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Legends of Mujo and Halili
The following texts are prose renditions
of the Cycle of Mujo and Halili, which was originally recorded
in the form of epic verse as part of  the Songs of the Frontier
Warriors (Këngë Kreshnikësh). The prose versions
here are taken from Mitrush Kuteli (1907-1967).
Mujo's Strength
Many years ago there lived a mountain
man in Kladush in the Krahina near Jutbina. He had two sons called
Mujo and Halil, and a daughter called Kunja. This mountain man
was very strong and courageous, as were his two sons. Nevertheless,
the father was very poor and had great difficulty making ends
meet. Mujo had to go to work as soon as he was physically able
and entered the service of a rich man to gain his living. He
was made a cowherd. He was entrusted with a herd and sent up
to the mountain pastures with it.
From then on, Mujo would get up as soon
as the stars faded and the first rays of dawn began to appear,
stick a crust of bread and a few grains of salt in his pocket,
take his staff and set out with the cows to climb up into the
mountains. There he let the animals graze all day, ate his bread
and salt, drank water from a spring and rested in the noonday
heat. Mujo got to know every path, leading his herd in one direction
and then in the other to find the best pastures. In the evening
he would take the cows home again. His master was surprised because
the cows were producing so much milk that he could not find enough
containers in which to store it. But still, Mujo received only
bread and salt as wages.
Things went well until, one day, Mujo
lost the cows up in the mountain pastures. He followed their
tracks, leaving no stone unturned, and searched until it got
dark, but could simply not find his cows. That night he did not
return home. How could he go back without the cows? The master
would be furious and the other cowherds would make fun of him.
Exhausted from his searching and running around, he sat down
despondently beside a boulder as the sun set behind the mountains.
There, a pitch black, moonless and starless night overtook him.
Mujo did not know what else to do so he decided to get a bit
of sleep and wait until dawn to start searching for the cows
again.
Near the boulder where Mujo was resting,
he noticed two cradles with crying infants. He went over to have
a look and took pity on the infants because they were still very
small, rocking them in their cradles until they fell asleep.
At midnight, two lights appeared on top of the boulder, bedazzling
him with their glare. But in fact they were not lights, but two
Zanas bathed in light. The Zanas watched Mujo gently rocking
the infants' cradles and speaking softly and gently to them.
They were surprised to see him and asked, "Who are you?
What are you doing here? Have you lost something here and come
to look for it?" "I am a cowherd and work for bread
and salt," Mujo replied, "I wander all day long over
the mountain pastures. But today something terrible happened
to me. I lost my master's cows and came in search of them. Then
night fell and I wanted to get some rest, but I couldn't sleep
because of the crying of these infants. I took pity on them and
rocked their cradles. They have just fallen asleep... But who
are you? I cannot see your faces. Where did the light come from?"
The two Zanas recognized Mujo because
they had often seen him in the meadows with his cows. "We
are Zanas, Mujo," they replied. "We go out every night
on our wanderings to help the good and the righteous. We left
our children here. You are a good man, Mujo, and have rocked
them to sleep. May you be rewarded! Tell us what you want for
having helped us, Mujo. Do you want strength? Would you like
to be a mighty warrior? Do you want property or wealth? Do you
wish for knowledge or to be able to speak other languages? Tell
us what you want and we will give it to you." Mujo replied
to the Zanas, "Fair Zanas, the other cowherds always taunt
me and make fun of me. Can you to make me so strong so that I
can fight and beat them?" "Is that the only thing you
want, Mujo?" "That's all."
One Zana then said to the other, "Shall
we give Mujo some of our milk, sister, so that he will grow strong?"
"Yes, let us give him some milk, sister." The Zanas
then gave Mujo their breasts and he drank three drops of milk.
Immediately he felt strong enough to pull a tree out of the ground
by its roots. The Zanas said to him, "Let's see how strong
you are, Mujo. Pick up this rock and raise it into the air."
The Zanas pointed to the boulder which weighed as much as three
teams of oxen.
Mujo knelt, put his arms around the boulder,
moved it and eventually managed to lift it as high as his ankles.
But he could not get it any higher and dropped it. "We'll
have to give him some more milk," they said. Mujo had another
drink, seized the boulder and raised it as high as his knees.
Since he still could not lift it any higher, the Zanas gave him
their breasts a third time. His strength grew. Once again he
seized the boulder and this time raised it to his waist. As he
could not lift it any higher the Zanas gave him even more milk.
Mujo thus had another drink and was now stronger than a Drangue.
He lifted the boulder, rested it on his shoulders and then raised
it over his head, standing as firm as a pillar. "Where should
I throw the boulder?" he asked the Zanas. "Into the
Green Valleys or down onto the Plain of Jutbina?" The Zanas
grinned and replied, "We must not give him any more milk
or he'll destroy the whole world." Then the Zanas asked
Mujo all about his father and mother, about his brother and sister
and about Jutbina and the Krahina.
In the meantime, a bright moon had risen
and was shining down on them. The shadow of the huge boulder
grew and darkened the nearby gorges. A cool evening breeze blew
over the mountain pastures, the leaves of the beech trees rustled
in the wind and the pure spring water murmured. When the Zanas
had finished asking Mujo all about himself, they said to him,
"We would like you to become our blood brother, Mujo. Will
you?" "If you want me to be your blood brother, Zanas,
I will," replied Mujo, "Once we are related to one
another, I can call on your help, and if anyone ever insults
you, you can call on me to come and help you." "Fine,
blood brother."
When rosy dawn announced the approach
of a new day, the Zanas took their cradles, slung them over their
backs and disappeared, leaving behind but a ray of light. Mujo
rubbed his eyes to make out where the Zanas had gone, but could
see nothing but light. He pondered to himself, "Perhaps
I was only dreaming?", and went off to a spring to wash.
The cold water refreshed him. At the edge of the water was a
huge boulder which twenty men could not have lifted. Mujo knelt,
put his arms around the boulder and lifted it onto his shoulders.
He laughed, saying, "It was certainly no dream," and
tossed the boulder away. It rolled from cliff to cliff all the
way down into the valley below. Its echo resounded through the
mountain pastures.
After a while, he departed in search
of his cows and eventually found them with their udders full.
He herded them together and took them back down into the valley.
It was already day when he arrived on the Plain of Jutbina, where
all the cowherds had assembled. When they saw Mujo coming, they
began making fun of him, "Well, you finally got here, did
you, sleepy head?" Mujo scowled at them but made no reply.
"Didn't the wolves get you and all your cows?" He gave
them an even fiercer look but still said nothing. "Shall
we have a wrestle?" Mujo laughed out loud and replied, "All
right, I'm ready for you." "Aren't you afraid we'll
pin you to the ground?" "I'm not afraid of you,"
he countered and hastily rolled up his sleeves. When the strongest
of the cowherds approached and tried to grab Mujo by the waist
to wrestle him down, Mujo seized him by the arm, lifted him up,
shook him back and forth several times and hurled him into the
air. The other cowherds looked on in dismay. "What has happened
to Mujo?" They backed off, turned tail and fled as fast
as they could. "Does anyone else want to fight with me?"
Mujo shouted. But there was no reply, for they had all disappeared.
Mujo led the cows back to his master
and said to him, "Here are your cows! You can start looking
for another cowherd!" Then he returned to Kladush, to his
father, mother, brother and sister. From then on, Mujo worked
for himself. He went hunting up in the mountain pastures. The
wolves trembled whenever they heard him approach. Mujo fought
for his country and everyone in the Kingdom of the Christians
panicked at the very mention of his name.
Mujo and the Zanas
The whole world had heard of the heroic
deeds of Gjeto Basho Mujo before he had even reached the prime
of his life. He had stalked hordes of wild beasts in the mountains
and slain many an enemy from the Kingdom of the Christians and
from beyond the sea. Mujo defended the country and the poor people.
His heroic deeds and his courage were famous throughout the Krahina
and especially in Jutbina. No foreigners dared cross the border
of the Krahina to plunder and maraud. Together with his band
of thirty warriors, Mujo had conducted many raids in the Krahina
and the Kingdom of the Christians, penetrating right to New Kotor
and even farther, and every time he returned home victorious.
Such a man was Gjeto Basho Mujo.
The days, months and years passed until,
as is the custom, the time came for him to marry. One day, therefore,
Mujo mounted his steed as the first rays of dawn struck the peaks,
and crossed the mountain passes into the Kingdom of the Christians
in order to find himself a bride. He chose a fair maiden from
a good family whom his friends had recommended and who was fitting
for Mujo's lineage.
As soon as Mujo had arranged for his
marriage, he returned to Jutbina and assembled three hundred
attendants to collect the bride, all of whom were his friends.
The three hundred shone in their robes of sparkling gold and
bore golden swords, arrows and lances. All of them rode white
steeds with saddles of gold. All were young with the exception
of their leader, an old man with grey hair called Aga Dizdar
Osman who was second in command only to Gjeto Basho Mujo.
Before the attendants set off to claim
the bride in the Kingdom of the Christians, Mujo spoke to them,
saying, "Listen to my words, attendants! When you reach
the mountain pastures, you will come across three shady resting
spots. Take care not to revel and not to dismount for a rest.
Be careful not to drink from the springs there for it is inhabited
by three evil Zanas. They may be having their afternoon nap there
or refreshing themselves at the water and you may disturb and
upset them. They never let anyone escape unharmed." Mujo
warned the attendants strictly and they promised to follow his
instructions.
The next morning, the attendants saddled
and mounted their horses and set off in what was a joyful spectacle
for all of Jutbina. They departed for the Kingdom of the Christians
to pick up Mujo's bride, singing songs and playing music with
their horns. When they reached the mountain pastures, they remembered
Mujo's warning, stopped chanting and making music, dismounted
and led their horses by the reins in silence. Nowhere did they
pause, nowhere did they drink from the springs, nowhere did they
rest in the shade, nowhere did they stop to dance and make merry.
They carried on over the mountains and arrived safe and sound
on the other side at the bride's home in the Kingdom of the Christians.
Her father welcomed the attendants, giving
them food and drink and entertaining them with games and amusements.
The music and dancing echoed until midnight. When the stars faded
and the next day dawned, the attendants rose, girded their weapons,
collected the bride and set off for Jutbina. They continued singing
and revelling on their way. The peaks and valleys echoed their
mirth.
And so they arrived at one of the three
resting spots. Here they remembered Mujo's words, stopped singing
and revelling and carried on in silence. But then Aga Dizdar
Osman, the old man with grey hair, spoke, "Listen, attendants
of the bride. I have accompanied many a bride. We have always
stopped and revelled at this resting spot and quenched our thirst
at this spring. We have always dismounted to dance. Nothing has
ever happened to us here. So let us make merry!" When the
other attendants heard this, they stopped at the resting spot
right away, dismounted and began to sing and dance. They muddied
the springs and streams, set up targets and shot at them with
their bows and arrows. The mountain pastures echoed with their
mirth once again.
Suddenly there was a terrifying clap
of thunder. The din resounded through the mountains, a strong
gale began to blow through the trees, the mountain pastures thundered
and quaked. Hovering over the peaks in the midst of the storm
were the three evil Zanas. They gnashed their teeth, spewed smoke
and fire and descended upon the resting spot where the attendants
of the bride had chosen to stop. In the blink of an eye, the
three Zanas turned the attendants to stone and transformed their
horses into tree trunks. Where but a moment ago song and merriment
had resounded, no human voice or neighing of horses was to be
heard. Silence and death reigned. The mountain peaks echoed no
more, the wind ceased to blow, the resting spots, the meadows
and springs were emptied. Left all alone in her horror and shock
was Mujo's bride. She alone had survived, but did not know what
to do or where to go. The Zanas lunged forth to attack her, seized
her by the arm and dragged her off into a cavern deep in the
mountains where no human being had ever set foot. There they
kept the maiden prisoner, forcing her to feed them and bring
them water so that she never had a moment's rest.
Gjeto Basho Mujo knew nothing of what
had happened. He waited for the attendants to bring him his bride.
He waited and waited but they did not come. The longer they were
away, the more Mujo began to worry. He listened for singing or
for the neighing of horses, but there was nothing to be heard.
Finally he realized what had happened. The attendants of the
bride had broken their word. He was in despair for he knew that
the three Zanas were evil to the core and had unimaginable skills.
He waited no longer. Heaving a sack filled
with bread and meat over his shoulder, he mounted his steed and
set off for the mountain pastures. 'What can all the warriors
possibly be doing in their garments of gold and with their golden
swords, arrows and lances?' he wondered. 'What has happened to
the horses that speed like the wind?' He looked everywhere but
could see nothing but stones and tree trunks. Mujo approached
the stones and recognized their form as that of his warriors.
Yes, the white stone was their leader, Aga Dizdar Osman; the
reddish one was like Ali Bajraktar and the next was like Butali
Tali. One by one, he recognized them all: Basho Jona, Zukut Bajraktar,
Shaban Evimadhi, Kazi Mehmet Aga and the rest. Once beings of
flesh and blood, they were now turned to stone. But nowhere could
Mujo find his bride. He was in such despair that he almost broke
into tears!
But Mujo was a man of courage. He concentrated
his thoughts on how to turn the stones and tree trunks into living
beings again. He did not restrain his horse or dismount but rode
back and forth over the desolate mountain pastures looking for
the spring of the Zanas, for their resting spots, and for his
bride. He entered a dark grove of beech trees, riding deeper
and deeper to where the sun's rays no longer penetrated. He continued
on his way until he came to a spring with water as sparkling
as tears. There he stopped and dismounted to rest for a while.
He took a good look at the beech trees but could find no path
through them, only bushes and scrub. Rising above the grove was
a cliff covered in grass. At the foot of it he saw a number of
boulders buried in scree. The branches of the ancient trees were
so entwined with one another that no sunlight or wind could get
through. Eternal twilight reigned here.
"This must be the home of the Zanas,"
Mujo thought to himself. He put his horse to pasture among the
beech trees and sat down beside the spring, waiting patiently
for the Zanas to arrive. Three days passed and no one came. Mujo
saw deer approach the watering hole but he did not string his
bow. He saw fair feathered birds but he did not shoot at them.
He had not come to hunt but for something more important. When
three days had passed, he caught sight in the twilight of a young
maiden in her bridal gown bearing a water jug in her hands. She
was as fair as the moon in May, but so sorrowful. Mujo wondered
what the young maiden was doing in such a dark and gloomy place.
Perhaps she was a vision. But no, she came closer and closer.
Suddenly Mujo recognized her and his heart began to beat rapidly.
The maiden with the jug arrived at the spring, saw Mujo but did
not recognize him. "Good day, young man!" she said.
"Good day, young maid," he replied. She put her jug
down to fill it. "Whom are you fetching the water for, maid?
Whom are you taking it to?" "Oh, do not ask me, young
man. I am of a noble family and have just been married. My attendants
were taking me to my husband when..." The maiden proceeded
to tell him the whole story of how the Zanas had petrified the
men and horses and of how she had been taken prisoner.
Mujo asked her, "Who were you marrying,
maid? What was the man's name?" "Oh, wretch that I
am, I left my mother and father, I left my brothers and sisters
to marry a famous warrior. His name is Gjeto Basho Mujo. Do you
know him, young man? Have you ever heard of him, Gjeto Basho
Mujo of Jutbina? Mujo neither laughed nor responded. He stared
at the fair maiden and said, "Do you recognize me, fair
maid?" "How could I possibly know you. I've never seen
you before. But when I look at you, I am reminded of what I heard
of Mujo. You could be Gjeto Basho Mujo."
Mujo could wait no longer and laughed
out loud, "I am Mujo, fair maid! You have recognized me
indeed. But if you are the daughter of a noble family, will you
now listen to me and to what I have to say?" "I give
you my word," she replied, "by the ruler over the sun
and the moon, over heaven and earth, that I will listen to what
you have to say, Mujo. I would have faith in you even if I knew
you were going to behead me." "No, I would never behead
you, for I loved you and still do. I am going to try and save
you and bring your attendants back to life. To do this, however,
I must know the source of the Zanas' power. Therefore, when you
return to the cavern, say to them that you know they are very
powerful and ask them where they get their power." "Do
you really think that the Zanas will tell me the source of their
power, Mujo?" "Do not lose heart, maiden. Do as I tell
you. The sun is now setting behind the mountains and the moon
is rising over the beech trees. The Zanas will soon come to the
spring to dine in the moonlight. When they sit down to dinner,
stand at a distance and do not eat or drink anything. The Zanas
will take pity on you and will not want to eat without you. Then,
if you remember what to say, they will divulge their secret.
Say to them, 'Mountain Zanas, may you always have bread to eat,
may you always have the high mountains to live in, may you always
have resting spots for your afternoon naps and springs to refresh
yourselves in. I have been living with you for some time now
and will live with you forever as your prisoner. Why don't you
tell me where your power comes from?' Ask them, for there is
no reason why they should not believe you. And even if they should
turn you to stone, I shall do everything in my power and save
you. I will wait for you here tomorrow." "All right,
Mujo. I will do as you say." The maiden picked up her water
jug, said good bye to Mujo and disappeared into the darkness.
Mujo watched her as long as he could and then returned to the
Green Valleys.
The maiden went back to the cavern. The
Zanas asked her, "Why are you so late, dear bride?"
"The water was muddy, dear Zanas, and I had to wait for
it to clear." "You have done well, my dear." The
sun set and the moon rose, shining over the tips of the beech
trees and spreading its rays into the valleys and gorges. There
was a light breeze which caused the leaves to rustle. The birds
twittered among the branches. The deer came out of the forest
to graze and drink. The mountain Zanas waited no longer. They
went off to the spring and set the table to have dinner. The
young bride stood near by, broke the bread for them and brought
them their water, but did not sit down with them to eat. She
stood there, her eyes downcast. The youngest of the Zanas asked
her, "What is wrong, dear bride? Why are you not eating
or drinking? You are not ill, are you? Or are you homesick for
your fellow human beings?" "No," replied the maiden,
"I am neither ill nor homesick. I am content to be here
where I am. You love me. That is why you wanted to keep me with
you. If you did not love me you would have turned me to stone
as you did the others, but I simply cannot eat or drink anymore
until you answer a question I have to ask you. Therefore I swear
in your presence, dear mountain Zanas, may you always have bread
to eat, may you always have the high mountains to live in, may
you always have resting spots for your afternoon naps and springs
to refresh yourselves in, may you always have the light of the
moon to dance by... Why don't you tell me where your power comes
from? You have become my sisters. I will always be with you.
I can find no better place to live than here with you because
nowhere on earth could I find more kind and understanding sisters."
The moment the two elder Zanas heard
this they leapt to their feet to turn the poor maiden to stone,
but in a flash the youngest Zana intervened, stretched out her
hands and covered their mouths so that they could not pronounce
the fatal words. She called out, "May God damn you, sisters.
What could this young bride possibly do to us if we told her
of our power? She is a human, we are Zanas. She is of the earth,
we are of the heavens and earth. She is our prisoner, we are
the rulers. She has given us her word of honour and we must not
doubt it. She breaks our bread for us and brings us our water.
We must tell her the truth."
The elder Zanas stepped back. The youngest
one turned to the bride and said, "Listen, daughter of man,
we have three wild goats with golden horns grazing in the Green
Valleys. No one on earth can capture these goats because they
are so light footed and can jump from rock to rock and leap from
cliff to cliff. Even the bears and wolves fear them because they
attack with their golden horns. But if someone were to capture
them I shudder at the thought we would have no more power.
We would no longer be able to fly and turn humans to stone. We
would be women like all the others." When the bride heard
this, she smiled, sat down and ate dinner with them as usual.
When the three Zanas had finished their
meal, they refreshed themselves in the spring, picked flowers
and made wreathes of them which they placed on their heads. Then
they sang and danced. The moon and the stars looked down upon
them from above. Mujo's bride watched them from below. The oaks
and beeches made no sound. When the three Zanas had finished
singing and dancing they joined hands and returned quickly to
their cavern. Silence reigned.
When the new day dawned and the Zanas
were still asleep, Mujo's bride rose, took her water jug and
went to the spring. There she found Mujo waiting for her. He
was delighted to see her. "You have survived, I see."
"Yes, I was almost turned to stone. But ask no more questions.
I know you are brave, but they are mountain Zanas and have tremendous
power." "And where do they get their power?" Mujo
asked. The maiden then told him about the three wild goats with
the golden horns. Mujo listened attentively and said, "I
understand, maiden. Now it is my turn. Go back to the Zanas,
wait there and do not be afraid. Simply pretend you know nothing.
I will return to fetch you safe and sound. I will also bring
your attendants back to life and then we will hold our wedding
a second time with an even bigger celebration so that the very
mountain pastures will resound with the merriment. The Zanas
themselves will be your bridesmaids and accompany you in a golden
carriage right to my fortress." The maiden looked bewildered
and, though she was not too sure, she believed him. She had to
smile, however, at the thought of the Zanas with her in the bridal
carriage.
Mujo waited no longer. He said farewell,
mounted his steed and rode off to Jutbina. He stood in the middle
of the square and shouted at the top of his voice so that all
of the Krahina could hear him, "Listen to me, men! Gjeto
Basho Mujo is speaking to you. Let all brave hunters come to
my fortress tonight with their hounds. I will give you as much
to eat and drink as your hearts desire, and tomorrow we will
set off for the hunt. Do you hear me?" Then he returned
home, slaughtered sheep and lambs, had bread baked and the ovens
heated. As soon as they heard Mujo's call, three hundred brave
hunters gathered with over a thousand hounds and marched towards
Mujo's fortress. "You called, Mujo?" "Yes, my
brothers, I called you. Come in!" Mujo received them cordially
and invited them to dinner. He asked Halil to take out his lahuta
and play for their entertainment.
At the break of dawn, Mujo said to his
friends, "Listen, hunters, to why I have called you. There
are three wild goats with golden horns grazing in the Green Valleys.
I want to take these three goats alive. We will therefore encircle
the mountain pastures and hunt them until they tire and fall
into our hands. But take care to use neither arrow nor lance,
for if you wound or kill them, none of you will ever return to
Jutbina alive." "We shall do as you order, Mujo,"
replied the hunters.
Mujo then led them into the Green Valleys.
There they encircled the mountain pastures and took up their
positions. There was no room for even a bird to escape. Mujo
entered the circle with a few light footed friends and some of
the hounds. The others lay in wait. Then, sounding their horns
unceasingly, the hunters pursued the goats from rock to rock
and from cliff to cliff. The very mountain pastures trembled.
When three days and three nights had passed, the goats grew tired,
fell to the ground and lay their heads on the earth to rest.
Mujo thus captured them alive, took them back to Jutbina and
locked them up in a pen, bringing them fresh grass and water
from the mountain pastures. He invited the hunters to dine with
him once more, gave them presents and bid them farewell.
And what happened up on the mountain
pastures? The mountain Zanas suddenly lost their power. They
tried to fly but they could not. Their bodies had become stiff
and heavy. They ordered the wind to blow through the beech trees,
but it refused. They concentrated their thoughts on the wild
goats, but the goats did not come. The Zanas then set off to
look for the goats; they searched the valleys and the cliffs,
but the goats were nowhere to be seen. The eldest Zana clapped
her hands and said, "Zanas, my dear Zanas of the mountain
cliffs, someone has captured our goats!" Mujo's bride smiled.
"Listen to me, Zanas, I have something to tell you. Gjeto
Basho Mujo send his greetings and tells you that since you stole
his bride and turned his attendants and their horses to stone,
he has captured your goats and is holding them hostage."
When the Zanas heard this, they tried
to turn the bride to stone, but they could not for their power
had dissipated. They then set off for Jutbina, though not in
flight, but on foot like human beings. Their feet were battered
by the stones and roots of trees on the way. Thorns scratched
their hands. And so they arrived at Mujo's door. "Mujo,
have you taken our goats prisoner?" "Yes, I have captured
them and locked them up in my pen. They receive fresh grass and
spring water." With tears in her eyes, the eldest Zana then
begged him, "We are in your hands, Gjeto Basho Mujo. Either
kill us here at your house or give us back what is ours. Otherwise
we must perish. We will throw ourselves from a mountain peak.
But we are willing to give you back the attendants the way they
were. We will return their horses and bring them to you. We will
even bring your bride to your door in a golden carriage. You
will have them all as they were before."
Mujo answered calmly, "I do not
want the attendants. I am not even interested in the bride. Leave
them where they are, the attendants as stones and the bride in
slavery. I can find a new wife in the Krahina or in the Kingdom
of the Christians whenever I want. But I cannot let the three
goats go for I have never caught anything like them before, although
I have combed the mountain pastures many a time. When I remarry
I will slaughter them and feed them to the guests. I will hang
their golden horns on the wall to shine for me day and night."
When the three Zanas heard this they
broke into tears, moaning and groaning so that the very rocks
and trees took pity on them as if they had been women, not Zanas.
But Mujo was not to be moved. The youngest Zana advanced, wiped
the tears from her eyes with her hair, clutched Mujo's hand and
swore, "Listen Gjeto Basho Mujo, whenever you arrange for
a marriage and have a bride to accompany over the mountain pastures,
whenever you have a Baloz to kill, whenever you go hunting, whenever
you need a place to rest and refresh yourself, come to our meadows,
take your rest, refresh yourself or do battle. We give you our
word of honour that we will do no harm to anyone, that we will
say nothing harmful to anyone."
Mujo hesitated. He reflected a moment
and then said, "You are Zanas and Zanas you must remain!
A word of honour is a word of honour and a promise is a promise.
I shall give you back your wild goats." He then turned and
called to Halil, "Halil, release the goats from the pen!"
The moment the goats were out of the pen, the Zana's faces changed
and they regained their vigour. They transformed themselves into
light and flew off to the mountain pastures, leaving the Green
Valleys behind them.
There they returned to the attendants
of stone and their horses and brought them back to life as they
had promised, saying, "Arise and depart! We wish you a safe
journey. Return to Jutbina where Gjeto Basho Mujo awaits you!"
The attendants rubbed their eyes and said, "Oh, look how
long we have been sleeping!" They did not remember having
been turned to stone. They went to the spring, washed, refreshed
themselves and mounted their steeds.
In the meantime, the Zanas had placed
Mujo's bride in a golden carriage and taken her back to Mujo
in Jutbina. When the attendants descended into the valley on
their way to Jutbina, they began to sing and dance. Mujo and
Halil went out to welcome them. The mountain pastures echoed
with the song of the Zanas:
"Zanas we are and Zanas we remain,
A word of honour is a word of honour,
And a promise is a promise."
The song of the good Zanas resounded
from cliff to cliff in the mountains as a second and even bigger
wedding was celebrated in Jutbina.
Halil's Marriage
It was very cold that winter. The
sun shone but gave little warmth. The wind raged like mad against
the old plane tree in Jutbina. So much snow had fallen in the
mountains that the beech trees had almost collapsed under the
weight. Only the tips of the pines could be seen. The valley
echoed from time to time with the sound of avalanches roaring
down the mountainsides.
On such a winter's day, Mujo was out
hunting with his warriors when suddenly the weather changed.
A dark wall of clouds approached, blotting out the sky and the
surrounding mountain peaks and bringing with it new snow. The
warriors could hardly see one another as they descended into
the river valley because the new powder snow had covered them
in a mantle of white. The biting wind took their very breath
away, freezing everything in its path. But Mujo's fortress was
not far off on the riverbank and he invited them all in for dinner.
But how was Mujo to warm up three hundred
men with an oven alone? He brought out a jug of raki and a couple
of barrels of wine. "Drink up, my friends, drink up!"
he exclaimed. The warriors drank and could soon breathe freely
again for the drink warmed their blood. Then a meal was brought
in and they began to eat, converse and enjoy themselves as the
snowstorm raged outside and the avalanches echoed through the
valleys.
The warriors then turned to their host,
saying: "Mujo, we hope you will not take offense since we
are sitting here as your guests, but we wish to ask you a question."
"Speak up, men. I know that you are my friends so I won't
be offended." "Why then has your brother Halil not
yet married, Mujo? All the other men of his age are married and
have sons and daughters. It is not because of the money that
you would have to give him, is it? Or is it too costly for you
to hold a wedding? Your brother is often to be seen in New Kotor.
We are afraid that someone will ambush him and take him prisoner
to dishonour your family and outrage your clan."
Mujo turned to his friends, saying, "I
thank you, my companions, for having divulged your worries to
me. I can assure you that it is by no means a question of money.
I would not skimp if my brother were to marry. You yourselves
have brothers and know what a joy it is for a younger brother
to be able to make preparations for a wedding. He who has a brother
has two hearts. You are well aware that Halil goes to New Kotor,
but he does nothing wrong. He is a warrior and fights courageously
like a man. If ever he should cause dishonour to our family,
may he go blind. If ever he were to cause outrage to the clan,
may he be struck by lightning and may Mother Earth cast him out
of his grave the very first night." Halil
then rose and exclaimed, "By my brother and my sister I
swear that I would rather die than marry! All the women in the
Krahina and all the maidens of Jutbina are like sisters to me.
I will perish if I don't have Tanusha, the daughter of the King
of the Christians, for my wife. I saw her when we were allies.
No maiden on earth is fairer than she. Her eyebrows are like
the branches of the willow, her forehead is like the mountains
in the moonlight, her eyes are like black cherries, her eyelashes
are like a swallow's wings, her face is like a red apple shining
among the branches, her nose is as slender as a blade of grass,
her delicate mouth is like a blossom, her white teeth sparkle
like pebbles in the sun after a rainfall. She has the neck of
a dove, a body as slender as a fir tree. The skin of her hands
is ..." Mujo saw his enthusiasm and put his finger to his
lips, but that only made Halil more excited.
Basho Jono, an old bachelor, then proclaimed,
"We will all have our say here, Mujo! I, too, did not marry,
and not for want of money or friends, nor because I never found
a maiden. I did not marry because I simply did not wish to!"
Then Aga Dizdar Osman jumped to his feet
and addressed Halil indulgently, "Listen, my boy. Tomorrow
a great day will dawn for you. We shall send thirty warriors
out to find thirty fair maidens. You yourself can choose the
best one. Then we will celebrate the wedding and marry you off
properly..."
Halil interrupted him, "God forbid,
warriors of Jutbina! Where in heaven or on earth has a brother
ever married his sister? I have sworn to take the king's daughter,
Tanusha, and marry only her. Listen therefore to my words, warriors
of Jutbina! Up to now, I have lived a solitary life as quiet
as the grave and have not married. What makes you possibly think
that I would get married now?"
Halil then turned and cursed the mountain
pastures: "You are at fault, oh, lofty mountain pastures!
You are so weighted down in snow that I can find no path to reach
the Kingdom of the Christians! Oh, if only a sea breeze would
flow through the mountains and melt the snow to open the roads,
our marriage could be celebrated!" The mountains heard Halil's
cursing and rumbled in reply. The sea heard Halil's invitation
to invade the mountains and sent forth a warm gale. A dark cloud
approached bearing rain. Avalanches tumbled into the canyons,
the mountains echoed their roar. In three days time, the snow
had melted away and gushed down into the rivers below.
The nightingale sang in the mountains
and children frolicked once more in the meadows. The high mountain
pastures were covered in green, the beech trees began to bud
and flowers and grass grew in the valleys. Halil said to his
brother, "Mujo, give me your warhorse so that I can go and
claim my Tanusha." But Mujo refused. Halil was hurt by this
refusal because his brother's steed was as swift as a bird in
flight. But what could he do? He mounted his own horse and prepared
to set off.
Mujo's elderly mother scolded him, saying,
"What made you do that, my son? Why didn't you give him
your steed? If anything happens to him in the Kingdom of the
Christians you will never forgive yourself." Mujo suddenly
regretted his decision and called his brother back. He bestowed
upon Halil his warhorse and gave him a final piece of advice,
"When you reach the border with the Kingdom, Halil, let
the reins loose and the horse will take you directly to Vuk Harambash,
my blood brother. Tell him: 'Mujo sends greetings and asks for
money and arms to assist his brother in winning the king's daughter.'
Have a safe trip, Halil!" Halil mounted the steed, said
farewell to Mujo and departed for the Kingdom.
The horse and its rider sped like an
arrow, leaving the mountains and valleys behind them. Clusters
of fir trees and groves of beeches flew past. They travelled
for days on end, encountering no human beings. The sun proclaimed,
"Halil shall be under my protection." The moon too
bestowed its protection upon Halil. Even the mountain Oras declared,
"Halil shall be under our protection." The mountain
goats of the Zanas whispered, "Halil shall be under the
protection of the sun as long as it shines. In the dark of night
he shall be under the protection of the moon. May the Zanas protect
his weapons."
Halil was startled and wondered, "What
are these voices I hear among the pines? Can it be that the goats
are talking?" The reply was immediate, "Make no mistake
about it, Halil. We are not simple goats but three mountain goats
who live with the Zanas." Halil listened attentively and
said, "So this is the home of the Zanas! May your word never
be broken, oh Zanas. May my eyes be under the protection of the
sun, may my legs be under the protection of the moon and may
my weapons be under the protection of the Zanas who hold watch
and vigil."
When Halil had crossed the mountains,
he saw a mighty river. On the other side of it was a broad plain.
Halil descended from the mountain pastures to give his horse
to drink, but when they arrived the horse shied away, backing
off three steps. Halil then saw a human being leaning against
a cliff. When he got closer, he recognized that it was no human
being, but a mountain Ora herself. She asked Halil, "Where
are you going, young man?" Halil replied courteously, "I
am on my way to the Kingdom of the Christians to see Vuk Harambash."
The mountain Ora laughed, confusing Halil until she explained,
"Listen, young warrior, I know exactly why you have come.
I caught sight of you in the Green Valleys and learned to cherish
you like my own eyes. I have been watching over you for days
now and followed you here to give you my protection. You will
not find Vuk Harambash. He left the Kingdom many years ago. Come
over here. Can you see yonder mighty river? They call it the
Danube. Cast your eyes over to the other side, and look up there
at that shadow. Can you see the white tents? And can you distinguish
the red tent in their midst? Set off immediately holding the
reins of your horse tightly and it will take you straight to
the king's daughter."
Thereupon, the Ora vanished up into the
mountains. Halil rode further down into the valley as the sun
set and evening approached.
The nightingales up in the mountain pastures
wondered, "What is wrong with the moon, for it is not rising."
The mountain goats on the peaks responded, "Be patient,
birds. You have nothing to do but sing. The moon has other tasks
tonight. Someone is under its protection and it is accompanying
him."
Halil spurred his steed on and reached
the river. There he tied the horse to a young oak tree and approached
the tents in the dark of night. When he got close to the red
tent, he stopped and chose a spot to rest under a tree whose
roots reached the river. There he sat down and waited for midnight.
At the stroke of midnight, Halil drew
his sharp dagger, crawled on all fours up to the red tent and
cut a hole in it. Putting his hand through the hole, he touched
a forehead. It was that of Tanusha, the king's daughter. The
maiden was startled and screamed. Three hundred other maidens
rushed to her bedside, asking her, "Why did you scream?
You've never screamed like that before." "Go back to
bed, my good friends," replied Tanusha, "I simply dreamt
that something touched me and I woke up screaming."
The maidens went back to bed, but Tanusha
could not sleep. Suddenly, she noticed a ring rolling across
the floor. Picking it up straight away, she saw on it the image
of a young man. Tanusha wondered where she had seen the face
before and recognized it as that of Halil. Just as she was about
to speak, Halil said to her, "It is I, Halil. Do you believe
me?" "How did you get here? You must think you have
three hundred souls. But come in. Either we will escape for good
or we will die here together." Halil waited no longer, saying,
"Stay where you are for a moment!" Crouching in front
of the tent, he drew his sword from its sheath and looked around,
but could see no one. Then he entered the tent. The maiden took
Halil by the hand and led him into another room containing her
trousseau. There she took out some women's clothes embroidered
in gold and gave them to him, saying, "Put these on, Halil.
If they see you like that tomorrow, the king will behead the
both of us." Halil changed his clothes and looked just like
a maiden.
The next day dawned, dispersing the darkness
of night. The sun, which was protecting Halil, rose but shone
only faintly. The maidens had risen early to take their woollens
down to the river to wash. There they sang songs as did their
work. Tanusha, too, went down to the river with another maiden.
The two held hands and sat down on the rocks on the bank of the
river.
"Listen, Earthly Beauty," the
other maidens said to Tanusha, "where did that girl come
from who surpasses us all in beauty? Her eyes are like those
of a Zana, her forehead is like the moon, her body is as slender
as a pine tree in the mountain pastures. No one under the sun
is as fair as she." "Be ashamed of yourselves, all
three hundred of you!" replied Tanusha, "There is nothing
on earth without compare. She is a poor maiden and has been promised
to the Pasha of Dumlik. But the poor thing has no dowry. Her
father is dead and her mother gone. That is why she has come
to the king to ask him for money. But leave me alone now. Wash
your woollens and don't ask any more questions." Not another
word was said. The maidens washed their woollens in silence among
the rocks at the riverbank. Some of them even wept out of pity
for the poor girl.
But what was the queen doing in Kotor?
She had had a nightmare in which she saw a herd of three hundred
white sheep with a black wolf in their midst. A black wolf in
sheeps' clothing. On waking, she got up and went to the king.
"Arise, king! You have but one daughter whom you haven't
seen in a long time. Mount your best steed and go to see her.
I have had a bad dream." "May it not come true,"
replied the king. "In my dream," she said, "I
saw a wolf from Jutbina come and scatter the three hundred maidens
who are protecting our daughter."
When the king heard this he rose, put
on his boots and spurs, had his warhorse saddled and covered
with a coat of mail, and set off for the banks of the Danube.
When he arrived, he counted the maidens, one by one. There was
one maiden too many, the prettiest one, so he asked his daughter,
"Tanusha, your father is so happy to see you! But where
did this maiden whose fairness surpasses that of all the others
come from?" "She is a poor girl whose father is dead.
Her mother is gone. She has been promised to the Pasha of Dumlik
but has no dowry. That is why she came to me to ask you for something."
The king was deeply moved on hearing this. "We will set
off for New Kotor immediately," he said, "and take
the maiden with us." The king ordered his courtiers to mount
the three hundred maidens on horseback and set off with the whole
caravan for New Kotor.
And so they departed. Tanusha rode at
the end of the caravan hand in hand with Halil. They were surrounded
by soldiers so they had no chance to escape. Three days later
they arrived in Kotor. The three hundred maidens were given quarters
in the houses of the town. Tanusha chose the strongest fortress
on a cliff overlooking the sea. The fortress was built of polished
marble, twelve stories high and three hundred feet long. There
were verdant gardens with fresh water from which they could see
the sailboats out at sea. Whenever anyone entered that fortress,
it was as if his whole life was transformed.
Tanusha and Halil spent three days and
three nights there eating, drinking and amusing themselves. "What
shall we do to get back to Jutbina?" asked Halil. "Let
your horse go," said Tanusha, "so that it crosses the
sea. Then we will find a boat with oars and a sail. You row and
I'll manage the sailand we'll get back to the Krahina as soon
as a strong wind rises. Your horse will be waiting for us when
we get there so that we can ride back to Jutbina. I am afraid
to tell my mother, though, because I know her well."
When the queen saw Halil's steed galloping
over the waves of the sea, she was sure that her dream had come
true and that something had happened. She set off immediately
to see the king. "May God smite you, husband. Our daughter
has been in Kotor for three days now and neither you nor I have
seen her." "Well, go and see her then," replied
the king, "for I have no time. I have important affairs
of state to tend to."
The queen readied herself and set off
to visit the fortress overlooking the sea. She found the door
locked and called gently, "Tanusha, your mother is so proud
of you! Open the door so that I can see you, for I've missed
you so." The maiden trembled and whispered to Halil, asking
him what she should do. Halil replied, "Open the door and
leave everything to fate." But the poor maiden did not have
the courage to open the door and called to her mother, "I
can't open, mother, for I am ill in bed and am so exhausted..."
"I too was young once, my daughter. I often suffered what
you are suffering now. I give you my word of honour that I will
take care of you. But you must open the door first." The
naive maiden descended the staircase and opened the door.
But the queen was now more like a ferocious
monster than a gentle mother. When she saw Halil, she quivered
like a snake and let out a scream. "May God take your life,
daughter! You've filled the fortress with thugs from Jutbina!"
She slammed the door behind her and fled to the king, screaming
at him, "You're done for now, husband! The thugs of Jutbina
have taken over, seized the your fortress and blemished your
daughter's reputation!" "Calm down, woman! What are
you talking about?" shouted the king of Kotor, his cheeks
ablaze. He set off, gathered his soldiers, ordered them to guard
the shoreline and took the fortress on the cliffs by storm.
Halil offered no resistance. He was taken
prisoner and tied up. The king seized the two of them, Halil
and Tanusha. "So this is how you've dishonoured me, Tanusha?
How could you dare let this thug from Jutbina into the fortress?"
he asked his daughter. Tanusha was speechless. She threw her
arms around Halil and refused to let him go. "This is the
man I loved and still love today!"
But the king with his mighty army was
unyielding. He cast Halil into a deep dungeon and threw Tanusha
out into the streets. "So, daughter, may you perish in the
streets. That's what you wanted. My door is sealed to you. You
need never return!"
The maiden began to weep and lament,
and wandered off down the first road she saw. People came out
of their houses and felt sorry for her, but no one dared approach
her because the king had dispatched his sentries to follow her.
When Tanusha got to the edge of Kotor, she came upon a man called
Jovan who asked her, "Why are you weeping, my poor Tanusha?
I've never heard anyone lament the way you do. Come into my house!"
"Your invitation is in vain, Jovan. I cannot enter for they
have taken Halil prisoner. My father has expelled me from his
house and cast me out into the streets." "My poor sister,
who has caused you such pain?" "My own mother! Have
pity on me, Jovan. Send a message to Mujo telling him to come
to Halil's assistance at once. Otherwise Halil will rot in prison."
"I don't know any Mujo," Jovan replied, "but there
is a woman near here from the Krahina who will know where he
is to be found. Her fortress is at the end of Kotor. The one
with the new gate." Jovan then accompanied Tanusha up to
the gate. There they met the woman from the Krahina who had just
returned from a waterfall. "What has happened, poor Tanusha?"
asked the woman. "I wish my fate on no one else," the
paiden replied. "My father has thrown me out. I can never
return. And they have taken Halil prisoner. If Mujo doesn't come
to save him, I'm afraid he will perish. My father will have him
executed."
The woman, who was of good breeding,
consoled Tanusha, saying, "Take courage, Tanusha. If Mujo
is alive he will be here within three days and marry you to Halil."
She found a messenger whom she could trust and sent him straight
away to Mujo. The following day, the messenger, gasping from
exhaustion, knocked at Mujo's door and explained all that had
happened. Mujo listened and laughed aloud, saying as if Halil
were standing in front of him, "You stupid ox of Kotor,
did I not tell you that they would get you there? If the honour
of Jutbina were not at stake, I swear I would not move an inch.
But I must act to save you, if only for the sake of Jutbina."
Having said this, he climbed out onto
the parapet of his fortress and proclaimed so that all of Jutbina
and the Krahina could hear him, "To arms, warriors! Gjeto
Basho Mujo summons you! Come with me to do battle!" The
warriors heard his call and were at his side immediately. When
they asked what had happened, Mujo declared that Halil had dishonoured
them and had been taken prisoner in New Kotor. The honour of
Jutbina and the whole Krahina was at stake. The three hundred
warriors prepared for battle. The forests resounded and the rivers
grew murky as their horses sped onwards to New Kotor. Dismounting
at the seashore, Mujo positioned his companions in the bushes
and among the rocks, ordering them not to move or attack until
he gave the signal.
Oh, what a multitude arrived that day
in New Kotor! The king had summoned all his subjects to show
them something they had never seen before. A thug from Jutbina
was to be beheaded. Everyone assembled on a large square. It
was a Sunday. In the middle of the square was a handsome young
man, It was poor Halil with his hands and feet in chains. All
of Kotor had come to laugh and make fun of him. Halil stared
at them indifferently and suffered the humiliation in silence.
Finally the king rose to his feet, twirled
the tips of his long moustache, opened his mouth and said to
Halil, "Can you see death already, Halil? It is right beside
you. Have you ever been in such dire straits before? Can anything
be worse than death?" Halil responded bravely, "Listen
to my words, king. A man is never in a real predicament until
his final hour comes. But many things are worse than death. For
an Albanian, death is less bitter than betraying a friend after
giving one's word of honour or not having a crust of bread to
offer to a guest. And know, king, that no matter what predicaments
I was in before, I was all the freer afterwards. It will be no
different this time!"
The king looked at his subjects assembled
on the square and at his warriors surrounding Halil. He gave
a forced smile and said, "If you have a final word to speak,
speak it now, for your life is about to end at the post you see
beside you. We are going to behead you. And the same treatment
will be given to the other thugs of Jutbina."
"May God smite you, king, for only
God knows who this post is really for. You must know that we
Albanians are not afraid of death. Our ancestors taught us never
to fear death or die in our beds, but to look death in the eye
with a song on our lips and sword in hand. Such is the sweetest
of deaths for a man. Will you allow me to sing one last song?"
"Sing as much as you want, Halil. I would enjoy hearing
a song from Jutbina hearing it and laughing at it," said
the king.
They untied Halil's hands and brought
him a lahuta. He picked it up and began in a mighty voice to
intone a mountain song in his mother tongue, a language the king
did not understand. The people listened with great interest.
The king, too, was intrigued by the song and asked an old man,
"What is the song about? It sounds more like a war cry."
The old man, who understood Albanian, told the king, "He
is chastizing the sun and moon and calling upon the Zanas to
come to his assistance. And he is sending a final greeting to
the oldest of the Zanas as is the custom of the Albanians."
The king exploded with laughter, exclaiming, "Hey! There
are no more Zanas left. The sun is ours, and the rivers too.
Everything belongs to us!"
At that moment, a bird flew down from
the mountains and perched on the branch of a beech tree nearby.
Halil sang to the bird, telling it to send Mujo greetings from
his brother.
Gjeto Basho Mujo heard the song and,
thundering down into the valley, let out a strident war cry causing
the very foundations of the fortresses to tremble and a tidal
wave to swell in the sea. The mountains echoed as if a storm
had broken. Mujo's warriors rushed into battle letting no one
escape. The carnage began. The warriors tore at each other with
their teeth. The horses, too, bit into one another. The sea was
covered with bodies floating in blood. Gjeto Basho Mujo, untiring,
fought on in the enemy's midst. Halil called out to him, "Take
care not to slay the king, Mujo! Free me from my chains first
for I have sworn that he will breathe his last at this post."
Mujo freed his brother who rushed forth to take the king alive.
And the king was indeed to perish with his back to the post.
The warriors of Jutbina put New Kotor
to the torch and within minutes the whole town was ablaze. Mujo
went bezerk at the sight of the blood and showed no mercy, neither
with the fortresses collapsing around him nor with the burning
bodies. Three times the sun set and three time the moon rose
before the fires went out. Not a single stone in the town was
still in place.
As the warriors set off to return to
Jutbina, they turned to look back at New Kotor, proclaiming,
"Hear our words, city of destruction. We have razed you
to the ground! Should anyone ask you why, tell them it was because
a mother betrayed her daughter."
Thus Mujo saved his brother and Halil
married the maiden he loved, though she was now an orphan.
Mujo and Halil visit the Sultan
Mujo and Halil were the greatest of
heroes. Their spectacular deeds were known throughout the Krahina
and the Kingdom of the Christians. They had never let a Baloz
escape alive, they had never allowed a Christian king to invade
Jutbina, or any warriors, guerrilla fighters or pandours to cross
over the mountains from the Kingdom of the Christians. The two
had invaded New Kotor with their band of thirty warriors, had
done battle with the king, torn down his fortresses and set fire
to his palaces. They had carried off maidens and always returned
to Jutbina victorious with a song on their lips. When Mujo's
son Omer was treacherously slain, the two invaded Zahar with
their friends and put everything to the torch. Naturally their
companions often fell on the battlefield or were wounded in sword
fights. Such is the nature of war. Gjeto Basho Mujo had lost
seven sons up in the mountains, all seven of them as young men.
His beloved sons now lay under the grass among the beech trees
and were mourned for by their mother Ajkunja, by the birds and
by the Zanas of the mountain pastures. They mourned for them,
and all Jutbina sang of their heroic deeds, for Mujo's sons had
fought as heroes and died as heroes.
And what happened thereafter? Messengers
had been sent to Istanbul to seek the support of the Sultan.
They had taken gifts with them and had fallen on their knees
before the Sultan, adoring and praising him. "Sultan,"
they said slyly, "you are mighty and reign over land and
sea. Why do you not reign over Jutbina? Mujo and Halil hold sway
there and do whatever they wish. They block the roads and highways,
rob travellers and even murder little children. We beg of you,
Sultan, vanquish Mujo and Halil as you have vanquished the whole
world. Seize the two of them, behead them and hang them from
the walls so that all of Istanbul can see that they are common
thieves."
The Sultan accepted the gifts which the
messengers had brought and listened to what they had to say.
He pondered a while and then clapped his hands. "What are
your orders, oh Sultan?" his attendants asked, ready to
fulfil his wishes. "Give me paper and a quill so that I
can write a letter to Gjeto Basho Mujo of Jutbina." They
brought him some fine white paper, black ink and a sharpened
quill. The Sultan sat on a pillow on the floor and began to write
his letter. When he had finished, he folded the letter, sealed
it with black sealing wax and handed it to a Tatar. "Take
this letter to Mujo of Jutbina in the Krahina. He is to appear
before me immediately, otherwise I will send my army there and
dismantle his fortress stone by stone. I will pursue him up into
the mountains and hang him with a rope." The Tatar took
the letter, mounted his steed and rode like the wind to Jutbina
where he arrived sweating and covered in dust. There, he went
straight to the fortress of Mujo, knocked on the door, gave Mujo
the letter and returned immediately whence he had come.
Gjeto Basho Mujo opened the letter and
read it. He knit his brow and scowled. Halil, on seeing him,
exclaimed, "Mujo, I've seen you read many a letter but I've
never seen you look so grim. Has a good friend or blood brother
died? Has another Baloz arisen from the sea and challenged you
to battle? Or has the King of the Christians set off with all
his warriors, commanders and pandours to invade Jutbina? Don't
worry, Mujo! Jutbina and the whole Krahina are behind us."
"Be quiet or be damned, Halil. No one has died, no Baloz
has arisen, no foreign king with his warriors, commanders and
pandours has invaded Jutbina. But someone has made accusations
about us to the Sultan, saying that we are blocking the roads,
robbing travellers and even murdering little children. I don't
know what to do, Halil! The Sultan has written that I should
appear before him, otherwise he will invade us. It is a dreadful
situation indeed. We cannot fight the King of the Christians
and the Sultan at the same time. Should we barricade ourselves
in our fortress and fight until we fall? Or should we take to
the mountains and fight there until the Sultan and the King encircle
us together. We could fight as long as we are able and then throw
ourselves from the cliffs so that we don't fall into their hands
alive." "Do you know what we should do, Mujo?"
said Halil. "Let us ask our mother. She will give us her
advice." "Good, Halil, let's ask her."
They went to their mother and told her
what the Sultan had written, saying they did not know what to
do. The mother laughed, saying, "You will neither barricade
yourselves in the fortress nor take to the mountains, but ready
yourselves, saddle your steeds and ride directly to the Sultan
who is waiting for you. Tell him that what others have told him
is not true, that you do not block the roads, rob travellers
and murder little children. You are true warriors and only fight
with men on the battlefield." "The Sultan won't ask
any questions, mother. He will simply execute us. He will call
his moor and have him behead us right away." "No he
won't, because you haven't done the things he has accused you
of. You are not common thieves, but warriors. The Sultan ought
to know this, and if he doesn't, you must tell him so. Saddle
your steeds my sons and be off!"
At the crack of dawn Mujo and Halil shoed
and saddled their steeds, dressed and put on their armour. They
covered their heads in cloaks and let the tips of their moustaches
droop so that no one would recognize them as they passed through
the Kingdom of the Christians. They bandaged the legs of their
steeds so that they would limp. Everyone who saw them pass was
surprised. "Who are those Gypsies as big as oak trees, with
cloaks covering their heads and drooping moustaches?" "Never
seen them before," said the people. Everyone watched them
at a distance, but no one dared to approach. "Mujo,"
Halil asked, "why are we putting ourselves to such shame?
This is worse than death. Have we reached the battlefield yet?"
"Yes, we have, Halil." They dismounted, unbandaged
their legs of their steeds, threw off the cloaks and twirled
their moustaches. The people standing nearby suddenly recognized
who they were and fled, screaming, "It's Mujo and Halil,
Mujo and Halil!" They locked themselves in their cellars.
Now the two could continue their journey unhindered. They were
off in a flash of lightning, leaving a cloud of dust and smoke
behind them. The mouths of their steeds frothed and emitted a
yellowish smoke from which the mountain oaks caught fire. The
flames spread and masked the mountain pastures in their smoke.
Thus the brothers sped through the Kingdom
of the Christians and through the Sultan's empire on to Istanbul.
The Sultan's sons were awestruck at the sound of their approach,
saying, "What is that roar? Is it thunder or cannon fire
from the Kingdom of the Christians?" The Sultan replied,
"It is neither the heavens nor cannon fire. Mujo and Halil
are on their way. I have summoned them."
The two brothers rode straight into the
palace and dismounted. The guards were startled to see them and
wondered if they were human beings or oak trees, but let them
pass. Mujo said to Halil, "Wait here, brother, and keep
watch. If the Sultan calls the moor, you slay him first and call
me. The blood in Istanbul and in the Sultan's palace will then
be knee deep, for I am armed." As Mujo climbed the steps,
the whole staircase creeked and sagged under his weight. The
carpenters had to be called to repair and reinforce it. When
Mujo tried entering the hall, he found the door too small. Again
the carpenters had to be called to enlarge it.
Finally Mujo entered. The Sultan was
sitting on a pillow on the floor and looking at him in awe. "Is
it a human being or a mountain?" he wondered. Mujo's head
touched the ceiling, his thighs were as thick as the Sultan himself.
He greeted the Sultan courteously: "Greetings, oh Sultan!
I am Gjeto Basho Mujo of Jutbina. You have summoned me and I
have come. How are you faring, Sultan? How are your sons?"
The Sultan offered him a seat and asked him about Jutbina and
the Krahina, about his battles in the Kingdom of the Christians
and about the Sea Baloz. Mujo answered his questions, then grinned
and asked, "Sultan, are you going to call your moor now
to have me beheaded?" The Sultan stroked his beard and looked
quite surprised. "No, Mujo," he said, "why should
I call the moor? I had heard much about you and wanted to meet
you." Mujo sat a little while longer and chatted with the
Sultan. Then he said, "Allow me now to take my leave, Sultan,
for my brother Halil is waiting for me downstairs."
A hook on Mujo's trousers, however, caught
on the pillow on which the mighty Sultan was sitting. When Mujo
rose to leave, he dragged the pillow and the Sultan after him
right to the top of the stairs, without noticing a thing. At
the staircase he extricated the hook, left the Sultan sitting
there and descended. When he reached the bottom of the stairs,
he and Halil mounted their steeds and rode back to Jutbina.
Mujo Avenges Halil's Death
Halil was dead. The warrior who made
all of New Kotor and Zahar tremble and who was dreaded throughout
the Kingdom of the Christians as far as the Danube, had been
slain. His friends had buried him up in the mountain pastures.
Mujo was alone, bereft of his companion. The lofty mountains
too were lonesome, for the warriors' cry was no longer to be
heard. Only the cuckoo remained in a dried up stream bed, its
chant echoing plaintively over the meadows.
One day, a voice arose from the depths
of the earth and addressed the bird: "Cuckoo, oh cuckoo,
listen to my words! I am sending you a message." The cuckoo
replied, "I am indeed surprised to hear a human voice on
these solitary mountain peaks and yet see no humans. I am used
to being here alone, and to tell the truth, have never heard
a voice up in these mountains here. Where are you speaking from?"
The same voice spoke again, saying, "I am of the dead, cuckoo,
that is why you cannot see me. I lie under the earth." "But
who are you?" "I am Halil, brother of Gjeto Basho Mujo.
Listen to my message, cuckoo, and take it to my brother. Say
to him: Oh, Mujo of Kladush, I, your brother Halil, send you
greetings from the mountain pasture where I lie. I fear neither
wind nor rain, neither snow nor cold, neither thunder nor lightning.
But God has caused me to suffer great
hardship. It is Captain Kreshto of the Kingdom of the Christians.
Every Sunday, he comes here to hunt. Nor does he come alone.
He brings three hundred companions with him. They all stand in
front of my grave and vilify me, shouting: 'Halil, get up and
rise from the grave so that we can fight man to man! You used
to block the roads, do battle with us and frighten our friends
out of their wits. The whole Kingdom right up to the Danube trembled
at the very mention of your name. You slew many a warrior with
your sword, razed many a fortress and carried off many a maiden.
I have now come to avenge myself. I will never leave you in peace,
even in death!' So speaks Kreshto over and over. He stomps on
my grave with his feet and pounds it with his cudgel, never letting
my bones rest. Then he summons his three hundred companions and
they all stomp on my grave. I have told him, Mujo, that a deadman
is dead and cannot rise to do battle. I would like to rise, Mujo,
but I cannot. I lie six yards under the earth covered by a heavy
tombstone. If you wish to do battle, Kreshto, I told him, then
call on my brother Mujo and he will face you. If you are still
my brother, Mujo, rid me of this pest so that my bones can finally
come to rest. Have you understood, cuckoo?" "I understand,"
it replied from the bed of the dried up stream. "Bear my
message to Mujo. In our courtyard we have a withered mulberry
tree. Perch there and wait until my brother hears your call.
It may be that they curse you, but do not take offense. Will
you give him my message anyway?" "I will, Halil,"
replied the cuckoo. "I am off to Jutbina. Farewell Halil!"
The cuckoo spread its wings and set off,
flying straight to Jutbina. On arrival, it landed on the mulberry
tree and sang its "cuckoo". Mujo's wife heard the bird,
opened her window and shouted angrily, "Be off, bird of
ill tidings! A cuckoo landed on the mulberry tree at the same
time last year and brought us the news of Halil's death. Go away
or Mujo will come out and pluck your feathers." The cuckoo
replied in an injured air, "I have never been to this area,
nor did I bring you news of Halil's death. But listen to me now.
I come from Halil's grave in the mountains. Halil heard me there
and asked me to bear greetings to Mujo. He also gave me a message
and I shall not depart without having given it to him even if
you try to kill me."
Mujo heard the cuckoo and rushed out
into the courtyard addressing the bird gently, "Speak, cuckoo!
If you wish to enter our home, if you want anything to eat or
drink, please come in and stay as long as you like." The
cuckoo replied from its perch on the withered mulberry tree,
"No, Mujo, that is not why I am here. I have come because
Halil gave me a message for you." The cuckoo then repeated
word for word what Halil had told it. Mujo listened and said
to the bird, "Farewell, cuckoo! Greet Halil for me and tell
him that I will be there next Sunday." The cuckoo then took
to the air and flew back to the mountain pastures.
On Friday, Mujo went out onto the parapet
of his fortress and summoned his warriors to battle. All of Jutbina
and the whole Krahina heard his call, seized their weapons and
gathered immediately in front of Mujo's home. They asked why
he had summoned them and he informed them that they were to leave
Saturday to do battle in the mountains. He invited all the warriors
to stay with him and showed them great hospitality. They spent
the night at his home until Saturday came.
In the dark of night they set off, led
by Mujo, and rode up into the mountains, arriving on Sunday morning
at Halil's grave. There Mujo said to them, "My friends,
conceal yourselves on both sides of the road. That is the direction
Captain Kreshto and his band of three hundred companions will
take when they come to defile Halil's grave. Promise me that
you will not talk or fight until I give the word." The warriors
promised and lay in ambush, waiting silently. The only noises
to be heard were the wind rustling in the beech trees and the
murmur of the spring.
At daybreak, the call of hunters could
be heard in the distance. Then came a deafening roar as Captain
Kreshto appeared with his three hundred companions. He walked
up to Halil's grave, stood on the tombstone and stomped on it
three times, calling loudly, "Rise from your grave, Halil,
and let us do battle!" But he could speak and defile the
grave with his feet and cudgel no longer, for at that very moment
Mujo's deep voice resounded in the mountain. "I will give
you satisfaction, Captain Kreshto!" Kreshto froze and said,
"Holy God! What was that voice thundering in the mountains?
Has the deadman actually risen from his grave?" Kreshto's
three hundred companions froze too. Mujo delayed no longer. Drawing
his sword, he sprang forth. Kreshto tried to retreat but Mujo
slew him with one fell stroke. Once again, Mujo's voice thundered:
"Such is the vengeance for defiling Halil's grave!".
[from Mitrush Kuteli (ed.)
Tregime të moçme shqiptare (Tirana: Naim Frashëri,
1965, reprint 1987, 1998). Translated from the Albanian by Robert
Elsie.]
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