Medveđa (Trstenik)

If you wish to know a bit about modern Medvedja, you can read about Medveđa (Trstenik) in the Serbian Wikipedia (ВИКИПЕДИЈА). It's not very informative, but the same goes for the entry on Kukljin.

Medvedja and Medvedja

Although Google has provided us with good tools for geographical searches, my maps of Serbia and other parts of Europe are still an indispensable tool for searching for places mentioned in texts on magia posthuma and vampires.

In connection with my posts on Medvedja and Kukljin, I think it's worth mentioning that some people have looked for 'Medvegya' in another place in North Eastern Serbia. Namely the Medvedja located on the Resava river, North of Jagodina (shown on the right side of the map below).

However, in the Visum et Repertum the ashes of the bodies are thrown into the Morava river, and it is also said that Medvedja is on the border of Turkish area. The Zapadna Morava more or less marked the southern border between the part of Serbia occupied by Austrian forces, and the Ottomans. Furthermore, the proximity of Kukljin to that Medvedja in my opinion is further evidence that this must be the correct 'Medvegya'.

And this is not the only evidence, because if you go back and look at contemporary lists of haiduk villages in the occupied parts of Serbia, you can find both 'Medved' and 'Kuklin' mentioned in the 'Jagodinaer Distrikt' along with other village names from the same area. So I am quite convinced that my identification of Medvedja is correct.

Kottwitz and Kucklina

Travelling East from Medvedja, passing through Velika Drenova which is known for its production of vine, you will enter a village called Kukljin (view satellite photo).

Kukljin is probably the Kucklina that features in the history of vampires, Kucklina being the village referred to by von Kottwitz in his letter on vampires (see my post on the Medvedja vampire case).

Von Kottwitz sent his letter to a doctor of medicine in Leipzig, Michael Ernst Ettmüller (1673-1732), on the same day that Flückinger and co. signed their Visum et Repertum. He enclosed a copy of the report and referred to another instance that occurred in Kucklina, i.e. Kukljin.

Two brothers were haunted by a vampire at night, so one had to keep watch over the other. The vampire, however, opened the door 'like a dog', but they succeeded in escaping. Soon both fell asleep, and the vampire returned and sucked one of them leaving a red spot under his right ear. Within three days he was dead.

On the following night, a haiduk who had just been buried returned to his wife and slept with her. Next day she told the hadnack that he had done so just as he had while alive, only that his semen had been cold. She had then become pregnant and had born a child of the size of a normal boy, but with no limbs, just a piece of flesh, that wrinkled up like a sausage after three days.

Von Kottwitz wrote to Ettmüller to hear his opinion on how to explain these tales. Could the phenomena be of a sympathetic or diabolical nature, or were they the effect of astral spirits?

As far as we know, Ettmüller didn't answer, but von Kottwitz's letter was published in various books, and other people, in Leipzig in particular, attempted to answer the question.

Below is the original text of the letter sent from Belgrade to Leipzig.

Hoch-Edler,
Hochgeehrter Herr Doctor,

Ich nehme mir die Freyheit, Denenselben einen Casum zu communicieren, welcher sich zwar schon vorlängsten, iedoch ietzo besonders in unserm Königreich Servien ereignet, welchen Ew. Hoch-Edeln aus beylegter Relation der an dasigem Orte von einem löbl. Ober-commando angestellten Commission des mehresten ersehen werden. Es werden solche Aeser in der Türckischen Sprache Vampyren oder Menschen-Saugern genennet, welche capable seyn, in kurtzer Zeit ein gantzes Dorff an Menschen und Vieh zu ruinieren, deßwegen fast täglich häuffige Klagen bey hiesiger Regierung einlauffen. Es hat sich noch ausser dem darinnen benennten Dorffe Medwedia, auff einem andern, Kucklina genannt, zugetragen, welches auch dasige Einwohner endlich bekräfftigen, daß zwey Brüder von so einem Vampyr zur Nacht-Zeit geplaget worden, weßwegen einer um den andern gewachet, da es denn wie ein Hund die Thüre geöffnet, auff Anschreyen aber gleich wieder davon gelauffen, biß endlich alle beyde einmahl eingeschlaffen, da es denn dem einen in einem Augenblick einen rothen Fleck unter dem rechten Ohr gesauget, worauff er in drey Tagen davon gestorben; und was noch abscheulicher, so ist ein gestern beerdigter Heyducke folgende Nacht zu seinem Weibe gekommen und solcher ordentlich beygewohnet, welche solches gleich Tages darauff dem Hadnack selbiges Orts angedeutet, mit Vermelden, daß er seine Sache so wohl, als bey Lebzeiten verrichtet, ausser daß der Saamen gantz kalt gewesen. Sie ist davon schwanger worden und hat nach gewöhnlichen Termino derer 40. Wochen ein Kind gebohren, welches die völlige Proportion eines Knabens, iedoch kein eintziges Glied gehabt, sondern wie ein pures Stücke Fleisch gewesen, auch nach dreyen Tagen wie eine Wurst zusammen geruntzelt. Weil man nun hier ein ungemeines Wunder daraus machet, als unterstehe mich Dero Particular-Meinung mir gehorsamst auszubitten, ob solches etwas sympathetisches, teuffliches oder astralischer Geister Würkung sey, der ich mit vieler Hochachtung verharre

Ew. Hoch-Edlen,
Meines Hochgeehrtesten Herrn Doctoris
gehorsamster Diener
Sieg. Alex. Fr. von Kottwitz,
Fähnrich des löbl. Printz Alexandrischen Regiments

Belgrad, den 26. Jan. 1732.