On Saturday, February 8th, the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation hosted a captivating webinar hosted by Judi Zivic, Chair of the Croatian History Series' Committee about Croatian Legends with guests, Vjera Zeljka Vugrin and Katarina Balen Kufner. The Croatian Legends will be the fourth episode of the Croatian History Series Committee.
The Croatian Legends webinar was seen by over 28 participants and both Vjera and Katarina shared their knowledge and passion for the Croatian history and folklore that have inspired and captivated Croatians of all ages for generations. Vjera introduced the webinar by thanking NFCA for allowing her and Katarina to showcase their "Hrvatska legende" project to revive and reawaken Croatian myths and legends to a modern audience.
"There are some legends that are deeply rooted in Croatian narrative and well known," said Faith. "We truly believe that legends no matter if they are built in history or fiction, they all serve an important role in every nation's heritage."
Katarina then led the presentation with a PowerPoint with incredible images of Croatian landscapes and legendary figures. The legends discussed were Legenda o Petru Klepcu (The Legend of Petar Klepac), Veronika Desinicka (Veronika of Desinic), Crna Kraljica – Barbara Celjska (Barbara Celjska the Black Queen), Senjski Uskoci (The Uskoks of Senj), Legenda o nastanku Hrvatskog grba (The Legend of the Origin of the Croatian Coat of Arms), Legenda o Picokima (Picoki of Durdevac), Rastocke vile (Rastocke fairies), Gricka vjestica (The Witch of Gric), Tajne otoka Lokruma (Secrets of the Island of Lokrum), and Rijecki Morcic (The Origin of Morcic of Rijeka).
Katarina shared in depth a research on the validity of the legends and particular regions where they originate. These legends also revealed various perspectives from Croatia's historical events including the Hundred Years War during the 15th century against the Ottomans and the Venetians and late Medieval witch hunts. Katarina shared archaeological studies of exhumed remains of various Croatian folklore characters including the skull of Veronika of Desinic.
The Croatian History Series is a committee organized by the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation by Judi Zivic. The committee's goal is to invite historians and experts of Croatian history and heritage to present virtual and in-person lectures of events in Croatia's history to an English-speaking audience.
The recording of the webinar can be found here ! (Password: J$0XEU+D)
Listen to Croatians Online here:
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