Dukljan or Dukljanin is a figure in Serbian mythology

Serbian mythology

Serbian mythology comprises beliefs and myths of Serbia and Serbs.The Apostles of the Slavs, Cyril and Methodius, have been venerated by Serbian Orthodox Christians since their christianization in 867, they have been considered Serbs by historians....

 that is a reflection of the Roman emperor

Roman Emperor

The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...

 Diocletian

Diocletian

Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244  – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....

. He is presented as the adversary

Devil

The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...

 of God

God

God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....

, possibly because of the real Diocletian's persecution of Christians.

Legends attribute to him building of the town of Duklja

Duklja (town)

Duklja or Doclea was once the principal city of the state of Duklja . The city was situated about three kilometers north from today’s Podgorica, Montenegro's capital.-History:...

, Dukljan's border, and the Roman milestones near Tuzi

Tuzi

Tuzi is a town in the Podgorica municipality, Montenegro, located along a main road between the city of Podgorica and the Albanian border crossing, just a few kilometers north of Lake Skadar. The exact location of Tuzi is...

 (according to a folktale, he was throwing them at his brother and sister as they were fleeing to Hum

Zahumlje

Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...

).

A Serbian folk song about Dukljan says that he once removed the Sun

The Sun in human culture

Humans have long recognized the Sun's role in supporting life on Earth, and as a result many societies throughout history have paid homage to the Sun by giving it prominent roles in their religions and mythologies....

 from the sky and brought it to the Earth. Saint John

John the Baptist

John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...

 managed to trick him and restore the Sun, but afterwards, while chasing him, Dukljan grabbed at him and tore a piece of flesh from John's foot, which explains why humans have arches of the foot

Arches of the foot

-External links:* * *...

.

Several variants of a story that he is still alive exist; according to them he is chained in the Morača

Morača

Morača is a river in Montenegro. It originates in northern Montenegro, under Rzača mountain. It generally flows southwards for some , before emptying into Lake Skadar....

 river near Duklja

Duklja (town)

Duklja or Doclea was once the principal city of the state of Duklja . The city was situated about three kilometers north from today’s Podgorica, Montenegro's capital.-History:...

 (the Vizier's bridge). In some of them, he constantly gnaws at his chains, and each year around Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 (or around Đurđevdan) nearly manages to break free and destroy the world, when four Gypsy blacksmith

Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...

s reforge the chains.