The Source:
Ivanichka Georgieva:
"Bulgarian Mythology"
Svyat, Sofia, 1985.
The Case:
According to Ivanichka Georgieva the following events have taken place in 1882 somewhere in the Varna district. An epidemic broke out in two villages and the locals declared that they were caused by "oustrelli". Which is why they called in the help of a couple of "djadadjii", who are some kind of experts in the art of finding and destroying vampires. The "djadadjii" marched around the village streets holding up a holy icon. When they came to a place where the icon started shaking in their hands, they knew that the vampire must have touched it. They chased the vampire until they came to its grave. After they had opened the grave, they found a bloodred corpse that was lying on its belly. The vampire hunters stuck a thorn into the breast of the corpse after which the vampire was cremated on a fire of hawthorne branches. The vampire is said to have screamed when it was burned. Two weeks later, the epidemics had come to an end.
The Date:
Supposing that we have been given the correct date, then we have nothing to complain about. In that case our search has been narrowed down to one particular year: 1882.
The Place:
Unfortunately, the same can not be said about the location:
two nameless villages that could be situated anywhere within the Varna
district. Here is a link to Varna: www.varna.bg .
I don't mind confessing that I have had the pleasure of visiting Varna ( and its surrounding region ) on several occasions. In case you want to go there in summer, I would advice that you consider the possibility of staying in one of the many pleasant places on the seaside that are close to Varna.
Possible Follow-Up:
Ivanichka Georgieva must have found this story somewhere. So it would be nice if we could discover her source. There is a bibliography at the end of her book, which should be worth checking out. The "vampire hunt" or else the epidemics may be on record somewhere, so a bit of serious research in the libraries and archives of Varna could be interesting. Even if you do not find what you are looking for, God knows what else you may discover.
© 1989, 2007 by Rob Brautigam - NL - Last changed 03 October 2007
Links last checked 9 July 2007
