Musa Kesedžija

Musa Kesedžija (Serbian: Муса Кесеџија, Bulgarian: Муса Кеседжия), also described as Musa the Robber, Musa the Outlaw, Musa the Highwayman or Musa the Beheader, is a popular legendary hero of Serbian epic poetry and Bulgarian and Macedonian folklore. He is most famous as a rival of Prince Marko (Serbian: Марко Краљевић), another hero of South Slavic folklore.

In the poem Musa is an Albanian highwayman who confronts Prince Marko, a vassal of the Sultan, at the Kačanik Gorge, today in modern Kosovo.

Musa Kesedžija first appeared in the poem Marko Kraljević and Musa Kesedžija, which was recorded for the first time in Sremski Karlovci and published in 1815 by Vuk Karadžić. Karadžić recorded the poem sung by Tešan Podrugović.

Musa had three hearts which is a sign of exceptional heroism in Serbian epic poetry. Because of his three hearts, Musa can be seen as an anthropomorphised descendant of chtonic monsters, as their anthropomorphosis can be reflected in the multiplication of body parts.

Petar I Petrović-Njegoš (1747–1830) mentions Musa and Marko Kraljević in his song The Sons of Ivan-bey (Serbian Cyrillic: Синови Иванбегови), which was after his death published first in 1835 and then by Petar II Petrović-Njegoš in his 1845 song collection Serbian Mirror (Serbian Cyrillic: Огледало Србско).

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