Hajduk Delyo the Voivode

Delyo is a figure of Bulgarian folklore, a hajduk from the Rhodope Mountains who lived in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. Legends and songs about Delyo the Hajduk have made him a popular and enduring figure in Bulgarian culture.

An eighteenth-century historical notebook of disputed authenticity mentions Delyo as a hajduk. The well-known song "Delyo the Hajduk Has Set Out" is sung in the Zlatograd region, underlining his popularity. The song was recorded on a golden disc and sent into space aboard the American probe Voyager 1.

According to legend, Delyo the Hajduk was born in the village of Belovidovo, now part of Zlatograd. He operated with a hajduk detachment in the Central Rhodope Mountains. In 1720, according to tradition, he led the united hajduk bands that attacked Raykovo to avenge the killing of two hundred residents who refused to convert to Islam. Legend held Delyo to be invulnerable: "No bullet strikes Delyo, no sabre cuts him." His enemies fired a silver bullet specially cast for the purpose and managed to shoot him.