There are many legends around the Balkans and each one is better than the other. However, we compiled some of the scariest and not so scary but quite interesting legends. You would have definitely heard of the story of Dracula but the other two ones will be a breath of fresh air. Both of them are based in the country of Bulgaria and tales have been told as long as time itself exists.

Without further ado, let’s jump straight into our legends.

Krali Marko- The Bravest and Strongest Hero

Krali Marko is the most famous man on the Bulgarian territory. He had extraordinary powers and strength and was admired both by people and beasts.

He is believed to be the son of samodivas which are like the nature goddesses in Bulgarian mythology.

He has fought with thieves and rapists and justice was his main goal.

One of the legends linked to his name is the legend of his step. Once upon a time, he was jumping from mountain to mountain with his horse but once he jumped from Konyavska Mountain to the Koriata locality in the Katrishte village, his horse left an imprint on one of the rocks. It is believed that pots of gold coins could be retrieved from that particular place and shepherds have told stories of that far and wide.

The rock with the 60 cm imprint is still present to this day near the Drumohar village on a hill. The other similar rock is on the Konyavska Mountain. Quite impressive!

Samodivas- Beautifully Dangerous Creatures

As we mentioned before, it was believed that Krali Marko was the son of a samodiva. Now, we`ll look into what a samodiva is and why there are so many legends linked to this mysterious kind of creature.

Samodivas are ethereal female wood nymphs and they are breathtakingly beautiful. Only with a look, she can make a man fall in love really hard. She can even blind someone if she peers her eyes long enough into the other person’s eyes.

It is believed that samodivas are children of a dragon-like creature called lamia. Others believed that they are dead women that are stuck between hell and heaven. Nonetheless, they are really helpful to women, children, and the harvest in villages. If a man is good to samodivas, they can become his sworn sisters. If a samodiva and an ordinary man have children, they can become extraordinary heroes. These creatures are really knowledgeable of nature and its secrets like cures and herbs. The earliest records of samodivas are around the 13th century and to this day, there are many stories, poems, and tales of these beauties.

Dracula- The Most Popular Balkan Legend

There is one particular legend in eastern Europe and that is the legend of the Dracula or Vlad the Impaler. This tyrant was based in Romania around the 1400s. In the world of entertainment, Dracula started to be associated with the vampire Count Dracula and the 1897 Bram Stoker book made him alive with legends starting to circle around.

In the real world, Vlad the Impaler was a ruler in Walachia which is near Transylvania and his fame was linked to a lot of torturing. He was famous for impaling his enemies on stakes around his dinner table, so he can hear them scream. He was known to have nailed the turbans of some Turkish envoys who didn’t want to take them off. He even burnt people alive.

And even though all of this was horrible, people associate him with a vampire that lifts from his coffin at night and goes around to drink blood from people. He is known as a Transylvanian vampire and according to legends whoever got bit, turned into a vampire, too. The only way he could be stopped was to impale his heart with a stake. As you can see Stoker stripped some of the actual facts and incorporated them into the story.

And with that we hope we didn’t give you nightmares and these stories could inspire you to look into the legends deeper. There is nothing more exciting than a bit of mystery and that’s why it’s good idea to try free mystery slots online!