Hitar Petar

Monument of Itar Pejo in old town of Prilep

Hitar Petar or Itar Pejo (Bulgarian: Хитър Петър, Macedonian: Итар Пејо, "Sly Peter/Pejo") is a character of Bulgarian and Macedonian folklore. He is a poor village farmhand, but possesses remarkable slyness, wit and wile. He is often presented as the "typical Bulgarian" in Bulgaria and the "typical Macedonian" in Macedonia. He is the perpetual antagonist of either the rich nobles, clerics and money lenders or the "typical Ottoman" — Nasreddin, whom he always manages to outwit. He is therefore regarded as a strictly positive figure and a hero of the common folk.

As a character, Hitar Petar first appeared in the 16th–17th century, when Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule. Tales on his deeds are present in the folklore of many regions, including Dobrudja and Thrace. It is generally thought that the original Hitar Petar lived somewhere in present-day North-Western Bulgaria. He was introduced to literature, with Iliya Blaskov publishing several anecdotes involving him. His feats were adapted to an opera in 1967 and two comedy films, Nastradin Hodzha i Hitar Petar of 1939 and Hitar Petar of 1960.

Hitar Petar is similar to other characters of European and Oriental folklore, most notably Nasreddin of Islamic folklore, the German Till Eulenspiegel,^[1] the Hungarian Csalóka Péter and the Jewish Hershele Ostropoler.

In the Republic of Macedonia, it is thought that Itar Pejo is a native of the region of Mariovo, and a monument to the character was built in Prilep.^[2]

Hitar Petar Nunatak on Trinity Peninsula in Antarctica is named after the folklore character.^[3]

References

External links

• "Bulgarian Operas: Hitar Petar". University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
• "Хитър Петър vs. Бай Ганьо" (in Bulgarian). bTourism. Retrieved 2008-09-29.