Draft:Stari Vujadin

Stari Vujadin (in English: Old Vujadinhttps://www.google.ca/books/edition/Songs_of_the_Serbian_People/0JAREQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Stari+Vujadin%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA271&printsec=frontcover) is a Serbian folk hero who lived in the 18th century and is represented in epic folk song as a heroic figure who displayed all Christian virtues of a hayduk at a time when Old Serbia was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. The song belongs to the Serbian epic songs, in the Hajduk and Uskok cycle. Stari Vujadin was a Serbian hajduk of legendary status and of epic songs still sung by bards with their ancient instrument called gusle. In epic songs, Vujadin looms large among the great heroic figures who stood their ground against the aggressor. These songs are also intertwined in Serbian literature with Vuk Karadžić collection in the language reform of the 19th century.

According to epic tradition, Old Vujadin was a brave Serbian hajduk, a proud and honorable man who did not betray his friends even though he was faced with the most difficult torments. He chose heroic death rather than betraying anyone. A life with dignity, pride, and self-respect was more valuable to him than life itself.

The virtues of old Vujadin, his courage, determination, and endurance, came to the fore in difficult moments while the Turks tortured him and forced him to betray his companions. This brave hajduk was ready to face all the hardships and at no time did he think of betraying those who faithfully protected him before capture. He was consistent and unwavering and followed his ideals to the very end. The torments were unbearable, but he never gave up. They broke his arms and legs,slandered him with ridicule and rudeness, wanting to humiliate and break him, but they did not succeed in their intentions. The brave old man Vujadin did not allow them to do that with his proud attitude. He fought his tormentors with words, the only weapon he had, and their three-day efforts to devise torments that man could not endure were futile and useless because Vujadin was not an ordinary man. He was a tenacious and indomitable old man whose life experience and many years of struggle against the Turkish invaders gave him additional strength and determination not to give up.

While the torturers devised torments for the mountain hajduks, Vujadin did not care for himself, but as a parent advised his sons to be steadfast in torture, by encouraging them to be brave, and endure the hardships like real heroes. He called them falcons, because the falcon is a symbol of courage, endurance, and power, and advised them to remain steadfast, not to be the heart of a widow, but the heart of a hero. He believed that they would obey him and save what could be saved with their heroism.

Old Vujadin is a symbol of a true Serbian hajduk, a brave and self-sacrificing hero who was ready to sacrifice himself for others, even if that sacrifice would be fatal for himself. Love for his people and the fight for freedom at the cost of his own life were the meaning of his life and his existence. His legacy had more value than his own life.

There's a street in Belgrade named after Stari Vujadin.

See also

• Serbian epic poetry
• List of Serbian hajduks