Manojlo Grčić (
Serbian: Манојло Грчић) is a legendary hero in
Serbian epic poetry. He was of
Greek origin, which is also emphasized by the etymology of his surname which is diminutive of "Greek" in Serbian.[1] A poem about Manojlo Grčić was also found in the
Erlangen Manuscript.
Historical person
Early folkloristic sources emphasized that Grčić Manojlo was not based on any historical figure.[2]
Early historical sources, starting with Konstantin Nikolajević and
Ilarion Ruvarac,[3][4] connected the figure of Grčić Manojlo with a cousin of
Serbian DespotessIrene Kantakouzene[5] (son of
Thomas Kantakouzenos).[6]V. Ćorović believed that the historical person was unpopular among the people of Serbia which attributed him some very bad characteristics, including his willingness to replace babies during baptism in exchange for money.[7]
According to some later sources, it was actually the historical figure of
Manuel I Komnenos that served as an inspiration for the figure of Grčić Manojlo.[4][8][9]
According to some scholars, Manojlo Grčić and Majstor Manojlo, another character of Serbian epic poetry, are the same person.[10]
Poems
The epic poems about Manojlo Grčić include:
Manojlo Grčić and the Arab (
Serbian: Манојло Грчић и Арапин)[11]
Ćirjak i Grčić Manojlo (
Serbian: Ћирјак и Грчић Манојло)
Godfathering of Grčić Manojlo (
Serbian: Кумовање Грчића Манојла), recorded in Montenegro
Marriage of Grujica Novaković (
Serbian: Женидба Грујице Новаковића)
Sister of Pletikosa Pavle and Grčić Manojlo (
Serbian: Сестра Плетикосе Павла и Грчић Манојло)
One of the songs about Grčić and
Starina Novak was based on the Story of India which was translated in the 15th century from Latin to the
Slavonic-Serbian language.[8]
^Jugoslavenska akademija znanosti i umjetnosti (1909).
Znanstvena djela za opću naobrazbu. Tisak dionicke tiskare. p. 130. ... domišja se, da bi se pod Grčićem Manojlom naših nar. pjesama mogao kriti silni i viteški grčki car Manojlo Komnin...