Krsnik
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2007-12-26T09:36:27Z
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/* In fiction */
'''Krsnik''' is a [[Slavic mythology|Slavic]] [[Fire worship|fire god]], or a Slovenian shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an animal.
==Kresnik, Lord of the Mountain==
Kresnik is a pagan deity also known as Svarozic, son of the Slavic sun god [[Svarog]], described as having golden hair and golden hands.<ref>Copeland, F. S. "Slovene Folklore." ''Folklore'' 42.1 (1931): 405-446.</ref> From being a divinity, Kresnik evolved into a Slovenian national hero who lives on a golden mountain, sometimes as a deer with golden antlers. As a human, he is a great king skilled with magic, but who interests himself in farming.<ref>Copeland, F. .S. "Some Aspects of Slovene Folklore." ''Folklore'' 60.2 (1949): 277-286.</ref> In some tales he even fights off the Mongols as a peasant youth.<ref>Copeland, F.S. "Slovene Folkore." ''Folklore'' 42.1 (1931):405-446.</ref> The comparative [[mythology]] showed that this demigod figure originates from Iranian god [[Jamshid|Yima]] and his double, Indian [[Yama]], with whom they share a lot of common characteristics{{Fact|date=June 2007}}. It is a very diverse deity with many different faces depending on the location of the [[mythology|myth]].
==Shamanistic Tradition==
The ''krsnik'', a shaman in [[Istrian]] folklore, turns into an animal at night to fight off the ''kudlak'', his evil [[vampire]] antithesis, with the ''krsnik'' appearing as a white animal and the ''kudlak'' as a black one.<ref>Perkowski, Jan L. ''The Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism.'' Columbus, Ohio: Slavica Publishers, 1989.</ref> The ''krsnik'' 's soul leaves the body, either voluntarily or due to a higher power, to fight evil agents and ensure good harvest, health, and happiness. <ref>Šmitek, Zmago. "Shamanism on Slovenian Territory? Dilemmas Concerning the Phenomena of Shamanism, Spirit Possession and Ecstasy." ''Studia ethnologica Croatica'' 17.1 (2006):171-198.</ref> The legend evolved from a pre-Christian myth present in [[Slovenia]], [[Croatia]], and other countries, in which the celestial pagan god [[Perun]] is locked in eternal combat with the evil snake of the underworld, [[Veles (god)|Veles]].<ref>Vinšćak, Tomo. "On "Štrige", "Štriguni" and "Krsnici" on Istrian Peninsula." ''Studia ethnologica Croatica'' 17.1 (2006): 221-225.</ref> The ''krsnik'' is taught magic by ''[[Vila (fairy)|Vile]]'' (fairies),<ref>Copeland, F. S. "Slovene Folklore." ''Folklore'' 42.1 (1931): 405-446.</ref> and has the ability to heal people and cattle with traditional medicine.<ref>Vinšćak, Tomo. "On "Štrige", "Štriguni" and "Krsnici" on Istrian Peninsula." ''Studia ethnologica Croatica'' 17.1 (2006): 221-225.</ref>
The origin of the name may be from the word ''krst'', which means "cross", <ref>Perkowski, Jan L. ''The Darkling: A Treatise on Slavic Vampirism.'' Columbus, Ohio: Slavica Publishers, 1989.</ref> and which in Macedonia and Serbia is the word for a stone sign denoting village boundaries.<ref>Šmitek, Zmago. "Shamanism on Slovenian Territory? Dilemmas Concerning the Phenomena of Shamanism, Spirit Possession and Ecstasy." ''Studia ethnologica Croatica'' 17.1 (2006):171-198.</ref>
Similar beliefs circulated among the Italian [[Benandanti]] cult.
==In fiction==
* In the anime series ''[[Trinity Blood]]'', a "Krusnik" is a [[Vampire fiction|vampire]] that feeds on the blood of other vampires. ''Lilith Sahl, Cain, Seth, and Abel Nightroad'' are [[Crusnik (Trinity Blood)|C\Krusniks]] who are much more powerful than regular vampires and have a longer life span. In the anime series, they all take different forms: Cain appears as an [[angel]] with white wings, even though he is the [[antagonist]], whereas Abel appears slightly [[demon]]ic with black wings and red eyes, while being the [[protagonist]].
*There is a video game titled "Krsnik".
==References==
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[[Category:Slavic gods]]
[[ja:クルースニク]]