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THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK QUEEN NEAR RIBNIK

The organization of the medieval Bosnian state was such that it was divided into several regions, each encompassing several counties. The Lower Kraji region comprised several counties in the northwest part of the then Bosnian state. One of the most important counties of the Lower Kraji was the Banjice county, which covered the territory of today's Municipality of Ribnik and some other parts in the upper course of the Sana River.

THE LEGEND OF THE BLACK QUEEN NEAR RIBNIK

The former Banjice county stretched from the source of the Japra River, at the foot of Mount Oštrelja, to the confluence of the Sanica River into the Sana River in the north, and from the confluence of the Sanica River to the village of Stražice (including Stražice) in the east. The western border extended from the source of the Japra River over Grmeč and Srnetica to Smoljana and Drinić. The southern border ran between the mountains Srnetica and Klekovača and partly around the source of the Sana River.

The population in the valley of the river was mainly engaged in agriculture, while pastoral economy dominated in the hilly areas. The soil of the Banjice county was not rich in ores or precious metals, and as such, it was not interesting to medieval conquerors, who primarily used these areas as transit zones to richer regions, and this was the case until the arrival of the Turks in the Balkans.

As the territories of the former Banjice were not susceptible to conquerors, power and nobility changed mostly by inheritance or obligation, and all changes in this regard were made peacefully. From its establishment in the 12th century until its fall to the Turks at the end of the 15th century, the medieval Banjice county changed many rulers and governors. There are detailed descriptions of some rulers, there are only a few written traces of others, and some exist only as stories passed down from generation to generation, evolving into legend. The most interesting of these legends is certainly the one about the Black Queen.

Not much is known about the Black Queen, and there are no written records. There are only material sources that help us, together with the centuries-old legend, to piece together a mosaic of her life, struggle, and disappearance.

The Black Queen ruled in the northwest part of the then Bosnian state in the second half of the 15th century. Not much is known about her rise to power, but there are legends and traditions about her reign, life, and struggle. The legend became increasingly scarce over the centuries, and the stories became poorer in description, as is usually the case. Data and facts about the life of the Black Queen in peacetime were gradually neglected, replaced by legends of her life in war and her fight for her people until the last moment.

One of the stories that speaks of the character of the Black Queen and her resourcefulness is related to the present-day village of Crkveno. Namely, with the arrival of the Turks and their conquest of the Bosnian state, a begluk was established on the site of today's village of Crkveno. The inhabitants of Crkveno, simple-minded villagers who were engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, had to hand over all their property acquired during the year to the bey. The source of life in the village was then the water from the nearby Mrševac spring, which meant life for the inhabitants of this mountain village. The water from Mrševac also powered the only mill in the village and the surrounding area, where all of Crkveno's grain was ground. Apart from being a place of food production, the mill also became a place where the villagers handed over everything they produced to the Turks, who had conquered them. As the appetites of the conquerors grew, so did the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants, who could not find a way out of the situation and escape the conquerors' greed. Driven into a corner, the residents of Crkveno complained to the Black Queen, seeking salvation and a way out of the situation from her.

As the Turkish Empire was vast and invincible at that time, the Black Queen knew that any form of rebellion or struggle would lead to everyone being wiped out and disappearing, so she resorted to cunning, thus showing her resourcefulness. Namely, the Turkish conquerors settled and fought exclusively for those areas where there was water, and waterless areas were not in their focus (probably because of the difficulty of life), which is also a historical fact. Becoming aware of this fact and guided by the desire to help her people, the Black Queen decided to close the spring that powered the mill with a fir tree trunk and thus make those areas unattractive to the Turks and drive them away from those regions. The fir tree with which the Black Queen closed the spring still stands in the same place today, defying the ravages of time and preventing the spring from flowing. The inhabitants of Crkveno continued their lives without the Turks but also without water.

The villagers of Crkveno, our contemporaries, say that from that day whenever someone tried to dig up the spring, a severe storm would start, winds and rains, "the sky would touch the ground," and drive them away. The villagers also say that there were attempts to dig up the spring in recent history. People from the village gathered with fifteen pairs of horses and tools for work and began to dig. After a short period of digging, they managed to find a shovel from a water mill wheel, and the same thing happened again, a storm and thunder drove them away, and the spring remained sealed and untouched. The villagers also say that in dry summers, they would induce rain in this way, and they succeeded every time.

There is a story that the Black Queen left a church bell next to the fir tree, which, like the fir tree, remained untouched in the depths of the earth for centuries.

The legend of the Black Queen has two endings. One is that the Black Queen prepared her escape at the Okomoljak viewpoint, by shoeing her horse by hitting the horseshoes upside down, trying to deceive the tracks and lead the enemy to think that she had gone in a completely different direction. In this way, she loses all trace, and the treasure remained locked in the rock.

Another version of the story suggests that the Black Queen, realizing that her end was near, locked away the remaining treasure in the aforementioned rock (stone vat) using magic, and transformed herself into a black snake to guard the treasure. According to legend, when a young man with a "pure heart," who had never had a girlfriend and who would allow her to kiss him on Đurđevdan (St. George's Day), is found, she would regain her form as a woman of unparalleled beauty and marry the young man, bestowing upon him all the treasure...

At the spot where, according to legend, the Black Queen was last seen, there is a thematic trail with interactive pillars set up, allowing visitors to piece together the legend by assembling cubes. Additionally, at the Okomoljak viewpoint, a photo frame featuring the queen's motif is placed, allowing visitors to create a personal postcard.

Your journey along the paths of the Black Queen should undoubtedly conclude at the Women's Association of Vrbljani. These wonderful women have preserved the recipe for making jams, juices, and liqueurs from blackthorn, which according to legend, the Black Queen also used. When you try these products, perhaps the wisdom and strength of the Black Queen will flow through your veins, who knows...

Source: Ribnik Tourist Organization