Petar Klepac/Peter Klepec/Pitr Kljepc: A Borderland Hero and the Manifestations of his Strength

Storytelling and mythology are as old as humanity. According to some scholars the role of myths is “to unify the groups, tribes, nations or other entities where they are being told around certain common ideas, values and orientations” (Stugu 2003). Nations, in particular, need a unifying element, which they usually find in mythology, where the character of the hero often embodies desirable characteristics of the nation. Since mythology knew no boundaries until “the birth” of nation-states, some heroes are shared by more than one nation. One such hero is Petar Klepac (in Croatian)/ Peter Klepec (in Slovenian)/ Pitr Kljepc (in local dialects), a hero of the Kupa and Cabranka Valley in the Slovenian-Croatian border region, who still appears in the local narrative tradition. He is a mighty hero with a “dual citizenship” and hero legends about him are part of the heterogeneous intangible heritage of the valley. The subject of this article is the strength of this folklore hero, manifestations of his strength in the border region, as well as, more broadly, in the folklore and literary heritage throughout the territories of both countries, his diverse roles in the creation and mobilization of identities and in tourism promotion.