Gradobranitelj

A dark cloud covers most of the sky. Silhouettes of trees can be seen at the bottom. — Cumulonimbus clouds are involved in thunderstorms, and can produce heavy rain and hail. It was believed that the movement of these clouds was directed by demons, who led them over fields to destroy crops.

A gradobranitelj (literally "hail defender") and an oblačar was, in Serbian tradition, a man who protected his village from destructive weather. In Serbia, bad weather was believed to be brought by various demonic beings, including devils, creatures called ala and aždaja, eagles, black-feathered birds, and the souls of drowned and hanged persons. The gradobranitelj used magic to dissipate hail clouds, and to repel devils and the souls of the drowned and hanged persons, who were thought to bring the clouds. He learned this magic from another gradobranitelj. The oblačar ran to and fro beneath a hail cloud, fighting against an aždaja, a serpentine demon which flew in the cloud spewing hail on the fields of the oblačar's village. The gradobranitelj is recorded in north-western Serbia, and the oblačar is recorded in the region of Syrmia. It was also believed in some areas that there were women who could eliminate the danger from destructive weather using sorcery. In other respects, these protectors were normal individuals who lived and worked in their communities as others did.