Unique in the Bosnian Muslim slavic mythology are the stories of the ”Aždaha”, the snake like dragon creatures. The word Aždaha is derived from the Turkish/Persian word ejdehâ.
The stories about the dragons were widespread in Bosnia before Islam took roots there as well. Motifs of the dragons and serpents can be found on the medieval Bosniak Stećak tombstones from the pre-Islamic era.
But the story of the Aždaha is different. Although popular among the non-muslim populations of Bosnia and her neighbors as well, throughout history, the legend became an inseparable thing in the cultural identity of the Bosnian Muslims.
Trough the ages, from generations to generations, the stories about Aždaha were told, late at night, by the fireplace.
Of brave knights who killed the serpents or the divine interventions which rescued the believers, delivering them from the claws of the dragon.
The most popular legend however, is the one associated with the central Bosnian village of Umoljani.
According to the legend, long time ago, an ancient serpent has been awoken deep inside the canyon of the nearby river. As it crawled out, slowly moving towards the village, destroying everything in it’s path, people ran, panicked and in horror.
They assembled at the plateau above the village, together praying to God to rescue them and deliver them from the hands of the serpent. God heard their prayers and intervened on their behalf, striking the serpent and turning it into stone, where it remained.
The ”cold creek” which can be seen on the third photo, according to the legend, was formed from a trail left by the serpent which crawled towards the village. The second picture shows the mosque in the Umoljani village, interestingly, the only undamaged object in the entire region of the Bjelašnica mountain from the previous war.
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