- BasCelik
BasCelik, also transliterated Bash Tchelik, (Serbian for "real steel") is the great villain of his own eponymous story, similar to the
Brothers Grimm 's "The Crystal Orb" (Aarne-Thompson type 552A), for he hid his soul in a crystal mountain, in an egg, inside a bird, inside a fox. He kidnapped the wife of the hero of the story and forced her to work as his slave. He was an old man bound to a wall, but when the hero filled his request for water, he became extremely powerful, pulled his chains out of the wall, and unfolded enormous wings. He immediately flew off and captured the man's wife, for she was the daughter of the king who had imprisoned him. The husband was only able to defeat BasCelik with favors from his brothers-in-law, animal kings.Bash-Chelik is a Turkish word and it means Iron Head. Bash-Chelik is also a first Serbian boardgame based on same folk story and Slavic mythology.
In 1950, BasCelik was the villain of "
Cutotvorni Mac " ("The Wonderful Sword", sometimes rendered "The Magic Sword", but not to be confused with the much laterBert I. Gordon film) a film byVojislav Nanovic . In this film, BasCelik could only be slain by a particular sword. In the original legend, no weapon could harm him. Only denying him water would reduce his strength.BasCelik is part of the
Monster in My Pocket series, appearing in the centerspread of issue #3 with the spelling "Bash Tchelik". There does not appear to have been a toy version, however.BasCelik is very similar, especially with the repeatedly nested items holding his soul, to Koschei the Deathless.
Referencess
*
Woislav Petrovitch . "Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians".Harrap , 1917.*
Alan Garner . "The Hamish Hamilton Book of Goblins". Hamilton, 1969.*Garner's version, by his own admission, is a free adaptation of Petrovitch's.
* [http://mywebpages.comcast.net/scottandrewh/bascelik.html Monster in My Pocket: The Scholar's Resource: Bash Tchelik]
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