Folk Epic Poetry was named after the Greek word epos, meaning word, speech, story. Unlike lyrical folk songs in which feelings are expressed, an epic folk song sings about an event. In our epic folk songs, themes are the heroic accomplishments of our ancestors and historical events, from the time of the creation of the Serbian feudal state, to the creation of modern Serbia during the nineteenth century.
According to the verse in which they are performed, epic songs are divided into long verse songs (fifteen to sixteen syllables) and short poems (ten syllables). Dessert epic poetry is extremely old and sings about various historical events and personalities. Vuk called them heroic songs and they belong to the most beautiful works of our folk literature. They sing alongside the feedle. Depending on the time when the war event or the hero singing in the song took place, Serbian epic folk songs were grouped in the following cycle of songs: Cycle before Kosovo, Kosovo cycle, The cycle of poems about Kraljevic Marko, Cycle after Kosovo, Cycle of songs about bandits, Renegade cycle, Cycle of songs on the liberation of Serbia and Montenegro.
This postage stamp presents epic poetry from the cycle of Kraljevic Marko. The avaricious and liberating weight of our ancestors demanded a strong, cunning fighter who would not be afraid or obeyed. They found him in the face of Marko, a man of great abilities, a great hero, and a protector of poverty and oppressed, fearless fighter against violence and injustice.
The song "Marko Kraljevic and Musa Kesedzija" was created at a time when the Serbian oppressed people searched a way to raise their morale, endure the pain of slavery and persevere under a heavy Turkish yoke, and found it in the image of Marko Kraljevic, an unbeatable hero who according to his greatness the physical strength, the cleverness of wisdom and ingenuity, rose above all others, and even above the Turkish emperor and his best and most brave soldiers.
Author: Nebojsa Djumic
Publisher: Poste Srpske, ad Banjaluka
