LEGEND OF THE BLACK QUEEN

BARBARA CELJSKA There are a lot of different myths and legends in Croatia but the best known among them is the one about the Black Queen. Numerous myths and legends speak of how she was beautiful, but cold and cruel-hearted.

She always wore black, she incited fear and trepidation in the people and her name was rarely mentioned.

BLACK RAVEN The generations passed down the stories about how she threw her lovers from the walls and lowered down a cage with a wild boar, whilst her greatest pet, a large black raven, which stood on her shoulder, attacked and killed everyone who annoyed her with its claws and beak

However true this is, one thing is sure, this renowned character remained woven in Zagreb’s past as the most notorious mythical inhabitant of Zagreb. Her mysterious traces on Medvedgrad intrigue many historians, lovers of the past, as well as curious tourists, who between the walls of one of Croatia’s best-preserved fortresses, look for answers and try to verify the authenticity behind the interesting legends.

The alleged buried treasure which is hidden in the secret chambers under Medvedgrad has never been found. It is believed to be hidden in the underground world of Kaptol or Gradec, in corridors which connect Medvedgrad with the Church of St. Mark and St. Mark’s Square. He who dares to head into the unexplored and enchanted corridors, can perhaps come across the wandering queen. All that would need to be done is to kiss her, to remove the curse, change her from a snake back into a beauty and all the riches and treasures of Medvedgrad will belong to him…

BLACK QUEEN-GAME You can still hear the children playing a game Crna kraljica jen, dva, tri (Black queen, one, two, three) with one child acting as Her Majesty and others playing the peasants. Their goal is to approach her from behind and take over her place, but she mustn’t notice that they are moving when she turns around.

When the Turks attacked Medvedgrad fort, there was no one who would stand by the Black Queen to defend it. Therefore, she decided to evoke the only one who was more acquainted to the black magic than she was – the devil himself. If he would defend her, she promised to give him Medvedgrad in return. Of course, she didn’t mean it quite like that... When the castle was saved, she figured out a way to trick the devil. Still, the devil was even more of a trickster. She ended up cursed. She is still residing somewhere beneath Medvedgrad in the form of a snake, guarding her gold.

She now has to wait a hundred more years for a day when it’ll be possible to remove the spell. Who knows, it might be just when you decide to take a hike on the mountain Medvednica… MADE BY: LAURA DEMIROVIĆ, 6.C