„Dragon of Bosnia” in tradition of Bosnian Muslims yesterday and today

Abstract

The author examines the role of the legendary hero Husein Gradaščević in the historical and cultural consciousness of Bosnian Muslims. The study begins with the historical background – the Bosnian uprising of 1831–1832 against Sultan Mahmud II’s reforms aimed at modernizing and Europeanizing the Ottoman Empire. As the leader of this movement, Gradaščević became a symbol of the struggle for Bosnian autonomy and earned the nickname „Zmaj od Bosne” (Dragon of Bosnia). The aim of the study is to trace the evolution of Gradaščević’s image across different historical periods – from the nineteenth century to the present – and to show how his figure has been reinterpreted according to changing ideological and political needs. The author employs an analysis of historical, literary, journalistic, and cultural sources (folk songs, literary works, oral traditions, and propaganda materials) to reconstruct the process of mythologizing the hero and to assess his significance in shaping the national and religious identity of the Bosniaks. The article demonstrates that the memory of the „Dragon of Bosnia” has been repeatedly instrumentalized: by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, the fascist NDH regime, communist Yugoslavia, and the contemporary political elites of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the 1992–1995 war, the image of Gradaščević became a tool of mobilization and a symbol of Muslim resistance, especially in Gradačac and Srebrenica. The author concludes that the enduring power of the Zmaj od Bosne myth lies in its adaptability to changing historical contexts. The figure of Husein Gradaščević continues to embody courage, freedom, and national independence for Bosnian Muslims.