Myth and folktales

85
that feature Belbog, he is not only the reputed opposite pole of the god Černobog, 
but – an epithet of the deity that represents the opposite side of Černobog – a true 
Slavic deity rather than a mere product of cabinet mythology, as postulated by Nikita 
Tolstoy (1995: 151). The good spirit named Belun has been documented in Belorussian 
mythology in the 19
th
 and the 20
th
 centuries as a benevolent being that brings people 
wealth, helps those who got lost in the woods, and helps in the field (Levkievskaja 
1995: 150–151).
Belinus has also inspired composer Jakob Frančišek Zupan to compose in 1780 
(or 1782) an opera by the same name, and Janez Damascen Dev (1732-1786) who 
wrote opera libretto Belin.
the tenth Child
The tenth male (Desetnik) or female (Desetnica) child, and also the ninth, the 
twelfth or the thirteenth child of the same gender, have special status in folk heritage 
of the Slavic, the Irish, the Baltic and other European cultures. They are predestined 
for higher goals. People believed that the seventh child of the same sex is supposed 
to be a deity, a demonic creature, or a clairvoyant.
46
 
With the exception of Ireland and Slovenia, the motif of the tenth child remained 
fairly unnoticed elsewhere in Europe. In Slovenia, however, it evoked interest as early 
as in the 19
th
 century. Josip Pajek wrote the following:
If a mother bears ten sons in a row, with no daughter in between, the 
tenth brother is of no sane mind, and runs away from home. Even if he 
had been served hand and foot elsewhere, he would have been compelled 
to continue roaming. Should a person fail to give alms to a tenth brother, 
this would be considered a mortal sin. I remember well that such a tenth 
brother used to visit our house, bending his fingers in a funny manner. 
The index fingers of both hands would bend the middle finger on each 
hand backwards, on both hands at the same time. He never walked slowly, 
always ran. Such a tenth brother, called “Juzek”, that is Jožek, still roams 
in Slovenske Gorice and Mursko Polje. If addressed as a swine shepherd, 
he promptly answers: “How could I tend swine? Don’t you see that I am a 
priest?” (Pajek 1884: 17–18).
46 
 More about this see: Kropej 2000.

---

86
Pajek also published a folk song about Margetica (Margaret), the tenth daughter:
There is a field
Sown with tiny wheat.
There were ten reapers in the field.
Ten reapers, ten sisters,
The eleventh was their mother.
Maria passed by,
Greeting them in God’s name:
“Praise be our Lord Jesus Christ
And his name!”
Not even one responded
But Margetica, the youngest.
“Amen, amen for ever and ever!”
Maria put her hand in her silken pocket,
Taking out her golden ring.
“Here you are, Margetica!
You shall roam with me.”
The mother speaks:
“Let the oldest daughter go
For she is wiser yet.”
But Maria speaks:
“Everything that is the tenth
to the tithe must go.”
The mother baked some bread,
Putting the golden ring inside.
She broke off pieces on all sides,
Saving the middle one for Margetica.
“Here you are, Margetica,
For when you leave from me.
I shall not eat or drink no more,
Or sleep beneath our roof;
You will not hear about my death,
But I’ll be there for yours!” 
47
The tenth daughter, who is the only one among the harvesters who greeted 
Virgin Mary, is therefore the only one who notices and recognizes her. The Virgin 
Mary therefore presents her with a golden ring which symbolizes the allegiance to 
47 
Pajek 1884: 17–18; Š I, no. 310–315.

---

87
the giver of the ring. It is obvious that the 
tenth sister is destined to be with Virgin 
Mary, or at least closely connected with 
her. Who the supernatural being is that 
has been replaced by the Virgin Mary 
doubtlessly remains a question without 
an answer. Thus far, the answer can only 
be a matter of conjecture.
In his material Pajek thus listed all 
the key factors in the phenomenon of 
the tenth child:
 - Regardless of the sex, each tenth 
child represents the tithe and has 
to leave home.
 - The tenth child is connected with 
the sacred.
 - The tenth child is clairvoyant.
 - The tenth child is compelled to roam the world.
 - One must present such a person with a donation, and give him or her a warm 
welcome; otherwise, one commits a mortal sin and is punished by thunder, 
lightning, and death. 
Songs about the tenth daughter often contain a continuation, such as in the 
variant by Jožef Rudež from Dolenjsko, written before 1819: 
In the woods she (the tenth daughter) is surprised by night.
She comes to the first tree:
“I will be your guest tonight.”
But the tree answers:
“Leave my crown, tenth daughter!
There will be a storm tonight
And the first lightning
to strike will strike my trunk!”
She comes to the second tree:
“I will be your guest tonight.”
But the tree answers:
“Leave my crown, tenth daughter!
There will be a storm tonight
And the second lightning
to strike will strike my trunk!”
The tenth daughter, Maksim Gaspari, 1911

---

88
She comes to the third tree:
“I will be your guest tonight.”
And the tree answers:
“Go to sleep, tenth daughter,
And fear no evil tonight!”
After seven years
She returns to
The large, white castle:
“I ask of you, milady,
to be your guest tonight!”
“I cannot let you stay,
I shall dine with my nine daughters.
Off you go in God’s name,
I cannot let you stay!”
“Oh please, please have me, mother dear,
So I can see them dine.”
“Off you go in God’s name,
I cannot let you stay!”
“May God protect you, mother dear,
May God protect you, my nine sisters!
May God protect you, oh castle white!
Outcast am I,
an orphan poor in tattered clothes!”
“Return, return, Marjetica!”
“I shall never return again!”
The mother falls down in a deadly faint,
Drawing her last breath at once.
48
The tenth son (Desetnik) and the tenth daughter (Desetnica) are even contained 
in the dictionary by Josip Pajek in the entry brat (brother) he mentions the tenth 
brother, listing a citation from the book Deseti brat (The Tenth Brother) by Josip Jurčič 
(1864). Jurčič aptly managed to capture the very essence of this figure: 
We have not heard about the tenth brother for a long while! Yet in the olden 
times, it could happen that a tenth son was born to a mother, endowed with 
wondrous properties and abilities, ousted by the will of God, roaming the wide 
world from door to door, predicting good fortune, disclosing treasures, singing 
songs and telling tales like none before him (Pajek 1884: 17–18).
48 
SLP I, no. 51/2

---