With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. Author of the Year Spillwords Press Nomination, An Unexpected Christmas Gift Publication of the Month on Spillwords Press, Storytime, An Unexpected Christmas Gift Un Dar Neateptat de Crciun, How To Improve Your Child s Reading Skills and How Memory Helps, 32 original Afrikaans idioms sure to make you smile once translated into English, #SouthAfrica #languages #learning #fun, 20 Afrikaans words with interesting English literal translations, Fastest Route to Mona Lisa, Louvre, Paris, The Wooden Church from Bicaz, Maramures, Romania #Im4Ro, Romanian Monsters of Myth and Folklore #Im4Ro, A New Literary Comparison, Bram Stoker's Dracula - Vlad the Impaler, and prieten means friend, a treasured friend . But what is a Dacian Draco? At the end of this ritual, the girls were cured, the Zburator was gone, and life kept going on as usual. Most of the country is made up of rural communities, leading to a strong traditional culture and a love for storytelling. No grass would ever grow there, for many years, but instead only red, poisonous herbs and mushrooms would appear. So sweet, and without any real flavour! Occasionally they help children find answers to moral questions in life. In his search, Ft-Frumos had many adventures, acquiring a flying horse and fighting many of the monsters we mention below. With legends such as those of Baba Dochia, Manole, or the Ballad of Miorita, we can surely say that Romania is pretty creative when it comes to mythology. 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. While Ft-Frumos doesnt sound like the sexiest name in English, this classic Romanian fairy tale figure is the local equivalent of Prince Charming. A not-so-widespread belief is that of a definitive destruction of the earth, whereupon God and the Devil shall divide the souls of the dead among themselves and retire to the moon, who is considered to have been made in the image of the earth to serve a place of retreat after the destruction of the earth. The fey creatures that lived here quickly took a liking to him and invited him to stay. So she cooked only his meal herself, ensuring the serving girl brought it to just him. Thank you, Roberta Its even capable of moving invisibly. 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. Cultures worldwide have passed down tales. We cant imagine a better way to learn about it than through traveling so thats what were doing. You've taught your students about the worldnow . Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Major Archaeological Discovery Of A 7,000-Year-Old Settlement In Miami . I think it might be due to a good mix of tumultuous histories, a web of cultures, incredible geography, weather, and crazy politics? Gugalanna (Sumerian Mythology) You might want to try it. Folklore has been an integral part of Romanian culture for many centuries. These top five Romanian folktales send us on a quest for 'Youth without Age and Life without Death', engage us with Half-man-riding-on-the-worse-half-of-a-lame-rabbit and 'Emperor Aleodor', introduce us to sorcery in the 'Enchanted Pig', teach us that love is . 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 . One day, Ft-Frumos found that he missed home, and could hardly remember what his life had been before his fairie revelries. They were both a source of . Different from balaur or vrcolac, the Zmeu has human features. Have a lovely weekend, Pat. Muma Pdurii (Mother of the woods) is, perhaps, the most famous creature in Romanian 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. They wear flowing white dresses and dance with their hair out, wild and uninhibited. 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. Perhaps the most well known form of vampire, popularized by fiction and film in the Western world, is the nosferatu. He is known to kidnap children and young women, and features in multiple Romanian folktales, where he kidnaps the princess and must be defeated. 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. The beauty and mystery of Romania have been sung by poets and painted in ink by illustrious writers, take a trip into the culture of an amazing country and see it through their eyes with a Classic Romania Tour. Far from a monster, Zburator is a lover-deity who torments young wives and maidens with intense feelings of desire and sexual obsession. 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. A varcolac (or vrcolac or vircolac) in Romanian folklore may refer to several different figures. Ft-Frumos grew up to be wise and quick-witted, a perfect prince to rule the kingdom. Seen as the Romanian version of Valentine's Day, Dragobete is celebrated on February 24th.Dragobete, personified as a young handsome man, is the protector of lovers in Romanian folk culture. Iele - the Ladies of the Woods Romanian Myths & Legends His name translates to handsome son, and he embodies purity, passion, spiritual and mental strength. 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) Other customs are presumably of pre-Christian pagan origin, like the Paparuda rain enchanting custom in the summer, or the masked folk theatre or Ursul (the bear) and Capra (the goat) in winter. There are quite a variety of Romanian monsters. 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. 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 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). 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. #folklore #creatures #cartoons #illustrations Makcik "keropok". Now Nefrtat, evil ashe was, tried to take possession of earth, pushing his brother into the waves. In some versions, a vrcolac is a wolf demon. 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. , Sa stii ca nu te contrazic aici 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. kobolds - these little German guys might live in mines or in your house. Males are somewhat larger than females, with a weight of 30-60 kg . Easter of Blajini is called also Easter of Deaths or Mighty Easter. The Romanian mythology is quite impressive. . Ielele are stunning nymph-like women who dance under the moonlight. Unfortunately, few primary sources are currently available in English. First, the rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. I, too, seem to notice that WP is out of sorts at times. 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. 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. The Nalusa Falaya from Choctaw mythology slithers like a snake, preying on children who stay out too late. Ethnographers have tried to collect in the last two centuries as many elements as possible: the Museum of the Romanian Peasant and the Romanian Academy are currently the main institutions which systematically organise the data and continue the research. With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. He is an outlandish beast that has a female version in some stories. This is a mythical creature in South Slavic mythology. Some explain them as the descendants of Adam's son Seth. The founding father of vampire literature, Bram Stoker, introduced the cruelest Wallachian ruler of XVth century Romania to the world. Romanian mythology can be truly impressive, with tales of giants that protected the Earth, and powerful wizards that descended from Dacian High Priests. 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. Romania's rich folk traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. If youd like us to research and write about a particular place, get in touch! This is a welcome development, on the whole, as the American public's . [3] According to Christian calendar, Romanians from Banat, Transylvania, Bucovina and Maramure counties celebrate Easter of Blajini on first Monday after St. Thomas Sunday. Category:Romanian legendary creatures Help Pages in category "Romanian legendary creatures" The following 22 pages are in this category, out of 22 total. 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. But Zburatorul was not an ordinary lover, he developed obsessions and curing this love-illness was a hard thing to do. 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. 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. Finally, he came to a fairie palace, the palace of Youth without Age and Life without Death. Myths in the ancient kingdoms of Carpathia and Transylvania are especially original. Yet she fell in love with one of them, the head of the Dacian Roman city of Turda (where my Mother was born His name was Robonban. This article has multiple issues. The Dacians were the ancestors of Romanians, and they used a fabricated dragon flag as a protection symbol during battles against the Romans. They are generally considered good wizards and often presented as false beggars, testing the kindness of people. This is said to be the length of their great stride. And while we do have some pretty funny superstitions, other legends are very meaningful and even a little bit believable. 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. So, the Uria are no longer among us. In some areas of Romania, she appears as a crone, with wrinkled skin that is peculiarly similar to tree bark. In this video we will be looking at the most popular and famous mythical creature of each and every country. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. [1]:1112[2] In the majority of versions, before the earth existed, a boundless ocean called Apa Smbetei was the abode of God and the Devil, seen as master and servant rather than equals. 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. 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"). There are many stories of men being mutilated or losing their ability to talk after discovering these beautiful but cruel creatures. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.