Different from balaur or vrcolac, the Zmeu has human features. The Romanian folklore shares some similar fantastic cast of monsters and the Vasilisc is just an example. A Pricolici is an undead vampire/werewolf/demon hybrid, the souls of the malicious and violent are prone to becoming pricolici. Author of the Year Spillwords Press Awards MMXXIII. xx, Talking books (Transylvania's History A to Z and Dreamland) with lovely Andra Craig & Sorina Stallard from DOR Romanian Diaspora on #CarteaDeVineri. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. She forgave him, and they all lived happily ever after. Roman Sexuality Was Far More Complex Than Simply Gay Or Straight - Pompeii's House Of The Vettii Reveals Why. Romanian mythology can be truly impressive, with tales of giants that protected the Earth, and powerful wizards that descended from Dacian High Priests. In: Ciubotaru, Silvia. RavenInTheSky. Jidovii are described in Romanian legends as kind and patient, walking with huge steps from one hill to another. Another legendsays that old Urias burial mounds hides amassive horde of riches that can only be discovered on Christmas Eve, at Easter, or on St. Georges Day, when magical fires burn above his grave. One day, God decided to create the earth, and enlisted the help of the animals and of his brother. [1]:37 Blajini are invisible connectors between Inner and Hollow Earth. In others, they are living beasts (not the undead), and happen as a result of a curse. In Romanian culture, as in many others, the house represents the spiritual center of human life, the place where profane meets sacred and around which gravitates many of the intriguing creatures populating myths (stories and beliefs rooted in human's origin, often involving gods) and folklore (fictional tales and superstitions, legends . This bizarre whale feeding technique may explain some ancient folklore. "Trgtorii cu coarne aurite ntre cotidian i mitologie" [Golden Horn Plough Pulling Animals Between Everyday Life and Mythology]. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Romanians have had, from time immemorial, a myriad of customs, tales and poems about love, faith, kings, princesses, and witches. Many of these creatures can be both cruel and kind, depending on their whims. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. As the Norse Fenris, a varcolac may swallow the moon and the sun; it's thus responsible for eclipses. Prince Radu the Black dreamed of building the most striking monastery in Romania. Ethnologists, poets, writers and historians have tried in recent centuries to collect and to preserve tales, poems, ballads and have tried to describe as well as possible the customs and habits related to different events and times of year. According to Romanian mythology, Zburatorul is actually the personification of the intense feelings of erotic desire and longing for a man. Oftentimes people claim to see them at night, dancing Horas naked in the moonlight, with bells on their ankles and candles in their hands. It is said that they used magic words that asked to Zburator to leave, to hide and never to return. The mythical creatures of the night are usually frightening and Maleficent, but there is one, a fascinating creature, born from unshared love, so attractive and mysterious like a true prince of the night. This Romanian vampire . It has physical traits such as legs or arms and the ability to create weapons. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. She was so skilled and so kind, that she quickly became handmaiden to the empress. And thus, while he still tries to take control of the earth, it never did become his. Nuggets of Romanian Folklore, Myths and Legends Jewels of Romanian History and Travel. Now Nefrtat, evil ashe was, tried to take possession of earth, pushing his brother into the waves. They have similarities to brownies and to dwarves. They wore either boots or a simple shoe made of leather and tied around the foot called opinc and they wore a hat which differs in design from region to region. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. "Din senin de ap: Facerea Lumii" [Out of Infinite Clear Waters: The Genesis]. Peoples folkloric imaginary produced other monstrous depictions such as a double dog-headed human with four eyes, standing on four feet. With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. Sometimes good, sometimes a bit wicked, the Solomonar is considered the great sorcerer of storms and winds, master of all lakes, tall mountains and deep caves, and the creator of frost, mist, and hail. Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. Features RPG Yaga Folklore monsters, Romanian hip-hop, and a one-armed blacksmith star in this action RPG By Christopher Livingston last updated March 19, 2022 There are also light roguelike. So the king, enraged (somehow) by her answer, banished his daughter from the castle, unwilling to listen to any explanation. Day Fifteen of the Folkloric Fauna of February. But Zburatorul was not an ordinary lover, he developed obsessions and curing this love-illness was a hard thing to do. Ft-Frumos is actually present in many Romanian folk tales. These giants are also kind and gentle, and they too stride across mountains although they do seem to be a bit smaller than the Uria. Want to find out more about Romanian mythical monsters, besides the ever-present Dracula? This is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. At the end of this ritual, the girls were cured, the Zburator was gone, and life kept going on as usual. This is a welcome development, on the whole, as the American public's . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. As mentioned in the show, Zanna derive from Romanian folklore. is the Slavonian blan meaning 'kind, well-minding person'. These are a few of Romanias most widely-known folktales and legends! Most of these names can be found in the Romanian Lore in reference to Vampires and Dragons. They are considered to fast the year through, and thus doing humans a great service. Romanian mythology is vibrant and often scary, full of blood-sucking creatures, vicious and fickle lovers, and bloody battles. The princess stood up, and said that since he did not like salt, she had cooked his food with only sugar and honey. Earthquakes are frequently attributed to the earth slipping due to the Devil's constant gnawing at these pillars, which are rebuilt by God and his angels in times of fasting. These massive beings were mostly good and kind, and lived in peaceful existence with humanity and the creatures of the earth. You can find her in a plethora of folk and fairy tales, playing the role of a forest guardian. What sweet love his daughters had for him. Halloween in Transylvania 2022 How was our 8 days trip to the spooky party at Bran Castle, 10 Most Famous Romanian Women from Now and Then, 10 reasons why you should move to Romania, The ethnic mosaic is enhancing local culture, Halloween in Transylvania - 8 days tour and party at Dracula's Castle, Six days tour from Cluj-Napoca - Discover Maramures and Bucovina, Dracula Beyond the legend - 8 day tour to Transylvania, Amazing Romania - Seven day private tour from Bucharest, Dracula Castle tour by night from Bucharest. One day, Ft-Frumos found that he missed home, and could hardly remember what his life had been before his fairie revelries. DEX, Romanian Academy Publishing House, Bucharest, 1998, Marian Simion Florea, Cultural Romanian Foundation Publishing House, Bucharest 1994, Michael Hitchcock (1998): Tourism, Tam An Mini, and national identity, Indonesia and the Malay World, 26:75, 124-135: 129. In Romanian mythology, the Iele are mythical creatures similar to the Nymphs and Dryads found in Greek mythology. He is called Zburatorul, meaning The One Who Flies, a handsome airman tormenting the sleep of young girls and young wives. [1]:61, If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. The dances are lively and are practiced throughout Romania by a large number of professional and amateur groups, thus keeping the tradition alive; Hora is one of the most famous group dances but men's folk dances such as cluari are extremely complex and have been declared by UNESCO to be "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritages of Humanity". Ielele are stunning nymph-like women who dance under the moonlight. With immense dark forests, mysterious mountains, and, in many periods of history, enemies on all sides, its no wonder the stories are often quite dark. Top 10 Greatest Mythological Creatures and Legendary Creatures of Myth and Folklore Werewolf: Wolf-human shapeshifter (Global Culture) Dragon: Depicted as fire-breathing and winged (Global Culture) Chimera: Hybrid Fire-breathing creature (Greek Mythology) Loch Ness Monster: Aquatic monster (Scottish Folklore) Fully grown adult chamois reaches 70-80 cm (28-31 in) in height and 107-137 cm (42-54 in) in length. I'm Glenn. He only wanted his daughter to be happy. A boundless ocean called Apa Smbetei. They also used magic plants like wild garlic, Mandrake, lovage or deer grass to create strong potions to bathe the women for 3 days in a row. Patricia Furstenberg writes historical fiction, contemporary and children's book. However, the dragon wolf mythology does not end here. Occasionally they help children find answers to moral questions in life. Sometimes he has two heads, other times a head of a dog on the body of a man, it appears that he is also a shape-shifter, being able to transform itself in other animals too. Vlad Hagyak epe, the Impaler, Prince of Wallachia, died 1477. If you are curious about his adventures on this quest, you can read the story in English. And so he came to live with them for uncounted years, enjoying unearthly delights. Traditionally, men wore a white shirt and pants (if made of wool they are called iari) with a wide leather belt, usually over the shirt, and a vest sometimes made of leather and embroidered. Luckily, there were certain chosen people, known as good sorcerers, that with the permission of the possessed girls and with a bit of magic succeeded in healing them. Romania's rich folk traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. What a practical love! Well, the representation of the symbolic animal is a fusion between a wolf and a dragon, sometimes depicted as a serpent. Also, there is a story which repeats regardless of region, when giants seeing people plowing the land, took them in their hands as little toys, smiled at them and then put them back carefully. Vampires in popular culture | by Ben Douglass via Flickr. The varkolak or vyrkola or vrykolakas, also called vorvolakas or vourdoulakas, is a harmful undead creature in Slavic folklore. The subspecies of the Rupicapra genus differ by habitat range and slightly different in certain physical traits, such as color. There are quite a variety of Romanian monsters. We all know the phenomenon of children having imaginary friends. But as he pushed, the earths expansion kept God from ever falling off. Black is the most common colour used, but red and blue are predominant in certain areas. England's Black Annis tans the skins of naughty children and wears them around her waist. Also, people who claim to have seen him say that along with his book, he also carries a piece of wood for calling the winds and an iron axe which he uses to create hail. If sorcerers are known to have disappeared long ago, the love stories and passionate dreams certainly are not. His solution was to flood the entire earth, leaving only Noah and his Ark (you can see here how old myths have been intermingled with Christianity, rather than being simply replaced by it). These are usually, in our world, psychological creations that children invent as a way to socialize, be creative, and altogether develop cognitively. In these stories the Devil goes by the name "Nefrtatul" and is the somewhat foolish brother of God in folk versions of stories. The 12 winds are said to sweep up the ashes of people and gather them in the valley of Safed, where the Last Judgement shall be done. When great floods came, Jidovii took care of people and their animals without asking for any reward. Other descriptions have him as an undead . Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. This is said to be the length of their great stride. Sometimes compared to other fantastic creatures, such as the balaur or the vrcolac, the zmeu is nevertheless distinct, because it usually has clear anthropomorphic traits: it is humanoid and has legs, arms, the ability to create and use artifacts such as weapons, or the desire to marry young girls. According to the tale of creation, God and the Devil are master and servant, the devil (Nefrtatul) being Gods foolish brother. , Thank you very much, for this interesting posting, Patricia. Youll also find that some of the figures are shared with the neighbouring Hungarian mythology, as borders were fluid and travellers have been moving between the two forever. The most prominent symbol associated with the End Times is that of the earthquake. Romanian Folklore. This little tale follows a king and his three daughters, long, long ago. They are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Past and Present Monsters of Folk Tales - Books by Patricia Furstenberg, The Old Bear in Romanian Mythology and Folklore, Garlic and Dreamland Book, Superstitions on Pentecost, Rusalii, Nuggets of Romanian Folklore, Myths and Legends, Martisor, 1 March, Celebrating Old and New, Change and Hope, Legend of Rasinari, Resin City and a Roman Soldiers Payslip, Talking Books, Romania s Folklore and History, on #CarteaDeVineri this Friday. Also, the poet Vasile Alecsandri published the most successful version of the ballad Mioria (The Little Ewe), a sad, philosophical poem, centered on a simple action: the plot by two shepherds to kill a third shepherd because they envied his wealth. One day, the peace ended, and a great war between humans and Uria was waged. It has similarities to many different legendary creatures, but most of all with the vampire and lycanthropes of the Slavic and Balkan region. Perhaps the most well known form of vampire, popularized by fiction and film in the Western world, is the nosferatu. It is essential to preserve these creations together with the act of telling stories and fables. They were both a source of . In Romanian strigoi means to scream. "Its a legend about a lady going around door to door selling keropok. In the Romanian folklore, the wolf appears more often, since the Carpathian people have had many encounters with these animals. Despite this, many consider Ielele the protectresses of the forest. Dragons, wolves, and hybrid animals populate the most appreciated stories. Upon deciding to create the earth, God sent the Devil to bring a handful of clay from the ground of the World Ocean in his holy name. Pricolici. She is the author of Dreamland, Transylvania's History A to Z, bestseller Joyful Trouble and other 18 books. In others, they are considered mortal vampires, and live an ordinary lifespan, simply with special powers, avoidance of sunlight, and a tendency to suck your blood. wikipedia-en:List_of_legendary_creatures_(B) This content was extracted from Wikipedia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License #folklore #creatures #cartoons #illustrations The Devil set forth and tried to bring it to the surface in his name instead, but could not succeed until he brought it up in the name of God. Taken away by an old Solomonar, the boy is trained for 20 years at the Solomonars School, found somewhere at the End of the Earth, in a deep cave. So Ft-Frumos left them, insisting that he would roam the world and find immortality. Folk creations (the best known is the ballad Mioria) were the main literary genre until the 18th century. It does not store any personal data. From the little sand Frtat gathered he created a stretch of of earth where both of them went to rest, glad it felt solid, although their fingers were still dipped into Apa Smbetei, for it was narrow. Or it could have been Decebal, one of the first rulers of the Dacians, Romanians ancestors, who ordered these Giants to protect the Dacian treasures hed hidden in a cave when Romans attacked, 1st century AD. Likewise, the wolf is still present as a symbol in Romanian culture. Even in modern Romania, certain wolf attacks are attributed to Pricolici. Any man can become this bloodthirsty demon after death if they die under certain conditions. We will explore the myths, urban legends and fol. In traditional Romanian folklore the term strigoi (feminim strigoaic) can refer. Love and death play crucial roles in Romanian mythology, as well as the fight between evil and good, in which Ft-Frumos represents the good. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Or a love story would be better, to melt your other half's heart? Once, in an old anonymous folk tale, Ft-Frumos even goes on a quest to gain immortality. Worth mentioning is the root of the word Frtat coming from frate = brother. His eldest daughter said I love you like honey, father, and he was very pleased. In most local folklore, moroi are the souls of unbaptised children or faithless adults. Cpcun (ogre) In some Romanian folk tales the uria giants are also called jidovi. Romanians claim that Strigoi is the father of Dracula, as opposed to the TV show, he is either invisible or is in the form of an animal. Fearing that Heaven might be voided, the archangel Michael re-sealed it, thus freezing the demons that had not yet fallen to hell in place. The Cpcun is a violent ogre-like creature. Hi! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Moreover, Strigoii can cause many illnesses and eve shape-shift into were-wolfs. And with that, he slapped the old man, and Ft-Frumos fell down dead, crumbling into dust. To preserve traditional houses, many village museums have been created in the last century throughout Romania,[5] such as the Village Museum in Bucharest, the Traditional Popular Civilisation ASTRA Museum in Sibiu or the Oltenian Village Museum in Rmnicu Vlcea. The Jidovi are said to have considered humans the successors of their earth, and so they treated us well and taught us what they knew. There you have it! Strigoii and Moroii are believed to drink not only the blood of a human, but to feed on its energy too. [4] Better keep away for they are irresitable, especially to men, and they will make youlooseyour way through the forest. It represents evil, as do its counterparts Zmeu and the Balaur. As he slept, his trickster brother decided to push him off the edge. Ielele are charmstresses, women of forests and waters with magic powers living in Romania and populating its folklore. What can I say, Romanians have a wild imagination , Thank you for visiting twice today Id forgotten this post in drafts. Tthe feeding method, however, may not be new at all. Un weekend frumos, Jo. In Maramure, wood was used to create impressive structures such as churches or gates; in Dobruja, windmills were made of wood, and in mountainous regions hardwood was used even for covering the roof. These creatures are sometimes described as one-eyed cyclops-like monsters, who feed on human flesh. A few of the most well known types of vampires are the nosferatu, moroi, strigoi, and mullo. This is because those wolves were unusually large and single-minded, attacking one individual at a time. . Romanians generally perceived the earth as a disc, and they imagined what existed on the other side. Maria Tnase is considered to be one of the greatest Romanian folk singers and today Grigore Lee and Taraful Haiducilor are two of the most famous musicians. "While Reading Vasmer's Dictionary" In: Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, introducing citations to additional sources, Traditional Popular Civilisation ASTRA Museum, Youth Without Aging and Life Without Death, "Dragobete 's Day - Celebrating love in the Romanian style", De la tipologia folcloristului finlandez Antti Amatus Aarne la universul basmului romnesc vzut de etnologul Adolf Schullerus, n comparatiune cu legendele antice clasice i n legtur cu basmele popoarelor nvecinate i ale tuturor popoarelor romanice: studiu comparativ, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Folklore_of_Romania&oldid=1128627917, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2010, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from September 2012, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Hora miresei (translated as "Bride's Hora").