Gjergj Elez Alia
Encyclopedia
Gjergj Elez Alia is popular legendary hero of poetry and literature in Bosnia and Albania
. Muslims from Bosnian Krajina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko
, based on the historic person Ali Bey Mihaloğlu
. Songs about Djerzelez Alija were transmitted by bilingual singers from South Slavic
milieu to northern Albanian
highlands milieu where Djerzelez Alija was renamed to Gjergj Elez Alia.
word gürz (mace) and means warrior with the mace.
an Ottoman
military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo
. According to Ottoman census of 1485 he was in charge for nahiya of Dobrun near Višegrad
as his timar
. There is a turbe (mausoleum) in village Gerzovo (near Mrkonjić Grad
, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
) which according to the legend is burial place of Gjergj Elez Alia.
The first written record of epic figure Gjergj Elez Alia (in form of Ali beg) was a form of South Slavic epic
and ballad poetry
bugarštica The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despot, recorded by Đuro Matei at the end of 17th or beginning of 18th century. In songs recorded in Erlangen Manuscript
Djerzelez is mentioned in form of Balibeg.
Alija Djerzelez was epic hero of Bosnian Krajina (frontier region, krajište) from the end of 15th century. Songs which emerged in South Slavic milieu were transmitted by bilingual singers to Albania
n milieu. Djerzelez Alija from Bosnian songs had became Gjergj Elez Alia in Albanian song.
folklore and literature where his name is used in form Djerzelez Alija. Some of the poems which have the name of Djerzelez Alija in their titles are:
Djerzelez Alija is one of the main characters of many other poems without his name in their title, like:
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko Kraljević
. According to the legend, Djerzelez Alija also have epic horse (sometimes called Šarac, like horse of Prince Marko) and he is a good friend of fairies who help him when he is in danger. Legend says that he was killed during his prayer (salah) because he did not want to interrupt it although he was aware that he would be killed.
Ivo Andrić
, the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature
, wrote Put Alije Đerzeleza [The Journey of Alija Đerzelez], published in 1920, after two fragments (Djerzelez at the Inn and Djerzelez on the Road) were published in 1918 and 1919.
One of the oldest houses in Sarajevo
, The House of Alija Djerzelez, is named after Alija Djerzelez. There are streets in several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Bihać
, Gračanica, Zenica
,...) named after Alija Djerzelez.
, Gjergj Elez Alia was a great warrior of Albanian
tradition. The song Gjergj Elez Alia was recorded by Bernardin Palaj and Donat Kurti in Nikaj (Tropojë District
) and published in Tirana in 1937. The song is usually sung in lahute, or occasionally in Çiftelia
by Albanian rhapsodes. The song is part of the larger cycle of the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
which emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries and recorded in written form in first decades of 20th century by the Franciscan
priests Shtjefën Gjeçovi
and Bernardin Palaj. Although they were transmitted from South Slavic milieu of Bosnia they are not simply translated from Serbo-Croatian, but they independently evolved in northern Albanian highlands.
Gjergj Elez Alia had nine wounds on his body and lay suffering for nine years in his house and everybody had forgotten him. Only his sister took care of him night and day for nine years. Then news came that another enemy, Balozi i Zi
(black knight) had come from the sea and was killing people and destroying villages every day.
One day Gjergj felt some drops of water on his face and thought that his house had become so old that the rain was coming in. His sister told him that it was not the rain, but her tears on his face. She told him that Balozi had requested her and sooner or later would come to get her. Gjergj then told her to take his horse and make it ready for war, as he was going to fight against the horrible Baloz. He met Baloz the next day and had the fight; Gjergj was victorious. He returned home to his sister and as they hugged with joy, both their hearts stopped beating and they died instantly together. They were then buried in the same grave and the place was never forgotten. Everyone that passed by stopped to remember his great actions.
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. Muslims from Bosnian Krajina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko
Prince Marko
Marko Mrnjavčević was de jure the Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while de facto he ruled only over a territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep...
, based on the historic person Ali Bey Mihaloğlu
Ali Bey Mihaloğlu
Ali Bey Mihaloğlu or Gazı Alauddin Ali Bey Mihaloğlu, was an Ottoman military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo. He was one of the descendants of Köse Mihal, a Byzantine governor of Chirmenkia and battle companion of Osman Gazi...
. Songs about Djerzelez Alija were transmitted by bilingual singers from South Slavic
South Slavs
The South Slavs are the southern branch of the Slavic peoples and speak South Slavic languages. Geographically, the South Slavs are native to the Balkan peninsula, the southern Pannonian Plain and the eastern Alps...
milieu to northern Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
highlands milieu where Djerzelez Alija was renamed to Gjergj Elez Alia.
Name
There are many different versions of the name of this legendary hero: Gürz Ilyas, Gjergj Elez Alia, Djerzelez Alija, Djerzelez Aliya, Djerdjelez Alija, Đerzelez Alija, Gerzelez Alija, Gerz-Ilyas, Gerz-Eljaz, Gerz-Eljas ... His name is derived from TurkishTurkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
word gürz (mace) and means warrior with the mace.
Historical background
Some historians believed that epic figure of Alija Đerđelez was inspired by Ali Bey MihalogluAli Bey Mihaloğlu
Ali Bey Mihaloğlu or Gazı Alauddin Ali Bey Mihaloğlu, was an Ottoman military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo. He was one of the descendants of Köse Mihal, a Byzantine governor of Chirmenkia and battle companion of Osman Gazi...
an Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
military commander in 15th century and the first sanjakbey of the Sanjak of Smederevo
Sanjak of Smederevo
The Sanjak of Smederevo , also known as the Pashaluk of Belgrade , was an Ottoman administrative unit , that existed between the 15th and the outset of the 19th centuries...
. According to Ottoman census of 1485 he was in charge for nahiya of Dobrun near Višegrad
Višegrad
Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...
as his timar
Timar
Timar is a land granted by the Ottoman sultans between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a tax revenue annual value of less than 20 000 akçes. The revenues produced from land acted as compensation for military service. A Timar holder was known as a Timariot...
. There is a turbe (mausoleum) in village Gerzovo (near Mrkonjić Grad
Mrkonjic Grad
Mrkonjić Grad is a town and municipality in western Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. It is located in the Bosanska Krajina, between Banja Luka and Jajce.-Name:...
, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
) which according to the legend is burial place of Gjergj Elez Alia.
The first written record of epic figure Gjergj Elez Alia (in form of Ali beg) was a form of South Slavic epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
and ballad poetry
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
bugarštica The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despot, recorded by Đuro Matei at the end of 17th or beginning of 18th century. In songs recorded in Erlangen Manuscript
Erlangen Manuscript
Erlangen Manuscript is manuscript written in cyrilic in period between 1716 and 1733 which contain one of the earliest written collections of epic poetry written on Serbo-Croatian language...
Djerzelez is mentioned in form of Balibeg.
Alija Djerzelez was epic hero of Bosnian Krajina (frontier region, krajište) from the end of 15th century. Songs which emerged in South Slavic milieu were transmitted by bilingual singers to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n milieu. Djerzelez Alija from Bosnian songs had became Gjergj Elez Alia in Albanian song.
South Slavic folklore and literature
Gjergj Elez Alia is legendary hero of South SlavicSouth Slavic languages
The South Slavic languages comprise one of three branches of the Slavic languages. There are approximately 30 million speakers, mainly in the Balkans. These are separated geographically from speakers of the other two Slavic branches by a belt of German, Hungarian and Romanian speakers...
folklore and literature where his name is used in form Djerzelez Alija. Some of the poems which have the name of Djerzelez Alija in their titles are:
- Djerzelez Aliya
- Djerzelez Aliya, the Emperor's Champion
- Đerđelez Alija i Vuk Despotović
- Marko KralyevićPrince MarkoMarko Mrnjavčević was de jure the Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while de facto he ruled only over a territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep...
and Djerzelez Aliya - Banović Sekul i Đerđelez Alija
- Oblačić Rade i Đerđelez Alija
- Đerđelez Alija i Starina Novak
- Đerđelez Alija deli mejdan sa Sibinjanin Jankom
- Ženidba Đerđelez Alije
- Sedam kralja traže glavu Đerđelez Alije
- Junaštvo Đerđelez Alije
- Đerđelez Alija i tri gorska hajduka
- Vuk Jajčanin i Đerđelez Alija
- Komlen kapetan traži glavu Đerđelez Alije
- Đerđelez Alija i ban od Karlova
- Zadarski ban i Đerđelez Alija
- Smrt Đerđelez Alije
- Đerđelez Alija ide u Toku
- Tokalija kralj traži glavu Đerđelez Alije
- Đerzelezovo bolovanje
Djerzelez Alija is one of the main characters of many other poems without his name in their title, like:
- Porča of Avala and Vuk the Fiery Dragon
- The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despot
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko Kraljević
Prince Marko
Marko Mrnjavčević was de jure the Serbian king from 1371 to 1395, while de facto he ruled only over a territory in western Macedonia centered on the town of Prilep...
. According to the legend, Djerzelez Alija also have epic horse (sometimes called Šarac, like horse of Prince Marko) and he is a good friend of fairies who help him when he is in danger. Legend says that he was killed during his prayer (salah) because he did not want to interrupt it although he was aware that he would be killed.
Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andric
Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire...
, the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
, wrote Put Alije Đerzeleza [The Journey of Alija Đerzelez], published in 1920, after two fragments (Djerzelez at the Inn and Djerzelez on the Road) were published in 1918 and 1919.
One of the oldest houses in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, The House of Alija Djerzelez, is named after Alija Djerzelez. There are streets in several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
(Bihać
Bihac
Bihać is a city and municipality on the river Una in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosanska Krajina region. Bihać is located in the Una-Sana Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, Gračanica, Zenica
Zenica
Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
,...) named after Alija Djerzelez.
Albanian folklore
In Albanian folkloreAlbanian folklore
Albanian mythology comprises myths and legends of the Albanians. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan....
, Gjergj Elez Alia was a great warrior of Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
tradition. The song Gjergj Elez Alia was recorded by Bernardin Palaj and Donat Kurti in Nikaj (Tropojë District
Tropojë District
The District of Tropojë is one of the thirty-six districts of Albania, part of Kukës County. It has a population of 16,260 , and an area of 1,043 km². It is in the north of the country, and its capital is Bajram Curri. The area is also known for its massive chestnuts forests and the Valbonë...
) and published in Tirana in 1937. The song is usually sung in lahute, or occasionally in Çiftelia
Çiftelia
The Çifteli is an Albanian wooden, largely acoustic string instrument, with only two strings .The çifteli is commonly used by Albanian folk musicians as well as other modern musicians and is played by Albanians at weddings, concerts, national events, and other occasions...
by Albanian rhapsodes. The song is part of the larger cycle of the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors are part of the traditional cycle of the Albanian epic songs. They took their definite form in 17th and 18th century and were orally transmitted by the Albanian bards. The songs were first time recorded in written form in the first decades of the 20th...
which emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries and recorded in written form in first decades of 20th century by the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
priests Shtjefën Gjeçovi
Shtjefën Gjeçovi
Shtjefën Gjeçovi born Mëhill Kostandin Gjeçi-Kryeziu was an Albanian Catholic priest, ethnologist and folklorist...
and Bernardin Palaj. Although they were transmitted from South Slavic milieu of Bosnia they are not simply translated from Serbo-Croatian, but they independently evolved in northern Albanian highlands.
Gjergj Elez Alia had nine wounds on his body and lay suffering for nine years in his house and everybody had forgotten him. Only his sister took care of him night and day for nine years. Then news came that another enemy, Balozi i Zi
Balozi i Zi
Baloz is a term in Albanian folklore especially within the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors, that refers to a barbarian knight coming from the north...
(black knight) had come from the sea and was killing people and destroying villages every day.
One day Gjergj felt some drops of water on his face and thought that his house had become so old that the rain was coming in. His sister told him that it was not the rain, but her tears on his face. She told him that Balozi had requested her and sooner or later would come to get her. Gjergj then told her to take his horse and make it ready for war, as he was going to fight against the horrible Baloz. He met Baloz the next day and had the fight; Gjergj was victorious. He returned home to his sister and as they hugged with joy, both their hearts stopped beating and they died instantly together. They were then buried in the same grave and the place was never forgotten. Everyone that passed by stopped to remember his great actions.