One day, the peace ended, and a great war between humans and Uria was waged. They wore an apron called or or ctrin which is also embroidered and a headscarf called basma;on special occasions they wore more elaborate outfits. Nuggets of Romanian Folklore, Myths and Legends Jewels of Romanian History and Travel. Are these some fantasy creatures? He is described as a shooting star, coming down through the chimney or the window, entering a girls room in the shape of an incredibly handsome man and, sometimes, in the shape of the man the girl loves. Folk legend say that wherever the seductive ielele danced, strung in a circle, afterwards the ground appeared scorched, dead. She forgave him, and they all lived happily ever after. A boundless ocean called Apa Smbetei. He is known to kidnap children and young women, and features in multiple Romanian folktales, where he kidnaps the princess and must be defeated. So if you have six kids, all one sex, call it there. Werewolves, vampires, capcaun, zmeu and many other mythical creatures originated in East Europe in Transylvania, Romania. In others, they are living beasts (not the undead), and happen as a result of a curse. Ugly and evil, this creature feeds on human flesh and looks like a giant dog-headed beast. 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. Would you like to find out the latest trips and stories from the land of Romania? Blessed, alluring IELELE,Mistresses of breeze,Ladies of the earth and mist,Through the air you rise,On the grass you slide,And on waves you glide. 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. Mythical creatures, legendary beasts , and supernatural, mystical, and god-like beings have fascinated us since ancient times. They wear flowing white dresses and dance with their hair out, wild and uninhibited. Romanians, Hungarians, Saxons, Ottomans, Jews, and Roma Gypsies inhabited the whimsical territory of "the land behind the forests" ( trans silvae), shaping the local folklore and giving birth to fantastic creatures, magic legends, and a fascinating tradition of storytelling. 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. It is said that they used magic words that asked to Zburator to leave, to hide and never to return. Of course, redheads are also considered very suspicious. 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. Perhaps the most successful collector of folk tales was the novelist and storyteller Ion Creang, who, in very picturesque language, shaped into their now-classic form stories like Harap Alb (roughly, "The White Moor") or Fata babei i fata moului ("The old woman's daughter and the old man's daughter"). Ielele are charmstresses, women of forests and waters with magic powers living in Romania and populating its folklore. It remains to be seen. The Romanian Giants known as Jidovi, are probably one of the most beloved folklore creatures. But its said that their burial mounds are filled with treasure, and can be found on Christmas Eve, Easter, and St. Georges Day, lit by magical fires. From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. One day, Ft-Frumos found that he missed home, and could hardly remember what his life had been before his fairie revelries. "Mituri pluviale romneti n context universal". We cant imagine a better way to learn about it than through traveling so thats what were doing. One day, God decided to create the earth, and enlisted the help of the animals and of his brother. Even now, in some remote villages, there are few people remembering such women who were at the edge of losing their minds or their marriages forever. Best solution is not to open the door.". The giants sound almost charming, but Capcaun scares me . The word Cpcun can mean either dog-head or Turk chieftain. One day, God decided to create the earth, and enlisted the help of the animals and of his brother. 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. [4] The "chupacabra hysteria" was frequently associated with deep economic and political crises, particularly during the mid-1990s. Pricolici. Makcik "keropok". It was a combination snake, rooster, bat, and sometimes other animals, that was born from an . Even in modern Romania, certain wolf attacks are attributed to Pricolici. Rozalinda agreed to be turned into a human and so the two lived happily ever after. The founding father of vampire literature, Bram Stoker, introduced the cruelest Wallachian ruler of XVth century Romania to the world. anything that can shape shift scares me! So Ft-Frumos left them, insisting that he would roam the world and find immortality. Thank you, Roberta As mentioned in the show, Zanna derive from Romanian folklore. Waters overflowing and mountains collapsing are both linked to these earthquakes, which are mainly caused by lack of faith, which accelerates the crumbling of the World Pillars. We will explore the myths, urban legends and fol. They are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. Peoples folkloric imaginary produced other monstrous depictions such as a double dog-headed human with four eyes, standing on four feet. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". The Nalusa Falaya from Choctaw mythology slithers like a snake, preying on children who stay out too late. Vampire movies fans should know that stories about dead people, who haunt the live ones and suck their blood, were part of the Romanian folklore long before Bram Stokers Dracula became famous. #folklore #creatures #cartoons #illustrations Not to mention great and powerful heroes without age and giants who keep guard over the earth! 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Discover some of the most powerful legends in Romanian folklore, which influenced and gave birth to numerous tales and stories. Scientists are increasingly aware that they need to improve their skills of public engagement, so as to combat scientific misinformation more effectively than they have been able to manage to date. Some explain them as the descendants of Adam's son Seth. Customs related to certain times of year are the colinde - Romanian Christmas carols, sorcova on New Year's Eve or the Mrior custom on the 1st of March marking the spring. Ce zici? 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". 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. Finally, Ft-Frumos practically means handsome son. He is the Romanian superhero who gets to slay all the mythical monsters we listed above. In the Romanian folklore, the wolf appears more often, since the Carpathian people have had many encounters with these animals. As a matter of fact, the author of this incredibly popular novel never traveled to Romania in his life. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. A Cpcun is something similar to an ogre in the Romanian folklore. RavenInTheSky. 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. His name translates to handsome son, and he embodies purity, passion, spiritual and mental strength. In various regions of the country, the Solomonars are divided into two categories: good and evil. Whatever their exact origins are, the Solomonars are not considered gone and in fact, they are well respected and have a special place among the magical beings of Romanian folklore. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This Romanian vampire . Korrigan - in northwestern France, these elf-like female beings have long hair, flowing white garments, and sometimes delicate wings. Thats because the Romanian mythical monster with seven heads shares its name with a recently discovered species of dinosaurs. They are generally considered good wizards and often presented as false beggars, testing the kindness of people. These include dying unmarried, by execution or suicide, or even by being the seventh child of the same sex born into a family. He told Nefrtatul to go to the bottom of the ocean and, in his holy name, bring up a handful of clay. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. God began to grow the piece of clay into the earth, and when it was large enough that he felt he could leave it to expand in peace, he lay his head down to rest. Absolutely fascinating Pat.. thanks for the amazing background and I love the explanation of Genesisxx, Cheering your visit, Sally . While the name Draco comes from the Greek term Drakon, which signifies to guard with a sharp eye, it also means serpent or dragon. 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. He visits them in their dreams, creating a second reality that is often a good deal more exciting than the truth of their waking reality. The famous vampire, Dracula, may not have existed in all his blood-sucking glory, but his frightful myth is based on an equally frightful individual in Romanian history. Oh, yes, we can hold hands then, Priscilla. 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. This is because those wolves were unusually large and single-minded, attacking one individual at a time. In another instance, should this army not come, God shall burn the earth as described and bring the Blajini to live there. Anyone who would have wanted to kill it had to bring a mirror in front of it so that its gaze could be reflected. Welcome to our blog! This little tale follows a king and his three daughters, long, long ago. 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) Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. 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. Some of the most beautiful fairy tales and legends have been translated into English. 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. The water soon foamed, perhaps under a gust of wind, and from that foam grew a flower. 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 In some areas of Romania, she appears as a crone, with wrinkled skin that is peculiarly similar to tree bark. Linen was the most common material for clothing, combined with wool during the winter or colder periods. | Sep 28, 2018 | Legends and Myths, Romanian Folklore, Romanian Folklore Creatures. They appear in Romani folklore. England's Black Annis tans the skins of naughty children and wears them around her waist. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Despite this, many consider Ielele the protectresses of the forest. If you are curious about his adventures on this quest, you can read the story in English. [2] The Devil tried to push him over the side, but the ever-expanding earth would hinder that. Once, in an old anonymous folk tale, Ft-Frumos even goes on a quest to gain immortality. It is said that the evil ones bring raging storms and floods, but these maleficent creatures also have an enemy - a former Solomonar who became a Master of Stones. The princess spent every day alongside the empress at her sons bed, and quickly he was healed. Yes, and it is not such a well known myth. They lived here first as West Slavic, Lechitic tribes, and later as a swiftly Christianized kingdom (formed by a tribe known as the Polans, hence Po land). The folklore of medieval Europe was a mixture of legends from various sources, such as ancient regional stories mixed with Judeo-Christian religious tales and myths from the Roman Empire and the Near East. Quite a choice. [1]:61, If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. August 20, 2020 by Patricia Furstenberg. One day, the empress son was injured in battle, and he returned home to be nursed back to health. Promptly, the baby agreed, and was born. His second daughter said I love you like sugar, father, and he was pleased as well. Vampires in popular culture | by Ben Douglass via Flickr. 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. They are also known as vampires. Shape shifting freaks me out too. And after old Cingalau died, his grave became the hill of Gogasa, and the place where Rozalinda found the group of people she took home is today the village of Rozavlea, its inhabitants being descendants from Rozalinda and Robonban. Seems the regular information from WP are now again delivered to me too. From this clay he would make the earth. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. They lived in caves and thick woods, enjoyed talking and respected the little humans, which they considered their successors, the next owners of all the rivers and mountains. In Romanian mythology, the Iele are mythical creatures similar to the Nymphs and Dryads found in Greek mythology. I, too, seem to notice that WP is out of sorts at times. Their fate was even crueler with the girls recently married. 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. Rozalinds fatherand the last head of the Giants, Old Cingalau (not the moth, perhaps a nickname, like Wide-Belt), feeling that his time has come, arranged for the two to get married. Un weekend frumos, Jo. And while we do have some pretty funny superstitions, other legends are very meaningful and even a little bit believable. But the best legend ever is that of the famous agreement between the great Dacian king Burebista and all the Jidovi from the mountains. Want to find out more about Romanian mythical monsters, besides the ever-present Dracula? A very old and puzzling folklore piece is the beginning of one of the creation myths: "In the beginning of beginnings, before time and matter, there was a boundless ocean called Apa Smbetei. So, the Uria are no longer among us. Even if they did or did not exist, they left us beautiful stories about their way of living. A few of the most well known types of vampires are the nosferatu, moroi, strigoi, and mullo. The princess stood up, and said that since he did not like salt, she had cooked his food with only sugar and honey. 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. With mountains as sky-high as the Carpathians is easy to understand why Giants were the first people evercreated on the Romanian land. These stories appear not only in Romanian folklore, but also in those of Aromanian, Slavic Macedonian and Bulgarian folklore. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. In the latter case, they are equalized with demons and provoke human resentment. The Romanian word appears to have meant "Dog-head" (cp being a form of cap, meaning "head", and cun a derivative of cine, "dog"). First, the rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. 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. But as he pushed, the earths expansion kept God from ever falling off. The king loved his daughters very much, and when his wife died, he made sure they had every luxury and educational advantage. Thank you! The most prominent symbol associated with the End Times is that of the earthquake. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Stories suggest God made the earth with the help of animals, while the Devil was trying to thwart his plans. We hope you liked our selection of Romanian mythical monsters. Side by side. "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"). Legends tell the stories for most of them. In legends Capcaunul has his own land, usually dark, arid and populated with strange creatures. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This article has multiple issues. Genesis the creation stories in Romanian folklore are numerous and varied, from its ancient, Indo-European roots with Brother and Non-brother, to a Christianization of the tale involving God and His perpetual antagonist, Satan. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Most of the country is made up of rural communities, leading to a strong traditional culture and a love for storytelling. There are blood parasites called Strigeidida. Vlad the Impaler. In the historical county of Maramures, famous for its Merry Cemetery Sapanta as well as its picturesque wooden churches, folk legend says that giant, huge people inhabited its hills, thousands of years ago. Strigoi also include ghosts, wights, banshees, wraiths, ghouls, zombies and other shades of undeath and all forms of lycanthropy. There, he studies the languages of all the beings from Earth, all the magic spells ever created, and then, after many hard tests, he is left alone, to a rock table, to write down all of his knowledge in his own book. Dar l-am inclus intr-un post mai vechi: 4 Romanian Myths between Culture, History and the Sacred, https://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/4-romanian-myths-culture-history-sacred/, Imi amintesc ca, in copilrie, cand am citit pentru coal poezia lui Ion Heliade Rdulescu, tare nspimntat am fost de Zburtorul. They were left to live in the mountains only if they promised to guard with their life the great Dacian gold treasures. 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. This is the sad tale of Meterul Manole. After trying to throw God off the earth in every one of the four cardinal directions, he shied away from the cross he drew in the ground himself. The Most Prevalent Feminine Mythical Characters in Romanian Folklore The Great Goddess of Neolithic, Mother of all, the source of life, feeder of men and animals, prefigured as a snake, bird or fish, guardian of all creatures living in the air, waters or underground, is the dominant character of the pre-historic mythology. 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. Belonging to the Cretaceous period the Theropod dinosaur is one of the dwarf dinosaur species that lived in what is now Romania. [1]:37 Blajini are invisible connectors between Inner and Hollow Earth. 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! If youd like us to research and write about a particular place, get in touch! Youll find that Strigoi, some of the creepiest mythological creatures, captured the whole area around Romania, with similar myths appearing in Hungary and Poland. Different from balaur or vrcolac, the Zmeu has human features. Romanian mythology is vibrant and often scary, full of blood-sucking creatures, vicious and fickle lovers, and bloody battles. 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. Dragons, wolves, and hybrid animals populate the most appreciated stories. It has physical traits such as legs or arms and the ability to create weapons.