The belief about this
mythological creature was brought over to Bosnia by the Ottoman Empire.
Karanđoloz as it is believed can be found at night on lonely intersections, when
it surprises a traveller by jumping on his back and riding him like a horse.
Besides being very heavy, Karanđoloz has an awful smell and reeks, and in that
way deepens the traveller's misery and suffering. If the Karanđoloz asks the
traveller "Am I heavy?" the answer mustn't be affirmative or this being of the
night will become even heavier. The Karanđoloz won't stop torturing the man
until dawn; when the roosters call is heard in the morning the demonic being
will disappear. People used to protect themselves against the being by going
around the house or a stable in circles holding a walnut in each hand and
clapping one against the other they uttered: "Tučem kućnog dušmanina, što
berićet odnosi a musibet donosi!". The famous Bosnian writer Mehmed Meša
Selimović wrote about Karanđoloz.
