Filip Višnjic
Encyclopedia
Filip Višnjić was a popular Serbian
epic poet and guslar (gusle
player), born in northern Bosnia
. He is often described as the "Serbian
Homer
" both because he was blind and for his poetic gift. Living in a time of exceptional significance for Serbian history
, the bard composed poems about these events, and they became a highly valued part of the Serbian epic poetry
.
near Ugljevik
, in the Bosnia Province
of the Ottoman Empire
(today in Republika Srpska
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
), and died in the village of Grk (later renamed Višnjićevo
after him) near Šid
, Serbia
(then part of the Austrian Empire
). Filip Višnjić's true surname was Vilić. According to some authors, he was called Višnjić either after his mother’s name Višnja, or after the Višnjica quarter of Međaši
, where he lived until he moved to Serbia.
He lived in Gornja Trnova until three years of age, when Ottoman Turks
destroyed his family. His mother remarried into the Mirkanović family and moved to the village of Međaši in the lowlands of Semberija
, taking little Filip with her. There he learned to play the Serbian epic poets' beloved string instrument gusle, and composed his first verses. He would often play on the archaic gusle at the church in Brodac
. Blind from early childhood, unable to earn for living otherwise, he sang the traditional epic songs and composed many by himself.
During the First Serbian Uprising
against the Ottoman rule, unable to join the fight, Višnjić tried to boost the morale of compatriots and composed many songs himself, documenting the battles in form of epic chronicles. After the Turks re-conquered Serbia in 1813, he went into the village of Grk in Syrmia
, where he met Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
, who took him to the Šišatovac Monastery
and recorded several songs of his. Karadžić recorded and published thirteen of Filip's songs, notably Početak bune protiv dahija (The Beginning of the Revolt against Dahijas), Boj na Čokešini (Battle of Čokešina), Boj na Mišaru (Battle of Mišar), Knez Ivo Knežević, etc. Višnjić's poetry often exceeds its traditional models: while faithfully describing the battles and events, his poems also carry convincing psychological portraits of the participants, such as Karageorge and Prince Ivo of Semberija
, who lost all his property by ransoming slaves from the Ottoman Turks.
and Ugljevik
. At the 1994 Višnjićevi dani cultural event, a commemorative plaque was installed in Gornja Trnova, marking the location where Filip Višnjić was born.
The village of Grk was renamed Višnjićevo
in his honour. Numerous streets and schools in Serbia
and Republika Srpska
are named after Višnjić. His picture is featured on the 20 convertible mark
banknote issued in Republika Srpska. During the Second World War
he was put on the Serbian 50 dinar bill, in 1941.
Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina are people of Serb ethnicity inhabiting the Balkan regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, or, since the establishment of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a state in the 1990s, the Serbs who have its citizenship. The Serbs are one of the three constitutive nations of this...
epic poet and guslar (gusle
Gusle
The Gusle is a single-stringed musical instrument traditionally used in the Dinarides region of the Balkans ....
player), born in northern Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
. He is often described as the "Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
" both because he was blind and for his poetic gift. Living in a time of exceptional significance for Serbian history
History of Serbia
The history of Serbia, as a country, begins with the Slavic settlements in the Balkans, established in the 6th century in territories governed by the Byzantine Empire. Through centuries, the Serbian realm evolved into a Kingdom , then an Empire , before the Ottomans annexed it in 1540...
, the bard composed poems about these events, and they became a highly valued part of the Serbian epic poetry
Serbian epic poetry
Serb epic poetry is a form of epic poetry written by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro. The main cycles were composed by unknown Serb authors between the 14th and 19th centuries...
.
Life
He was born at Vilića Guvno in Gornja TrnovaTrnova
- Gornja Trnova :total: 420* Serbs - 413 * Croats - 2 * "Yugoslavs" - 2 * others and unknown - 3 - Srednja Trnova :total: 721* Muslims by nationality - 682 * "Yugoslavs" - 24 * Serbs - 12...
near Ugljevik
Ugljevik
Ugljevik is a municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality located in the eastern foothills of Mount Majevica, in picturesque countryside, where wondrous and beautiful mountain starts descending towards the flatlands of Semberija, to which it is tied more than any other...
, in the Bosnia Province
Bosnia Province, Ottoman Empire
The Bosnia Vilayet was an Ottoman vilayet, mostly based on the territory of the present-day state of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as most of Slavonia, Lika and Dalmatia in present-day Croatia. It bordered Kosovo Vilayet to the south. Before the administrative reform in 1864, it was called the...
of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(today in Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
), and died in the village of Grk (later renamed Višnjićevo
Višnjicevo
Višnjićevo is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Šid municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,899 people .-See also:*List of places in Serbia...
after him) near Šid
Šid
Šid is a town and municipality in the Srem District of Vojvodina, Serbia. Šid town has a population of 16,301, and Šid municipality 38,921.-Name:...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(then part of the Austrian Empire
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...
). Filip Višnjić's true surname was Vilić. According to some authors, he was called Višnjić either after his mother’s name Višnja, or after the Višnjica quarter of Međaši
Međaši
Međaši is a village in the municipality of Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
, where he lived until he moved to Serbia.
He lived in Gornja Trnova until three years of age, when Ottoman Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
destroyed his family. His mother remarried into the Mirkanović family and moved to the village of Međaši in the lowlands of Semberija
Semberija
Semberija is a geographical region in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main city in the region is Bijeljina. Semberija is located between Drina and Sava rivers and Majevica mountain...
, taking little Filip with her. There he learned to play the Serbian epic poets' beloved string instrument gusle, and composed his first verses. He would often play on the archaic gusle at the church in Brodac
Brodac
Brodac is a place located north of the city of Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are two parts of Brodac, Brodac Donji and Brodac Gornji.-Sport:The main football club is FK Jedinstvo Brodac....
. Blind from early childhood, unable to earn for living otherwise, he sang the traditional epic songs and composed many by himself.
During the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
against the Ottoman rule, unable to join the fight, Višnjić tried to boost the morale of compatriots and composed many songs himself, documenting the battles in form of epic chronicles. After the Turks re-conquered Serbia in 1813, he went into the village of Grk in Syrmia
Syrmia
Syrmia is a fertile region of the Pannonian Plain in Europe, between the Danube and Sava rivers. It is divided between Serbia in the east and Croatia in the west....
, where he met Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
Vuk Stefanovic Karadžic
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić was a Serbian philolog and linguist, the major reformer of the Serbian language, and deserves, perhaps, for his collections of songs, fairy tales, and riddles to be called the father of the study of Serbian folklore. He was the author of the first Serbian dictionary...
, who took him to the Šišatovac Monastery
Šišatovac monastery
The Šišatovac Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery situated on the Fruška Gora mountain in the northern Serbia, in the province of Vojvodina. The foundation of the monastery is ascribed to the refugee monks from the Serbian monastery of Žiča...
and recorded several songs of his. Karadžić recorded and published thirteen of Filip's songs, notably Početak bune protiv dahija (The Beginning of the Revolt against Dahijas), Boj na Čokešini (Battle of Čokešina), Boj na Mišaru (Battle of Mišar), Knez Ivo Knežević, etc. Višnjić's poetry often exceeds its traditional models: while faithfully describing the battles and events, his poems also carry convincing psychological portraits of the participants, such as Karageorge and Prince Ivo of Semberija
Semberija
Semberija is a geographical region in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main city in the region is Bijeljina. Semberija is located between Drina and Sava rivers and Majevica mountain...
, who lost all his property by ransoming slaves from the Ottoman Turks.
Commemoration
Each November, Filip's home village of Gornja Trnova hosts the cultural manifestation named Višnjićevi dani ("Višnjić's Days"). It is held at the site called Vilića Guvno, where the bard’s house once stood. Renowned writers, theoreticians and poets praise Filip Višnjić and his creations, and a commemorative service is held. A commemorative plaque has been raised at the library in Bijeljina, while his countenance is incorporated into the municipal coats of arms of BijeljinaBijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
and Ugljevik
Ugljevik
Ugljevik is a municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The municipality located in the eastern foothills of Mount Majevica, in picturesque countryside, where wondrous and beautiful mountain starts descending towards the flatlands of Semberija, to which it is tied more than any other...
. At the 1994 Višnjićevi dani cultural event, a commemorative plaque was installed in Gornja Trnova, marking the location where Filip Višnjić was born.
The village of Grk was renamed Višnjićevo
Višnjicevo
Višnjićevo is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Šid municipality, in the Srem District, Vojvodina province. The village has a Serb ethnic majority and its population numbering 1,899 people .-See also:*List of places in Serbia...
in his honour. Numerous streets and schools in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
are named after Višnjić. His picture is featured on the 20 convertible mark
Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
The Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark is the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is divided into 100 fenings...
banknote issued in Republika Srpska. During the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was put on the Serbian 50 dinar bill, in 1941.
External links
Filip Višnjić—pevač i pesnik, Project RastkoProject Rastko
Project Rastko — Internet Library of Serb Culture is a non-profit and non-governmental publishing, cultural and educational project dedicated to Serb and Serb-related arts and humanities...