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A Krsnik or Kresnik is a type of vampire hunter, a shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an animal. The ''krsnik'' turns into an animal at night to fight off the ''kudlak'', his evil vampire antithesis, with the ''krsnik'' appearing as a white animal and the ''kudlak'' as a black one. The ''krsnik'' 's soul leaves the body, either voluntarily or due to a higher power, to fight evil agents and ensure good harvest, health, and happiness. The legend evolved from a pre-Christian myth present in Slovenia, Croatia (mainly Istria and the islands), and other countries, in which the celestial pagan god Perun is locked in eternal combat with the evil snake of the underworld, Veles. The ''krsnik'' is taught magic by ''Vile'' (fairies), and in traditional medicine has the ability to heal people and cattle.〔 However, due to the undocumented nature of oral tradition, it's difficult to determine with certainty how much of ''kresnik'' folklore originated from Slavic mythology (''Kresnik (deity)''), and how much arose from a separate shamanistic tradition. After Christianization, the ''kresnik'' instead was claimed to have learned magic at the School of Black Magic in Babylon, but retained benevolent traits as a generous and powerful friend of the poor. The origin of the name may be from the word ''krst'', which means "cross",〔 and which in Serbia is the word for a stone sign denoting village boundaries.〔 It may also be derived from the same root as the Slav word for "resurrection,"〔 so that the word itself means something approximating "resurrector." 〔 Similar beliefs circulated among the Italian Benandanti cult. Also see zduhać. == In fiction == * In the anime series ''Trinity Blood'', a "Crusnik" is a vampire that feeds on the blood of other vampires. ''Lilith Sahl, Cain, Seth, and Abel Nightroad'' are Crusnik who are much more powerful than regular vampires. In the anime series, they all take different forms: Cain appears as an angel with white wings, even though he is the antagonist, whereas Abel appears slightly demonic with black wings and red eyes, while being the protagonist. Kudlak also appears in the series as a bacillus that is responsible of the creation of "normal" vampires. * ''Kresnik'' and ''Kudlak'' are recurring characters in the Shin Megami Tensei series of video games. * ''Kresnik'' is the name of a mythological hero in ''Tales of Xillia''. A superweapon bearing the name "Lance of Kresnik" is a plot device. The sequel features a descendant named Ludger Will Kresnik. A machine named ''Kudlak'' is also present, though unimportant to the story. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Krsnik (vampire hunter)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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