VILLAGE VAMPIRE: A CASE OF FOLKLORE OR FACT?

The rich tapestry of Old Slavic and Serbian mythology is woven with mythical horror creatures like the vodenjak, karakondžula, drekavac, baba jaga, todorci, and notably, vampires. Among the most famous vampires in Serbian folklore is the renowned Sava Savanović from the village of Zarožje near Valjevo, as noted by Marko Perendić on the blog SensibleAsAHorse.

Further adding to this, two years ago, while sitting at the Anin Dvor restaurant in Šekovići with the inspiring and colorful Serbian writer Vlado Arsić, our conversation ranged from everyday topics to literary and life matters, eventually touching on a forgotten event. Vlado particularly enjoys such tales and has often written about them. When discussing tourism, Vlado jokingly said to me, "Marko, you should invent a vampire..." To which I replied with a smile, "But dear Vlado, there's no need to invent one. We already have it. The most famous vampire in Bosnia and Herzegovina is right here." Vlado looked at me in disbelief, thinking I was joking, then his expression shifted to one of curiosity, prompting me to continue.

How do I know this story? It happened quite by chance as I was browsing through various literature when I stumbled upon a scanned book titled "The Vampire; Casebook," housed in a university library in Wisconsin, USA. I then recounted to my dear friend Vlado the case of vampirism that allegedly occurred and stirred public interest exactly 100 years ago. The incident took place in 1923 in the village of Tupanari, now part of the Šekovići Municipality.

The story begins with the death of the peasant Paja Tomić on April 9, 1923. Some sources mention that the incident occurred in May 1923, but it was reported in the newspapers at the time. Based on the aforementioned book authored by Alan Dundes, titled "The Vampire; Casebook," the incident indeed took place on April 9, 1923. Shortly after Paja Tomić's death, his wife Cvija became disturbed by alleged visits from her deceased husband during the night. She claimed that he would appear from time to time, frightening the household. Specifically, she stated that her husband had become a vampire. Some villagers believed her story, while others dismissed her claims. However, when her sons confirmed her story, the villagers became intrigued by the case.

Finally, this vampire phenomenon gained attention beyond the village, leading to the decision to destroy the vampire. And how was this to be done? Through the tried-and-tested method: the sons of the deceased, along with fellow villagers, exhumed Paja Tomić's grave, extracted his body, and pierced it with a hawthorn stake, believed to possess magical properties that strongly oppose those of the undead. The sons and villagers then burned Paja Tomić's body and scattered the ashes, while the remaining bones were returned to the grave.

The story was also reported in the newspapers under the headline "Vampire in the Village" (reportedly in the Belgrade weekly magazine "Vreme"). According to the report published on May 23, 1923:

"…old peasant Paja Tomić… died on April 9 this year. Soon after his death, his wife Cvija began to complain that her deceased husband had started to return to her at night as a ghost, running around the house and frightening the household. Some believed Cvija, and some did not, although she continuously claimed that her husband was a vampire and that he returned every night. This went on for a whole month, and then, they say, even her sons became aware that there was a vampire in the house. Stevo and Krsto Tomić, the sons of the deceased, called the whole village to discuss what to do with their father who had become a vampire. All the villagers agreed that the vampire must be destroyed. They decided that they had to dig up the corpse, burn it, and scatter the ashes. The decision was put into action. The villagers armed with picks and shovels went to the cemetery. Some carried firewood, and some prepared a sharp stick made of hawthorn. The peasant crowd led by the sons of the late Paja arrived at the cemetery. The body was dug up, pierced with a hawthorn stick, and impaled on stakes. After the body was burned, they scattered its ashes, and the few charred bones that remained were thrown back into the grave…"

Whether the story is real or just a legend used by parents to scare naughty children, I leave it to you to ponder.