Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Warrior Spirit
It's no surprise that the areas where people most strongly identify as Montenegrin are
those which were part of Montenegro before the dawn of the 20th century, especially in
the old heartland around Cetinje. This is where the archetype of the noble Montenegrin
warrior, fierce in battle and devoted to freedom and the Orthodox Church, had its origins.
A staple feature of nearly every museum in Montenegro is a display of weapons. These
aren't any old guns and swords. Inlaid with mother-of-pearl and set with precious jewels,
these are finely crafted objects that have been handled with obvious love and care. The
period architecture was solid and perfunctory and the paintings largely devotional, but
when it came to making guns, the Montenegrins were happy to indulge themselves. Men
weren't properly dressed without a pair of fancy pistols protruding from their waistbands;
one can only imagine what kind of accidental injuries were sustained.
The warrior spirit may traditionally have been at the heart of Montenegrin society but
today most people are keen to get on with their lives and put the turbulence of the last 25
years behind them. Gunshots can still be heard here but only in celebration. It's the tradi-
tional accompaniment to weddings and other festivities, as a flight from Ljubljana to
Podgorica discovered when it took an accidental hit during celebrations for Orthodox
Christmas Eve in 2008. There were no casualties.
Tied in with the warrior culture is the importance of čojstvo i junaštvo, which roughly
translates as 'humanity and bravery' - in other words, chivalry. In the past it inspired sol-
diers to fight to the death rather than abandon their mates to the enemy or face the shame
of being captured. While it might not have exactly the same practical application today,
don't expect a Montenegrin to back down from a fight, especially if the honour of their
loved ones is at stake. Luckily Montenegro doesn't (yet) attract stag-party groups - it
doesn't take much to imagine the sort of reception that drunken louts would receive if they
were stupid enough to be disrespectful to the local women.
The most common graffiti you'll spot in Monte-negro is a cross with the letter 'c' in each of its quadrants.
This is actually the Cyrillic version of the letter 's' and it stands for samo sloga Srbina spasava, meaning 'only
unity saves the Serbs'.
 
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