Coverpage Introduction Vuk Brankovich Milosh Obilich Prince Lazar The Kosovo Maiden (The young maiden sits on the grass and gestures for you to join her. You sit across from her, and notice her eyes are gazing into the distance. Hesitantly, she begins to speak.)
“On the morning of the battle, the women of the village gathered to see the men off to war. I have no man of my own, but I knew on this day, the men were fighting for all of us.”
“As the soldiers rode by, the Great Milosh Obilich (yes, the same we buried earlier) stopped and looked down at me. He gallantly handed me his brightly colored cloak (the same cloak that now covers his body) and told me to take the cloak to remember him by. He said when he returned he would give me away as a bride to Milan Toplitsa, his sworn blood-brother. I had heard of brave Milan, but had never met him.”
(She pauses a moment to gather herself, before she continues.)
“Behind him rode Ivan Kosanchich. The valiant Kosanchich stopped and looked down at me. He gallantly handed me his golden wedding ring and told me to take the ring to remember him by. He said when he returned he would give me away as a bride to Milan Toplitsa, his sworn blood-brother.”
(She plays absentmindedly with a golden ring hanging on a golden necklace around her neck.)
“Last came a warrior who took my breath away – there is none fairer in the world. He trailed his great sabre behind him and wore a helmet wound with white silk and feathers, his brightly colored cloak flowing behind him. He stopped in front of me.”
“As he bent down, our eyes met, and he told me to take his golden necklace remember him by. He said his name was Milan Toplitsa, and when he returned, his fortune would be mine, and he would take me for his faithful wife.”
(The maiden begins to sob, tears rolling down her cheeks.)
“But, as with rest of the men, my betrothed did not return. So, here I am, scouring the fields looking for him, hoping against hope that I may find him alive, so that I may nurse him back to health and become his bride.”
“Stranger, if you could help me find him, I would be forever in your debt. I would bestow upon you what riches I may, and all the blessings that I can give. Will you help me?”
(Knowing there is no way to refuse the beautiful young woman, you quietly nod your assent. She smiles at you, a smile like the rising of the sun.)
(The two of you begin the search, looking for a handsome man with a helmet wrapped in white silk and adorned with feathers. The hours pass, and the sun begins to set. Somehow, you feel that it is time for you to go. The maiden looks at you through teary eyes.)
“Stranger, I thank you for your help. I know you cannot stay here much longer, for you do not belong here. Go back, but think of me, and pray that I found by beloved Milan.”
(The maiden turns away to continue her search, and as a sudden fog rolls in, she slowly fades from view, continuing to search, and kneeling to help men where she can. As the sounds of the field begin to fade into the mist, you hear her calling softly… “Milan? Beloved Milan?”) THE END
Author’s Note: This story comes from the epic poem The Kosovo Maiden. Clearly no historical records show whether or not the maiden truly existed, but she serves a much greater cause. The maiden serves to represent what all Serbians lost on the Field of the Blackbirds on that ill-fated day. The women and children lost loved ones, the men lost their lives, and the people lost a nation. The Battle of Kosovo is remembered only through these poems, and the stories they tell fit perfectly into the fabric of Mythology and Folklore. They are the stories of a people’s culture, their losses, and their lessons learned. There are elements that are believable, and others that seem to be pure fantasy. But like all fairy tales, the true measure is not in the facts, but in the feelings a reader gets from the stories themselves.
Bibliography: John Matthias and Vladeta Vuckovic (1987), The Battle of Kosovo: Serbian Epic Poems. |
