Croatian Tales of Long Ago - Bellman

For the longest time I wanted to create a series of characters based upon Croatian mythology and folklore. First in series is Bellman (Zvončar in Croatian).

Bellman is the characteristic folk custom maintained in the region around Rijeka, Croatia. The custom dates to Slavic pagan antiquity. The primary task of Bellmen is to scare away evil spirits of winter and to stir up new spring-time cycle. Bellmen march from village to village throughout the region, following the same centuries-old route, making an extraordinary amount of noise, fueled in part by the wine provided by the locals en route.