Fairy ravine
Legend or True Story?
There is no place in our region with as many legends attached to it as Vilino korito. The residents of the villages beneath Kosmaj are familiar with this indentation in the rock, located on the northern part of the plateau of the same name, at the base of the Ravnina plateau, to the right of the road from Koraćica to Kosmaj. It belongs to the territory of the village of Nemenikuće but is in close proximity to the boundary of the village of Koraćica.
This unusual indentation at the edge of the forest got its name from a mythological being - a fairy (vila). It is believed that a fairy will not harm anyone unless a human offends her or steps on her circle. An old legend tells of a time long ago when a random traveler passing through Kosmaj came across a beautiful girl sleeping on a rock. The young man, unable to resist, kissed the girl, who immediately woke up from her slumber. Seeing the very handsome young man, she told him that she was not a baptized soul but a mountain fairy. They fell in love, and the young man stayed in Kosmaj to live with the fairy. Their great love resulted in the birth of a child. One evening, the fairy left with the child, and the man set out to find her. Suddenly, in a large indentation in the rock, he saw his fairy dancing in a circle with other fairies. Unaware of any harm, he called her by name. The fairies, realizing that a baptized soul had stepped on their circle, flew away, and the man was left lifeless.
Since then, this indentation got the name Vilino korito.
There is also a legend that this indentation got its name because it was a favorite bathing place for the fairies. On the right edge of the indentation in the rock, there is a small hollow, believed to be where the fairy bathed. When Marko, the wealthiest resident of the Kosmaj region who had large sheepfolds near Veliko korito, quarreled with the fairy and drew his sword on her, he accidentally killed a fairy child that was bathing with its mother. The mark of his sword is supposedly still visible in the rock.
Kosmaj fairies were "seen" bathing in the basins of Koraćica and Nemenikuće watermills, washing at the Orlovac spring in Amerić, dancing in circles at the top of Košutica, and drinking water at the Hajdučica fountain near the Tresije Monastery. However, their korito was considered the place where they spent the most time. Until the end of World War II, people showed great respect for this place. At the bottom of Vilino korito, coins, fruits, wildflowers, and sugar cubes could be found. It was believed that rainwater from this place had supernatural powers and was often used in various forms of divination and magic.
