In the Bogomil story about Did Adže, which is found at the north-western part of BiH, the origin of the human species is described in a rather interesting way. The legend contains all necessary elements which allude to disguised performance of love, sexual act, defloration, dwelling underground (inside a womb) and birth itself.
The story spoke about an old man with three sons. The father would go with his sons every day to the field, but would leave one of them behind to make lunch for all of them. The oldest and the middle son had the same thing happen, after they prepared lunch, Did Adže would arrive riding a rooster and he would take their food away. On the third day the youngest son stayed behind, who being aware of past events, came up with an idea on how to fool Did Adže and keep the meal. Fooling Did Adže to hold a bent branch for him the young man quickly tucked the beard of Did Adže into the split of the tree and trapped him.
Beard as the symbol of manhood but also sexual maturity is perfectly treated in the scene when the beards get stuck in the split of the tree which alludes to the ability of penetration. Outsmarting Adža the young man passed the test of manhood, he confirmed his sexual maturity, and with that he gained the ability to have sexual intercourse. This is alluded to by the rest of the story where Did Adže in return for freeing him offers him information about a place with a well in which a dragon dwells. That monster which terrorizes local citizens receives an offering in the form of a virgin so he can open the flood gates and ensure fertility to the land.
Dragon which dwells in the dark depth of the well symbolizes classic fear of loss of virginity which is present in conservative areas, where one doesn't talk about it nor is a daughter briefed about it by her mother. Defloration with which the girl-virgin becomes a woman i.e. a future mother is shrouded in various taboos and archetypal symbols. A dragon searching for a victim, or better to say a victim in flesh and blood, is not randomly chosen if we analyse Bosnian mythology a bit deeper. Namely, according to mythology a dragon can impregnate a woman, but also a cow, and in such a manner cause the birth of a snijet, which is among the Bosnian folk regarded as a baby dragon. The same legend claims that there are no females among the dragons and in order to ensure their survival they are forced to have intercourse with humans, but also certain animals, which overwhelmingly reminiscent of the story from the Old Testament about the fallen angels, which is again a processed story from the old myths of the pagan culture.
In the Romanian mythology the dragon is also represented as a lustful and skilful lover, shaped in the mythological figure called Zbubirol, he possesses pronounced magnetism and if we analyse it further we can see that he without a doubt represents first of all healthy sexuality free of all false morals but also fertility. In a sense legends about dragons can be compared with another symbol of unrestrained sex and fertility, ancient Pan, who according to legends had sexual intercourse with both humans and animals.
In the continuation of the Bogomil legend it is said that the young man is lowered into the well by his two brothers using a spruce basket, where he locates the girl. After the fight and perforation of the dragon with the sword the blood is spilt and the girl is saved. The young man places the girl inside the basket and gives his brothers a sign to pull her out, which they do, but blinded by her beauty, they decide to cover the well with branches and stones in order to prevent their brother to get out. This starts the young man's odyssey through the underworld where thanks to a good deed he acquires the affection of a large eagle (symbol of a soul) by saving his chicks from a snake.
It is of particular importance to mention that this part of the Bogomil story has a lot of similarities with the Nordic myth about the large ash tree which represents the centre of the world. Its roots are located in the underworld, and its crown in the sky where the gods dwell. Between the roots and the crown the world of men is located. A squirrel constantly travels up and down the tree transferring news between the eagle, located on the crown and the snake, located in the root.
In the rest of the Bogomil story we learn that the eagle out of gratitude to the young man offered to help him get out of the underworld. But there too we can see interesting allegories describing birth. Namely, the eagle asks from our hero 40 lambs which he will need to maintain his strength during the trip out of the underworld. Why 40, is best explained by the fact that pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks or 280 days. When the young man managed to find all of the lambs he begins his long gruelling journey on the giant eagles back towards the opening through which he will pass into the world of men. At the end of the journey the story turns into a drama since the hero realizes that he has thrown the last lamb into the eagle's beak. Fearing that the bird will not have enough strength to exit the underground the young man decided to undertake a desperate action - he cut his own leg off (or umbilical cord) and threw it into the eagle's beak. He then fainted from the pain and he woke up lying on a meadow, in the world of men.
The story spoke about an old man with three sons. The father would go with his sons every day to the field, but would leave one of them behind to make lunch for all of them. The oldest and the middle son had the same thing happen, after they prepared lunch, Did Adže would arrive riding a rooster and he would take their food away. On the third day the youngest son stayed behind, who being aware of past events, came up with an idea on how to fool Did Adže and keep the meal. Fooling Did Adže to hold a bent branch for him the young man quickly tucked the beard of Did Adže into the split of the tree and trapped him.
Beard as the symbol of manhood but also sexual maturity is perfectly treated in the scene when the beards get stuck in the split of the tree which alludes to the ability of penetration. Outsmarting Adža the young man passed the test of manhood, he confirmed his sexual maturity, and with that he gained the ability to have sexual intercourse. This is alluded to by the rest of the story where Did Adže in return for freeing him offers him information about a place with a well in which a dragon dwells. That monster which terrorizes local citizens receives an offering in the form of a virgin so he can open the flood gates and ensure fertility to the land.
Dragon which dwells in the dark depth of the well symbolizes classic fear of loss of virginity which is present in conservative areas, where one doesn't talk about it nor is a daughter briefed about it by her mother. Defloration with which the girl-virgin becomes a woman i.e. a future mother is shrouded in various taboos and archetypal symbols. A dragon searching for a victim, or better to say a victim in flesh and blood, is not randomly chosen if we analyse Bosnian mythology a bit deeper. Namely, according to mythology a dragon can impregnate a woman, but also a cow, and in such a manner cause the birth of a snijet, which is among the Bosnian folk regarded as a baby dragon. The same legend claims that there are no females among the dragons and in order to ensure their survival they are forced to have intercourse with humans, but also certain animals, which overwhelmingly reminiscent of the story from the Old Testament about the fallen angels, which is again a processed story from the old myths of the pagan culture.
In the Romanian mythology the dragon is also represented as a lustful and skilful lover, shaped in the mythological figure called Zbubirol, he possesses pronounced magnetism and if we analyse it further we can see that he without a doubt represents first of all healthy sexuality free of all false morals but also fertility. In a sense legends about dragons can be compared with another symbol of unrestrained sex and fertility, ancient Pan, who according to legends had sexual intercourse with both humans and animals.
In the continuation of the Bogomil legend it is said that the young man is lowered into the well by his two brothers using a spruce basket, where he locates the girl. After the fight and perforation of the dragon with the sword the blood is spilt and the girl is saved. The young man places the girl inside the basket and gives his brothers a sign to pull her out, which they do, but blinded by her beauty, they decide to cover the well with branches and stones in order to prevent their brother to get out. This starts the young man's odyssey through the underworld where thanks to a good deed he acquires the affection of a large eagle (symbol of a soul) by saving his chicks from a snake.
It is of particular importance to mention that this part of the Bogomil story has a lot of similarities with the Nordic myth about the large ash tree which represents the centre of the world. Its roots are located in the underworld, and its crown in the sky where the gods dwell. Between the roots and the crown the world of men is located. A squirrel constantly travels up and down the tree transferring news between the eagle, located on the crown and the snake, located in the root.
In the rest of the Bogomil story we learn that the eagle out of gratitude to the young man offered to help him get out of the underworld. But there too we can see interesting allegories describing birth. Namely, the eagle asks from our hero 40 lambs which he will need to maintain his strength during the trip out of the underworld. Why 40, is best explained by the fact that pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks or 280 days. When the young man managed to find all of the lambs he begins his long gruelling journey on the giant eagles back towards the opening through which he will pass into the world of men. At the end of the journey the story turns into a drama since the hero realizes that he has thrown the last lamb into the eagle's beak. Fearing that the bird will not have enough strength to exit the underground the young man decided to undertake a desperate action - he cut his own leg off (or umbilical cord) and threw it into the eagle's beak. He then fainted from the pain and he woke up lying on a meadow, in the world of men.
