Episode 146
Dobra večer, prijatelji!
Warm up your vocal chords and tune your heart strings, because we are learning an old song in a new way! Instead performing a Croatian song, we picked a famous tune everyone will recognize.
Let’s learn a classic song by the Fab Four na Hrvatski!
Lesson
To love - voljeti
Always - uvijek
Somebody - netko, nekoga
Like (adverb) - kao
Vo, voli me
Ti znaš da volim te
Uvijek sam za tebe
Molim te, voli me
Nekoga za voljeti
Netko novi
Nekoga za voljeti
Netko kao ti
Love, love me do
You know, I love you
I’m always for you,
Please, love me do
Someone to love
Somebody new
Someone to love
Somebody like you
the Super Sltako Re;ort
Ah, Split, a city full of stories, a city full of history, from Diocletians Palace to its vibrant night life during the Ultra festival. This city is full of tales, but did you know that one of the tails was that of a Mermaid? That’s right, local legend says that Split is home to a Half-woman, half-fish, that has been part of these tales for centuries. Is she a guardian of the Adriatic? a tragic figure cursed by love? or just an elaborate excuse for fishermen to explain why they came home empty-handed? Let’s splash around and find out.
Like any good legend, the story of the Mermaid of Split has murky beginnings. Some say she was a Roman noblewoman cursed by the gods for betraying a lover. Others claim she was a sea nymph who fell for a mortal and begged the sea to make her human—only to be granted a halfway situation. More sensible historians suspect the tale has roots in ancient seafaring superstitions, where mermaids served as omens of fortune or disaster. Whatever the case, the mermaid’s presence in local storytelling has been as constant over time.
Through the years, the people of Split have woven the mermaid into their own folklore. Fishermen have stories about hearing a mournful song carried on the wind, children are warned not to stray too far into the water or they might catch a glimpse of her silver tail. Some versions of the story have her as a protector of sailors, while others suggest she’s more of a trickster, luring people to the depths of the Adriatic. Either way, she’s a part of the city’s story telling, popping up in everything from bedtime stories to dramatic tourism brochures.
Personally, I’m big on not believing something until I see it, but if there’s a good story… Im all in. Because there are those who claim to be eyewitnesses willing to say that they saw something, even if the details get fuzzier or change as their story goes on. Over the years, there have been scattered reports—mostly from fishermen, late-night wanderers, and the occasional tourist—claiming that they saw a shimmering figure darting beneath the waves near Diocletian’s Palace. Some claim to have seen her silhouette against the moonlit water; others speak of hearing a voice singing from the depths. As with all of these accountings, there’s never any photographic evidence, but sometimes that makes their stories even better, forcing us listeners to have to use our own imaginations.
The Mermaid of Split has made occasional appearances in books, travelogues, and newspapers over the years. Nineteenth-century travelers passing through Dalmatia sometimes mentioned local stories of sea spirits, and a handful of Croatian poets have been inspired by the legend, turning her tale into melancholic verses about love and loss. More recently, she’s been featured in tourism websites, local guidebooks, and even the occasional speculative documentary on mythical sea creatures. Whether she’s a genuine part of maritime folklore or just a useful bit of marketing is, this is up for debate.
Despite the modern world’s tendency to ruin all things mysterious and fun, the Mermaid of Split continues to live on. She appears in local art, inspires festival themes, and occasionally gets name-dropped in ghost tours catering to tourists hoping for a glimpse of the supernatural. Some souvenir shops even sell mermaid-themed trinkets, because what’s a legend without some good old-fashioned knick knacks and chachkeys.
So Whether you believe the Mermaid of Split or not, she remains a charming part of Split’s identity.
All in all, legends aren’t meant to be proven; they’re meant to be told, shared, and kept going. And as long as someone is willing to listen, the mermaid of split tale will carry on. Also, next time I’m in Split, I’m picking up a Mermaid refrigerator magnet.
And that’s it for the super Slatko report.
