Sharatz

Also known as: Sharin / Sharo / his Sharatz · Family: Serbians · Role: Marko's horse · First appears: Chapter IV · Kralyevitch Marko; or, the Royal Prince Marko · Part 1

Some bards say the veela (Marko's mother in one tradition) gave Sharatz to Marko, the same veela who had endowed him with strength; another account says Marko bought Sharatz as a leprous foal, tended and cured him, and trained him into a fine horse. A third account says Marko served a master for three years, chose the piebald foal from a meadow as his reward, and made him his beloved horse. Marko called him Sharin or Sharo and was devoted to him for the hundred and sixty years they were together.

Sharatz helped Marko escape Bogdan the Bully’s pursuit and swam with him across the Danube on the journey to Varadin. In “Chapter IV · The Death of Prince Marko,” Marko killed Sharatz rather than let him fall into Turkish hands, then buried him with more honour than his own brother Andreas.