II. IN THE LAND OF HRVUATS

210. The great cossiz, together with his warriors and warriors of the imperial army who wanted to come along, were pushing through towards the northeastern borders. Those borders of the fallen Empire were always guarded by Hrvuats. The Hrvuats were paid by the Emperor for their work. Now, when the Empire didn't exist anymore, the Hrvuats, together with their cossizs, have joined the great cossiz of the imperial guard on a journey towards the land of their ancestors.

211. Together with them also went the armies of other nations that used to live in the Empire, which were now fleeing from captivity. A few great cossizs of the people of Hyksos^[1], Sumerians, a few Polovtsians^[2], Varyags^[3] and Khazars^[4] also went with them. They took their women and children, their families and kin with them. Along the way, the messengers, riding on their horses, were informing the troops about what had happened and inviting them to join the crusade towards the homeland.

212. A cossiza after cossiza was joining them. They established a column that was made up of head, flank and rear troops. In the middle, there was the Emperor's widow, food, animals, and a few infants together with their fathers who served in the imperial army.

THE HERITAGE

213. After a few months, they arrived in a mountainous, rocky, stone, dusty, bare and poor land. It appeared as the mountains were touching the sky. A drought that ruined the harvest, fruits and vegetables every year, was even worse this summer. The land was all snapped, the grass was dry, and the trees were rusty red with dry leaves. There were some greener trees and grass left only near the streams and puddles.

214. The drought made their hard lives even harder. The warriors had spread out across the province. They went to their homes. They lived in komardas^[5]. Those were houses with stone roofs covered with stone panels, which were connected to the next one. Every komarda was divided into two parts with a knitted barrier or a dry stone wall. In one part slept the kids and the elderly, and in other husbands with their wives. In every house, there were one or two women, fifteen to twenty younger and older kids, a grandfather, a grandmother and a few aunts.

215. They lived off of what the warriors were getting from serving the Emperor, of a poor land and their cattle. What the warriors brought from the Empire was quickly gone. The harvest was poor. The men were exchanging their weapons for tools and were trying to make the most out of the poor land. But there was nothing left. The country was overcrowded. There were more and more hungry mouths. The hunger was getting stronger.

216. Hrvuatia^[6] was a country that was very cold in winter. There was a lot of snow and heavy wind. The spring would come suddenly, quickly, and everything would melt within a few days. The streams and rivers would flood, torrents were carrying everything in their way, quagmires turning into puddles, and puddles into lakes. It would last for a short time, and then the heat would dry out the land again. The wind was carrying the dust across the whole country. The streams would dry up or have only a small amount of water left in bayous and little lakes, which were artificially created by dams.

217. In the time of snow melting and until the heat comes, the grass was mowed and dried. They kept it in haystacks^[7] for wintertime. During this time they were cultivating and plating. When the droughts came, the cattle, sheep, goats, cows, mares and foals would graze. The cattle would start grazing in valleys, and then slowly moving up the mountains, because it was much colder there and the pasture was better.

THE TRAINING

218. The retired warriors and officers were taking care of the grazing cattle. In Hrvuatia, every male from sixteen to sixty years was a warrior and there were not many men at home, so children and young girls had to help with the cattle. The retired officers had one more duty: they had to teach children in their villages and settlements how to ride horses, carry weapons and take care of the herds. Every house had at least a dozen stallions and mares because there were many soldiers who used the horses in their service.

219. The officers were using calm horses for teaching the children, girls and boys how to ride. The children were taught to ride when they were five years old. They learned how to hold themselves and not fall from the horses without saddles. After they became good at riding, then they would start teaching them how to use a bow by shooting at immovable targets. Those were usually rabbit or lamb skins filled with hay.

220. Once they became good at hitting the immovable targets, they would tie the target to a long rope that was pulled by kids running. Later they would tie the target to a horse, it would first start with a trot, and later even a gallop while pulling the target much faster. All the kids, girls and boys, were very good shooters. It was very useful for them while they were taking care of themselves and the grazing cattle.

221. In the spring, they would take the kids, who were divided into fireteams^[8], squads^[9], platoons^[10], companies^[11], battalions^[12], brigades^[13], cossizas and great cossizas same as their fathers and grandfathers, to the marshes. There was reed growing in those swamps. In the spring, they had to cut it down. They would then carry it to the villages and use it for covering the roofs and eaves.

222. The officers were showing the older kids how and at which angle the reed had to be cut with a sword. The sword had to be sharpened with a whetstone, and then the reed had to be cut in such a way so it remained in the same position as where it used to grow. Only after they would master that, the officers would then sign them up for war cossizas. The recruits were very proud of their accomplishments and the children were trying hard to learn and master everything they were shown.

223. Every summer they had archery, javelin throwing and reed cutting competitions. The targets were paunches filled with grass and hay. The competitions were first held among the children in a squad, next in a platoon, then in a company and finally up to the great cossiza. The best one was celebrated and gifted with a beautiful recurve bow, a quiver with arrows, a sword with a golden pommel, a spear with a golden tip and a flag with gold and red squares.

224. The elders were responsible for horse combat training. Some of those well-trained horses were sold to China and exchanged for silk. The silk was then sold and exchanged for whatever they needed.

225. Among Hrvuats there were many blacksmiths making weapons, swords, bigger and smaller knives, wheel spindles, hooks for harness eveners, chains, stirrups and horseshoes.

226. Bowyers were making bows from several different kinds of wood: yew tree, cornel, ash tree, nettle tree and lentisk. The wood was specially dried to prevent it from breaking. It was kept in mud and water and soaked for three or four months. They used this wood to form bow limbs, which then they glued together and bent using hot steam.

227. Between the limbs, there was a grip with a sight. The limbs were attached to the grip by special pegs and glued. Before shooting, the limbs were strung with a bowstring. Before that, the bow was unstrung, loose, to prevent it from breaking and snapping. The front sight^[14] was the tip of the arrow. Those kinds of bows were shorter and convenient to use while horse riding.

228. Every child and most definitely every warrior knew how to make arrows. These arrows were special. The shaft^[15] was made of reed, which was pierced by a hot cord and polished on the outside. A triangular tip was attached at the front part of the spine, the shaft. At the rear, there was a fletching made of three feathers. Before the tip^[16] was attached to the shaft, one or two smaller lead pellets were put inside, which had to roll smoothly from one side to the other. On the rear end of the shaft, there was a nock^[17] that served as a support for the bowstring.

229. When the arrow was released, the pellets were in the rear by the fletching, and when the arrow hit, the pellets would suddenly move towards the tip and produce a much stronger hit. Many times, the pellets would burst out the tip, which would then remain stuck in the target. If they didn't have wrought tips, they used the tips made of bone, a large thorn or a sharp stone. With such children’s customs and habits, the cossizas always had an inflow of new warriors who were very soon adapting and becoming skilled in real combat.

230. During long winter nights, the elders^[18] would sit by the fire in the middle of the house and tell stories to the kids. They were teaching them about their gods Hor, Davor^[19], Dobrinj^[20], dažbog^[21] and Kiš^[22], who was very frightening. Kiš was a god who had no mercy for traitors. Every traitor had to die. The grandmothers were always saying: “Beware of Kiš, he doesn't forgive.” Beneath the Hor’s altars, there were always Kiš’s pits.

231. Every betrayal was revenged, no matter where the traitor had escaped. Spies were sent to find him and they would always, sooner or later, kill the traitor and bring his head to the leaders. It was a big shame to have a traitor in the kin, so everyone was very cautious. Since a very young age, kids were taught to be quiet and keep the secrets to themselves.

232. The experienced warriors and officers, who served in cossizas for forty and more years and went through a lot, were showing them scars on their hands, legs, cheeks and explaining where they got them. They were telling kids and anyone who wanted to listen how they should always be careful and never fall asleep or relax during the watch^[23], because it always comes back, not only at the ones who did it, but at everyone around them.

233. They were talking about how to attack, and how it is always important to dig trenches and rows at the front line, because that way the troop can always come back to the front line if the attack was called off. The experienced officers were telling about their tactics, their victories and why sometimes they lost and got beaten.

234. The old women were narrating stories about fairies, krsniks, maliks, wizards^[24] and elves^[25]. They were telling where the fairies are, what they look like and what they can do. They were also telling stories about mares^[26] and witches who create hail and destroy the man's efforts. Each one had her version of the stories and swore to the gods^[27] and goddesses^[28], and there were many among the Hrvuats. They also had many stories about dragons, which they called pozgajs^[29] and gomars^[30].

235. These stories were always scary and there was almost no child that wouldn’t get scared while listening and later sleeping in the dark and cold part of the house, away from the fire. There were three gods and one goddess that they never swore to, and those were Hor, Davor, Kiš and the goddess Aštur. Everyone was afraid of them because they were gods of war and revenge.

SEARCHING FOR THE NEW HRVUATIA

236. When the warriors came back to the homeland, Hrvuatia became overcrowded. The officers started talking about finding a new land where they could feed their families. They sent riders and messengers around the whole country and gathered an assembly.

237. At the assembly, they decided to send spies, with an order to find a land that is suitable for living. In favor for relocating also went that their neighbors, the Varyags, followed the river to somewhere far away, and it had to be better because they never came back to Amu Darja^[31] and Hilmand^[32], where they used to live. Some of the Varyags who stayed lived among the Hrvuats.

238. The spies, with many women among them, took the best horses and left. After they left the homeland, they decided to split into groups of three. Usually, it was two women and one man or two men and one woman together. They always stayed together. When they arrived in some province, they pretended they are poor and begged for money. The women would cover their skin in soot and wear dirty and ripped clothes. They went from one village to another and begged for money.

239. They would tell fortunes and were asking people about the harvest and pasture, all while keeping their eyes wide open and memorizing everything they heard and saw. Many times they were banished or even beaten up. They put up with everything and were slowly but surely learning more and more about the countries they passed through. Sometimes they would meet up with other groups and talk about their experiences, where they were and what they had seen.

240. They memorized the customs, celebrations and everything they heard about the rulers and their armies. This is how they prepared for coming back to the homeland, where they planned to talk about everything they saw in front of the headquarters. After a long time, they finally came back. They said they found a beautiful and flat land that is covered in grass and very fertile. They said that this land is sparsely populated and that the people who live there are nice and peaceful.

PREPARING FOR THE JOURNEY

241. At the assembly, the elders agreed they should move. Once again the messengers rode from province to province, and the runners ran from village to village. They were informing those who wanted to move to a rich land, to get ready and pack their belongings and their families, and prepare their animals and carriages for a long journey. They chose a great cossiz, who will command the whole journey, and also his deputy. They chose the commanders of all ranks: cossizs, colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants, sergeants^[33] and corporals^[34].

242. The cossiz was an older man, with curly gray hair in a braid. His face was dry, and his cheeks stood out on his tight and scarred skin. The muscles on his face were twitching with every move, revealing a serious and determined man who was ready to carry out his ideas and provisions from the assembly. His eyes were shiny, blue and full of life.

243. The way he looked at people, beneath his bushy eyebrows that protected his eyes from sweat, would scare them. He had a slim figure, and if he wasn't among his people, he would appear as very tall, but he was as tall as everyone else. He was seven feet tall and his back was two feet wide.

244. He was wearing a silky uniform that was ripped and carefully stitched in many places. It was a Hrvuatian custom to have a cravat with red and gold squares lined with a black thread, so he had it around his neck. It was a symbol of the commander of the whole column. A symbol that everyone respected.

245. Disobedience signified immediate death. His long sword, which he carried on the left side of his back, was always nicely polished, sharpened and ready for use. Above his silky brownish-yellow uniform, he had a red cloak buckled in front. His cloak was wide, with short sleeves. The edges were lined with a golden ribbon. His cloak was embroidered with silver and golden thread on the left side of his chest, as a symbol of Hrvuats.

246. He rode a tall, fast and slim light-grey horse. The horse^[35] was tense, fast and muscular and obeyed its master's orders. The saddle was made of the finest leather, embroidered with gold and silver. The breastplates, breeching and belly band were made of leather with gold buckles. Beneath the saddle, there was a saddle pad that was embroidered with red, black and blue thread and small pellets.

247. The gussets and pellets protected the horse from stab wounds during the battle, and also from ox horns at rest. Its hooves were polished and well protected. There were stirrups attached to both sides of the saddle that used for placing the feet and made riding, bow shooting and sword cutting much easier. The stirrup was very useful in battle.

248. His deputy was an equally tall, younger man with braided blonde hair. His cold blue eyes were moving around, watching everything that was happening. He also had a yellow-brownish silky uniform, and a cravat^[36] with red and gold squares lined with black thread around his neck.

249. He also had, as the rest of the warriors, a red cloak with a silver buckle on the chest, with the sleeves lined with silver thread. He had a black horse that was fast and fiery. Its muscles were tight and it could barely wait for his master's sign to fly away in a gallop.

250. Around them, on a red horse, dressed nicely as his people and covered with a red cloak^[37], rode a young man carrying out their orders. They gathered a journey headquarters^[38] that was just as important as the military headquarters, because they didn't know what could happen and how they should operate during the journey.

251. After everyone who wanted to move gathered together, the great cossiz assigned the front cossiza that will follow the scouts and inform the headquarters about what is happening in front of them. He also assembled the flank cossizas and the rear cossiza.

252. Children were in the middle, walking or riding in carriages. Babies were carried in baskets attached to the sides of horses and donkeys. Behind them were the efurs, engineers who were responsible for crossing the streams, rivers and lakes. They carried the tools for cutting and sawing the trees that they used for building the rafts, boats and bridges. Behind the efurica were shepherds^[39], who took care of the horses, cows, oxen, goats, sheep and camels that weren't used for transport or tow, but were kept in the back in case of need.

253. The Empress, two Princes and a Princess, who decided to come with the personal guard corps of their late father, the Emperor, were in the middle, next to the headquarters. They took care of them and guarded them as much as they could. They had their special covered carriage, and the best horses from the imperial stables, which the Hrvuats took with them when they were coming back to the homeland, just so Momuls wouldn't take them.

254. The Empress was an older lady who took great care of her children. The death of her husband and Momuls' victory was very hard for her. She never showed sadness and pain on the outside, but when no one was around at night, she cried and couldn't sleep. Even when she would fall asleep, she woke up in tears. She was always in a palace, first in her father's, and later when she got married, in her husband's, and she wasn't used to tough journeys like this one. She was extremely tired. Traveling, sleeping in carriages, the food that was prepared for everyone that she didn’t like, it was all making her even more tired.

255. They mostly ate porridge soaked in sheep or goat fat, barbecued meat, and bread that was baked every third night while they were resting. The bread was very good the first day, the second too, but the third day it would start tasting sour. They also prepared double-baked bread, that they had in every carriage. It was not supposed to be eaten, only in necessity, when it was not possible to bake fresh bread, when it was raining, during an attack or while crossing wide rivers.

256. The porridge was prepared in large kettles. The kettles were made of copper, and were coated with zinc on the inside. After every use, the kettles were washed and polished. Every time before cooking they were washed again because they would get dirty from the dusty road. They put salt in water and when it boiled, they would slowly add wheat and rye flour. It was cooked over a small fire for half an hour and constantly stirred, so it wouldn't stick to the surface. It was stirred with a large ladle made of maple that had a wide and concave end. The cooked porridge was then poured onto a board to cool down, and later cut into many pieces with a string or a knife. While it cooked, they added melted sheep or cow fat or olive oil. Everyone would get a piece and ate it joyfully.

257. The Empress used to eat much better food, so she didn't enjoy it, but she never complained. She knew that without the Hrvuats, she and her children would be imprisoned by Momuls, humiliated and killed by burning of the lower part of the belly and genitals with incandescent iron in front of the Momulian people. After they passed out, they would be locked and left to die with the guards in front.

258. The death was terrible because, as some people told, they died in terrible pain sometimes even a week after, surrounded by green-blue flies creeping around the burnt and bitten parts of the flesh, laying their eggs which transformed into worms, which were then slowly eating the skin and creating wounds with pus. The dying would beg the guards to cut their suffering short and cut their heads off. But the guards were not allowed to do it, otherwise they would die in the same way. Every day, children and adults would gather around, and throw little stones and horse pus at the convicts, splash them with piss and spit at them.

259. The Princes and the Princess were also devastated by the fall of the Empire, but they put up with it easier because they were younger. They quickly adapted to Hrvuatian culture and customs. The Princes became a part of the cossiza and started learning how to fight. They went on guards, rode in groups, went patrolling in early dawns and hunted for animals to feed their families. The Princess became friends with the cossiz's daughters and their friends. They always asked her about the imperial palace, the officers, the Princes and the envoys. They asked her about the life that she had at the imperial court and, as every girl, who she liked and who she wanted to marry.

TOWARDS THE NEW HOMELAND

260. At early dawn, the column began a long journey towards the new land. The journey was long. Sometimes they fought against the armies of the lands they went through. But the Hrvuatian cossizas would quickly take care of that. They were very experienced in war and fighting, and they could hardly wait for someone to attack or confront them.

261. They always changed their tactics. One time they sent the war carriages to attack by surrounding the enemy in three or four rows, showering the enemy with arrows and running them over with horses. Next time they sent the archery and cavalry. The archery would shoot arrows and then the cavalry would attack in a heavy gallop and cut the enemy with spears and sabers. The third time they sent the archery, war carriages and chariots.

262. When the enemy was strong, they would arrange the battle machines, throwers that threw rocks, stones and kegs with scorpions and snakes, crocks with burning resin and arrow firing catapults^[40] shooting heavy and burning arrows that were firing across the enemy's ranks.

263. Day after day, week after week and month after month, they endured the heat, storms, wind, rain and frost, while getting closer to the new land. They crossed and swam through countless streams, smaller and bigger rivers. The efurs had always, without mistake, done their jobs. They used trunks connected by rope to build bridges for people, oxen carriages and animals. Warriors would quickly cross on their horses and secure the bridge until the last man from the column was safe. The rear cossizas and spies would cross last.

264. While crossing the smaller rivers, they would build bridges on top of the boats, connected by ropes and covered with boards. They would secure the animals and carriages with floats made of inflated animal skins. Before the oxen carriages arrived at the bridge, they would unharness the oxen, horses and cows, and then the guys and men would pull the carriages over by themselves.

265. Across the bigger rivers, they used two ormanicas^[41] connected by a bridge and would place one or two carriages on top. Twenty or thirty young men on each ship would row and transport the carriages to the other side. Animals were secured by floats and forced into the water.

266. They used the biggest trees for building the ormanicas. They would cut the tree in half, place the ribs^[42] on both halves, and cover it in wooden skin^[43]. The plank formwork was sealed and caulked with bulrush, to prevent water from leaking. A deck was built on top of it all. They would fill the ship with water and let it stay for three or four days, and later when it was soaked, they would empty the water. On both sides of the ship were wooden oarlock mounts, and oarlocks that fitted inside, which were used for attaching the oars. On every ormanica rowed twenty to thirty people. Fins were attached to the sides of the ship and leaned towards the keel. They kept the ship steady and prevented it from tilting.

THE VOLGA, DON, DONETS AND DNIESTER

267. The ormanicas were long, narrow and very fast, so they could endure even the fastest rivers. They navigated along the rivers Volga^[44], Don^[45], Donets^[46] and Dniester^[47]. The whole province was deserted because of the plague that killed many people in that area five years ago.

268. The Scythians^[48], Antes^[49], Sarmatians and Rusyns^[50] were just watching while the Hrvuatian cossizas went through their forests, pastures, meadows and fields. They couldn't believe people like them even existed. The cossizas were very well assembled. Every warrior knew his position. They were tall, strong men, with shaved cheeks and braided hairs. They had broad shoulders and narrow hips, only muscles, bones and skin. Their cheeks and uncovered arms were tanned from the sun.

269. They had good, tall, groomed, combed, fiery and desirable horses. The rider^[51] and his horse appeared as carved together, like they coalesced into one being. Their equipment^[52] was shiny and clean.

270. Their armors were decorated with red and silver squares and lined with a golden edge. They weren't large, and each had a notch on the upper side. They used it for catching and crushing the enemies' swords. They had bent bows and quivers full of arrows with colorful fletchings, long spines and iron tips.

271. The bows were protected by special leather sheaths, hanging from the right side of the saddle. They carried their long swords on their backs. By their belts, they had two long and one or two shorter knives, one of which was very wide and served as a paddle for digging pits, and for throwing and flattening the soil.

272. Some had it attached to their belt, and some hanging from their saddle, a small ax with a long handle, called a hatchet. Warriors, older people, women and older kids all had one. Hatchets and axes^[53] were used for many things: cutting sticks and sticking them in the ground, cutting branches, cutting whips or digging holes if necessary.

273. Younger girls had bows and arrows, and short, wide knives by their belts. They all knew how to shoot. They usually hunted for smaller wild animals like rabbits, partridges, pheasants and roe deers. Every woman knew how to light a fire, skin the goats, sheep, horses and oxen. They knew how to make yarn, knit and tan leather.

247. Healing and wound stitching were special skills. In every village, there were one or two women who knew a lot about herbs, teas, healing and birth. In the military, every company had a man who knew how to stitch and heal wounds.

275. The wounds were stitched by the suturing army ants. The wound was examined, cleaned with wine, vinegar or sour milk, and then the two ends of the wound were pulled together. Next, the head of the large ant was placed on the wound, and after it bit, the ant's body was severed from its head^[54]. The head stayed in the same place, and then the same process was continued along the wound, until the whole wound was nicely stitched. The same technique was used for stitching the skin, and it was later covered with a compress, a cloth soaked in wax, and left for two days. The stomachs, bowels, skin and muscles were stitched this way.

276. On the third day, the compress was removed, and the wound was left open in the air and sun. The injured would drink some wine in which poppy seeds were soaked before drinking. After he drank this wine, he would fall asleep. They let him sleep for three days. After eight days the wound would heal and after fifteen days the injured was healthy again.

BETWEEN THE VOLGA AND THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS

277. After they arrived in the land between the Volga and Carpathian Mountains^[55], the great cossiz gathered an assembly and agreed with the people and their župans^[56]. They decided to talk with the people who already lived there, and ask them if they could settle there. They sent riders to gather the chiefs of Rusyns, Scythians, Antes, Sarmatians and others. After a few days, when the riders came back, the cossiz visited and gifted the chiefs and agreed about where they could settle.

278. As there was plenty of land, and it was black, fertile, flat, with no rocks and covered with grass, they agreed quickly. The Hrvuats had, family after family, kin after kin and tribe after tribe, settled next to each other. The whole families were nearby. They built dwellings, huts and stables from the stones, straw, clay and wood they found in the area.

279. Their houses had, according to the old custom, doors facing south, and the back facing north. In front of the house there were eaves supported by high beams, beneath which the dogs slept, and sorghum, hair grass and pumpkins dried. The sun, heat, light and comfort were on the south side, while on the north there were wind, shade, dark and ugly weather they didn't like.

280. They started plowing the soil, sowing grain, turnip, millet, sorghum and buckwheat. They continued feeding the horses, cows, donkeys, goats and sheep. The great cossiz kept his army that patrolled the nearby villages and protected the land they settled in. Very quickly there was a need for a much safer and stronger country. The riders rode all over the country and the messengers ran from village to village, inviting everyone to an assembly.

THE COUNTRY

281. Only one question came up at the assembly: “What do you think, do we need a country or not?” The family, clan and tribal governors spoke and discussed about the country and the leader, army, taxes and ways of choosing the leader. They decided to form a country, gather another meeting at the next full moon^[57] and through a game of bowls^[58] decide who will become the leader of the country, who will later choose his deputy. At the same time, they will choose the great župans and župans, great cossizs and cossizs.

282. The governors started gathering three or four days before the assembly. They came with their escorts, riding on their horses or riding in their war chariots. They were all dressed nicely. Their horses were combed and their hooves were polished and shod.

283. Every governor came under his banner that had a symbol on the top front part, five gold and red squares lined with a black line, the symbol that all Hrvuatian cossizas had back in the Empire.

284. People were standing all over the field and waiting for the assembly to begin. The great cossizs were standing on an eminence from where they could see everyone. They said that the great cossiz, the commander of the column should speak first. The man stood up, greeted all present and said how he thinks they should form a country because this way, without the real authority, they could be easily beaten and banished from the land they inhabited by some stronger armies. They all agreed with him.

285. After him, the second great cossiz stood up and said they should suggest someone among them that they think could be the new Ban^[59], someone who would protect and defend the country, and at the same time, defend the rights of every man. There were several suggestions. They played the game of bowls and, in the end, three of them had the most bowls together in one place. One of them was the great cossiz of the journey Striloslav, the second was his deputy Domagoj and the third was the young Jizdislav.

286. The great cossiz of the journey Striloslav was very honored. He said that he will, considering he was pretty old, assist anyone who was chosen. So Domagoj^[60] and Jizdislav remained. Domagoj was a middle-aged man, smart, prudent and not too impulsive, but very determined so nothing was ever hard for him to do. Jizdislav was young, full of life, he did his job well and the people liked him.

BAN DOMAGOJ

287. Domagoj won in the game of bowls. Striloslav greeted him and laid in front him a cravat with gold and silver squares that he wore with pride, and told Domagoj to give it to someone he thinks will wear it with the same pride and serve his people. Domagoj first told him to keep it, but when Striloslav pushed it away and said he was an old man who is not good for such a responsible job anymore, Domagoj gave it to Jizdislav.

288. Jizdislav looked around and said he will take it, but only if Striloslav will be his adviser and teacher until he learns everything. Striloslav agreed. That was how Jizdislav became the Ban's great cossiz. Next, they chose the great župans and župans, great cossizs and cossizs. They agreed on tax rates for each property and who will not have to pay. Later they spent the whole night under the full moon^[61], which lighted up the whole province, drinking, eating and celebrating.

289. The next day at dawn, they were preparing to leave towards their homes, one by one together with their escorts. The natives saw that the Hrvuats are serious. The Ban gathered them and told that from each home, one warrior has to enlist in the company of the nearest village. They divided the country into županias, the great župan had the civil, and the great cossiz the military authority.

290. Hundred houses made a company, three companies^[62] made a battalion^[63], three battalions made a brigade^[64] and three brigades made a cossiza^[65]. Three cossizas made a great cossiza^[66]. All the great cossizas were under the command of the Ban's cossiz^[67]. The Ban had the military and civil authority. The warriors, every fourteen days, on the day of one of the gods they celebrated, had to come with their horses, dressed in battle uniforms with food for three days.

291. Every village had a permanent connection to other villages by runners, and every župania by riders. Around the whole country, there were stations where it was possible to change horses. The stations were by the roads.

292. The Hrvuats were excellent blacksmiths. They made their weapons and tools. Their forgings were known around the whole area. Their weapons were made of the best steel that they produced in the foundries, using the iron smelting furnaces, and later smithed in the forges^[68] by using oil that they drew from the ground. After grinding it with the big grinders that were rotated by oxen, they would once again place it in the oil.

293. The chariot wheels had metal rims and iron spindles. The war chariots were iron clad and had bladed wheel hubs. This is why they were lighter than the enemy chariots, but just as efficient. Two times a year the best spearmen, riders and engineers from every great cossiza competed in arrow shooting; it was on the days of gods Hor and Davor, and the other time on the day of god Kiš.

294. Hor was the god of prosperity, abundance, family, and Kiš was the god of revenge, who persecuted traitors, and everyone who harmed Hrvuats or wanted to hurt them. Davor was the god of war, victory and weapons. They all had their sanctuaries at the same altar. The gods Hor and Davor were above, and the god Kiš was beneath, in the pit. Everyone who gave offerings to Hor, also gave to Kiš, because they were afraid of his revenge.

295. The priests of the gods Hor and Davor and the god Kiš were always close to the Ban and the Ban's cossiz, and helped them with advice and burnt offerings. They burned these offerings in honor of the god so he would help the Ban.

296. The life became a routine. Before winter they celebrated the god Dobrinj, the god of joy, abundance and beauty. On that day, young men and women were marrying, so the priests had a lot of work. The festivities were held at the Hor's field^[69]. The warriors would gather there with their families.

297. It was a custom to arrive in carriages pulled by the enormous grey oxen, with long horns and shod cloven hooves that could pull the carriages across the mud, rocks and thorns. These kinds of carriages that drove one behind the other beat the paths and roads that others could use too.

298. The oxen carriages were large, iron-clad and covered with linen rugs, which were soaked in bee wax that was melted in olive oil and didn't leak while it rained. Some carriages had double rugs with straw, hay or wool in between. The numerous families slept, drove and rested in these carriages. The warriors, guys, girls and boys rode on their horses around the carriages, hunted for wild animals and searched for other food that they used to find around the fields, meadows and woods they went through.

299. They baked the bread in quickly made ovens. They would dig a hole and light a fire inside. After one hour, when the fire was covered with coal and ash, they cleaned it and threw bricks, gravel and tiles at the bottom, which they bought and brought specially for that. If they didn’t have any bricks or gravel, they would put a wooden board inside and place the yeast bread on it. They would place another board on top, cover everything with soil or loam and light a fire^[70].

300. The fire was burning for one hour and then they would put it out. They would remove the loam, pull out the boards and clean them well. Next, they would take the bread out. The bread was nice and big, with a golden crust and ridges that formed while rising and baking, along which the bread was easily separated into pieces before eating. The whole family was having fun with baking. They used the same technique while preparing the meat, turnips, carrots, mushrooms and other vegetables.

301. The poultry was also baked in pits. Before they put the duck, partridge, goose, chicken or chick inside, they would cover it with two fingers thick layer of loam and then lower it inside. After one hour they would take it out, break the burned layer of loam and the meat was ready. The feathers would remain inside the layer. They used crocks over an open fire for cooking.

302. On the day of the god Dobrinj^[71], the field was full of chariots, horses, warriors, men, guys and boys. There were many, many kids. Women, girls, and younger girls were always near their carriages, preparing food for the family. The priest would blow a horn with three holes. In the end, he would cover the top two and leave the last one uncovered, so there was a sound coming from the horn that was spreading in a long melody. The guys and girls that were ready for marriage would line up. The guys on one side, and the girls on the other side, each one opposite their partner.

303. The guys were dressed nicely, wearing white, long shirts^[72] reaching down to their thighs, girded with wide belts. Over their shirts, they had embroidered vests^[73] and black rough linen pants^[74], tied with belts beneath their knees, and the boots attached to the belt. On the sides, the pants had two wide red stripes with yellow thread in the middle, reaching from hips to the ankles. At the lower leg, they had decorative curls made of goatskin. Their faces were shaven, and their hair tied in a tail that fell over either left or right shoulder. Over the vests^[75] they had cloaks buckled on their chest, thrown over one or both shoulders. Each had a cravat around the neck, with red and light grey squares.

304. The girls were also dressed nicely, wearing clothes that were spun, weaved and embroidered for many years. They had nice soft shoes^[76], which were tied around the ankle. Their white socks^[77] reached up to half of their lower legs. Wide skirts^[78] with heavy red hems reached down to their shoes. Around the waist, they had wide red, green, yellow and blue colored belts with embroidered roses. On their bodies, they had thin linen embroidered dresses and vests, buttoned beneath the breasts with a gold button. On their heads, they had embroidered scarves, decorated with gold coins^[79] or precious stones. Their hair was braided in two braids that were tied around their heads and resembled a crown.

305. When it was time for the wedding, the priest would take the bride from her father, and the groom from his best man. He would take them by the arm and bring them before the altar of the god Dobrinj who, happily decorated with every possible fruit, laughed from the above. He would take the bride's left and the groom's right hand, tie them with a band and tell them he is binding them with a permanent bond into a family. They should respect, love and help each other when needed. Next, while holding the band, he would take them to the white horses that were nicely decorated, bareback and covered with white sheets, waiting for them behind the altar, and after they mounted, the priest kicked the horses and the couple rode towards into a new life.

306. After two or three hours, the newlyweds would come back, say thanks to the god Dobrinj and give presents to the priest. In the evening, after all the couples came back, they made a big celebration and they ate, drank and had fun all night and tomorrow. During the night, the newlyweds would get a tent and no one was allowed to enter. The second day after the Dobrinj's day, the young women would line in front of the god Dobrinj, and put yellow scarves with green edges around their heads, which was a sign they were happily married. If some of them did not want to change the scarf, it meant she was not married and someone else could propose to her.

307. Older and younger girls were meeting young men, guys and boys at this celebration, and many of them came back the next summer to get married. This year the celebration of the Dobrinj's day was very lively and crowded. People were pleased. The families were full and happy. There was plenty of food. The harvest was good. The cattle were fed and fat.

308. They built dwellings, some used stones, others mud and wood, or mud and straw. The families, kins and tribes were close to each other, so warriors didn't have to go fight for others. They guarded their neighborhoods and if needed, the cossiza came and quickly made order. They lived in agreement with the natives, they socialized and married each other.

309. On this Dobrinj's day, Jizdislav was riding his horse together with his warriors, he was all around the field making sure nothing bad happened. The Empress Ištur and her daughter Ištar felt for the first time as they belonged with these people who brought them here and saved them from the imminent death. They were joyful, walked around, looked around the booths and tents and the stuff that was sold there. They were eating, drinking and having fun with everyone.

310. Jizdislav was always near them. He was telling his officers he has to guard them because he never knows what could happen. His officers and warriors were teasing him and saying that he is looking at Ištar too nicely and is in love with her. At the mention of the Princess' name, Jizdislav would blush and defend himself saying it was not true.

311. On the second day of the celebration, he got up early in the morning and went to their tent. He said hello and rode away. His warriors coughed and followed him. The Empress looked at her daughter and asked her if she likes Jizdislav. The Princess blushed, muttered something and went back inside.

312. The two of them walked, rode and looked around the Hor's field all day. They enjoyed looking and buying thingies that brought them joy. In the evening, people started playing sopile^[80], drums and horns. Young couples were preparing for the dance. The young men and women danced first, then it was time for their parents and in the end for everyone.

313. Jizdislav was standing on the side, watching Ištar. He was constantly looking at her. She seemed like a fairy. She was wearing a red thin sleeveless shirt, a yellow dress that was embroidered with blue dandelions with green leaves and petioles, and a red vest that was embroidered with black branches and white daisies. Her hair was braided in two braids that were tied with a red bow.

314. Her coal-black hair was untangled beneath the bow. Her cheeks were blushing. Her eyes as two bits of coal, outlined with thick lashes, and above them dark thick eyebrows, separating the forehead from her cheeks. Her small, slightly crooked nose and full red lips gave off her passionate temper. Her dimpled chin was pale and very charming when she smiled. She was tall and slim, with a slightly fuller behind that made her even more beautiful.

315. To Jizdislav she seemed unreal, an angel, a fairy, a woman out of this world. Three times he wanted to go and ask her to dance, but each time he gave up. Her mother that was by her side, saw that and asked her why is Jizdislav, such a tall, divine and handsome man, constantly looking at her.

316. Her daughter blushed and told her that he is on guard and that is why he is watching. Her mother thought it was funny, but she didn't say anything. She looked at the young man and noticed his nice and long face, with curly blond braided hair that was falling on his left shoulder. She saw his blue eyes with a piercing gaze beneath wide eyebrows, his broad shoulders dressed in a white shirt, a vest and a wide belt that was tightening his belly and holding his pants. He seemed to her as a young god.

317. It seemed to her as there was no obstacle he couldn't go over just to be near her daughter. She was happy. She smiled at the young man. Suddenly Jizdislav was next to them, her smile gave him confidence. He asked Ištar for a dance. Ištar's face blushed. She leaned a little to the front and nearly fell into his arms. Sopile played a dance melody. The guys and girls lined in pairs and each one held one end of a scarf.

318. The first couples started dancing. Their legs were flying, skirts swinging and lifting, showing underskirts and legs up to their knees. A couple after a couple was coming to the middle. The guys were spinning their fairies. The dance lasted and lasted, the youth didn't want to leave the dance floor. The musicians were getting tired, so they stopped the dance. Some of the older ones, who knew how hard it was to play sopile, brought them mead in a jug. They drank one after the other.

319. The girls and guys continued spinning on the dance floor for a little while longer, and then they went back, one after the other, to the place they danced at before. Jizdislav took Ištar by her arm and they went towards her mother. When they were halfway there, his officers shouted and started banging their swords on their shields. They surrounded him and followed towards the Empress. Jizdislav and Ištar were blushing and laughing.

320. The Empress welcomed them with the words: “Beautiful, beautiful, so partners find each other at the altar.” After the celebration was done, Jizdislav ordered his bodyguards to go and check around the field and make sure nothing happened. He chose the guards and left to rest in his tent. Before he fell asleep, he was thinking of Ištar.

321. She seemed to him as a fairy. He pictured her face, neck, breasts, body and beautiful long legs. He felt like he was in the sky, not on earth. He couldn’t sleep, he was constantly tossing and turning. He finally fell asleep and dreamt of his fairy, wearing a thin see-through dress^[81], and many veils flying around her body. She was spinning and dancing, bending and standing up, jumping and falling, standing up again and continuing her dance.

322. Her dress was moving up and down, revealing and hiding the most beautiful parts of her body. In one moment she kissed him and pulled him closer, she was happy. He held her hand, caressed her leg and back, kissed her until he was out of breath. He woke up all wet. He looked around himself. It was still dark outside.

323. He tried falling asleep again, but he couldn’t. He waited for the dawn and light^[82] with his eyes open. He got up and went to the stream, washed himself, put his shoes and clothes in order. He came to his horse, untied him, took him to the stream and let him graze. He was watching towards Ištar’s tent when one of his officers came towards him and started teasing him. He pretended he was angry, but laughed and told him to check the guards and let him know what was happening during the night.

324. After the dance, Ištar and her mother went to their tent. They lay down and talked for a little bit, and then fell asleep. Ištar was also tossing and turning and kept her mother awake. She heard crickets chirping, owls hooting and frogs croaking. Somewhere in the distance, a mouse was squeaking. In the end, she fell asleep.

325. She dreamt of Jizdislav wearing his battle uniform, with a helmet, hauberk, armor and the whole battle equipment, riding somewhere far away, becoming smaller and smaller, and suddenly disappearing in a cloud. She woke up frightened and told her mother about her dream and how she was scared for Jizdislav.

326. Her mother calmed her and told her it was just a dream, and that everyone who is in love is afraid for his loved one. The time went by. Ištar lived an ordinary life with her mother and brothers. Together with her friends she hunted for rabbits, partridges and pheasants, searched for mushrooms and roots, rode through groves and thought of Jizdislav. He was doing his job. He rode all around, but never forgot to come by, say hello and chat with Ištar and her mother.

327. Every day Domagoj was doing his job. He was giving commands to Jizdislav about where and what he has to do. He asked him about the situation in the županias. Jizdislav had to inform him about everything that happened, how the people lived, how was the harvest, how many cattle they had and how many horses were ready for battle. They were constantly, one or the other, checking on cossizas, brigades, battalions and companies. They taught warriors the art of combat and made sure they didn’t forget what they had learned before.

328. The people lived in abundance. The fields were rich in wheat, rye, grain, millet, hairgrass and buckwheat. There was plenty of turnip, carrot and red beet. Peach, cabbage and kale was growing like crazy. The cattle, cows, horses, goats, sheep and donkeys were mating and were fed and fat. Homes and stables^[83] were filled with youth, kids were constantly running around the villages.

329. Kids sometimes played with wooden marbles made by their fathers and grandfathers, sometimes they were flying around, playing the game of pupa^[84] and the game of goat^[85], hunting each other pretending they were pirates, but what they enjoyed the most was playing with peach pits in the time when the peaches matured. In the wintertime no one was worried about the food and drinks, and the animals were fed.

330. They ate sour cabbage, sour kohlrabi, sour turnip and carrots that they kept in outdoor banks^[86]. They cooked it, and sometimes added pork ham or ribs, dry mutton or beef. They ate in abundance, drank mead or beer, which they learned how to make from natives. The men and women were slowly getting thicker and were not so slim and beautiful as they were when they arrived.

331. The winter passed. The Vistula revealed its beauty. Fields, groves and woods were filled with green leaves, flowers and meadows. The fields were green and rich in harvest. They were plowed, people were sowing and planting what wasn’t planted in autumn^[87]. In July they reap wheat, grain and rye. They all went harvesting together.

332. The men brought scythes and the women sickles. They were all dressed in light clothes. The women were wearing colored embroidered dresses and white sleeveless shirts with red poppy flowers and wheat. The men had long pants and long shirts tied with a belt. The shirts had a hem that had embroidered wheat pattern. The men had yellow, and the boys green pattern.

333. Wheat was arranged in bundles and placed on carriages pulled by oxen, so the ears were turned inside and the straws outside. The wheat was brought home and was put in granaries, under the eave. While they were coming back from the field, they all sang together, laughed and were happy for the good harvest. Tomorrow, they arranged the bundles on a threshing floor and the four oxen, in two pairs, were slowly threshing the grain with their hooves. They were separating the grain from the straw.

334. The women, if the wind was soft and steady, were winnowing so the chaff was blown away by the wind, and the grains were falling on the mat on the floor. They did it twice, left the grains to dry, and later stored them in chests and bags for the winter. Every family had their own millstone, where they ground the grains and made flour.

335. The flour^[88] was swept with a hairy rabbit paw, and then sifted through a sieve. They used bran for the animals, and the flour for bread. The flour for the sweetbread was sifted through a special fine sieve. The bread smelled amazing and it was tempting. It was light brown and every piece was a foot long.

336. For special occasions, they made the sweetbread. It was a bread that was kneaded with milk in which they would also add six eggs and two spoons of honey. They also made cheese pies, with fresh goat cheese, oil, a few eggs and flour they sifted through a silky seave.

337. At the end of the harvest, they always had a big celebration. They made cakes of young grain. The top of the cake was incised, so it was easily split. The guys and boys would get a little cake shaped like a vulva, that was cracked through the middle, and the girls a cake shaped like two balls and a long horn^[89].

338. In the evening, they would thank the god Dobrinj and later they danced, ate and drank until late in the night. The summer passed and the autumn arrived. They prepared cabbage, turnip, carrots, millet and buckwheat. The barrels were filled with sour turnip and cabbage. A lot of carrots and turnips were buried in the ground so they wouldn’t freeze, and they were dug out when they needed it. They killed animals. The meat was salted and smoked. The winter was nice and not too cold. There was plenty of food.

339. Ištar and Jizdislav spent many nights together. They made sure no one saw them. They kissed and caressed each other. They talked as much as they could. They looked into each other’s eyes and swore eternal love. Several times Jizdislav was lying on his cloak near the wide river while waiting for his love.

340. The river flowed lazily, carrying sticks, grass and roots. Now and then, a fish would leap out of the water, and fall back in with a splash. At two places water created deep ravines. Jizdislav was thinking about what could be underneath, what is making the water swirl so much. There was a vortex that reminded him of a bow that he was given by his uncle, the great cossiz, when he was a little boy. That bow was so special that all the other boys, even the older ones, envied him.

THE UNCLE

341. In the first few months, the uncle was searching for a suitable wood. After he found ash tree, yew and cornel, he put it in saltwater to soak. He asked the smith to forge, using extra hard and tough steel, a band with little holes from one end to the other. The steel band was shaped like a very stretched triangle that spread from the middle to both ends. After the wood was soaked for half a year, he took it out and sawed it in slices.

342. He shaped the wood slices and glued them together. On top of a half an inch thick piece of yew, he put half an inch thick ash, and beneath, half an inch thick cornel. Next, he put a steel^[90] band, half an inch thick yew beneath, and again a piece of ash. He glued it all together, using the glue he made of mistletoe berries, bull tendons and sundew mucilage. He boiled it for a few hours, and used the hot glue to stick the wood slices together.

343. He shaped it nicely and placed the boiled horns of a four years old goat on the top, middle and ends. He used horn tissue to make the grip and the sight. He made the string from the skin of a young bull. In the middle of the string, there was a nocking point, the support for the rear end of the bow. The loops at the ends of the string were strengthened with a copper wire and nicely tied.

344. The bow wasn't constantly strung. It had long limbs, double bent from the ends towards outside, and around the handle towards inside. At the ends of the bow limbs, there were nocks to which the bowstring was attached before using. After the bow was made, his uncle, known as a good shooter, tried the bow for the first time.

345. He took the bow, caressed it, attached the loops of the string and drew. He loosened it, nocked the arrow from his golden quiver and drew again, locked the target, held his breath and the arrow, free as a bird, flew through the air. It whistled and then the sharp hit was heard. He looked and said: “good shot“. Jizdislav tried to draw the string. At first, it didn't go well, the second time it was even harder, the third time he barely drew and released.

346. The uncle was laughing, he said that he was also fooled when he first tried drawing the bow. For three or four days his arm, shoulders and backbone hurt, but he still practiced and practiced, drew and released, drew again every day until one day he learned how to properly draw, hold, and lock the target. Jizdislav practiced every day, drawing and releasing, and he never gave in, not even a little. Every day it was easier and he drew a little better. When he wasn't practicing, he watched his uncle make arrows.

347. The uncle cut the chervils that already put forth leaves and were good for use. Next, he cleaned, measured and cut every chervil. Later he took a glowing hot, long and very thick wire and pierced a hole through the chervil. He put the pierced chervil in salty water and let it soak. Two days after he took it out, he dried it and attached the fletching made of pigeon, goose or duck feathers at the rear end. The fletching was a finger long. The feathers were cut at an angle, as a wedge, narrow at the front and wider at the back, towards the nock. Every arrow had four feathers.

348. Inside the shallow part of the arrow, the shaft, he placed little lead pellets, which were nicely polished so they wouldn't get stuck while they moved through the inside of the arrow. He placed the steel tip at the end, a wedged tip with four edges. Next, he soaked the whole arrow and the fletching in melted bee wax and let it drain and dry with the tip down. He bought a soft leather quiver and a leather belt at the fair.

349. After it was done, he asked me how far I could draw the string. I answered that I can draw quite far, but my hands are still shaking when I hold it up for too long. We went to try it. I drew the bow. He watched how and how long I was holding it. He showed me how to look through the sight, and how the tip of the arrow is locked on the target.

350. He showed me how my eye, the sight and the tip of the arrow had to be in the same line. I nocked an arrow. I drew the string and locked the target across the sight and the tip. When I thought it was locked, I released the arrow. It flew and fell beneath the target. The uncle smiled and said: „Practice makes perfect. Now when you know how it's done, practice!“

351. Day after day I was practicing. The bow, the arrow and I became as one. My shooting was quite good. Almost every arrow was hitting the middle. I wasn't even thinking about the target anymore, I was drawing the bow and releasing without watching. The arrow flew and after I heard it hit, I opened my eyes and looked. I held the string and until my eye, the sight, the tip, the arrow and the target became one, I wasn't releasing. My uncle was watching me and he didn't say a word.

352. One day he came to me, and after I bragged about how I was hitting anywhere I wanted, he took my bow, nocked an arrow, drew and released, then he quickly took the second and the third arrow. While the first one was still in the air, the second and the third followed. All three, one after the other, hit the target. I couldn't believe how quickly he was nocking the arrows and hitting the target. I started practicing and practicing again. I tried drawing, releasing and nocking arrows as quickly as I could. At first it was hard, but it became easier with time.

353. After a few months, I became experienced. Three arrows were in the air at the same time and were hitting the target. In the evening, when everyone was sitting on sheepskin rugs together around the fire, I bragged to my uncle about how good I became. Tomorrow he came to the training ground with his horse. He kicked the horse, took out the bow, adjusted the bow while riding, took an arrow from the quiver, stood in the stirrups and drew the string.

354. The arrow flew and hit the middle of the target. He rode away without a word. Jizdislav knew what he had to do. Tomorrow he asked his uncle if he could take a horse and a saddle. The uncle smiled, he saw that his nephew knows what he had to do to become better, even one of the best among his peers. He told him to take one of the horses. Jizdislav saddled it and rode to the training ground.

355. He tried, just as his uncle yesterday, to adjust the bow while riding, draw and nock an arrow. It didn't go well at first. He tried many times. In the end, he made it, although it didn't hit the target. The arrow flew right past and hit a pile of sand behind the target.

356. The next day was better. He practiced and practiced. After a long time, he was hitting the target from his horse just as good as he did from the ground. His uncle watched him many times, hidden behind a bush. He didn't want to tell Jizdislav how good he was, he waited for him to brag himself.

357. One night by the sparkling fire, kids and elders were squeezing around, he told his uncle how good he was at shooting both from the ground and from the horse. His uncle looked at him and said: „We will see on Hor's day^[91], when the warriors compete, who is the best at hitting the target through the eye of the ax.“ He practiced and practiced. He became better and better.

358. He was hitting the target from the ground, walking and riding, not just from a trotting but also a galloping gait. He heard that the other warriors were also practicing. It made him practice even more. He said to himself: „If I am not going to be the best, I will certainly not be the worst.“

359. As the Hor's day was approaching, his uncle was spending more time on the training ground and they competed among themselves. Other warriors came and practiced too. In a short time, the ground was full of warriors and horses. Everyone was swarming and squeezing. There was no more space left for a good practice.

360. One morning, his uncle invited him so they went riding towards the river. There they made a target from an animal stomach that they filled with dry hay. They spent all day shooting from the ground and their horses. His uncle told him: „There is only a few days left until the Hor's day, so now we should rest and see what happens at the competition.“

HOR'S DAY

361. The Hor's day came. The day was perfect for the celebration. The dawn was bright, the sky without clouds. The Sun quickly lightened up the whole field. The youth and the elders, men and women were arriving, either walking or riding on carriages and horses, at the field beneath the Hor's altar and the pit of Kiš^[92], where they celebrated every summer.

362. While riding his horse behind his uncle, Jizdislav was looking all around. His uncle chose a spot for them. He jumped from his saddle, put his spear in the ground and tied his horse. Jizdislav did the same. Just as they tied their horses, the celebration began. There was a loud sound of drums, horns and sopile. The great priests of Hor, Davor and Kiš sang a song together with the people. Their voices resounded throughout the whole field.

363. The great priests burnt a young goat at the stone altar as an offering for the gods. The smoke was rising straight in the air. The fire was burning nicely and the sacrifice was quickly done. They sang a song of appreciation and gratitude to Hor, Davor and Kiš, who gave them an abundance of animals, grain, kohlrabi, turnip and carrot, and asked them for protection from the future evil and harm.

364. The women were taking coal from the altar and carrying it in crocks, so they could use it to light a fire in the fireplace at home. They would cover the ember with ash, blow it away every morning and that is how the fire was lit again. The horns, sopile and drums were playing again.

365. The Ban climbed on the altar. He thanked the gods Hor, Davor and Kiš, and all the other gods and goddesses. He greeted all present and called for the shooters who competed in shooting arrows through the eye of the ax to prepare. The Ban's personal guard corps cleared the shooting ground. They stuck spears into the ground and attached them with a rope. They measured a hundred steps, two strongest warriors placed a log in the middle, rammed an ax in it and took the handle out. Ten steps away from the ax they placed a target made of hay, with a round mark in the middle that was made of black goatskin.

366. The first ten shooters came to the line. Once again the horns blew. The shooters were ready. They were all middle-aged men, around seven feet tall and two feet wide backs. Their hips were narrow and their legs strong, they wore pants that were tied with the bootstraps around their shins. Over their pants fell a linen slit shirt, tied with a wide leather belt. Through the slit a wide hairy chest was visible. Over the shirt they wore leather vests.

367. Each had two wide knives and an ax, or a mace with several blades by his belt. The sword was over the left shoulder. The pommel was an inch away from the shoulder so it was easy to take it out from the sheath if needed. At the right hip was a quiver with arrows. White and colorful feathers were an inch higher from the edge so they were also easy to take out. In their hands, each had a strained bow.

368. The first shooter came to the shooting ground at the signal. He looked at the sky and muttered something. He drew the bow. He took an arrow from the quiver, licked the nocking point to make it easier for the arrow to separate from the string, nocked the arrow and locked the target. He waited some time with the drawn string, all the muscles in his strong arms were as tight as the string. Not even one muscle trembled, and then he released the arrow.

369. The arrow whistled, flew and in the blink of an eye, hit the target through the eye of the ax. The horns blew and the people started yelling and celebrating. The judge^[93] took the goatskin, placed a new one, and gave the first one to the shooter. His kin wanted to see the target with the arrow in it. They celebrated him and were saying that there will not be anyone better than him. One after the other they were shooting, each stronger and better than the last one. Some hit, some missed, some were angry, others were happy.

370. Sometime around noon, it was the great cossiz's and Jizdislav's turn. Everyone knew the cossiz and what an excellent shooter he was. When he stepped on the line, everyone silenced. He prepared his bow, locked the target, held his breath for a short time and released the arrow. It hit the target. The people celebrated with a scream. The cossiz bowed and moved over so his nephew could step on the line.

371. His nephew was a tall and slim young man, with narrow hips and wide back. His muscles were tense and his veins visible. He stepped on the line prepared, looked around, locked the target and, in the blink of an eye, released the arrow. The heavy arrow hit the target. He lowered the bow and looked. He saw the arrow in the target, which was still trembling from the hit. It all happened so fast that the judge nor the people could even see what had happened.

372. There was a big commotion, everyone rushed to greet and celebrate the shooter. He was shy and kept saying how he was not much better than the others. A few more groups were shooting after Jizdislav, and later they continued with shooting from the horses, but only the ones who hit the target in the first round^[94].

373. The famous warriors were shooting again. They rode horses that were skilled in battle and listened, stopped and turned at the smallest signals in any direction that the warriors wanted, they trotted towards the line and suddenly stopped. The horses were tall, muscular, athletic and fast. Some had white spots on their heads and white legs. Others were black as coal or grey with white and black spots.

374. Every warrior was proud of his horse and took great care of it. The horses were combed, shod, with greased hooves and braided manes. They had nice colored saddles. The decorated breast belts were cut into fringes with little polished brass bells and pellets hanging. The belly band was buckled and taut by a beautiful buckle at the chest, and the breeching wrapped in a thin goatskin, so it wouldn't chafe.

375. From the sides of the saddle hanged nicely polished brass stirrups on strong belts. The Hrvuats were known for the stirrups around the area. Beneath the saddle was a woven decorated saddle pad with fringes hanging from the sides. The ear net was also made specially for the battle horses. It was made of the best leather and beautifully decorated. The mouth was separated by a mouthpiece and two rings on the sides that helped the rider with controlling the horse.

376. The reins were made of strong leather or bull skin. Every warrior had a leather whip, with three or four brass pellets, wrapped around the wrist. The whip was more a sign of grandness than it was useful. The arrows were whistling, hitting or missing the targets.

377. In the end, it was Jizdislav's turn again. Five hundred fathoms away from the log he kicked his horse into a wild gallop, drew his bow and released the arrow. Through the eye of the ax he hit the target straight in the middle. The judge had unanimously pronounced Jizdislav the winner, the strilotus^[95]. That summer everyone agreed with the judges and there was no question about who was the best.

378. They carried Jizdislav on their shoulders and sat him beside the Hor's altar. The priests anointed him with holy oil and covered him with the most beautiful red woven cloak, with the hems embroidered with golden wire. On the left side of the chest was a Hrvuatian symbol^[96], five silver squares separated by the red color of the cloak. They gifted him a golden quiver, a decorated saddle, an ear net and a saddle pad. He was in heaven. His uncle was so proud of him, he could barely speak. He was mumbling: „the world carries on with the youth. “

379. He was interrupted from his daydream by a short whistle that he instantly recognized. It was the love of his life. He answered with the same whistle. He stood up from the ground and grabbed the horse beneath her. He took out the saddle with the saddle pad and threw it on the ground. Her horse neighed and went towards his. When they came closer, they sniffed each other and started eating the green grass together. Ištar jumped from her horse. Slowly she went towards the saddles on the ground. She sat on the saddle pad and looked towards Jizdislav.

380. He pushed the horses farther where the grass was better. He leaned and picked a few beautiful roses that were blooming around the river, arranged them together with the leaves and gave them to Ištar. She smelled them and said they were pretty. They kissed, dreamt about the future, looked at each other and kissed again. After a long time that seemed short for them, they took the horses, saddled them and rode away each in their direction.

THE HORDES

381. Jizdislav went to the headquarters^[97] and one of his officers told him they were looking for him. He asked why. They answered that some hordes robbed two Scythian villages and now they are expecting the Hrvuats will defend them. He told Jizdislav to immediately talk to the Ban who was waiting for him. He came to the Ban who was waiting for him in a big house.

382. The walls were decorated with weapons, horse equipment and saddle pads that were nicely woven, made of cotton and wool. The saddle pads were lined with an embroidered black and white hem, with red and silver or red and gold squares in the middle, the lower part was dark red, lined with black and white squares. There was a wide rug^[98] in the middle of the room, with leather cushions around, and a big silver platter in the middle that had foldable legs which were able to be folded while moving.

383. The Ban told him to sit down, and then he also sat on a pillow and briefly explained what had happened and what needed to be done. He told Jizdislav to convene the military headquarters, send riders and messengers and prepare cossizas for battle. Jizdislav got up, said goodbye, jumped on his horse and went to see his logistic officer. As soon as he arrived, he commanded to send rides and messengers around the županias and villages and to prepare all cossizas for battle. The messengers and riders were running and riding around the whole area, carrying their bloody swords and gathering everyone fit to line up in cossizas. After the great cossizs gathered, the headquarters meeting began.

384. The Ban's chamber was illuminated by torches^[99] in iron stands. The light was stronger for a moment and then weaker again, trembling and casting shadows around the great cossizs sitting around, lighting them up one by one with yellow light. It was constantly moving around the swords, spears, helmets and shields, for a moment lighting the hauberks and then back to the armors lined against or hanging from the wall.

385. The great cossizs were all middle-aged men with determined bony cheeks and wide backs, around six or seven feet tall. Their bare muscular arms were covered in scars and were resting on the handles of their swords covered in sheaths, which were nicely decorated with scenes of hunting and battle. The Ban came together with Strilotus and Jizdislav. In a few words, he explained what had happened and why he had summoned the headquarters. Each great cossiz cleared his throat and gave his opinion. After half an hour they all said what they had in mind.

386. They agreed to help the Scythian settlements, because the Scythians were now a part of themselves. They decided that Jizdislav will, with the help of the great cossiz Strilotus, lead the Hrvuatian cossizas. The great cossiz of the reconnaissance spoke in detail about the horde that attacked the Scythian villages. He said they are shorter people similar to Momuls. They are very fast on their horses. They are good shooters and very skilled with their sabers. They do not have war chariots, carriages and no infantry.

387. It is a bigger group that attacks without a strict formation and robs anything it finds. The spies were riding for ten days and haven't seen any bigger villages or camps. They are riding farther and will send information through riders every ten days, and inform about what they had seen and found. It was decided that every troop in Hrvuatia had to be on standby because no one knows what could happen.

388. The other cossizs from the eastern parts had informed about the situation on their borders^[100] and with their neighbors that were, except in the smaller areas, in peace. Jizdislav added he wanted to have Strilotus by his side, because he is the most experienced warrior in Hrvuatia and will give him good advice. After a few hours, the meeting was over. The next morning the first companies started preparing.

389. The high ranked warriors were in full combat readiness and were riding around on their tall thin-legged horses. They informed one another about where they could find more battle equipment. The smiths had their hands on shoeing the horses and fixing the chariots. A company after a company aligned and formed the battalions, brigades and cossizas. The officers were standing at the front of their troops on their horses. The logistic officers^[101] were taking care of the food and reserves. The efurs were placing the tools on carriages and everything they needed in case they had to cross a stream, river or lake.

390. The officers were checking on their troops. They checked the weapons, arrows, bows, short and long spears and swords. At the same time, they checked the horses and their equipment. The war chariots and carriages were placed on the side with a cossiz taking care of them.

391. Around noon the Ban and great župans came. The Ban’s cossiz commanded the lineup. All companies lined one behind the other. Three companies made a battalion, three battalions made a brigade, three brigades a cossiza, and three cossizas a great cossiza. At the front of every troop was a captain^[102] and his deputy.

392. Behind them were three messengers on horses, riding and carrying information when needed. In front of every platoon was a sergeant, and beside every squad was a corporal. Jizdislav arranged the cossizas. They assigned the head, flank and rear cossizas. In the middle, he placed the headquarters, efurica, logistics, war carriages and chariots. At his signal, the army moved.

393. They started in a walking gait, and continued in a trot. In the evening, without noise and fire, they fed the horses and lay each beside his horse that was tied to a short or long spear. The camp was enclosed by quite a large river on one side, and on the other side was a flat field. The night was calm and without any problems.

394. At daybreak, the horses were fed and watered. The warriors were ready, each with a canteen filled with water, and waiting for a signal to saddle their horses and ride farther. The daybreak was replaced with dawn. The command “prepare”^[103] came, a few minutes after came “mount“^[104], and then “walk”^[105]. The whole army moved as one. They started walking, and soon after they were moving in a trot.

395. They were riding in silence, patrolling the villages that the scouts informed them about. Before the dusk, they once again erected a camp near the river. They fed and watered the horses. They left them to graze for a few hours and then tied them. The warriors were lying on saddles and saddle pads and, tired after the whole day of riding, fell asleep. The guards who changed every few hours, haven't noticed anything special. One morning after around fifteen days they quickly rode forward. That morning was the same as it was for the last few days.

396. Around noon, the scouts informed that the hordes were robbing, killing and stealing around without formation. Jizdislav talked to Striloslav and arranged the troops into a battle lineup. He positioned two great cossizas on the flanks, the Ban's cossiza in the middle and three great reserve cossizas in the rear. Each great cossiza sent the flanking brigades on the flanks, which slowly flanked the area where the scouts^[106] discovered the hordes' camp.

397. The flanks were in battle with the scattered hordes' troops and routed them. Jizdislav commanded to ride in fast trot and to surround the camp. They came one verst away from the camp. The hordes' camp was alarmed. The warriors started lining up. They were rearranging all over, and finally lined up and prepared for defense.

398. Jizdislav sent the messengers on horses to the flanking brigades to command them to attack from the flanks and the rear. They will shoot arrows and after the last one is in the air, they will release ten burning arrows. Next, the Ban's and flank cossizas will release arrows and they will all gallop together towards the camp. The flanking brigades started the attack soon as they received the command.

399. A thousand arrows flew towards the enemy. At first, the hordes' warriors didn't understand what was happening. They were covering themselves with shields, jumping from the wounded horses and squeezing into larger groups, which made it easier to defend from the arrows. When the shooting slowed down, most of the army came at the bowshot in a fast gallop and once again filled the sky with arrows. A mighty “hurray” was heard and the cavalry galloped towards the hordes.

400. The warriors were rushing towards the enemy with their swords in the air. The war chariots and carriages were on the flanks, flying towards the ones fleeing, running over them and crushing them all over the field. The head cossizas met the flank cossizas in the middle of the camp. The warriors were looking around riding in a slow trot, checking if anything was still moving.

401. The camp was entirely destroyed, horses without their masters were either standing or walking around. The weapons, horse equipment and parts of the tent were scattered around. The warriors were lying around either dead or wounded. The wounded were crying for help in some strange language. The captains commanded to place all dead on a pile. The doctors^[107] will help the wounded and swath their wounds. They took the weapons and horse equipment. They took anything that had value around the camp and the tents, placed it on the carriages and cleaned the battlefield.

402. In the camp, beneath the ruined tents and dugouts were hidden more than two hundred women and girls and a hundred men in chains. They freed the ones in chains. The women and girls, because their villages were burned down and their families murdered, went with the army, some prisoners went in their own direction while the others also decided to go with the army. The prisoners were from all around the world. Some were from Russia, some from Turkestan^[108], Phoenicia^[109] or Egypt^[110]. They were all telling where the horde had imprisoned them and everything they had to do for them.

403. The Russians were strong men with long red beards and mustaches that covered most of their faces. They were dressed in long robes, long shirts and wide pants. They all had boots on their feet. Their heads were covered with ushankas^[111] made of sheep leather, with the top wider than their heads and around twenty fingers^[112] tall.

404. The Turkmens^[113] were wearing wide shirts tucked in pants. The pants were wide at the bottom and were tied around the ankle. On their feet, they had shoes without soles, bent in front of the toes. Over their clothes, they had embroidered kaftans that were very dirty because they worked, slept and lived in them ever since they were imprisoned.

405. The Phoenicians were wearing woolen shirts and were wrapped in long woolen robes tied with belts. On their feet, they had woolen socks and shoes of untanned leather.

406. The Egyptians were wearing sheep and goat skins, sleeveless robes overlapping around the hips that went down to the knees and wide linen belts around the waist. On their feet, they had some kind of leather shoes tied around the ankles. One of them spoke some Hrvuatian^[114]. He communicated mostly with his hands and gestures rather than his mouth. After the talk, he surely had pain in his arms and legs.

407. The scouts who knew several languages, and who always said: “you are worth as many languages you speak”^[115], spoke with the freed captives, argued and tried to learn from them. In the evening, sitting around the fire, they had fiery debates about all kinds of topics. The scouts always played silly, asked and listened more than they talked.

408. One scout was having a strange conversation with a Phoenician doctor. The scout claimed that the heart is crucial for life, but the doctor said that the brain is the one that decides about life and death. They talked the whole night and each kept his own opinion. After they already went to sleep each in his tent, the doctor still claimed: “the brain^[116], the brain is the one keeping you alive”.

409. They buried theirs and the enemy’s fallen warriors each in their pit. They skinned the dead horses, divided the meat, and burned anything they couldn't use. They put the prey onto several carriages and covered it with sheets. They let the freed captives go wherever they wanted.

410. The troops moved in a slow trot towards the river. There they erected a camp, set guards and waited for the night. On the second day, they went back towards the homeland. Now they were passing through populated areas, everywhere they were given bread and salt and were praised for chasing away the enemy across the border. At home, they had a big celebration on Hor's field^[117]. They had a drink^[118] for the fallen warriors that died in combat and later went to their homes.

411. Jizdislav washed himself, put on clean clothes and searched for Ištar. After he came to their home, the mother and daughter first asked him where their sons and brothers are. He answered they fought bravely and they only had a few cuts and bruises on their arms and were still celebrating with the young warriors. They saw he seemed fine and invited him inside. He jumped off his horse. He tied it to a short spear that he placed in the ground and entered the house.

412. He sat on a leather pillow and crossed his legs. The mother and daughter asked him how was the battle and what had happened on the battlefield. Jizdislav was not a man of many words. He shortly said that they defeated the enemy and chased it away from the eastern borders. He said he thinks no one would dare to attack Hrvuatistan^[119] again, because the word about the Hrvuatian warriors’ bravery and heroism will be heard far away, and it is not easy to attack these kinds of warriors.

413. They offered him wine. He drank a cup of red, thick, aromatic wine that Ištar poured him, then he got up, said thanks and went to the Ban's chambers. There the great cossizs, cossizs, colonels, majors and other officers who were not in service were already waiting for him. The first thing they noticed was how the Ban's court was small and how it should be widened and broadened, or a larger, wider and taller one should be built in which they could all fit comfortably. The whole chamber smelled of horse and human sweat and dried blood.

414. Many officers had their arms, heads, chests and legs swathed. Many of them were leaning on their spears and swords. The Ban came. He thanked everyone present for everything they had done in battle. They drank half a cup, spilled the rest across their shoulders and prayed for the fallen warriors. Next, they sat with their legs crossed on horse skins that were lined around the wall.

415. The victory^[120] celebration began. They brought ox meat that was grilled and spun on a spit skewer, fresh bread baked under a metal bell-shaped lid and wineskins filled with thick red wine. Some had silver, golden or tin cups, others thoroughly washed cow horns filled with wine. The Ban raised a toast to everyone, drank half the cup and spilled the rest over his shoulder, in the glory of the god Hor, Davor and Kiš. They danced, sang and celebrated for three days.

416. On the third day, they shared the prey. Families of the fallen warriors got the biggest part. It wasn't important if the fallen warrior was Hrvuatian, Sumerian, Hyksos^[121], Scythian^[122], Russian^[123], Avarian^[124] or Antean^[125], they were all equal and died for the same cause. All that was left they shared among the cossizas. To the god Hor, Davor and Kiš they offered a burnt offering.

THE GREAT PARADE ALONG THE DON

417. In the evening, at the headquarters meeting, with the great cossizs and great župans present, they agreed to organize a great parade where all the military units will attend. They decided that four great cossizas and the river fleet will march in three columns along the Don, and then in a battle lineup and riding in a ceremonial gait, arrive beneath an eminence where the Ban, his envoys, officers, notaries and the people will be waiting for them.

418. Jizdislav had his hands full of work and a head full of worries. He was preparing everything with the Ban's headquarters. First, he commanded the cossizas to inspect the weapons, war chariots, carriages and throwing devices. Next, the officers and warriors had to clean their uniforms, armors, cloaks, helmets and weapons. They had to use the best horses that had to be nicely combed, shod, with the eat nets, saddles and stirrups polished. The belts had to be checked, polished and sewn. They practiced their positions and who goes after who every day, all day long.

419. They argued about the war chariots of which there were five hundred in each cossiza, and also two hundred war carriages, on what side of the cavalry they should go, how much space should be between the companies and who will go on the left and who on the right side of the river. After they agreed about that, they now had to agree about the efurica.

420. They arranged three hundred slats on a flat floor, each representing one ormanica, and rearranged them many times until they agreed on the way each will move towards the eminence and the position where, one waiting for the other, they will line in two rows from one bank to the other, so the cossizas from the left bank could move across the ormanica bridge to the right bank, and then ride together in front of the Ban.

421. They took out the ormanicas that weren't busy transporting the goods out of the water by sliding them over round wooden beams, next they leveled them and supported with boards on the sides. They took out the boat hatches and the bottom boards from beneath the deck. They washed beneath the deck and left it to dry. From the outside, they burned and peeled the resin. They polished the rostrum at the front of the prow and cleaned the tall stem^[126]. They checked the chains and changed the ones that weren't good anymore.

422. They inspected the plank formwork, and replaced the worm-eaten ones with new. They took out the rudder^[127] from the gudgeons and cleaned it. They checked the metal rim beneath the rudder and replaced in case it was ruined with rust. They scraped, cleaned and dried the figurehead at the top of the tall stem. After everything was cleaned and replaced, they painted the whole ship. First, they painted the figurehead. The colors were vibrant and were seen from afar. Next, they painted the stem and the handrail.

423. They left the oarlock mounts in their natural color. Next, they placed the rudder back in place. They painted the sides of the hull and the lower part of the rudder in black. For this, they used black resin. They painted the spray rail in red and the upper part of the rudder in yellow. They coated the tiller with melted resin, just as the oarlock mounts. The deck and the entrances to the below deck they scraped, caulked and coated with resin. They did the same thing with the floorings on the bow and the stern.

424. They placed a keg filled with resin beneath the bow deck. A drum^[128] that hućban (drummer)^[129] was beating on and this way giving rhythm or huć (rhythm)^[130] for the oarsman was on the side of the bow. They scraped the oars and coated them in melted resin. They replaced the ropes and hooks that held the armors. After the ship was done and the coating was dry, they launched it and poured water over it so it wouldn't dry out. This way they fixed and decorated all ormanicas one by one. Every morning and evening they poured more water so the ships wouldn't get dry. Same as they did with the ormanicas, they also did with rowing boats^[131], small boats^[132], and skiff^[133]s.

425. They fixed all the war chariots and carriages the same way. The drivers spent the days cleaning, fixing and replacing different parts. The smiths had their hands full. They were replacing metal rims on wheels and wheel hubs, front and rear bolsters, wooden brake pads and tongue supports with chains. They greased the spindles and tested the wheels. They polished and coated in tar all the iron parts. They were afraid of an accident so they took off the hub blades from the hubs.

426. The warriors cleaned and repainted the shields. They replaced the straps, polished the boss and the chain of the shield. The uniforms were washed, patched and ready. The time was flying fast, and then suddenly the day before the parade came. In the evening, the moon was shining, spreading moonlight across the province. First, the ormanicas oared upstream. They arranged in a pontoon^[134] lineup and threw the anchors. Just before the daybreak, the cossizas marched. After they arrived at an agreed spot, two cossizas crossed on the left bank across the artificially made ormanica bridge.

427. The daybreak came. The sky was decorated in every possible color^[135], blue, purple and reddish to yellowy. The blue quickly turned blush, and afterward yellow. Behind the eminence, the first rays of the Sun were rising and quickly gilt the whole area. The colors of the sky were reflecting in the steady and idle river flow. The river banks were sparsely covered in shrubs of hawthorn, thorn and acacia. Every here and there were oak^[136], hornbeam and ash forests. There were few tall willow and alder trees whose leaves constantly trembled even with the softest breaths of wind.

428. They quickly dismantled the pontoons. They rearranged the ormanicas into a battle lineup. On the front of the first ship was the Ban’s plovban^[137], Ban's head admiral, who waved the flags as a signal to plovbans on other ormanicas. Korbans stood on the prows of their ships, giving orders to ojbans (chief helmsmen)^[138] and hućbans. Rugbans^[139] and their oarsmen followed the rhythm of the drums.

429. Jidban ^[140], head of the sails, was on the stern next to the ojban and helped him if needed. He was watching the flag, which was on a staff on the left side of the stern, and the torch, which was stuck in an iron stand on the right side and was always burning while the ormanica was on a military assignment. The torch was in a tin, attached to a handle made of thick oak. The tin was filled with sawdust, soaked in oil and resin mixed with salt.

430. On the right side of the ojban was a log with an ax stuck in. Nicely decorated shields were lined along the outside part of the ormanica and attached with wedges. From the inside wedges, placed right below the oarlock mounts, bows and swords were hanging. The oarsmen were sitting on benches. They were pushing their feet into footings embedded in the flooring beneath the bench. The Ban's cossiz, who was in front of the lined up great cossizas on the right bank, gave a signal with his sword.

431. The Ban's plovban waved his flag, and then plovbans gave the same signal. After korbans (captains) saw the signal, they answered and the parade began. On top of the eminence stood the Ban, župans, great cossizs, cossizs and commanders of the cossizas that weren't in the parade. Countless people were around the hill. Kids were squeezing on both banks and on the path along which the troops were passing.

432. In front of every cossiza was the great cossiz in a nicely decorated war chariot. Three horses were harnessed together. The horses were beautifully equipped, they had decorated collars with plumes on tops. The collar was decorated with gold and hoops of polished brass. The belts were made of strong ox leather, polished and coated with dormouse grease. The tongues^[141] were made of ash tree, painted in the same gold color.

433. The horses were pulling the chariots proudly, tilting their necks slightly to the side. Behind them were the great logistic cossiz and his messengers on horses, notaries and clerks. In a similar chariot, only in a different color, a few horse lengths in the back, was the cossiz with his logistic officers, five horse lengths in the back, in front of the regiment of war chariots, the colonel with his officers, and again three horse lengths in the back, the major of the first battalion of war chariots. He was followed by the officer of the first company.

434. After them marched a company after company in two lines. The horses were proudly, tilting their necks and lifting their legs high, with plumes^[142] of ostrich feathers on their eat nets, pulling their carriages at a walking pace. After the first battalion followed the second and the third. The war carriages were followed by the regiment of war chariots. In the front was the colonel in his war chariot together with his officers and messengers on horses, who were riding by his side on their beautiful young horses. Their saddles were decorated with gold ornaments.

435. Beneath the saddle, each had a saddle pad of cotton and wool that was embroidered and reinforced with pellets, protecting the horse from the spear, sword or saber stabs. Each had another equally equipped horse on a leash, beside the one he rode. Close behind went the first major of the war chariots, then the officer, and after them went the war chariots with baskets made of black boards that were used for protecting the shooters from the enemies' arrows. Each had four harnessed horses and two drivers. Each horse was on its own harness and could unfasten at any time. After the first battalion followed the second and the third. The war chariots were followed by the cavalry.

436. In the front was the cossiz and his officers. On the flanks rode the messengers. They rode on beautiful, tall, thin-legged horses with slim bellies and strong chests. Their uniforms fitted them perfectly. They marched and the horses and men seemed inseparable. A few horse lengths behind rode the colonel on a black horse with white shins and a white star on his forehead. The horse was constantly bending his neck, tilting his head to the side and lifting his legs high. He was not accustomed to walking because he was always trotting or galloping with his master.

437. Behind him was the major of the first battalion, a tall, slim, broad-shouldered young man with long dark mustache and braided hair, same as everyone else. Next rode the captain on his red horse with a black star on his forehead. After him in four lines rode the first company, followed by the second and the third. After the first battalion passed, the second and the third followed. When you watched, it seemed as they were all the same and, riding in rhythm their tall, thin-legged horses with broad chests and slim bellies, they seemed as one. While marching they swayed as waves on the sea.

438. The helmets that weren't covered with cloths were shining and glittering in the morning sun. The hauberks were accentuated on top of white shirts. The red cloaks, buckled on the chest and falling at the back, covered only half of the upper body. Each had a long spear in his right hand, leaning against the right leg that stood firmly in the stirrup.

439. Beneath the tip of the spear was a flag with red and silver squares that trembled and whirred in the wind as a swarm of bees. Each warrior had a sword on his back with a pommel sticking an inch above his left shoulder. A recurve bow was in a saddlebag and a quiver with arrows beside. From the saddle in front of the warrior hanged an ax, and a container with water on the other side.

440. The waist was wrapped with a wide red cloth with knives attached to it. The straps on horses were coated and polished, saddle pads washed, and the ear nets decorated with bronze pellets. Around the right wrist, each warrior had a whip with three bronze pellets at the end that were shining and glowing in the sun.

441. The first battalion was followed by second and third. Then again went the colonel, second and third regiment. After the first great cossiza went the second in the same lineup, and after them went the heavy machines, throwers, arrow firing catapults and battering rams^[143]. They carried the machines on heavy wagons pulled by long-horned oxen. The wheels were wide and had strong metal rims. The throwers were pulled by four oxen, arrow firing catapults and battering rams by pairs of two oxen.

442. The oxen were grey as mice fur and had light mouths. Their horns were long and bent, with bronze hooks in the middle of the horn. The cloven hooves were shod with bent shoes. Behind them remained a wide path, although the land was beaten from war chariots, carriages and horse hooves.

443. The spies were behind everyone. They were dressed in everyday clothes with black, grey and brown cloaks. They rode on horses, mules and donkeys. Their heads were covered with scarves tied at the back^[144]. Each had a container with water, a bag with food and a knife or an ax. They were not in line, each rode how he wanted and people always laughed at their stunts. Their commander had goat horns on top of his head and every time he opened his mouth, he was bleating like a goat.

444. Among the spies, there were also girls, nicely dressed in black sleeveless shirts, white dresses with black or red vests with a hem in the color of the vest. They rode on nice horses. Each had a recurve bow, arrows and an ax behind the saddle, a knife by the belt, and on the side, a folded cloak was tied within a hand’s reach. On the side of the whole army ran white, tall and slim hunter dogs^[145] with black spots, following the army wherever it moved.

445. When the ormanicas arrived at the mark, the trumpets, horns and sopile played. They quickly, waiting for each other, lined in two lines, threw anchors, connected and tied with ropes to the banks. The oarsmen laid down the oars. Then the efurs ran fast to set up the platoons and moved away. From the left bank, the first and second great cossizas went across the platoon to the right bank with their war chariots and carriages, the military machines and the cavalry with horses. Without stopping, they lined up in eight lines and went to parade in front of the Ban.

446. In front of the Ban, every commander and officer lifted his sword and cut the air towards him as a sign of greeting. While looking at the Ban he would walk ten steps, turn ahead and go to a large area they prepared for resting. The cavalry greeted the Ban by tilting the long spears towards the eminence where he stood.

447. The engineers stood on carriages near their machines and greeted the Ban by lifting their right hand and placing it on the left side of the chest. The spies greeted the Ban in their way and made the folk, and the ones on the eminence laugh. After the parade was done, the Ban and his troop of officers rode to the middle of the army. Once again, he praised them and thanked everyone for what they had done.

448. Throughout the field, oxen, lambs and goats were grilled and spun on spit skewers. They boiled fish and meat in cauldrons. There were big piles of bread on the wagons, it smelled so good and was luring everyone to eat it. They put away the horses, war chariots, carriages and wagons with machines and placed them under guard, and everyone else celebrated, ate, drank and kissed until the dawn.

449. After it all passed, they came back to their daily routines. They worked, hunted, plowed, fed the animals, celebrated the gods and were happy about life. Jizdislav and Ištar told her mother and Jizdislav's uncle, because he had no parents, that they love each other and they want to get married.

DOBRINJ'S DAY

450. It was Dobrinj's day^[146] and together with others, Jizdislav and Ištar stood before the Hor's priests. The priest married them. After the ceremony, like every other couple, they rode on white horses to a secret spot where they stayed for two to three hours. They came back to the celebration and then went to sleep in a special tent. In the morning, every woman changed her scarf and the new families went to the already prepared houses. The life went by in its old routine.

451. The days, weeks and months passed. The first snow fell, days became shorter. The shortest day and the longest night came. Then they celebrated the goddess of winter Morana^[147]. They offered a burnt offering in her honor. In the evening, they made bonfires throughout villages and towns, because the Sun needed the energy to start heating the Earth again and give the planet a new life.

452. The boys and girls made the bonfires. They threw everything that was left from feeding the animals in the fire. When the fire became smaller, they jumped over it and became guys and ladies. When only the coal was left, they baked meat, turnips and carrots over it, danced around the ember and had fun.

453. Women would take ember and carry it in earthenware to their homes, place it on the hearth, cover it and use it the next day for lighting the fire. While they ate, they would always leave a dish with some food next to the fire for the ghost lar who was the keeper of ember and fire. Beneath the roof, they would hang some dry meat for the ghost of the house, penate.

454. They built eaves covered with chervil or straw for the animals. Beneath it, the cattle were well protected. The eaves on the eastern side were lowered almost to the ground, and on the western side lifted and stood on davits and beams, higher than two fathoms, so even the tallest horses and oxen fit beneath, not just smaller animals.

455. As soon as the winter passed, they started plowing the fields and sowing wheat, rye and grain. When that was done, they decided to build a new great Ban's residence. They invited the people that used to build palaces back in the empire. They made a plan. They drew on boards what the residence should look like and what they will need for building. They outlined a large house on the ground on top of an eminence.

BAN'S RESIDENCE

456. They positioned the doors and windows facing south, and the back of the house facing north, according to old Hrvuatian customs they always followed. They flattened the ground, and while some were digging the foundation, others were bringing the stones by carrying them in baskets on large wagons, carving them and shaping. Others built a large kiln in which they burned roof tiles and bricks for walls, lintels and floors. Some of them were transporting carved timbers and sawn planks from the woods, which they first soaked in mud and water to prevent them from snapping, and later were stacking them.

457. They lifted the wood from the ground and placed slats in between the planks and boards. This way the wind was drying the wood, making it ready to be used in building and installing on the floors and roof. Others were building lime kilns in which they heated the limestone. They were quenching the quicklime by pouring water over it in a pit near the construction site. After it was done, they started with the foundations. On the left corner of the house, beneath the cornerstone^[148], they placed a small clay pot with a gold ring and a gold horseshoe inside, and then placed the cornerstone on top.

458. Then they coated it with mortar and started building. They brought the stones in carriers, placing them one next to the other, and the wall started rising. After the wall was ten feet tall, they built a cornice and placed the prepared planks on top. They placed the boards on top of the planks and made the floor. Next, the masons raised the wall for another eight feet and once again placed the planks and boards. Again, they raised the wall for another three feet and built a cornice^[149], covered it with boards and placed the roof tiles that they reinforced with mortar. From the inside they divided the house, downstairs, they made two chambers, and upstairs they made rooms for the Ban and his administration.

459. After they finished the roof, they placed a branch of an ash tree on the chimney that was in the middle of the roof and had a Lukanje celebration^[150]. For three days they were lighting a fire on the floor of the house and threw green pine and spruce branches in the fire now and then, so the whole house was filled with smoke. They did this in honor of the god Vojtuh who protected the house from collapsing. For good fortune of the house, they all drank a cup of wine and ate a piece of bread with salt.

460. They covered the floor with clay bricks. They plastered and whitened the walls, hanged up the confiscated weapons, horse saddles and ear nets and placed two crossed spears with long flags with squares in the middle of the wall. In the middle, between the crossed spears, there was a nicely decorated shield that the Ban wore in every battle. Large carpets and rugs made of ox and horse skin were around the floors. Leather cushions filled with wool were lined around the walls. On the walls, there were iron wedges that were used for hanging the cloaks and weapons when people came to a meeting.

HOROVO

461. When there was a matter of great importance, the Ban summoned the military headquarters^[151] assembly or the župans council^[152]. The main headquarters assembly was summoned regularly every month. The župans council, with only the župans attending, was in session every two months. The Ban's assembly, with all the great cossizs and great župans, was summoned every third month.

462. Around the Hor's altar, they constructed the palaces for the Ban, his administration, county halls and military quarters. As every month more scribes, officials, notaries, clerks, soldiers, guards, bodyguards and others were needed, they started building palaces in a second, third and fourth row.

463. Horovo, as they named it, was becoming larger and nicer. The župans were building houses in circles around the altars of the god Hor, Davor, Kiš, Dobrinj, Perun^[153], Vistula, Aštur and others that served as county halls across their županias. This way many new smaller and bigger towns were developed, and one part of the population moved from villages to towns. They were not able to cultivate the land and feed the animals, so each town had squares where they could buy what they needed.

464. Life passed in its daily routine. Ištar had a baby. The boy was as beautiful as a rose. She took great care of him. His grandmother cherished and pampered him. His uncles kept their eyes on him, and when he grew a little older, took him everywhere with them. After the first baby came the second, third, fourth and fifth. They were all beautiful and healthy. Their father and mother took care of them, taught them to be decent, hardworking and disciplined. The uncles also got married and had children.

465. They all lived close to each other and the kids played together. The grandmother was usually watching over them. Many times there was crying, fighting and tumbling. The grandmother always treated everyone equally. She would always scold and advise them. She told them stories and sang songs, and she knew a lot of them.

THE GREAT HRVUATIA

466. The kids were growing older, elders were dying. They kept their old customs. They ruled and judged by those old customs, and they celebrated gods and goddesses the same as their ancestors. The Hrvuatian nation grew thanks to every family having many children. As their neighbors were afraid of them, there were no wars and the population was growing. They crossed the Carpathians, arrived in Pannonia, settled around the Lake Balaton and spread to the Danube^[154], crossed it and came to the Drava^[155]. They spread across the Bug and Vistula, the Morava and Svitava^[156].

467. Governing such a large country from one place was not possible anymore. The central government was becoming weaker, so the župans and cossizs became governors in their counties. In principle, they all worked together and listened to the Ban, but there was little or no use from that. To communicate a command or a notice from the westernmost parts to Horovo took several months of riding, and the same was from Horovo to the eastern, northern and southern parts of the country.

468. The Tatarian and Momulian armies started pressing from the east. The Germanic, Vandalic, Gothic and other hordes were passing across Hrvuatia. The structure of the government was not so strong as it was in the beginning. The tactic became different. Now they were letting the enemy enter the country, and after the enemy spreads out and disperses, the companies would attack unit after unit around shallow river crossings, in estuaries, forests and ambushes. This way they would defeat the weakened enemy without suffering great losses.

---

[1] Croat. Hiksi, Eng. the Hyksos, founders of the Egyptian 15th dynasty; Asians who had political control over Egypt and ruled from the city of Avaris.

[2] Old Croat. Palovci, also known as Kipchaks in the East, Kuns or Comani in the West and Polovtsi in Ukraine, Eng. Polovtsians or Cumans, the Turkic nomadic tribes racially related to the Pechenegs. At the turn of the 10th century, the Cumans inhabited the southern part of Central Asia as far east as the upper Irtysh River. After forcing out the Turks, the Cumans migrated in the mid-11th century through the Black Sea steppes as far as the lower Danube River. The western Cuman tribes were in constant contact with Kyivan Rus’, Byzantium, Hungary, and Bulgaria (Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Polovtsians).

[3] Varangians or Varyags, Old Croat. Varjagi, Greek: Βάραγγοι, Ukrainian Variahy, Nordic warrior-traders who established themselves in Rus’ after first appearing there in the early 9th century. Known as Normans or Vikings in some parts of Europe, and Varangians in Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire. In the 9th to 11th centuries they served as key mercenary troops for Rus’ princes (eg, Prince Ihor, Volodymyr the Great) and also hired themselves out to Byzantine emperors (eg, Basil II). They occupied key administrative positions in Kyivan Rus’ and engaged in trade in the towns. The Varangians are associated particularly with the use of the Varangian route, which provided eastern access for traders from Scandinavia through Kyivan Rus’ to the Byzantine Empire.

[4] Old Croat. Harzi, Ukrain. Хозари; Khozary, Eng. Khazars, seminomadic, Turkic-speaking people that appeared in southeastern Europe after the expulsion of the Huns in the 4th century and lived in the area until the 11th century. They were the eastern neighbors of the eastern Slavic tribes and then of Kyivan Rus’ (Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Khazars).

[5]Stone house, cottage, Old Croat. komarda or buna, from byzantine Greek kamarda, cottage. Komarda was a traditional stone house on the Island of Krk built without mortar, with the roof layered with flat pieces of stone that overlap each piece at 1/3 its size. They came in various sizes, 4 x 4, or 2 x 5 meters.

[6] The storyteller is probably telling about Arachosia, Old Persian Harauvatiš, province (satrapy) in the eastern part of the Achaemenid Empire around modern Kandahār (southern Afghanistan), which was inhabited by the Iranian Arachosians or Arachoti, Old Pers. Harauvatiš. The province is named after its main river, the modern Arḡandāb (Greek Arachōtós), a tributary of the Helmand (Encyclopædia Iranica).

[7] Croat. stog, keeping hay stacked around a high pole in the ground, shaped like a cone with a dome top.

[8] Old Croat. trijice.

[9] Old Croat. desetače.

[10] Old Croat. trejsetače.

[11] Old Croat. satnije.

[12] Old Croat. trosatne, Croat. bojne.

[13] Old Croat. trobojne.

[14] Old Croat. turgan.

[15] Old Croat. trstenica.

[16] Old Croat. ubadac.

[17] Old Croat. veržac.

[18] Older, experienced men and women, Old Croat. zitruki and zitruke.

[19] Davor, the Croatian god of war and a common personal name among Croats. Croatian heroic military songs are called davorije after his name. During the First World War, Croatian soldiers on the Soča used to sing: “Oh, Davor, the formidable war god, the formidable war god of Croats, united with god Kiš, you quickly beat all the enemies.” In Croatian Chakavian: “Oj Davore strašni bože rata, strašni bože rata va Hrvuata, kad se ti zi Kišon skupa peješ, svih suvragi na brzinu zmeješ.”

[20] Dobrinj, also Dobrina, Dobrinja or Dobrila, Croatian god of festivities, parties, weddings, newlyweds and young people in general, from the Krk pantheon. A god of Slavic origin after whom Croats often bear names and surnames; the name of the city Dobrinj in the Island of Krk.

[21] Dazhbog, Old Croat. Dažbog or Dežbog is an ancient Croatian god from the Krk pantheon who brings rain. His name is derived from Old Croat. daž, dež or dažd (rain), and Slavic bog (god). Dazhbog is an East Slavic god of giving and abundance, Old Russ. Дажьбогъ, Church Slavonic. Даждьбог. The ancient idol of Dazhbog stood on a hill in Kiev (Kyiv), together with the idols of Perun, Hor, Stribog, Semargl and Mokoshi, as the third most important god.

[22] Kiš, a Croatian god of revenge from the Krk pantheon. God of unknown origin, who persecutes all who betray, lie and work against Croats. On the Island of Krk, near the village Kornić, there is a pit locally named Manja Kiš, Eng. Kiš’s pit, in which they used to throw those who in any way harmed Croats. Kiš, Summerian Kiš, Croat. Kiš, Akkadian Kiššatu, is the name of an ancient Sumerian city in Mesopotamia.

[23] Old Croat. vahta.

[24] Old Croat. čaravnjak, Croat. čarobnjak.

[25] Croat. vilenjak

[26] Chak. Croat. and Slavic Mora, a creature from folk beliefs, similar to a witch, who usually haunts people in their dreams, Croat. noćne more (nightmares) are named after her.

[27] According to the folklore of the Krk Island, the pagan deities of Croats are Hor, also called Har, Hrv and Hr (in Ukraine Hrs, Hors, Хърсъ, Хорс), Davor, Pirun (Shtok. Croat. Perun), Žinta, Trimuš, Veliš (Shtok. Croat. Veles), Ruš, Kurent, Kiš, Tuman, Mrak, Dobrinj, also Dobrina and Dobrila, Dežbog or Dažbog, Zarat or Zarut, Žol, Jadar, Burut... The Supreme God of Croats is Hor, the god of Sun and war who battles against the god Mrak (in Ukraine Morok).

[28] According to the folklore of the Island of Krk, the pre-Christian goddesses of Croats are Aštur, also Ištur or Uštur, Visla or Visna, Morana, Cvita and Lada or Lara. The Supreme Goddess of Croats is Aštur, the goddess of war, love, hunger, care, poverty, evil, pain and death.

[29] Old Croat. požgaj – dragon.

[30] Old Croat. gomar – reptile or dragon.

[31] Old Croat. Obrerika, Croat. Oks and Amu-Darja, Tajik Daryoi Amu, Turkmen Amyderya, Uzbek Amudaryo, Engl. Amu Darya or Amu River, is the ancient Oxus River named by the Greeks, one of the longest rivers of Central Asia.

[32] Croat. Helmand, also Hilmand, Eng. Helmand River, a river in southwestern Afghanistan and eastern Iran. It originates in the mountains in Hazārajāt, flows into the Sistān in southeastern Persia and finally drains into the Hāmun Lake. One of five tributaries of the Helmand is the Arḡandāb, ancient Vedic Sarasvatī river, Old Persian Harauvatiš, Greek Arachōtos.

[33] Old Croat: desetač is a commander of desetača, a group of ten soldiers; from Croat. deset (ten).

[34] Old Croat. trijac is a commander of trijica, a group of three soldiers, from Croat. tri (three).

[35] Old Croat. luš, Croat. konj, horse; Old Croat. luša, Croat. kobila, mare.

[36] Cravat or tie, Old Croat. šarpa, Croat. kravata, Germ. krawatte, French cravate, Ital. sciarpa. The forerunner of the modern tailored necktie and bow tie, originating from neckclothes worn by Croatian soldiers. In the folklore of the Krk Island, the two-toned checkerboard pattern of the cravat matched the military rank of the soldier wearing it (Šimundić 1991). Name Cravat became popular after the French cavalry regiment Royal-Cravates, formed in 1667 with the remains of Croatian regiments in the service of France, and disbanded in 1815. H. Le Blanc (1828) wrote: "In 1660 a regiment of Croats arrived in France — a part of their singular costume excited the greatest admiration, and was immediately and generally imitated; this was a tour de cou , made (for the private soldiers) of common lace, and of muslin or silk for the officers ; the ends were arranged en rosette , or ornamented with a button or tuft, which hung gracefully on the breast. This new arrangement, which confined the throat but very slightly, was at first termed a Croat, since corrupted to Cravat. The Cravats of the officers and people of rank were extremely fine, and the ends were embroidered or trimmed with broad lace ; those for the lower classes were subsequently made of cloth or cotton, or at the best of black taffeta, plaited: which was tied round the neck by two small strings.“

[37] Croat. kaban.

[38] Old Croat. pohodna ojat.

[39] Old Croat. manzi, shepherds, cowboys who took care of oxen herds.

[40] Old Croat. strilomet.

[41] Old Croat. ormanica, an extremely slender and long Croatian rowing ship, used for many centuries along the eastern Adriatic coast for naval and merchant purposes. The folklore of the Krk Island mentions ormanicas from the 7th to 11th centuries. Large ormanicas were 30 to 35 meters long and 2.5 meters wide, they had 20 to 25 oars on each side and a crew of 50 people. At the stern, ormanica had a true rudder called oj, and the bow was equipped with a tall stem for breaking the enemy’s oars and a ram (rostrum) for puncturing the enemy’s hull.

[42] Old Croat. korbe.

[43] Old Croat. madiri.

[44] Croat. Volga, Russ. Во́лга, Ukr. воло́га, a river in the European part of Russia, the longest river in Europe. It rises in the Valdai Hills and discharges into the Caspian Sea. The Volga and Don create the ancient trade route between Central Asia and the Mediterranean called “The trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks”. The shortest land distance between them is through modern Volgograd, where a canal was built in 1951. The folklore of the Island of Krk says that Croats had lived there in the past.

[45] Croat. Don, Greek. Tanais. The Don Rriver is a large river in European Russia. It rises in the city of Novomoskovsk, in the Central Russian Upland, and discharges into the Sea of Azov by forming a delta. The ancient city of Tanais is located in the delta and it is where the Russian archeologist Pavel Mikhailovich Leontjev discovered the Tanais Tablets in 1853, the stone tablets with the first record of Croatian name written in Greek, dated 2nd and 3rd century AD.

[46] Croat. Donac, Russ. Северский Донец, Ukrain. Сіверський Донець, a large river in eastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia and a right tributary of the Don.

[47] Croat. Dnjestar, Greek Tyras, a large river in western Ukraine and eastern Moldavia, rises in the Carpathians, flows through the floodplains and discharges into the Black Sea where it forms an estuary.

[48] Croat. Skiti, Old Persian: Sakā, Greek: Σάκαι, Scythians, a group of Indo-European tribes that controlled the steppe of Southern Ukraine in the 7th to 3rd centuries BC. According to the most predominant theories, they first appeared there in the late 8th century BC after having been forced out of Central Asia. The Scythians were related to the Sauromatians and spoke an Iranian dialect (Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine; Scythians).

[49] Croat. Anti, Greek: Antae; Ukrain. Анти; Anty, Antes, the name used by the Gothic historian Jordanes and by Byzantine writers of the 6th -7th centuries, for the east Slavic tribes of the 4th – 7th centuries. In the 4th –7th centuries, the Antes formed a large tribal alliance that covered the territories between the Dnieper and the Dniester rivers, and in some periods extended throughout most of the forest-steppe belt from the Carpathian Mountains and the lower Danube River to the Sea of Azov (Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Antes). The description and location of a proto-state of the Antes coincide with the Great Croatia (Russ. Velikaya Horvatiya) about which the Russian archeologist A.V. Mayorov wrote in 2006.

[50] Old Croat. Rusjani.

[51] Old Croat. jizdic.

[52] Old Croat. arma.

[53] Old Croat. toporača, a large and heavy ax for combat and everyday use.

[54] Old Croat. glavanje, from Croat. glava (head) is a traditional procedure of stitching a wound using ant heads.

[55] The Carpathian Mountains, a homeland of the White Croats, also called the Croatian Mountains; In the legendary Hervarar saga from the 13th century, they are called Harvaða fjöllum.

[56] Croat. and Slavic: župan, the civil governor of županija, county mayor subjugated to the Ban, Kniz (Prince) or King of Croatia. In the archaic speech of Baška župan is šuban. The title Župan is probably derived from Iranian etymon *fsu-pāna, that evolved to šuβān in Parthian, šupān and šubān in Persian; all these words mean "shepherd".

[57] Old Croat. užbi.

[58] Croat. balotanje or boćanje, a traditional Croatian game, similar to British bowls and Italian bocce.

[59] Ban, the supreme ruler of Croatia and Croatian lands. In the archaic Chakavian language of Krk, Old Croat. ban means “the best“. Archaic comparison of the adjective boj: boj (good) – bojak (better) - bojan or shorter ban (the best); suffixes in older Chakavian words denote important duties such as ojban (chief helmsman), korban (captain of the ship), rugban (chief oarsman), hućban (drummer on a rowing boat), plovban (admiral), orban (commander of a fortified city, mayor).

[60] Domagoj – Croatian name of Slavic origin; probably derives from Domovoy, Russ. Домово́й, which in the Slavic religious tradition means the “Household Lord“. The most notable Domagoj (Latin: Domagoi) in Croatian history is Prince (Croat. knez) Domagoj of Croatia, known for his navy that helped the Franks seize Bari from the Arabs in 871. Venetian’s chronicles named him “The worst duke of Slavs” (Lat. pessimus dux Sclavorum).

[61] Old Croat. žoldan - Moon’s day, from Old Croat. žol (Moon) - the night so brightly illuminated by the moonlight that it seems like it is daytime. Žol was also a Croatian god in the folklore of Krk, mentioned as a helper of god Hor together with the Danica (Morning star). ”The Žol (Moon) sheds light on Earth and forces the god of Darkness into pits together with his helpers, Rosa (Dew), Vlaga (Moisture), Magla (Fog) and Mraz (Frost).” On Easter day (Croat. Vazam) in Krk, people used to light bonfires to chase away the god of Darkness and his helpers into pits and help Žol until Hor arrived and chased the Darkness away with his arrows (rays). The belief in the Moon-god was alive in the 19th century in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine.

[62] Old Croat. and Croat. satnija.

[63] Old Croat. and Croat. bojna.

[64] Old Croat. trobojna.

[65] Old Croat. kosiza is equivalent to a modern division.

[66] Old Croat. vela kosiza.

[67] Old Croat. banski kosiz.

[68] Old Croat. fužine.

[69] Old Croat. Horovo polje.

[70] Old Croat. oganj.

[71] Croat. Dobrinjevo or Dobrinja.

[72] Old Croat. rubača.

[73] Old Croat. kružat.

[74] Old Croat. brageše.

[75] Old Croat. njidrac.

[76] Old Croat. stupanjice or stupanje.

[77] Old Croat. hoveji.

[78] Old Croat. brhan.

[79] Old Croat. ekul.

[80] Sopile (or roženice in Istria) is an ancient traditional woodwind instrument of Croatia, similar to the oboe or shawm. It is used in the regions of Kvarner, Kastav, Vinodol, Island Krk, and Istria. Sopile are always played in pairs so there are great and small or thin and fat sopila. Ukrain. sopilka, (cопiлка) is a name applied to a variety of woodwind instruments of the flute family used by the Ukrainians. Their culture and glossary are similar to the coastal Chakavians in Croatia, who are considered to be descendants of the White Croats.

[81] Old Croat. poculica.

[82] Old Croat. “zabelu, svitlac i zoru”.

[83] Old Croat. mošuna. An 18 sqm stable, a dry-stone structure covered with rye thatch or bundles of sedge.

[84] Croat. igra na pupića; a kid’s game where the pupa (Croat. lutak, Eng. doll) was usually a stone in a shape of an oblong cone. The kids threw rocks at it, and the one who managed to knock down the cone and move it the farthest was the winner.

[85] Croat. igra na kozu, Croat. koza, Eng. goat; a kid’s game where several kids were bent in a row, one behind the other, hiding their heads between the legs of the one in front. Other kids jumped on their backs, and the one who couldn’t endure and fell was called a goat.

[86] Croat. trap, a method of preserving vegetables by keeping them under a layer of soil.

[87] Old Croat. predzimje.

[88] Old Croat. muka.

[89] Croat. curandica i kolačić – small bread shaped like female or male genitalia.

[90] Old Croat. jacalo.

[91] Old Croat. Horovo, rarely Horakovo, Eng. Hor's day. The day when people celebrated the god Hor.

[92] Croat. Kišova jama, a pit of the Croatian god Kiš. In Krk Island, near the village Kornić, there is a pit called Manja Kiš.

[93] Old Croat. turgar, the person responsible for the targets (old Croat. turge) during the archery competition.

[94] Old Croat. pripećivanje, Croat. pripetavanje.

[95] Old Croat. strilotus, the best archer, marksman; in the folklore of the Krk Island, the winner of an archery competition takes the title of Strilotus. Strilotus appears in the epic literature of Krk as a personal name of a Croatian Ban or Kniz (Prince) and also as a name of the Mikulin’s clan leader and the first head of Žic’s clan.

[96] The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia is a checkerboard with 25 (5x5) white (or silver) and red squares.

[97] Old Croat. ojat.

[98] Old Croat. bijačina.

[99] Old Croat. plamenica.

[100] Old Croat. kunfin.

[101] Old Croat. vijorni časnici.

[102] Croat. satnik (captain), an officer rank still used in modern Croatia; a commander of satnija, a military formation of hundred men. In the folklore of Punat, the captain (satnik) wears a cravat with blue and green squares.

[103] Old Croat. “Pripravi se!”

[104] Old Croat. “Zajizdi!”

[105] Old Croat. “Hoj!”

[106] Old Croat. uhodica.

[107] Old Croat. bahorci.

[108] Turkestan, “Land of the Turks“, a historical region in Central Asia between Ural and Siberia to the north; the Gobi Desert to the east; Tibet, Kashmir, Afghanistan, and Iran to the south; and the Caspian Sea to the west.

[109] Phoenicia was an ancient civilization composed of independent city-states located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Its territory included areas of modern Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. Phoenicians were excellent seafarers, known for their mighty ships decorated with horses’ heads in honor of their god of the sea, Yamm, the brother of Mot, the god of death (Ancient History Encyclopedia).

[110] Old Croat. Misir, Arabic: مِصر, Miṣr.

[111] Old Croat. šubara.

[112] Old Croat. prst – a finger is an ancient and obsolete unit of length; 1 finger is exactly 7/8 inches or 0.022225 meters.

[113] Turkmens, Croat. Turkmeni are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and Afghanistan.

[114] Old Croatian language.

[115] Old Croat. “Koliko zajiki znaš, toliko vajaš.”

[116] Old Croat. možgani.

[117] Old Croat. Horovo poje.

[118] Old Croat. zamrlina, a toast in honor of the dead.

[119] Old Croat. Hrvuatistan, the land of Croats, from Old Croat. Hrvuat (Croat) and Old Pers. istan (land).

[120] Old Croat. premoć.

[121] Old Croat. Hiks.

[122] Old Croat. Skit.

[123] Old Croat. Rusjan.

[124] Old Croat. Obr.

[125] Old Croat. Ant.

[126] Old Croat. ašta.

[127] Old Croat. Oj, a true rudder, from Greek oieion - rudder. Advanced way of steering a boat by a sternpost rudder, unlike the more primitive way of using a steering oar. The Novilara Stelae from the village Novilara, discovered in 1860 near Pesaro, reveal that the Liburnians had ships equipped with true rudders in the 7th or 6th century BC.

[128] Old Croat. hućak.

[129] Old Croat. hućban, a drummer on a rowing boat who creates a rhythm to coordinate the rowers.

[130] Old Croat. huć, rhythm.

[131] Old Croat. veslačica, a fast rowing boat with eight to ten sailors and a helmsman (Old Croat. ojban), who was also the captain. It was used along the eastern Adriatic coast as a support military vessel and for reconnaissance. During a battle, two rowing boats always followed a larger Croatian military ship, ormanica.

[132] Old Croat. čun.

[133] Old Croat. kajić.

[134] Old Croat. premostina.

[135] Old Croat. cvit, Russ. цвеt (cvet), Tur. Boya, Croat. Boja.

[136] Croat. hrast or dub is a sacred tree of Croats and Slavs.

[137] Old Croat. banski plovban, the first admiral of the Croatian navy, subjugated to the ruler of Croatia, Ban; from Old Croat. plav (ship) or plavnica (fleet) and Croat. ban (the best).

[138] Old Croat. ojban, the chief helmsman and deputy commander of ancient Croatian ships, ormanicas, conduras and sagenas; from Old Croat. oj (rudder) and Old Croat. ban (the best).

[139] Old Croat. rugban, the chief oarsman, commander of rowers on ancient Croatian ships, ormanicas, conduras and sagenas; from Old Croat. ruge (oars) and Old Croat. ban (the best).

[140] Old Croat. jidban is the head of sails on an ancient Croatian ship, from Old Croat. jidro (sail) and Old Croat. ban (the best).

[141] Old Croat. ojić.

[142] Old Croat. čubranica.

[143]Old Croat. svidruja.

[144] A way of tying a headscarf (bandana) on the Island of Krk with a knot at the back of the head. The technique was called Bakarka and it comes from city of Bakar. Dockers in Bakar used this technique, and it later spread around Kvarner.

[145] The Dalmatian or Dalmatiner is a Croatian breed of large-sized dog. It is unique for its white coat marked with black spots and it is named after the Croatian region of Dalmatia. The first illustrations of the Dalmatian had been found in Croatia on an altar painting in Veli Lošinj, dating to 1600–1630. The folklore of Krk Island says that the Dalmatian arrived in Croatia during the migration of Croats.

[146] Dobrinjevo, the day of Croatian and Slavic god Dobrinj.

[147] Morana, a Croatian goddess of winter, cold, snow, disease and death. Morana is also a Croatian female name.

[148] Old Croat. ogulski kamik.

[149] Old Croat. zarebak.

[150] Croat. Lukanje, a celebration held after completing the construction of a house. After the roof was finished, a green branch of oak or ash tree was placed on the chimney, or in the wintertime a branch of evergreen juniper. Anyone who saw that sign would enter the house to treat himself and wish the owner luck. They would light a fire inside and let it burn for a few weeks. On the last day, they would throw green branches of juniper on the fire to smoke out the vermin and conserve the wooden construction of the house.

[151] Old Croat. bojna ojat.

[152] Old Croat. županijska ojat.

[153] Perun, Chakav. Pirun, an important Croatian god and the supreme god of the Slavic pantheon. He is the god of thunder, the thunderer, ruler of order, peace, justice and victory. He is associated with oak trees. In the mythology of the Island of Krk, Hor takes over his place. Many toponyms around Croatia carry Perun’s name, Croat. perunika, Lat. Iris germanica or Iris Croatica, Eng. Iris is Croatia’s national flower.

[154] Old Croat. Danub and Dunaj, Croat. Dunav. The Danube is Europe's second-longest river, after the Volga. Today it flows through ten countries, including Croatia. The Danube was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire, mentioned in many Croatian folk songs and stories. The folk song “Imperij” describes the Croats crossing the Danube and settling in Illyricum.

[155] Croat. Drava, Eng. Drava or Drave is a river in Croatia and southern Central Europe, the right tributary of the Danube. It originates in northern Italy and joins the Danube 2,5km northwest of Aljmaš. It forms most of the border between Croatia and Hungary. The main port on the Drava is the city Osijek.

[156] Croat. Svitava, Germ. Zwittawa is a river in the Pardubice and South Moravian regions of the Czech Republic.