A krsnik (female: krsnicaNada Kerševan, ''Vəkuli riti v garžet: Zgodbe s Kraškega roba do Brkinov, Sežane in Razdrtega'', 2016,
p.75
/ref>) or kresnik is a type of vampire hunter, a shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an animal. The ''krsnik'' turns into an animal at night to fight off the ''kudlak'', his evil

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...

antithesis, with the ''krsnik'' appearing as a white animal and the ''kudlak'' as a black one. The ''krsnik''s soul leaves the body, either voluntarily or due to a higher power, to fight evil agents and ensure good harvest, health, and happiness. The legend evolved from a pre-Christian myth present in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

and

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

(mainly

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian and Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian, Italian and Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic betwee ...

and the islands), where the celestial pagan god

Perun In Slavic mythology, Perun ( Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, ...

is locked in eternal combat with the evil snake of the underworld, Veles. The ''krsnik'' is taught magic by '' Vile'' (fairies), and in traditional medicine has the ability to heal people and cattle. However, due to the undocumented nature of oral tradition, it's difficult to determine with certainty how much of ''kresnik'' folklore originated from Slavic mythology, and how much arose from a separate shamanistic tradition. After

Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, cont ...

, the ''kresnik'' instead was claimed to have learned magic at the School of Black Magic in Babylon, but retained benevolent traits as a generous and powerful friend of the poor. The origin of the name may be from the word ''krst'', which means "cross", and which in Serbia is the word for a stone sign denoting village boundaries. It may also be derived from the same root as the Slav word for "resurrection," so that the word itself means something approximating "resurrector." Similar beliefs circulated among the Italian

Benandanti The ("Good Walkers") were members of an agrarian visionary tradition in the Friuli district of Northeastern Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. The claimed to travel out of their bodies while asleep to struggle against malevolent witches () ...

cult.

In popular culture

* In the novel, anime, and manga series ''

Trinity Blood is a series of Japanese light novels written by Sunao Yoshida with illustrations by Thores Shibamoto and originally serialized in ''The Sneaker''. Set 900 years after an apocalyptic war between humans and vampires, the series focuses on th ...

'', a "Crusnik" is a

that feeds on the blood of other vampires. ''Lilith Sahl, Cain, Seth, and Abel Nightroad'' are

Crusnik A krsnik (female: krsnicaNada Kerševan, ''Vəkuli riti v garžet: Zgodbe s Kraškega roba do Brkinov, Sežane in Razdrtega'', 2016, p.75/ref>) or kresnik is a type of vampire hunter, a shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an ...

who are much more powerful than regular vampires, who have the bacillus kudlak. They all take different forms: Cain appears as an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...

with white wings, even though he is the antagonist, whereas Abel appears slightly demonic with black wings and red eyes, while being the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

. Kudlak also appears in the series as a bacillus that is responsible of the creation of "normal" vampires. * ''Kresnik'' and ''Kudlak'' are recurring characters in the

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed and publishe ...

series of video games. * ''Kresnik'' is the name of a mythological hero in ''

Tales of Xillia is an action role-playing game released exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It is the thirteenth main installment of the ''Tales'' series and is developed by Namco Tales Studio with Namco Bandai Games as the publisher. The game was released in ...

''. A superweapon bearing the name "Lance of Kresnik" is a plot device. The

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...

features one of the hero's descendants, named Ludger Will Kresnik. A plot-significant machine named ''Kudlak'' is also present. * The main villain in ''Darkness Hunts'' by

Keri Arthur Keri Arthur (born 4 December 1967) is a writer of fantasy, horror fiction, and romance novels from Melbourne, Australia. She began writing at the age of twelve and has finished twenty-six novels as of July 2012. Her books have received many nomi ...

is a male serial killer who believes he is a kresnik hunting down supposed kudlaks and murdering them. * ''Kudlak'' appears as a card in the online collectible card game Shadowverse. The mechanics of the card allow copies of Kudlak to be placed in the player’s deck after his defeat, which mirrors the theme of Kudlak’s recurring return.

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading