, Thank you very much, for this interesting posting, Patricia. I write the history content. Other descriptions have him as an undead . 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 creature usually has a dogs head, and will sometimes have too many limbs, an extra head, or four eyes. It must have been very, very fully flooded, considering the giants great stature. But in the end, she was convinced, as she loved the young servant girl. It was a combination snake, rooster, bat, and sometimes other animals, that was born from an . We will explore the myths, urban legends and fol. From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. This little tale follows a king and his three daughters, long, long ago. Traditional folk arts include wood carving, ceramics, weaving and embroidery of costumes, household decorations, dance, and richly varied folk music. Remembered it this morning when I was Tweeting for #FolkloreThursday and their #monsters theme! Myths in the ancient kingdoms of Carpathia and Transylvania are especially original. Ielele bathe in glacial lakes, and dance on mountain cliffs and in meadows. But frtat also means prieten = (precious) friend. Reading about Romanian Monsters of Myth and Folklore is a fun way of learning about a civilization strengthened by historical battles, enriched by its insight into the forces of nature, enchanting through its narratives. In the Romanian folklore, the wolf appears more often, since the Carpathian people have had many encounters with these animals. The content of this website is under copyright Patricia Furstenberg (unless specified otherwise). 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. I, too, seem to notice that WP is out of sorts at times. 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"). Similarly gigantic, the Jidovi are the giants of the Carpathian Mountains. Better keep away for they are irresitable, especially to men, and they will make youlooseyour way through the forest. Worth mentioning is the root of the word Frtat coming from frate = brother. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Its even capable of moving invisibly. . And this is my "build" which is inspired by Slavic mythological folk tale creatures such as Baba Yaga or maybe Swamp Kikimora. Easter of Blajini is called also Easter of Deaths or Mighty Easter. You will interact with the world and its inhabitants in the quest to learn more about its life, the plants . 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. Occasionally they help children find answers to moral questions in life. As he slept, his trickster brother decided to push him off the edge. Mythical creatures, legendary beasts , and supernatural, mystical, and god-like beings have fascinated us since ancient times. Pricolici are, in some stories, the souls of murderous men who come back to earth to do more evil. Basilisk. I believe that at the source of each myth, folktale or superstition is the seed of a true story. Wherever you go, their memory is well preserved and you must not be surprised to hear that there are still many people who believe in their past existence. Category:Romanian legendary creatures Help Pages in category "Romanian legendary creatures" The following 22 pages are in this category, out of 22 total. In 2010 the archeologist who put together the skeleton named it Balaur Bondoc, which means stocky dragon. This way, the traditional fairy tale character of the dragon-like-serpent-headed monster gets to live on. Second, for a long time learned culture was governed by official and social commands and developed around courts of princes and boyars, as well as in monasteries. While the name Draco comes from the Greek term Drakon, which signifies to guard with a sharp eye, it also means serpent or dragon. Iele - the Ladies of the Woods Romanian Myths & Legends Or be a werewolf that died, and came back as a vampire . But Zburatorul was not an ordinary lover, he developed obsessions and curing this love-illness was a hard thing to do. Where they dance, they are often said to leave the ground burnt, and no living thing will grow there for years. Were from South Africa, and have a keen interest in history, mythology and culture. 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. It's related to the Polish striga and the Albanian shtriga. If sorcerers are known to have disappeared long ago, the love stories and passionate dreams certainly are not. These include dying unmarried, by execution or suicide, or even by being the seventh child of the same sex born into a family. 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. His name translates to handsome son, and he embodies purity, passion, spiritual and mental strength. Most of the country is made up of rural communities, leading to a strong traditional culture and a love for storytelling. Prince Radu the Black dreamed of building the most striking monastery in Romania. It is said that Rozalinda, the Giants daughter, discovered some people on the banks of Some river and she took them home, thinking they are tiny dolls. Even in modern Romania, certain wolf attacks are attributed to Pricolici. It too kidnaps young ladies, with an individual preference for princesses, but also children who are eventually rescued by knights and princes. The varkolak or vyrkola or vrykolakas, also called vorvolakas or vourdoulakas, is a harmful undead creature in Slavic folklore. Interesting post. But fartat also means prieten. Jidovi and uria (giants) Repulsive, savage and present in many stories, the uria are often depicted with menacing size equal to the one of mountains. Oftentimes people claim to see them at night, dancing Horas naked in the moonlight, with bells on their ankles and candles in their hands. The most prominent symbol associated with the End Times is that of the earthquake. A sly and repulsive antagonist, the Omul Spn, Bold Man, Glabrous Man, is a character of treacherous intelligence, yet he has the role of initiating Harap-Alb, the hero of the Romanian fairytale with the same title, thus representing, together with the Red Emperor, a necessary evil for the growth of the protagonist. Folk creations (the best known is the ballad Mioria) were the main literary genre until the 18th century. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. 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. Now Nefrtat, evil ashe was, tried to take possession of earth, pushing his brother into the waves. [1]:61, If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. These are the most popular and well-known stories and Romanian mythological creatures. Fully grown adult chamois reaches 70-80 cm (28-31 in) in height and 107-137 cm (42-54 in) in length. B Balaur C Cpcun D Dhampir I Iele M Marolea Moroi Muma Pdurii Muroni P Pricolici R Rahmans S Sntoaderi Snzian Spiridu Strigoi U Uria V Vlv With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. Since they live in isolation, they have no way of knowing when Easter comes. Which is much creepier. According to Romanian mythology, Zburatorul is actually the personification of the intense feelings of erotic desire and longing for a man. How cruel it must have been for them to be judged by the entire community only because their dreams become their second reality, one full of love and passion. Please help improve this . Every story has a beginning, and our tale of the five most beloved Romanian villains starts with the Dacian Draco. The folklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of the Romanians. Ft-Frumos grew up to be wise and quick-witted, a perfect prince to rule the kingdom. And with that, he slapped the old man, and Ft-Frumos fell down dead, crumbling into dust. By Jackie Wattles, CNN; Mar 2, 2023 Mar 2, 2023 Updated Mar 2, 2023; . The queen was pregnant and in labour, but her son, still in the womb, cried and refused to come out. Romanian mythology says that only a baby boy born with a distinctive sign over his face and body can become such a wizard. 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). I'm a maths tutor and a mechanical engineering student with a long time-interest in history. Un weekend frumos, Jo. These massive beings were mostly good and kind, and lived in peaceful existence with humanity and the creatures of the earth. The princess spent every day alongside the empress at her sons bed, and quickly he was healed. 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. Shape shifting freaks me out too. Historian, folklorist, and founding member of the Romanian Academy, Ion G. Sibiera (1836-1916), and the writer and poet Ilarie Voronca (1903-1946) wrote about these supernatural creatures . 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. He is known to kidnap children and young women, and features in multiple Romanian folktales, where he kidnaps the princess and must be defeated. But what to do with the difference in size? We all know the phenomenon of children having imaginary friends. If you are curious about his adventures on this quest, you can read the story in English. This bizarre-looking monster hatches from an egg incubated by a rooster, and lives in a hole underneath its victims' house. Best solution is not to open the door.". 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. 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! 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. Romania is a rich trove of mythology and folklore, historically located at the crossroads between Germanic, Latin and Slavic traditions. If the latter, hes a dark embodiment of the Romanian peoples fear of their invading enemies. In legends Capcaunul has his own land, usually dark, arid and populated with strange creatures. The Strigoi is a vicious vampiric creature who returns from the dead to drink the blood of their relatives. The legends of many nations describe a bygone era when the world was ruled by giant humans. Ce zici? anything that can shape shift scares me! It has similarities to many different legendary creatures, but most of all with the vampire and lycanthropes of the Slavic and Balkan region. According to the tale of creation, God and the Devil are master and servant, the devil (Nefrtatul) being Gods foolish brother. [1]:55, The origin of mountains is explained in a number of ways by the cultures of the different regions of Romania. "Its a legend about a lady going around door to door selling keropok. It took some convincing, as this was not a prudent match for a prince to make (at least, as far as they knew). How to Reason with Scientists and Other Partially Rational Creatures. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. This list may not reflect recent changes . Folklore of Romania. And thus, while he still tries to take control of the earth, it never did become his. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Vampires are evil mythological beings who roam the world at night searching for people whose blood they feed upon. "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"). The Hydra in the Marvel universe is essentially lifted straight from the myth, ultimately being defeated by Hercules in a fight witnessed by the Eternals Ikaris and Phastos. 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 are either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and leading a sinless life. Im Author of the Year, Spillwords Press Awards! 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. 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. Happy to be here. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 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. "Aluxes" are creatures from Mayan mythology, depicted as small elven or goblin-like spirits known for creating mischief. Frtat called to his brother to dive together and gather handfuls of sand from the bottom of the ocean and throw it in the air, in his name, so Earth will form so they could both rest and catch their breath. . It is essential to preserve these creations together with the act of telling stories and fables. "Trgtorii cu coarne aurite ntre cotidian i mitologie" [Golden Horn Plough Pulling Animals Between Everyday Life and Mythology]. Youll find that Strigoi, some of the creepiest mythological creatures, captured the whole area around Romania, with similar myths appearing in Hungary and Poland. 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. 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 This article is about to introduce you to the heroes and villains of Romanian folklore! vampire, also spelled vampyre, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood. Romanians have had, from time immemorial, a myriad of customs, tales and poems about love, faith, kings, princesses, and witches. 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. Well, the representation of the symbolic animal is a fusion between a wolf and a dragon, sometimes depicted as a serpent. The king begged him to join them in the world, but no matter what he offered him love, riches, kingdoms the baby refused to be born. The Strigoi is also a shapeshifter, able to transform itself into a bat, animal or fog. In the show, Zanna are actually the imaginary friends children see. Myths and Legends have always interested me from a young age, on this channel we discuss all kinds Mythology and fiction from all around the world. 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. Others think that they used to live alongside humans on the earth, but Moses, seeing his people oppressed by them, split the waters and, after he and his people had retreated to safety, poured the waters back onto them, sending them to their current abode. 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. The Dacians were the ancestors of Romanians, and they used a fabricated dragon flag as a protection symbol during battles against the Romans. Zburators lovers can soon be identified by their dishevelled, sleepless appearance. In another instance, should this army not come, God shall burn the earth as described and bring the Blajini to live there. In this video we will be looking at the most popular and famous mythical creature of each and every country. 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) Believed to look like a mix between a snake and a reptile, the Vasilisc had a killer gaze and poisonous breath. Around that day, which represents the end of winter, it is believed that birds find their mate and start building nests together. A fascinating post. A strong desire to kidnap and marry young girls animates him. Both reside above the infinite ocean called Apa Smbetei. Korrigan - in northwestern France, these elf-like female beings have long hair, flowing white garments, and sometimes delicate wings. They appear in Romani folklore. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Some similar creatures drain their victims of psychic or sexual energy, health, or qi, also known as life essence. [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. 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. Wood used to be the main construction material, and heavily ornamented wooden objects were common in old houses. In his search, Ft-Frumos had many adventures, acquiring a flying horse and fighting many of the monsters we mention below. It comes out only to feed on the saliva of those living above, slowly dehydrating the residents until they die. Some people claim to even have seen them, especially in the region of Bukovina. Most people . 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 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 . This is just one of them! Enjoyed this? Folk legend say that wherever the seductive ielele danced, strung in a circle, afterwards the ground appeared scorched, dead. 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. 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There are many stories of men being mutilated or losing their ability to talk after discovering these beautiful but cruel creatures. The creature himself appears as a beautiful young man. #folklore #creatures #cartoons #illustrations This is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. 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. Muma Pdurii (Mother of the woods) is, perhaps, the most famous creature in Romanian mythology. Jidovii are described in Romanian legends as kind and patient, walking with huge steps from one hill to another. 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 . One of the best answers for the question "how were these legends created" is, obviously, the Romanian folklore itself. 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. A Pricolici is an undead vampire/werewolf/demon hybrid, the souls of the malicious and violent are prone to becoming pricolici. In: Ciubotaru, Silvia. What a practical love! Nobody knew if he was handsome or not, for he was the very first one. In most local folklore, moroi are the souls of unbaptised children or faithless adults. However, the dragon wolf mythology does not end here. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Roman Sexuality Was Far More Complex Than Simply Gay Or Straight - Pompeii's House Of The Vettii Reveals Why. 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