Myth and folktales

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angels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel. 
According to Apocryphal lore and occult 
philosophy, angels presided over the four ele-
ments (air, fire, water, and earth). In numer-
ous legends and religious tales, angels appear 
as astral beings, protectors, and mediators 
but also as angels of death and fallen angels.
Antichrist (antikríst), an eschatological char-
acter depicting an autocrat who is going to 
compete for absolute authority when the end 
of the world approaches. The notion of the 
Antichrist comes from the Jewish Book of 
Daniel, which contains a description of the 
battle between God and his demonic op-
ponent; it is similar to a Persian and a Baby-
lonian myth about the battle between God 
and a monster, or a demon. Bishop Irenäus 
of Lyon (died appr. 202) predicted that the 
Antichrist shall rise from the sea in the form 
of a monster trying to persuade people that 
he was indeed God. According to Jewish 
lore, the Antichrist will be born in Babylon 
to a Jewish woman of easy virtue, and his life 
will initially resemble that of Jesus Christ. 
But when he will try to conquer heavens he 
will be sunk into the depths of the earth. He 
was frequently depicted in folk plays which 
were very popular until 19
th
 century. There 
are many legends about the end of the world 
when the Antichrist shall appear as a fearful 
antihero fighting God.
Ardina, see grdina 
Attila, also called Átila, Átula, Artúlja, 
Atélija, King Atilla, Count Attila, Attila the 
Scourge of God. 1) the leader of Hun tribes 
whom he united in 445; 2) folk antihero, 
commander of the Hun army, and the terror 
of European nations. Slovenian folklore links 
Attila with apocalyptic prophecies, depicting 
him as the leader of the cynocephals (see 
pasjeglavec). According to Slovenian lore, 
Attila conquered and demolished Virunum 
in present day Kärnten/Koroška, Austria, Vir 
pri Stični, Cividale del Friuli and Aquileia. 
The castle of Udine was traditionally built 
by Attila. In Slovenian folktales, Attila was 
allegedly born out of a relationship between 
a woman from Cappadocia and a dog. It has 
been said that Attila died on the night of his 
wedding to a young bride, which is a motif 
known from the Saga of Krimhild. A legend 
has it that he was buried in a casket made of 
gold, silver, and copper (or iron) in the area 
between the River Mura and the River Drava; 
according to other beliefs he was buried in 
the surroundings of Tolmin or Novo Mesto 
and elsewhere.
Lit.: M. Matičetov: 
Attila fra Italiani, Croati e Sloveni. 
Ce fastu? 24, Udine 1948, 1949; Z. Šmitek: Primerjalni 
vidiki slovenskega ljudskega izročila o Atili (Comparative 
Aspects of the Slovenian Lore about Attila the Hun). 
Traditiones 23, 1994.
Balabántar, see vedomec
Baláver, see malavar
Bartholomew, (Jernej) see Jarnik
Basilisk, bazilisk, káčec. An extremely poi-
sonous snake with the wings, head, and feet 
of a rooster, it was believed to kill with its 
glance or breath. It was mentioned in the 
Bible. People believed that the basilisk was 
hatched from the egg of an old rooster, in 
mud, and under the protection of a toad, a 
frog, or a snake. The myth about the basilisk 
originated in the Orient, and according to 
Pliny the Elder (23–79) the basilisk lived in 
Egypt or in Libya. Hildegard von Bingen’s 
“Physica” (VIII, 12) from the 11
th
 century was 
largely responsible for the spreading of the 
basilisk tradition in the Middle Ages. People 
believed that basilisk can hatch from an egg 
by eleven-year-old rooster. The lore about 
snakes with a rooster’s comb on their heads 
and a diamond underneath their tongues was 
also spread among the South Slavs. Amulets 
in the form of a snake and a rooster, which 
were found in the Balkans, indicate that the 

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217
connection between these animals stems 
from ancient beliefs. In alchemy, the basilisk 
symbolized the destructive fire that foretold 
the transformation of metal. The basilisk was 
also used in medicine. 
Bauc, an evil being with whom adults in 
Dolenjska frighten children.
Bédanec, see vedomec 
Béla žéna (white lady), see fairy
Belestis, Beléna, Beléstis, Beléstis Augústa, 
Beléstris,  Belínca. A Celtic goddess who 
accompanies Belinus. Spread mostly in No-
ricum and Aquileia, the cult of Belestis was 
later incorporated in folklore. Two shrines 
dedicated to Belestis were found in Podljubelj 
in the Karavanke Alps. Belestis was wor-
shipped as a health-bringing goddess of light 
who watches over the birth and development 
of living beings. Since the Podljubelj altar was 
erected on the mountain pass, the worship-
pers of Belestis who visited the shrines were 
generally travellers. 
Belinus, Belín, Belínus, Belénus, St. Belín, 
belíč. 1) the principal god in Noricum, the 
god of light, sun, healing powers, and, ac-
cording to Tertullian (beg. of 3
rd
 cent.), pro-
tector from enemy attacks; 2) a fairylike be-
ing with healing powers. The cult of Belinus 
and his consort Belestis was in Iberia, Gaul, 
and the Eastern Alps. It spread from Nori-
cum to Carnia and Aquileia, and from the 
latter to Celeia (present day Celje). Shrines 
dedicated to Belinus were erected mainly on 
Magdalensberg/Štalenska Gora; by the Zig-
ulln castle near Klagenfurt; in Hochosterwitz 
by Sankt Veit an der Glan; two shrines were 
also found in Villach. Belinus was incorpo-
rated in Slovenian folklore predominantly 
in the Gorizia and Tolmin regions, where he 
was venerated as a powerful healer whose 
key could cure blindness. Slovenian lore was 
also inhabited by the beliči, fairy-like beings 
believed to accompany fairies.
Lit.: S. Rutar: 
Belinjska opatija (The Abbey of Belinje). 
Soča XIII, Gorica 1883, 21; Nikolai Mikhailov: 
Appunti su 
*Belobog e *Černobog. Ricerche slavistiche 41, 1994; M. 
Šašel Kos: 
Pre-Roman Divinities of the Eastern Alps and 
Adriatic, Ljubljana 1999.
Benandant, see vedomec
Bérbara, a malevolent supernatural being 
with which adults in Dolenja Vas by Rib-
nica in Dolenjska frightened misbehaving 
children as late as the beginning of the 20
th
 
century: “Behave, or Berbara shall take you 
with her!”
Bérkmandelc, see goblin
Bes, see Veles, see devil
Bewitched soul, zavdána dúša, zdána dúša, 
izdána dúša, ukleta duša, gréšna dúša, vícana 
dúša, vérna dúša, révna dúša, pánana dúša, 
ukletnik. Personified or materialized souls of 
the impure dead. Finding no peace after death, 
they keep returning to the world of the living, 
bound by a vow, an unsettled sin or murder. 
Frequently returning are also those who had 
not received their sacraments; had not been 
buried in hallowed ground or had not been 
buried at all; or had been bewitched at the 
moment of their death. They were believed to 
manifest as participants in a deathly proces-
sion; as headless people during night mass; as 
a shepherd amidst his glowing flock; as the 
night hunter; and as the night hunt. Murder 
victims appear to their murderers. Bewitched 
souls sometimes appear in dreams or assume 
the form of a burning hand. They may also 
shoot across the sky as glowing lights or blue 
flames. They roam around on All Saints’ Day 
and All Souls’ Day when the souls from the 
purgatory return to their homes, wander 
through cemeteries, or come to churches. The 
bewitched souls show their gratitude to people 
who have prayed for them. Transformed into 

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