South Slavic Folklore and Literature
Gjergj Elez Alia is legendary hero of South Slavic folklore and literature where his name is used in form Djerzelez Alija. Turkish historian and chronicler Ibn Kemal (1468—1534) wrote about his popularity in folk songs in Bosnia.
Some of the poems which have the name of Djerzelez Alija in their titles are:
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Djerzelez Alija is one of the main characters of many other poems without his name in their title, like:
- Porča of Avala and Vuk the Fiery Dragon
- The Marriage of Vuk the Dragon-Despot
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko Kraljević. According to the legend, Djerzelez Alija also have epic horse (sometimes called Šarac, like horse of Prince Marko) and he is a good friend of fairies who help him when he is in danger. Legend says that he was killed during his prayer (salah) because he did not want to interrupt it although he was aware that he would be killed.
Ivo Andrić, the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, wrote Put Alije Đerzeleza, published in 1920, after two fragments (Djerzelez at the Inn and Djerzelez on the Road) were published in 1918 and 1919.
One of the oldest houses in Sarajevo, The House of Alija Djerzelez, is named after Alija Djerzelez. There are streets in several towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bihać, Gračanica, Zenica,...) named after Alija Djerzelez.
Read more about this topic: Gjergj Elez Alia
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