Ivan Shishman of Bulgaria - Legends

Legends

Ivan Shishman is the most prominent medieval ruler in Bulgarian folklore. His name is heard in a number of legends, myths, tales and songs. He is represented as a heroic ruler who fought and died for his country, facing overwhelming enemy forces. There are a number of places throughout Bulgaria named after the him, ranging from castles and ruins to rocks, caves and localities. That legendary “geography” is mainly concentrated in the region of Sofia, Ihtiman and Samokov, though it extends to the Rhodope Mountains, Sredna Gora, Vratsa, Pleven, Prilep, Varna, etc. Near Samokov are the ruins of “Shishman's Fortress” with the emperor's wells, which reputedly spouted from the ruler's seven wounds. Further north, along the cliffs and heights of the Iskar Gorge, are “Shishman's Holes”, the caves where he hid while fighting the Ottomans for seven years. Other related toponyms usually associated with the emperor's last stand are Kokalyane (derived from kokal, meaning “bone”), Cherepish (from cherep, “skull”) and Lyutibrod (“Fierce Ford”), all thought to be hinting at the fate of the perished Bulgarian troops.

One of the most famous legends is about Shishman's final battle. The Ottomans camped at Kostenets, near the origins of the Maritsa river, while the Bulgarians were near Samokov, on a hill. After a fierce battle, Ivan Shishman was wounded seven times and retreated to the fortress, where he died; on the battlefield seven springs appeared, one for each of the emperor's wounds. He is also said to have fought in the Balkan mountains at Shishkin grad ("Shishman's town"), between Sliven and Kazanlak, where he killed 10,000 janissaries in a huge battle. The 18th century Bulgarian enlightenerc Paisius of Hilendar wrote in his Istoriya Slavyanobolgarskaya that during the siege of Tarnovo Ivan Shishman managed to reach Sofia with his boyars. He hid his treasury in the Iskar gorge and fought against the Turks for seven years before dying in battle. Some versions suggest that Kokalyanski Urvich remained the last fortress to fall and before Shishman died he buried treasure under the castle and tried to escape by cutting a passage through the mountain. The repeating motif of the treasure is a sacral symbol of the Bulgarian statehood and the usual locations of the imperial jewellery are monasteries, lakes or hideouts under rivers. Being undiscovered by the invaders, the treasure symbolises the sovereignty and power of the Bulgarian Empire and its inevitable resurrection. There are also a number of parallels between the legends about Ivan Shishman and the hagiography of saints, especially John of Rila, including the almost identical route of the emperor, Tarnovo-Sofia-Samokov in Rila, and the route of the return of the relics of Saint John of Rila to the Rila Monastery in 15th century – Tarnovo-Sofia-Rila, and also the motif of the immortal rulers who foresees the restoration of the country.

Откак се е, мила моя майко ле, зора зазорила,
Оттогас е, мила моя майко ле, войска провървяла,
Кон до коня, мила моя майко ле, юнак до юнака,
Сабите им, мила моя майко ле, както ясно слънце,
Огън светка, мила моя майко ле, през гора зелена,
Войвода им, мила моя майко ле, сам цар Иван Шишман,
Отговаря, мила моя майко ле, сам цар Иван Шишман:
Боже силни, мила моя майко ле, боже създателю,
Помогни ни, мила моя майко ле, сила и юнаштво!
Бой щем да се бием, мила моя майко ле, на софийско поле,
Кръв ще леем, мила моя майко ле, за Христово име,
Ще прославим, мила моя майко ле, християнска вяра.
Since when has, my dear mother, dаwn raised,
Since then has, my dear mother, an army marched,
Horse to horse, my dear mother, champion to champion,
Their sabres, my dear mother, as clear sun,
Fire is shining, my dear mother, through green forest,
Their leader, my dear mother, Tsar Ivan Shishman himself,
Responds, my dear mother, Tsar Ivan Shishman himself:
Allmighty God, my dear mother, creator God,
Help us, my dear mother, with strength and courage!
We are going to fight a battle, my dear mother, on the valley of Sofia,
We are going to spill blood, my dear mother, in the name of Christ,
We are going to praise, my dear mother, the Christian faith.

Ivan Shishman is one of the few rulers to be mentioned in the Bulgarian folklore songs and, as in the legends, is a subject of mystification. His figure can even be seen in Christmas carols, where he is presented either as a saint in the role of protector or as a hero fighting dragons and oppressors, usually presented as Tatars because of the resemblance with the Tartarus. The songs about Ivan Shishman contain many parallels with nature and collocations which are typical of Bulgarian folklore. In a song from the region of Sliven, the death of the emperor brings chaos to nature and rivers of "black blood" (typical folklore collocation) start flowing.

The place of Ivan Shishman in the Bulgarian legends and folklore is most likely attributed to the fact that he was the last Bulgarian emperor in Tarnovo. There are many similarities with his contemporary King Marko, the ruler of Prilep, who did little to resist the Ottoman invasion but later became the most popular character in the Bulgarian folklore. The people desired to berhyme the image of the "ideal emperor", a defender and protector, whose strength they needed to survive under Ottoman domination, and not the actual historical personality. As time passed the mystification deepened and the legends became more distant from the actual events during his rule. During the Bulgarian National Revival the tales about Ivan Shishman began to increasingly include patriotic elements.

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