General Vuča (Serbian: Вуча Џенерал) or General Vuka[1] is a popular legendary hero of Serbian epic poetry who is depicted as an enemy of Kraljević Marko.

Song

Vuča first appeared in the poem Marko Kraljević and General Vuča, which was sung by Tešan Podrugović in Sremski Karlovci and recorded by Vuk Karadžić who published it in 1845 within second volume of the 'Songs of Serbian people' (Serbian: Српске народне пјесме) collection. This song is one of the songs Podrugović learned in Srem.[2] Vuča and his son Velimir are the most mysterious epic heroes who were enemies of Marko Kraljević.[3] They are foreigners like other main enemies of Marko Kraljević and, as it is strongly hinted in some particular epic narratives, probably Hungarians.[4] Like other enemies of Marko (i.e. Musa Kesedžija or Djemo the Mountaineer) Vuča is also of exceptional strength.[5]

At the beginning of the song Vuča captures three heroes (Miloš od Pocerja, Milan Toplica and Kosančić Ivan) who are friends of Kraljević Marko and puts them in the dungeon of Petrovaradin (Varadin in song). Marko Kraljević first defeats General Vuča's son and his three hundred horsemen and then General Vuča himself together with his thousand horsemen.[6] Vuča's wife releases the three heroes from the dungeon against Marko's request, which is an example of "jailor's daughter" type of help.[7] Besides the three heroes Marko also releases the father of Milan Toplica who was also captured by General Vuča. There is another song which presents information about capture of Toplica's father and how three heroes who attacked Petrovaradin in attempt to release him were also captured by General Vuča.[8]

Historical background

There are different opinions what historical person Vuča is based upon. According to Andra Gavrilović the figure of General Vuča is based on Tanush Dukagjin, a member of Dukagjini noble family from Albania.[9][10]

There was an opinion that Vuča was based on Eugene of Savoy while some other theories say that he is based on the Petar Doci also referred to as Auci in Erlangen Manuscript.[11] Since Eugene of Savoy did not have a son according to some interpretations Velimir, who was referred in the song as Vuča's son, was probably some of Eugene's subordinated officers.[12]

Citations

  1. ↑ Bowra, Cecil Maurice (1961). Heroic poetry. Macmillan. So Marko Kralevic and General Vuka begins with a scene of revel in the castle of a Turk who has captured three Serb warriors
  2. ↑ Matica srpska (1964). "Порекло песме "Марко Краљевић и Вуча Џенерал"" [The origin of the song "Marko Kraljević and Vuča General"]. Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik. 12–14: 71. Ту песму је Вук записао од Подруговића, за кога са сигурношћу можемо рећи да је неке своје песме научио тек у Срему
  3. ↑ Stanoje Stanojević, Dušan J. Popović (1937). "Sitni prilozi". Glasnik. 10: 213. ...којима он има главну улогу, најтајанственија је Вуча џенерал и син му Велимир.
  4. ↑ Stanoje Stanojević, Dušan J. Popović (1937). "Sitni prilozi". Glasnik. 10: 213. Да су и они туђинци као што су остали главни противници његови (Алил-ага, Филип Маџарин, Муса Кесеџија, Ђемо Брђанин и др.), види се одмах.
  5. ↑ Skendi, Stavro (1954). Albanian and South Slavic oral epic poetry. Kraus Reprint. p. 43. ISBN 9780527010966. Marko has opponents of unusual strength, such as General Vuca, Filip Madzarin, Djemo Brdjanin, and the impersonal Arab and Turk. The adversaries of the hero of Kruja in the traditional poems are Ballaban Pasha and Alibeg, but also the
  6. ↑ Dorson, Richard M. (1982). Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction. University of Chicago Press. p. 103. He alone overcomes General Vuca's son and his army of three hundred horsemen and General Vuca himself together
  7. ↑ Beissinger, Margaret H. (1999). Epic Traditions in the Contemporary World: The Poetics of Community. University of California Press. p. 82. ISBN 9780520210387. Examples of the "jailor's daughter" type of female helper from the Vuk collection include Vuca's wife in "Marko Kraljevic and General Vuca" (who, upon the hero Marko's request, takes "the keys of the dungeon" and releases three heroes
  8. ↑ Đurić, Vojislav (1954), "Uz pojedine pesme u ovoj knjizi", Antologija narodnih junačkih pesama (in Serbian), Belgrade: Srpska Književna Zadruga, p. 926, OCLC 25260399, Поводом стиха и пусти ми старога Топлицу Вук каже: „У другој пјесми, која је управокао почетак овој, пјева се да је отац Топлице Милана био отприје затворен у Варадину,па су ова тројица били отишли да га отму, те и њих (пошто су разбили капију и ушли у град) некако ухватио Вуча џенерал".
  9. ↑ Stanoje Stanojević, Dušan J. Popović (1937). "Sitni prilozi". Glasnik. 10: 213. Спомињемо, по дужности, раније још нагађање А. Гавриловића у чланку Историјска се- ћања у неким нар. песмама о Краље- вићу Марку (Глас СКАк. 1*\Ш1), по коме је: „Вуча џенерал Танусије (Та- нуш), родоначелник Дукађина, којисе зове још и Вуно и Вуко...
  10. ↑ Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti (1900). Glas. 58–60: 134. Идући у мислима тим правцем, сусрећемо се с родоначелником Дукађина, познатим нам већ Тану- сијем, који се зове још и Вуно или Вуко1 и који је у Задрим.ьу био западни сусед Вукашннова Призрена. Овај Латинин Вуко {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ↑ Matica srpska (1966). "Порекло песме "Марко Краљевић и Вуча Џенерал"" [The origin of the song "Marko Kraljević and Vuča General"]. Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik. 14–15: 71. као неко средиште епског певања, код песме о Вучи био је скоро на прагу таквих мисли кад је износио, у својим Тумачењима,11 оне доста натегнуте претпоставке о пореклу имена Велимир и Вуча (Вуча од Евгеније, тј. Савојски). Ако бисмо баш хтели да тражимо порекло Вучиног имена, требало би га ипак, због Вараднна, тражити у имену Петра Доци, кога народна песма зове и Ауци: бр. 178 у Ерлангенском зборнику.
  12. ↑ Kostić, Dragutin (1937), Tumačenja druge knjige srpskih narodnih pjesama Vuka St. Karadžiča [Interpretations of the second volume of Songs of Serbian People collected by Vuk Karadžić] (in Serbian), Belgrade: Državna Štamparija, p. 65, OCLC 632218960, Велимир: тобоже син Вучин; у вези с Евгенијем-Вучом биће и ово лично име добивено посрбљавањем какве титуле војничке, слично Обору капетану (В. VII, бр. 12) или Мушкети капетану (В. VII, бр. 18) Velimir, who was allegedly son of Vuca; in connection with Eugene-Vuca this personal name is result of serbianization of some officers' rank, similar to Obor captain (V. VII, num. 12) or Mušketa captain (V. VII, num. 18)
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