Old Rashko

Rashko was born {{Circa|1770}} in the region of Old Herzegovina, like Tešan Podrugović, but later moved to Kolašin.{{cite book|author=Novak Kilibarda|title=(Poezija i istorija)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yahiAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1972|page=91|quote=Старац Милија, Тешан Подруговић и старац Рашко поријеклом су из пограничних крајева према Црној Гори}}{{cite book|author=Alan Dundes|title=The Walled-Up Wife: A Casebook|url=https://archive.org/details/walledupwife00alan|url-access=registration|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1996|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-15073-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/walledupwife00alan/page/3 3]ff|quote=Karadzic recorded one version of the ballad from one of his prize informants, a man called Old Rashko, who was born in old Herzegovina, but who later came to Serbia, specifically the town of Kolasin. The ballad was first published in 1815.}} According to some theories, he was probably a brother of Marko, the grandfather of Svetozar Marković.{{cite book|author1=Vuk Stefanović Karadžić|author2=R. Aleksić|title=Pjesme junačke najstarije|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GpXlAAAAMAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1958|publisher=Prosveta|page=665|quote=Рашков брат Марко, који је тада пребегао заједно са Рашком, јесте деда познатог социјалисте српског, Светозара Марковића}}{{cite book|author=Božidar Kovačević|title=Iz prošlosti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7ZGAAAAMAAJ|access-date=3 March 2013|year=1949|publisher=Srpska književna zadruga|page=156|quote=Због тога би се могло претпо- ставити да је породица Марковића прешла у Србију из некога краја северно од Таре и западно од Ибра, ако се докаже да је Вуков „старац Рашко" доиста брат Марка, Светозарева деде. }} At the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising, Rashko came to the village of Sabanta in the Jagodina nahiyah.{{cite book|author=Vuk Stefanović Karadžić|title=Narodne srpske pjesme|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bL8WAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR17|access-date=3 March 2013|year=1833|publisher=U štampariji Brejtkopfa i Eršla|page=17}} He participated in the First Serbian Uprising and distinguished himself in the Battle of Lipar (1804), in which he raised the revolutionary flag, and the Battle of Deligrad (1806).{{cite book|author=Miodrag Popović|title=Vuk Stef. Karadžić: 1787-1864|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dfpJAAAAYAAJ|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1987|publisher=Nolit|page=158|quote=У ствари сам спевалац Старац Рашко, устаник из доба Кара- ђорђа и борац у шанцу на Делиграду}}{{cite book|author=Rajko Petrov Nogo|title=Srpske junačke pjesme: antologija|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EuBiAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1990|publisher=BIGZ|page=408|quote=Тако је, на пример, Старац Рашко 1804. развио устанички барјак на Липару, а 1806. бранио Делиград. }}

Old Rashko was illiterate.{{cite book|author1=Bogdan Popović|author2=Jovan Skerlić|title=Srpski književni glasnik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AmhUAAAAYAAJ|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1908|page=467|quote=Па и Вукову полагању рачуна у предговору од 1833 године не треба веровати, јер је међу записиваче(\) убројао и неписмене људе као што су „старац Рашко од Колашина и Рово, момак господара Јована Обреновића". }} Based on his singing, Vuk Karadžić recorded some of the best poems with motifs derived from medieval Serbian history, like The Building of Skadar or Uroš and the Sons of Marnyava.{{cite book|author=Svetozar Koljević|title=Postanje epa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BePWAAAAMAAJ|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1998|publisher=Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti, Ogranak u Novom Sadu|page=301|quote=Али вриједи примијетити да је Старац Рашко - пјевач неколиких најбољих пјесама с мотивима из средњовјековне српске историје, попут сјајне, иако изузетно контроверзне пјесме „Зидање Скадра" и опште признате „Урош и Мрњавчевићи"}} Jacob Grimm was particularly enthralled by The Building of Skadar and described it as "one of the most touching poems of all nations and all times".{{cite book|author=Alan Dundes|title=The Walled-Up Wife: A Casebook|url=https://archive.org/details/walledupwife00alan|url-access=registration|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1996|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|isbn=978-0-299-15073-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/walledupwife00alan/page/3 3]–}}{{cite book|author=Paul Rankov Radosavljevich|title=Who are the Slavs?: A Contribution to Race Psychology|url=https://archive.org/details/whoareslavsacon02radogoog|quote=skadar.|access-date=1 March 2013|year=1919|publisher=Badger|page=[https://archive.org/details/whoareslavsacon02radogoog/page/n371 332]}} He was also the source of the songs Four Uskoks, The Building of Ravanica and The Maiden Margita and Duke Rajko.{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbosAQAAIAAJ|access-date=3 March 2013|year=2000|publisher=Матица српска|page=540|quote=Старац Рашко и у песми Чешири ускока (Вук III, 47) прерушава своjе jунаке на сличан начин. кат ко^и овакво „одело" или, тачн^е, маска може да изазове}}{{cite book|author1=Vuk Stefanović Karadžić|author2=Milne Holton|author3=Vasa D. Mihailovich|title=Songs of the Serbian people: from the collections of Vuk Karadžić|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gtl9AAAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1997|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press|isbn=978-0-8229-3952-8|page=102|quote="The Building of Ravanica"; the shorter version translated here (Karadzic ii, 35 ), sung to Vuk by Old RaSko}}{{cite book|author1=Dragutin A. Stefanović|author2=Vukašin Stanisavljević|title=Pregled jugoslovenske književnosti: Narodna književnost, feudalna književnost, dubrovačko-dalmatinska književnost i racionalizam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qaJiAAAAMAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1962|publisher=Zavod za izdavanje udžbenika Narodne Republike Srbije}} Vuk Karadžić stated that the song Battle of Deligrad was probably authored by Rashko himself.{{cite book|title=Referati i saopštenja - Naučni sastanak slavista u Vukove dane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OfMGAQAAIAAJ|access-date=3 March 2013|year=1972|publisher=Međunarodni slavistički centar|page=237|quote=По свој прилици је Рашко ову последњу песму сам спевао у логору на Делиграду, јер је ја ни од кога тако по реду нисам могао чути, као од њега, а и они}} Vuk Karadžić also recorded another version of the song The Marriage of King Vukašin from Rashko, but it was not published as he probably considered it worse than the other versions.{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BT9IAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1953|publisher=Матица српска|page=58}} In a letter Vuk wrote to Miloš Obrenović he stated that he failed to record two beautiful songs from Rashko's singing: The Wedding of Ivo Senjanin and Three Prisoners.{{cite book|author=Radovan Samardžić|title=Pisci srpske istorije|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qzUKAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1994|publisher=Prosveta|page=49|quote= „а и код Рашка су ми остале двије лијепе пјесме не преписате: о Женидби Иве Сењанина, и о три сужња}} Miloš knew Raško personally, otherwise Vuk would not write about him in such manner.{{cite book|title=Naš jezik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yvoKAQAAMAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1959|publisher=Lingvističko društvo|page=95|quote=Да Рашко ни)е био познат и близак Милошу, не би Вук могао тако писати. }}

Vuk classified Rashko's songs into songs from Herzegovina, and this classification caused polemics between Svetozar Matić who believed that his songs were originally from Srem, although Raško had actually never visited Srem, and some other scholars who confirmed Vuk's opinion.{{cite book|title=Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnpHAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1965|publisher=Државна штампарија Краљевине Срба, Хрвата и Словенаца|page=273}}{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BT9IAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1953|publisher=Матица српска|quote=Нека Рашко и није био у Срему, ипак је ову песму створио срем- ски певач}}

In his songs Rashko paid much attention to ethics, being almost obsessed with righteousness, loyalty, and disloyalty.{{cite book|title=Летопис Матице српске|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EagVAQAAIAAJ|access-date=3 March 2013|year=1987|publisher=У Српској народној задружној штампарији|page=217}}{{cite book|author=Ljubiša Rajković Koželjac|title=Članci iz jezika i književnosti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V8wJAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1970|publisher=Tehnički školski centar|page=39|quote=Старац Рашко, тај велики поборник правде}}

Vuk Karadžić recorded and published ten songs from Rashko's singing.{{cite book|title=Zbornik Matice srpske za književnost i jezik|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BT9IAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1953|publisher=Матица српска|page=58}}{{cite book|title=Referati i saopštenja - Naučni sastanak slavista u Vukove dane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OfMGAQAAIAAJ|access-date=4 March 2013|year=1972|publisher=Međunarodni slavistički centar|page=237}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• The Building of Skadar (Зидање Скадра)
• The Building of Ravanica (Зидање Раванице)
• The Death of Dušan
• The Emperor Suleyman and Savo Patriarch
• Uroš and the Sons of Marnyava (Урош и Мрњавчевићи)
• Four Uskoks (Четири ускока)
• Battle of Deligrad - probably authored by Rashko
• The Maiden Margita and Duke Rajko (Маргита девојка и Рајко Војвода)
• The Wedding of Prince Lazar
• The Wedding of Grujica Novaković
• The Marriage of King Vukašin - recorded but not published version

{{div col end}}

• List of Serbian Revolutionaries
• Dimitrije Karaman
• Živana Antonijević
• Filip Višnjić
• Tešan Podrugović
• Petar Perunović
• Djuro Milutinović the Blind
• Marko Utvić
• Blind Jeca (Jelisaveta Marković, called "Blind Jeca," was Živana's pupil)
• Stepanija

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Serbian revolutionaries}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:18th-century Serbian people

Category:19th-century Serbian people

Category:Serbian guslars

Category:Serbian male poets

Category:People of the First Serbian Uprising

Category:Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Category:People from Kolašin