Zemii Media is expanding our article focus to include culture and tales from various regions around the world. Today’s focus is on immurement folklore in many Balkan nations. Immurement is otherwise known as live entombment. It is exactly as it sounds. In these tales, women are sacrificed for various reasons and entombed alive in construction that can be found throughout this region. Countries focused on in this article include: North Macedonia, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. All have similar tales, so we are including them together for comparison.
Immurement was used by the Romans to punish those who have committed a crime, which would cause death without anyone being responsible for causing the death. It was a means of torture that admonished the “executioners” of any responsibility for the passing of the convicted as they were placed in the immurement “cell” while still alive. This would make it possible to claim no responsibility since the person was alive when they were placed there. Those in the holy Roman Church would also choose to put themselves in a walled up space for period of time which could span many years, sometimes taking a child with them (either and orphan or a child willingly handed over by a family) to be with them during their period of self-isolation. The historic geography of the Roman empire expands across a huge swath of Europe, thus the reason this practice is documented in many nations.
Today, we are focusing exclusively on the structures within the Balkan region that have preserved very different immurement stories for those who are interested in learning more about the history of the practice. In the case of the Balkans, wives were sometimes considered sacrifices to be buried in the structures to protect it or the city. Read on for more details…
North Macedonia
Rada Bridge in Kratovo
In North Macedonia, we find the tale of the Rada Bridge located in Kratovo. The legend tells of this bridge being built by nine brothers. However, the bridge collapsed during the night, so the brothers sought the advice of a local prophet who advised they bury the first wife to visit the construction site the following morning within the foundations of the bridge. Eight of the brothers went home and warned their wives. The youngest brother did not warn his wife. As a result, she was the first one to bring them food and water the next morning. Rada was then taken to be buried alive. She agreed, but made the request that her right breast be left out so that she could feed her son.
Greece
The Bridge of Arta
In Greece, we have the tale of the Bridge of Arta. There is an old folk acritic song (which is a type of Greek poem) that tells the tale. In this tale, 45 masons and 60 apprentices built a bridge under the leadership of the Head Builder. The foundation of the bridge collapsed overnight (sounds familiar). In this story, a bird with a human voice came to the Head Builder and told him that he would need to sacrifice his wife for the bridge foundation to hold. The song then depicts the cursing of the bridge done by the wife as she is being buried alive in the foundation. She curses the bridge to flutter as if a leaf and for those who pass on the bridge to fall like leaves. Remembering her own brother who would not hear her curses, she changed her curses so that they would become blessings in the event her brother should pass the bridge.
Forty-five craftsmen and sixty apprentices
were laying the foundations of the river in Artas.
They built it all day, it was demolished at night.
The masters and the apprentices cry.
"Woe to our labors, woe to our works,
all day we build, night fall."
A little bird came and sat, facing the river,
not chirping like a bird, not like a swallow,
but chirping and saying a human lullaby:
"If you don't haunt a man, no ghost will dry up
and don't haunt an orphan, not a stranger, not a traveler,
despite the master's beautiful woman,
who comes late the speedy and early the feast."
The foreman hears it and falls to his death.
He catches, sings with the nightingale bird.
Late to get dressed, late to change, late to go to yoma,
late to go to Arta's yofiri.
And the bird disobeyed and hurried and said:
"Quickly dress, quickly change, quickly go to the yoma,
quickly go and cross Arta's iophyri."
Here she appeared from the white army.
The foreman saw her, and his heart broke.
He greets them from afar and from close to them he says:
"Hello, you masters and you apprentices,
but what does the master craftsman have and is he barged?"
"His ring fell into the first arch
, and who shall enter and who shall go out, find the ring?"
"Master, don't be bitter, I'll go and bring it to you,
I'll go in, I'll go out, I'll find the ring."
It didn't go down well, it didn't go in the middle.
"Pull well with the chain, pull the chain,
I have lifted the whole world and found nothing."
One digs with the trowel and another with the lime,
the master craftsman takes it and throws a big stone.
"Alas for our fate, pity for our radical!
We were three siblings, all three of us misspelled.
One built the Danube and the other the Aphrates
and I, the youngest of Arta, the Giofiri.
As the walnut tree trembles, let the gopher tremble
and as the tree leaves tremble, let the wayfarers fall.”
"Daughter, change the word and give another curse,
since you have an only brother, don't let it pass."
And she changed her speech and gave another curse.
"If the wild mountains tremble, let the storm tremble
and if the wild birds fall, let the wayfarers fall,
what is my brother in the wilderness, do not let him pass.
Romania
Cathedral of Curtea de Arges
In Romania, we have the tale of Prince Radu the Black (Radu Negru) who wanted the most beautiful monastery built. So, he hired Master Manole (Mesterul Manole) to build what would be known as the Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. Mesterul Manole was the best mason around, so with his nine men he began to build. Similar to other tales seen here today, the walls kept crumbling. The Prince threatened to kill Manole and his workers because of this.
Manole’s desperation, heightened by threat of death, put his mind in overdrive. One night, he had a dream that told him he had to incorporate a loved one into the walls. He told his masons about his dream and they agreed that the first wife (sounds familiar) to show up with lunch the next day would be built into the walls of the monastery.
The following day, Manole saw his pregnant wife, Ana, coming over the hills. He preyed to the heavens that a storm would block her passage and send her home. It did storm, but she continued to go to him instead. Upon her arrival, the builders and Manole told her that they were going to play a game. This game involved building walls around her body. She naively accepted and soon realized it wasn’t a game. She begged her husband to let her go, but he had made a promise.
When the monastery was complete, the Prince asked the builders if they could make another splendid building. The men eagerly told the Prince they could. Upon hearing this, the fearful prince assumed they would do such an act for someone else, so he stranded them all on the roof to perish in order to prevent them from building anything else that could compete with his beautiful monastery. The men created wooden wings to try and fly off of the roof. One by one, they all fell to the ground. Nearby, there is a well of clear water named after Manole. It is believed to mark the spot of where Manole fell.
Bulgaria
Kadin Most
In Bulgaria, we have the tale of Kadin Most (Bride’s Bridge) located in Nevestino. In this story, three brothers from a neighboring village were building a bridge over the Struma River. Again, during the night, the waters of the river destroyed the bridge and swept away their hard work. The brothers, ashamed and wanting to avoid mockery decided to sacrifice the first of their wives who brought them breakfast in the morning in order to make the bridge strong. The wife of Manol was the first to arrive (Manol - I see a theme here). She had with her their first born child and his breakfast. She hardly had a chance to utter the words “God help” before the men captured her and walled her into the middle column. She asked the men to leave out her breast so that she could feed their child and make a vent for her eyes so she could see the child as she fed him (again sounds familiar). Due to the commonality of this theme, a little more research had to be done.
From the Bulgarian Haha Foundation:
There is a legend that in the distant past, when building public buildings such as a church or a bridge, in order to create a patron spirit to strengthen them, a human sacrifice had to be offered, and she or her shadow was built into the foundations or in a part left unfinished from construction. The explanation is that in this case a guardian spirit is needed, such as can be artificially created by looking at a living person or, according to a later substitution, only his shadow. This is a kind of protection of the building and its inhabitants, the uncertainty of which disturbs both the masters and the owners. It is explained by the primitive masonry technique, which cannot hold the building and protect it from harmful elements.
Albania
Rozafa Castle
The legend of Rozafa Castle aka Shkodër Castle in Albania is similar to the others. In this tale, three brothers had begun building the castle. Again, the castle fell at night and they were informed by a wise old man that “If you really want to finish the castle, you must swear never to tell your wives what I am going to tell you now. The wife who brings you your food tomorrow you must bury alive in the wall of the castle. Only then will the foundations stay put and last forever.” In Albania, the evil eye is seen as the reason for the destruction of the castle. In order to ward off the evil eye, they must sacrifice one of their wives. The three brothers made a besa (promise) to not speak with their wives about what they were told. However, the two oldest brothers did not keep that promise and told their wives everything. The mother of the brothers was also unaware of this promise. She asked her daughters-in-law to bring lunch to the men, and two of them refused with excuses. Rozafa, the wife of the youngest brother left her young son at home and set out to bring the men their lunch. The youngest brother was angry and tried to explain to her that she would be sacrificed by being buried in the walls of the castle. Worried about her infant son, she accepted and said, “I have but one request to make. When you wall me in, leave a hole for my right eye, for my right hand, for my right foot, and for my right breast. I have a small son. When he starts to cry, I will cheer him up with my right eye. I will comfort him with my right hand. I will put him to sleep with my right foot, and feed him with my right breast. Let my breast turn to stone and the castle flourish. May my son become a great hero, ruler of the world.”
Bosnia
Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have the legend of the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad. This legend was another bridge construction that was being created by a Mason named Rade. In this tale, instead of destruction by water, falty construction, or the evil eye, those of Višegrad knew that the construction was impeded upon by the water fairy (vila). This water fairy nightly destroyed anything built during the day. One day, a voice whispered from the waters and advised Rade the Mason to wall two infant children, Stoja and Ostoja, into the central pier of the bridge. Rade announced a reward for anyone who identified these children. The children were found and subsequently and walled into the bridge. Rade the Mason took pity on them. He left windows on the pillars so that their mother could breastfeed them. It is a popular belief on Bosnia Herzegovina that mothers who do not have their own milk can scrape powder off the bridge to make the milk come. They say it is effective. This tale can be found in the book “The Bridge Over Drina” by Ivo Andric.
Ivo Andric also presents this tale in his book "The bridge over Drina."
What do you think of these tales? When I was going through these, I personally noted the similarities and after having been in most of these countries, I could see how they came to be. I have to say, the Albanian one is very fitting with the culture. I’m quite fascinated with the water fairy idea from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Which was the most intriguing for you? At the end of the day, we can all agree that sacrificing women for the work of men is not a good strategy, but history had its own beliefs. Let’s just make sure we don’t keep sacrificing women for the work of men, even if done differently, in our current societies.