By: Grade 6

 Once upon a time the river used to spring in Hercegovina, where many shephards used to come with their herds after the pasture. The legend says that a woman with and only child, a daughter had her favourite lamb. But one day, the lamb fell into the spring, so the daughter who was trying to save it, drowned, too. Her mother was broken-hearted, so she left her farm and went begging, but she did not want to take anything but wool.  After three years of begging, she had enough wool and started to fill in the spring with wool until she filled the whole spring. After the spring got stopped, the river went underground and got to Konavle. The legend says that hills and mountains shook and there was thunder and roar of its power, so that many pregnant women had miscarriages. That is why the people named this river "Angry river".

 Once upon a time the land was dry for weeks in the valleys and hills. People, animals, meadows and gardens were yearning for a mild rain. Even the Black river that used to murmur through the cliffs got dried. Only in small rocky holes there was a drop of water that many birds searched for to quench their thirst. The grass by the river was dry and many people who used to come here prayed for the rain.  The sky did not show any mercy… But soon, the Black Queen came to the valley with her shining escort. She had her fairy court in Velebit mountain and used to come here and make the people happy with her kindness. The people begged her for help, so they do not die of thirs and their crops do not go to waste. The Queen showed them mercy and promised to give them plenty of water. The rain came down with thunder and flashes and it rained the whole night and the water grew higher and higher, until it shaped thirteen lakes in the bed of the Black river. The first lake was named "Prošćansko" after the begging of the people for water.

 The hardworking people were so thankful that they brought stone by stone on the hill and build the Queen's bountiful castle. The people were very happy and the Black Queen watched them like a white fairy and was joyful because of the lakes. After some time, the castle over Kozjak was abandoned little by little and the Queen went to underground fairy court. The people kept seaching her to bring her thankful gifts and prayed her to give them a sign that she was alive. Suddenly the water came from Galovačko lake and overflowed over the cave. There were huge floods and people were scared for their lives. They prayed the Black Queen to save them.  Suddenly ther was a flash of lightning and the wind and the rain started to go away. On the waterfall of Galovac there was a magic light and the Queen showed up and said to the people in a sweet voice: „Dear people, you are good and faithful to your land and to your king; you are obedient and persistent, but you will be guarding christianity for a long time, spilling your blood for your master, faith and country. So, I shall come to you again and with my return, the sun of better future shall rise. Then, your shady forests and beautiful valleys shall not be abandones; from then on, gentlemen from all over the world shall come to your wonderful Plitvice lakes.“

 Once upon a time there was a rich man called Gavan and he had beautiful court by the Red lake. He was very immoral, greedy, fierce, heartless and rude, especially to poor people. He would always send them away and laughed at them. His wife was even more evil and selfish and their children did not differ from them.  One day, Gavan decided to make a great feast for his friends, who were as greedy as himself. Suddenly there was an angel dressed in a pauper who asked for some bread in the name of God, for himself and his children. Gavan was very angry with him, because he was ruining his feast and was boring the guests. Gavan's sons released the dogs to rip the pauper's clothes and his children. But, Gavan's wife stopped them, but not out of mercy - she was afraid for her child she was pregnant with. So, she stood up and gave the pauper some bread under the table. The angel took the bread, kissed it and shared it with his children. Then he asked Gavan's wife for some water and promised her God's blessings for her land and children. Gavan's wife said: "I don't need God's blessing as long as I have my Gavan!“  The angel got angry on her, so he ripped his clothes and took God's righteous sword in his hand and cursed Gavan's family, friends and all the land. The thunder and lightning ripped the sky, the earth shook and Gavan's court fell underground together with his children and friends. Today there is the Red lake and by the lake lay the remains of the great Gavan's court. The Red lake is famous that no one can throw a stone in it and no one can measure its depth. The old people say this is because of the legend – and who ever throws a stone in it will be lucky forever.

 King Zvonimir was a good king who helped good people and went after bad people. His land was rich and happy, full of gold and silver. The mainland was united with the coast and the people were happy, too. But soon, the Bizantine emperor sent the letters and his people on behalf the Holy Father to ask king Zvonimir for help, as one christian ruler to another. In his first letter, he asked him to gather his lords and all the good people, so king Zvonimir gathered all his men of honour and asked them to go to a battle to bring freedom in poor countries. They would fight along with their neighbours in the name of Christ. As the men heard his plead, they started shouting and attacked their king with swords and arrows, because they did not want to leave their lovely home and families. The poor king Zvonimir laid in a puddle of his blood and painfully cursed the Croatian folk: "May you never have a king of your own blood!"  The legend says that king Zvonimir was killed April 20th 1089 near Knin, and exactly 900 years Croatia never had its king, until the modern independent and democrtatic Republic of Croatia today.

Hope you enjoyed it :)