Jure Grando
Encyclopedia
Jure Grando or Giure Grando (? - 1656) was the first classical vampire
to be mentioned in documented records. In his native Istria
, which is in present day Croatia
, he was referred to as a štrigon or štrigun, a local word for something resembling a vampire and a warlock
.
. He died in 1656, but according to legend, came back as a vampire (štrigon) and terrorised his village until his decapitation in 1672. According to the legend, for 16 years after his death, Jure would arise from his grave by night and terrorise the village. The village priest, Giorgio, who had buried Jure sixteen years previously discovered that at night somebody would knock on the doors around the village, and on whichever door he knocked, someone from that house would die within the next few days.
Jure also appeared to his terrified widow in her bedroom, who described the corpse as looking as though he was smiling and gasping for breath, and would then sexually assault her. When Father Giorgio eventually came face to face with the vampire, he held out a cross in front of him and yelled "Behold Jesus Christ, you vampire! Stop tormenting us!" At that moment tears fell from the vampire's eyes. The bravest of the villagers led by the prefect Miho Radetić chased and tried to kill the vampire by piercing his heart with a hawthorn
stick, but failed because the stick just bounced off of his chest. One night later, nine people went to the graveyard, carrying a cross, lamps and a hawthorn stick. They dug up Jure's coffin, and found a perfectly preserved corpse with a smile on its face. Father Giorgio said: "Look, štrigon, there is Jesus Christ who saved us from hell and died for us. And you, štrigon, you cannot have peace!" They then tried to pierce its heart again, but the stick could not penetrate its flesh. After some exorcism
prayers, the one villager, Stipan Milašić, took a saw and sawed the head off. As soon as the saw tore his skin, the vampire screamed and blood started to flow from the cut, and soon the whole grave was full of blood. According to legend, peace finally returned to the region after Jure's decapitation.
wrote about Jure Grando's life and afterlife in his well-known work Die Ehre deß Hertzogthums Crain (The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
) when he visited Kringa during his travels. The book was published in Nürnberg in 1689 and represented a colossal work of art divided into 15 books and 4 volumes, with 3523 pages of large format and 533 illustrations of which many show the lifestyle and scenery of Istria.
He was also mentioned in writings by Erasmus Francisci and Johann Joseph von Goerres (La mystique divina, naturelle, et diabolique, Paris 1855), whose story was much more elaborate and sensational, full of fantastic details to make the story more interesting and sensational. In modern times, Croatian writer Boris Perić has researched the legend and written a book (The Vampire) on the story.
gymnasium in Pazin
created a short film called "Vampire of My Homeland" (Vampir moga zavičaja) based on the writings from Valvasor.
The folklore related to the štrigun has recently been documented and examined by numerous scientists at the University of Zagreb
.
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
to be mentioned in documented records. In his native Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
, which is in present day Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, he was referred to as a štrigon or štrigun, a local word for something resembling a vampire and a warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
.
Story
Jure Grando was a peasant who lived in Kringa, a small place in the interior of the Istrian peninsula near TinjanTinjan
Tinjan is a village and municipality in Istria, Croatia. The population is 1,800 , 400 pf whom live in the eponymous village. It is 50 km north of Pula and 10 km southwest of Pazin, in the Draga valley. The Coat of Arms of Tinjan is azure on a base vert a tower argent behind walls of the...
. He died in 1656, but according to legend, came back as a vampire (štrigon) and terrorised his village until his decapitation in 1672. According to the legend, for 16 years after his death, Jure would arise from his grave by night and terrorise the village. The village priest, Giorgio, who had buried Jure sixteen years previously discovered that at night somebody would knock on the doors around the village, and on whichever door he knocked, someone from that house would die within the next few days.
Jure also appeared to his terrified widow in her bedroom, who described the corpse as looking as though he was smiling and gasping for breath, and would then sexually assault her. When Father Giorgio eventually came face to face with the vampire, he held out a cross in front of him and yelled "Behold Jesus Christ, you vampire! Stop tormenting us!" At that moment tears fell from the vampire's eyes. The bravest of the villagers led by the prefect Miho Radetić chased and tried to kill the vampire by piercing his heart with a hawthorn
Crataegus
Crataegus , commonly called hawthorn or thornapple, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the rose family, Rosaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Europe, Asia and North America. The name hawthorn was originally applied to the species native to northern Europe,...
stick, but failed because the stick just bounced off of his chest. One night later, nine people went to the graveyard, carrying a cross, lamps and a hawthorn stick. They dug up Jure's coffin, and found a perfectly preserved corpse with a smile on its face. Father Giorgio said: "Look, štrigon, there is Jesus Christ who saved us from hell and died for us. And you, štrigon, you cannot have peace!" They then tried to pierce its heart again, but the stick could not penetrate its flesh. After some exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
prayers, the one villager, Stipan Milašić, took a saw and sawed the head off. As soon as the saw tore his skin, the vampire screamed and blood started to flow from the cut, and soon the whole grave was full of blood. According to legend, peace finally returned to the region after Jure's decapitation.
Writings
Slovenian writer Janez Vajkard ValvasorJanez Vajkard Valvasor
Johann Weichard Freiherr von Valvasor or simply Valvasor was a Slovenian nobleman, scientist and polymath, and a fellow of the Royal Society in London.-Biography:...
wrote about Jure Grando's life and afterlife in his well-known work Die Ehre deß Hertzogthums Crain (The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola
The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola is Johann Weikhard von Valvasor's most important work on history and natural history of his homeland Carniola, a central part of the present-day Slovenia and Istria in Croatia....
) when he visited Kringa during his travels. The book was published in Nürnberg in 1689 and represented a colossal work of art divided into 15 books and 4 volumes, with 3523 pages of large format and 533 illustrations of which many show the lifestyle and scenery of Istria.
He was also mentioned in writings by Erasmus Francisci and Johann Joseph von Goerres (La mystique divina, naturelle, et diabolique, Paris 1855), whose story was much more elaborate and sensational, full of fantastic details to make the story more interesting and sensational. In modern times, Croatian writer Boris Perić has researched the legend and written a book (The Vampire) on the story.
Modern times
Today, Kringa has embraced the story of Jure Grando and have opened up a vampire themed bar aimed at attracting tourists to the town. The Juraj DobrilaJuraj Dobrila
Juraj Dobrila was a bishop and benefactor from Istria who advocated for greater national rights for Croats under Italian rule....
gymnasium in Pazin
Pazin
Pazin is the administrative seat of Istria County in Croatia. The town has a population of 4,986 , the total Pazin municipality population is 9,227...
created a short film called "Vampire of My Homeland" (Vampir moga zavičaja) based on the writings from Valvasor.
The folklore related to the štrigun has recently been documented and examined by numerous scientists at the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
.