Collection of Folklore Texts

Here is a collection of folklore texts, united around the images of zmei (Slavic dragon) and its close "relatives": the zmeitsa, lamia, or hala.

A zmei may be beast-like or human-like, sometimes wooing women. In the Balkans, the zmei type is overall regarded as benevolent, as opposed to malevolent dragons known variously as lamia [bg], ala or hala, or aždaja. Some of the common motifs concerning Slavic dragons include their identification as masters of weather or water source; that they start life as snakes; and that both the male and female can be romantically involved with humans. At a deeper level, the four supernatural creatures are connected to each other and their images amount to the ancient mythical dragon's archetype.

In the collection are presented almost all genres of folklore: starting from songs and fairy tales, passing through legends, traditions and оral storytelling to the anecdotes and contemporary jokes, as well as short forms such as proverbs, riddles, vows, and incantations. There are also descriptions of a various feasts, rituals and magical practices, as well as beliefs and notions related to the vivid images of the zmei, zmeitsa, lamia and hala.