects the deep connection between man and nature, and their interdependency. 
Zlatorog in myth personifies the deity of the heavens, holds the key to treasures on 
earth, and has the power of healing. It also reflects the constellation of the stars from 
the time of its origin. (Kropej 2012: 31).
The folktale from Bovec (a village near Mt. Triglav), written in the style of late 
Romanticism and published by Karel Dežman in Laibacher Zeitung in 1868, is the 
first preserved Slovenian folk legend about Zlatorog.
The legend of Goldenhorn
The Jezéra (mountain pasture by the Triglav Lakes) mountain pasture near 
the Triglav Lakes and rocky Mt. Komna were once part of the Alpine paradise 
where the White Ladies lived. These were creatures with gentle and compas-
sionate hearts. They would often appear in the valley in order to help poor 
people in need. They stood by the women in labour, and the boys these women 
gave birth to were under the special protection of the White Ladies throughout 
their lives. They taught the shepherds about the medicinal powers of herbs. 
Thanks to them, strong grass grew on the naked rocky brinks, and the poor 
people’s goats found their pasture there. The White Ladies didn’t like people 
thanking them and, if anyone came close to their high valley, they didn’t let 
them go any further by making threatening gestures. If anyone did come 
close to their dwellings by accident or by being presumptuous, huge stone 

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