Sava Savanović, the Vampire of the Mill
Serbia's most famous vampire was said to live in an old watermill, and when it collapsed in 2012 the village warned people to protect themselves.
What was reported
In Serbian folklore, Sava Savanović was a vampire who lived in an old watermill on the Rogačica river at Zarožje, in western Serbia, and preyed on the millers who came to grind grain there. The story was made famous by Milovan Glišić's tale After Ninety Years (1880).
In 2012 the crumbling mill partly collapsed. The local council warned residents, half in jest, to put garlic in their windows and keep crosses close, and the story went around the world.
Explanations offered
Serbia has a long tradition of vampire beliefs; the word 'vampire' entered Western European languages partly through 18th-century reports from Serbia. The 2012 warning was as much about tourism as fear, and the mill remains a local attraction.
- When
- Written down in 1880; mill collapsed 2012
- Where
- Zarožje, near Bajina Bašta, Serbia
- Witnesses
- Serbian tradition, and the village of Zarožje
- Status
- Legend
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