A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

Overview

Three successive night watches confront the brothers with monsters Petrovitch calls alligators. The first has one head and two huge ears; the next has two heads and four ears; the third has three heads and six ears. Each emerges from a separate lake while the other brothers sleep. The final arrival disturbs the water enough to send a wave onto the shore and threaten their fire.

Each watcher defeats his attacker and retains the ears as proof, discarding the remaining body into the lake. They initially keep their exploits to themselves, later displaying the trophies while recounting the journey at an inn. The grouped profile preserves the tale’s increasing heads and ears without manufacturing three separate named species or identifying them as biological alligators.

One, two and three headsTwo ears for each headRise from lakes during night watches
01

Origins & earliest records

Woislav M. Petrovitch, Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians, Chapter XIV.VIII, printed pp. 250–252, 256–257. First publication August 1914; the inspected imprint lists reprints in November 1916 and December 1921. These publication dates do not date the oral tradition.

02

Records & interpretation

Entire selected tale read in bounded consecutive sections, including the external-strength hunt and outcome. Historical English terms remain attributed to this telling; illustrations have not yet been visually checked for the named subject.

In the literature

“an alligator with two heads”
Woislav M. Petrovitch · Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians
Chapter XIV VIII, p.250; second lake encounter · Woislav M. Petrovitch

On three successive watches, three princes encounter separate lake creatures: the first has one head and two enormous ears; the second has two heads and four ears; the third has three heads and six ears. Each prince kills his respective attacker and keeps the ears. These are supernatural tale alligators, not anatomically accurate descriptions of a living species.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians, XIV.VIII: Bash Tchelik or Real Steel, pp. 250–252, 256–257

    Woislav M. Petrovitch; preface by Chedo Miyatovich; illustrations William Sewell and Gilbert James · First publication 1914; inspected witness lists December 1921 reprint

    Direct selected text and imprint read; no individual oral narrator invented. Related Mijatovich and Dulac versions remain a comparison queue.

  2. 02

    Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians

    Woislav M. Petrovitch, English prose presenter/translator; Vuk Stefanović Karadžić credited by catalogue for underlying collected material · 1921

    Woislav M. Petrovitch, Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians, London: George G. Harrap, selected December1921 reprint; first published August1914, intervening November1916 reprint explicitly printed. Chapter XIV VIII Bash Tchelik or Real Steel, pp.247–267, complete selected English prose independently read. Original Serbian tale/ballad text not independently inspected.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Located primary passages

Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.

Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians

Woislav M. Petrovitch, Hero Tales and Legends of the Serbians, London: George G. Harrap, selected December1921 reprint; first published August1914, intervening November1916 reprint explicitly printed. Chapter XIV VIII Bash Tchelik or Real Steel, pp.247–267, complete selected English prose independently read. Original Serbian tale/ballad text not independently inspected.

  1. On three successive watches, three princes encounter separate lake creatures: the first has one head and two enormous ears; the second has two heads and four ears; the third has three heads and six ears. Each prince kills his respective attacker and keeps the ears. These are supernatural tale alligators, not anatomically accurate descriptions of a living species.

    Chapter XIV VIII, The Princes set Out, pp.250–252

  2. At the inn each brother later produces the saved ears as proof of his own episode. The youngest recounts the nine giants as an additional adventure. These later retellings do not create extra monsters or establish that the three monsters were related.

    Chapter XIV VIII, The Sleeping Princess / The Hero Found, pp.256–257

Original Serbian source not independently checked. Edition date1921 retained apart from first work1914; no individual oral narrator invented. No sacred formulas excerpted.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Primary textPetrovitch: Bash Tchelik or Real Steel, complete primary taleResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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