Quite a choice. By taking the shape of a dragon, appearing in the sky and spitting fire, the Zmeu belongs to a particular category of villains. Author of the Year Spillwords Press Awards MMXXIII. Had you been much later, I would have perished myself!. And the butterfly morphed further into a young man. It represents evil, as do its counterparts Zmeu and the Balaur. This Carpathian Gandalf not only masters the elements, but also masters the mythical dragons, some people claiming that they saw a might dragon coming up from deep mountain lakes, obeying the commands of Solomonars. Some explain them as the descendants of Adam's son Seth. In another version, true to the succession of Gods mentioned earlier (s. here), Jesus Christ is said to come and create a new world like his father before him. The Adventures of Kiara Yew 2019 All rights reserved | Designed by One Graphic Street, The Adventures of Kiara Yew 2019 All rights reservedDesigned by One Graphic Street, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), The Adventures of Kiara Yew 2019 All rights reserved | Designed by, the most beautiful fairy tales and legends, Transylvania Vampires | Historic Mysteries, Romanian Folklore | Fascinating Stories and Rituals. Ielele bathe in glacial lakes, and dance on mountain cliffs and in meadows. One day, the peace ended, and a great war between humans and Uria was waged. , Thanks for the addition Pat.. very interesting..hugsx. In fact, in Romania you may come across an unusual form of measurement, the Jidovina, which measures several meters length. Yes, and it is not such a well known myth. This bizarre whale feeding technique may explain some ancient folklore. 3. Their presence in Romania is well maintained by the multitude of places that were named after them: the Jidovi table, the Jidovi cave, the hill or the tombs of Jidovi, and also, there is jidovina, a measuring unit consisting of several meters, the equivalent of a giants step. The Strigoi is also a shapeshifter, able to transform itself into a bat, animal or fog. The Romanian folklore is a big happy family. Dragons, wolves, and hybrid animals populate the most appreciated stories. One day, God decided to create the earth, and enlisted the help of the animals and of his brother. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. As mentioned in the show, Zanna derive from Romanian folklore. Three saints (usually in the persons of Enoch, John and Elijah) are said to come to earth to unveil the Devil's attempts to destroy the world, whereupon they shall be killed by decapitation. Some legends say it is a ghost or vampire (Strigoi) while others say it is a werewolf (in some versions, a werewolf that emerges from the corpses of . Best solution is not to open the door.". The ethnograph Marian Simion Florea wrote: Blajini are fictitious beings, incarnations of dead children not baptized who live at the end of Earth, nearby The Holy water (of Saturday). From the countrys own Prince Charming to the origins of Dracula. Would you like to find out the latest trips and stories from the land of Romania? Another prolific editor of folk tales was Petre Ispirescu, who, in the 19th century published an impressive number of volumes containing a large number of short novels and tales from popular mythology. Linen was the most common material for clothing, combined with wool during the winter or colder periods. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Iele - the Ladies of the Woods Romanian Myths & Legends There are quite a variety of Romanian monsters. Richly marked with medieval castles, cities, and ruins, Transylvania is home to 8 Myths of Romania | Popular Folklore, Legends and Tales From hauntings, vampires, nymphs and treasures, these myths of Romania will mystify you and have you adding these fantastic places to your itinerary. Unfortunately, few primary sources are currently available in English. 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 Rare Ancient Paycheck Of A Roman Legionary Soldier Found At Masada. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and, in response, God opened up the heavens so that he might fall to the earth. Well, the representation of the symbolic animal is a fusion between a wolf and a dragon, sometimes depicted as a serpent. As the Norse Fenris, a varcolac may swallow the moon and the sun; it's thus responsible for eclipses. Eventually, she found employment with another emperor, working as a servant girl. Other rare natural phenomena such as Eclipses or Comets were seen as a sign of impending doom. They cheer up in memory of the deceased. Often, these accounts are accompanied by the imagery of one or several World Pillars, which sustain the earth from below and are usually placed beneath mountains. In the Carpathians, Jidovii are often named Blajini, which means the Kind Ones, or Novaci, which means the Powerful Ones as they could snatch a tree without any effort. The Romanian word appears to have meant "Dog-head" (cp being a form of cap, meaning "head", and cun a derivative of cine, "dog"). [Romanian Pluvial Myths In a World Wide Context]. From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. Ft-Frumos with his princess | illustration by Marina Plantus. Long considered a venomous monstrosity, the Basilisk surfaced as a folkloric character in Europe in the Middle Ages. Even in modern Romania, certain wolf attacks are attributed to Pricolici. 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. Thank you, Roberta It took some convincing, as this was not a prudent match for a prince to make (at least, as far as they knew). As the prince walked home, he found that he was growing steadily older, until he was a crooked, white-haired man. One day, the empress son was injured in battle, and he returned home to be nursed back to health. Some old books even tell stories about young girls haunted by this mysterious man, becoming so desperately in love that they started acting like lunatics, walking down the village streets almost undressed and untidy, obviously exhausted and sometimes semi-conscious. Moroii and their legends are as old as Dacian times -especially in Orastie area and thus it is believed that they used charms to steal the cattles milk, rendering the cows dry. [1]:1314, Another question commonly addressed is that of the origin of God, which is explained in a Russian doll-type fashion; before every God there was another God that created him. And when the banquet was held, the king was flabbergasted at the taste of his food. The Transylvanian Folklore has a lot of legends, myths and haunting creatures: from the well-known vampires to werewolves, Moroi, Strigoi, iele, and all kinds of monsters! So, it is believed, that in the deepest caves of the Carpathians Mountains may still live some Jidovi, protecting the treasures for generations to come. I'm a maths tutor and a mechanical engineering student with a long time-interest in history. Maybe it is a bedtime story, for your little one? It has physical traits such as legs or arms and the ability to create weapons. But Zburatorul was not an ordinary lover, he developed obsessions and curing this love-illness was a hard thing to do. Legends tell the stories for most of them. Ft-Frumos enthusiastically agreed, having found his place of eternal youth. It is good to note, as well, that the nomadic Roma people and the Romanian people are two different cultural and ethnic groups, and this post discusses the mythology of the Romanians. He is known to kidnap children and young women, and features in multiple Romanian folktales, where he kidnaps the princess and must be defeated. They wear flowing white dresses and dance with their hair out, wild and uninhibited. One of the best answers for the question "how were these legends created" is, obviously, the Romanian folklore itself. Similarly gigantic, the Jidovi are the giants of the Carpathian Mountains. However, the dragon wolf mythology does not end here. I think it might be due to a good mix of tumultuous histories, a web of cultures, incredible geography, weather, and crazy politics? Romanian mythology says that only a baby boy born with a distinctive sign over his face and body can become such a wizard. Nefrtatul went forth, but he tried to call the clay in his own name so that he would be ruler over all. If the latter, hes a dark embodiment of the Romanian peoples fear of their invading enemies. They were judged like whores, discredited by the community and by their family, blamed to have a weak will and no love or respect for the working, responsible husband. The most prominent symbol associated with the End Times is that of the earthquake. 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. One of the creation stories in Romanian folklore explains the Genesis. He is smart and hard-to-defeat. It has also given rise to the Romanian saying pn ajungi la Dumnezeu, te mnnc sfinii ("before you reach God, the saints will eat you"). 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. What are some unique aspects of Romanian folklore and legend? There are many stories of men being mutilated or losing their ability to talk after discovering these beautiful but cruel creatures. Pricolici. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. There you have it! Korrigan - in northwestern France, these elf-like female beings have long hair, flowing white garments, and sometimes delicate wings. This is said to be the length of their great stride. 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. Manananggal (Image credit: Oronoz/Alamy) These terrifying flyers from Filipino folklore gain their name from the Tagalog word "tanggal," which means "to split." Generally depicted as female, the. So she cooked only his meal herself, ensuring the serving girl brought it to just him. The Strigoi is a vicious vampiric creature who returns from the dead to drink the blood of their relatives. According to the tale of creation, God and the Devil are master and servant, the devil (Nefrtatul) being Gods foolish brother. European folklore, like the Polish Wpierz, Local folktales and legends around the world, Mongolian mythology | Gods & legends of the nomadic tribes, Greek desserts | 8 Incredible pastries to try in Athens. Answer (1 of 3): The name strigoi comes from the Latin strix and striga, which in ancient times were associated with witches or nocturnal flying creatures. In another instance, should this army not come, God shall burn the earth as described and bring the Blajini to live there. 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". Happy to be here. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Sentimental music, however, is the most valued, and Romanians consider their doina (a sad song either about one's home or about love, composed like an epic ballad) unique in the world. [1]:61, If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. , Thank you very much, for this interesting posting, Patricia. Enjoyed this? It is for this reason that Romanians eat dyed eggs and let the shells flow downstream, from there they believe they will get to the Apa Smbetei, and from there to the Blajini. (a type of cracker) If you refuse to buy any, she releases a Pontianak (a vengeful ghost) into your house. 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. In his search, Ft-Frumos had many adventures, acquiring a flying horse and fighting many of the monsters we mention below. The Hydra is a reptilian creature from Greek mythology that could regrow two heads for every one that was cut off, a trait that the Hydra organization adopted as its motto. So, the Romanian Vasilisc is just like the Basilisk from Harry Potter? I cover the travel and myth/legend posts. In some stories this is his true appearance, in others, he is actually a dragon-like demon who simply takes on this visage. This is because those wolves were unusually large and single-minded, attacking one individual at a time. vampire, also spelled vampyre, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood. They appear in Romani folklore. They are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. In the modern folklore of Puerto Rico and Mexico, the chupacabra (goat-sucker) is said to be a creature that feeds upon the flesh or drinks the blood of domesticated animals, leading some to consider it a kind of vampire. Perhaps the most well known form of vampire, popularized by fiction and film in the Western world, is the nosferatu. Romania's rich folk traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. Signs of their existence are still noticeable, local people claim. Scientists are puzzling over a strange hunting technique that whales recently began using: They swim to the surface of the ocean, open their mouths into a gaping yawn with their A moroi is a kind of Strigoi-light theyre also vampiric creatures, but not quite as violent or frightful as the Strigoi. Some people believe that Solomonars are successors of the Dacian High Priests known as Kapnobatai, but received their name after King Solomon, famous for his wisdom and great knowledge. In turn, Radu Florescu, a Romanian-born history professor, was the one to establish the connection between Dracula and Vlad epe, in his 1972 book In Search of Dracula. Even if they did or did not exist, they left us beautiful stories about their way of living. This is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. However, there is oneRomanian tale of a storm in the shape of a balaur that saves two young lovers from the wrath of a jealous aristocrat. 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) 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. The first beings to exist on earth were the Uria giants or ogres so large, they could bound across continents. Realising her to be his daughter, and finally understanding that he had been a fool, the emperor embraced her, apologising. You can find her in a plethora of folk and fairy tales, playing the role of a forest guardian. Anyone who would have wanted to kill it had to bring a mirror in front of it so that its gaze could be reflected. Romanian mythology is vibrant and often scary, full of blood-sucking creatures, vicious and fickle lovers, and bloody battles. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.