Sava Savanovic
Encyclopedia
Sava Savanović is one of the most famous vampire
s in Serbia
n folklore.
on the Rogačica
river, at Zarožje
village in the municipality of Bajina Bašta
. It was said that he killed and drank the blood of the millers when they came to mill their grains. Although he is usually said to have been the first Serbian vampire, there are claims that he was pre-dated in Serbian folklore by Petar Blagojević from Veliko Gradište
, who died in 1724. Petar Blagojević and the affair surrounding him came to European attention at the time, under the name Peter Plogojowitz
, and represented one of the earliest examples of vampire hysteria.
and nearby villages.
writer Milovan Glišić
, and in the horror film
Leptirica
inspired by the story. He also appears in the novel Strah i njegov sluga (Fear and His Servant) written by Mirjana Novaković.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n folklore.
Legend
Sava Savanović was said to have lived in an old watermillWatermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
on the Rogačica
Rogačica
Rogačica is a village in the municipality of Bajina Bašta, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 768 people.-References:...
river, at Zarožje
Zarožje
Zarožje is a village in the municipality of Bajina Bašta, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 790 people.-References:...
village in the municipality of Bajina Bašta
Bajina Bašta
Bajina Bašta is a town located in the western mountains of Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina River at the eastern edge of Tara National Park...
. It was said that he killed and drank the blood of the millers when they came to mill their grains. Although he is usually said to have been the first Serbian vampire, there are claims that he was pre-dated in Serbian folklore by Petar Blagojević from Veliko Gradište
Veliko Gradište
Veliko Gradište is a town and municipality located in Serbia, in north-east Serbia , on the right bank of the Danube river and left bank of the Pek river...
, who died in 1724. Petar Blagojević and the affair surrounding him came to European attention at the time, under the name Peter Plogojowitz
Peter Plogojowitz
Peter Plogojowitz was a Serbian peasant who was believed to have become a vampire after his death and to have killed nine of his fellow villagers. The case was one of the earliest, most sensational and most well documented cases of vampire hysteria...
, and represented one of the earliest examples of vampire hysteria.
Mill
For the last several decades the watermill associated with Savanović has been owned by the Jagodić family, and is usually called "Jagodića vodenica" (Jagodići's watermill). It was functional until late 1950s when it was closed, later becoming a tourist site along with other attractions in ValjevoValjevo
Valjevo is a city and municipality located in western Serbia. It is the center of the Kolubara District, which includes five other smaller municipalities with a total population of almost 180,000 people...
and nearby villages.
In culture
Sava Savanović appears in the story Posle devedeset godina (After Ninety Years), written by the Serbian realistLiterary realism
Literary realism most often refers to the trend, beginning with certain works of nineteenth-century French literature and extending to late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century authors in various countries, towards depictions of contemporary life and society "as they were." In the spirit of...
writer Milovan Glišić
Milovan Glišic
Milovan Glišić was a Serbian writer, dramatist, translator, and literary theorist. He is sometimes referred to as the Serbian Gogol.-Biography:...
, and in the horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Leptirica
Leptirica
Leptirica is a 1973 former Yugoslav horror TV movie based on the story After Ninety Years written by Serbian writer Milovan Glišić...
inspired by the story. He also appears in the novel Strah i njegov sluga (Fear and His Servant) written by Mirjana Novaković.
External links
See also
- Vampires in popular cultureVampires in popular cultureVampires in popular culture includes vampire movies, literature, theatre, opera, ballet, music, paintings and video games.-Movies:The Vampire Vampires in popular culture includes vampire movies, literature, theatre, opera, ballet, music, paintings and video games.-Movies:The Vampire Vampires in...
- VampireVampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
- Peter PlogojowitzPeter PlogojowitzPeter Plogojowitz was a Serbian peasant who was believed to have become a vampire after his death and to have killed nine of his fellow villagers. The case was one of the earliest, most sensational and most well documented cases of vampire hysteria...
- Arnold PaoleArnold PaoleArnold Paole Arnold Paole Arnold Paole (Arnont Paule in the original documents; an early German rendition of a Serbian name or nickname, perhaps Арнаут Павле, Arnaut Pavle; died c...
- LeptiricaLeptiricaLeptirica is a 1973 former Yugoslav horror TV movie based on the story After Ninety Years written by Serbian writer Milovan Glišić...