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The creature himself appears as a beautiful young man. Smorgasbord - Variety is the Spice of Life. As this piece of clay grew into the earth, God laid himself down to sleep. They also stepped gingerly, so that we wouldnt get squashed. xx, Talking books (Transylvania's History A to Z and Dreamland) with lovely Andra Craig & Sorina Stallard from DOR Romanian Diaspora on #CarteaDeVineri. Women also wore a white skirt and a shirt with a vest. 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. 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. 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. It has physical traits such as legs or arms and the ability to create weapons. 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. 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. From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. 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. It must have been very, very fully flooded, considering the giants great stature. Once upon a time, at the very beginning of the world, there was nothing but water. Welcome to our blog! Linen was the most common material for clothing, combined with wool during the winter or colder periods. They met and consume their love in the world of dreams but everything is so intense, almost real that the young woman becomes exhausted and obsessively in love. Patricia Furstenberg writes historical fiction, contemporary and children's book. Thats because the Romanian mythical monster with seven heads shares its name with a recently discovered species of dinosaurs. Ciubotaru, Silvia. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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! These stories appear not only in Romanian folklore, but also in those of Aromanian, Slavic Macedonian and Bulgarian folklore. If you dare, scroll through this roster of scary . Terrible crimes and cruelties were committed by both sides, until god despaired and intervened. For celebrating the souls of dead relatives or friends, Romanians from above mentioned counties prepare festive meals and offer them, in the cemetery, nearby the tombs, after the religious mass and benediction, to all who wished to commemorate and pay their respects to the dead. Ugly and evil, this creature feeds on human flesh and looks like a giant dog-headed beast. A Pricolici is an undead vampire/werewolf/demon hybrid, the souls of the malicious and violent are prone to becoming pricolici. While the worm became Nefrtat, the Devil, a creature in human form but without inner light, without spirit. It took some convincing, as this was not a prudent match for a prince to make (at least, as far as they knew). Ielele are charmstresses, women of forests and waters with magic powers living in Romania and populating its folklore. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The Romanian folklore shares some similar fantastic cast of monsters and the Vasilisc is just an example. Vampires in popular culture | by Ben Douglass via Flickr. And thus, while he still tries to take control of the earth, it never did become his. In some Romanian folk tales the uria giants are also called jidovi. Ielele are stunning nymph-like women who dance under the moonlight. Ft-Frumos is actually present in many Romanian folk tales. 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. 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. I'm Glenn. This is because those wolves were unusually large and single-minded, attacking one individual at a time. "Its a legend about a lady going around door to door selling keropok. Like the Strigoi, Pricolici are undead monsters (violent criminals returned from the grave) looking like a giant wolf. 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. Their fate was even crueler with the girls recently married. Dragons, wolves, and hybrid animals populate the most appreciated stories. At the beginning of 1900, there were still some people who claimed to have heard real stories about Jidovi from their grandparents who saw them in person. Ce zici? RavenInTheSky. Known as the Powerful Ones, and The Holy Ones, as well as many other names, these feminine creatures hate to be watched. 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 . But frtat also means prieten = (precious) friend. 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. 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. One day, the peace ended, and a great war between humans and Uria was waged. Folk creations (the best known is the ballad Mioria) were the main literary genre until the 18th century. 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. Ielele bathe in glacial lakes, and dance on mountain cliffs and in meadows. So, the Uria are no longer among us. I think it might be due to a good mix of tumultuous histories, a web of cultures, incredible geography, weather, and crazy politics? Kites are a favorite way of entertaining both children and adults on the Romanian Black Sea beaches, where the wind is mighty. From the countrys own Prince Charming to the origins of Dracula. The Pricolici is a Romanian werewolf another name for them is Vrcolac, but this term has also been used to name goblin-like creatures. I, too, seem to notice that WP is out of sorts at times. 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 first beings to exist on earth were the Uria giants or ogres so large, they could bound across continents. But Zburatorul was not an ordinary lover, he developed obsessions and curing this love-illness was a hard thing to do. So sweet, and without any real flavour! The balaur appears in most love stories as an evil character. In: Ciubotaru, Silvia. He told Nefrtatul to go to the bottom of the ocean and, in his holy name, bring up a handful of clay. You can find her in a plethora of folk and fairy tales, playing the role of a forest guardian. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. Strigoi also include ghosts, wights, banshees, wraiths, ghouls, zombies and other shades of undeath and all forms of lycanthropy. With an uncommonly large wolf population within the Romanian forests, Pricolici are a very dominant part of rural folklore. Yet he brightened everything around him and everything He touched, for he was God, or Frtat. Please help improve this . In some areas of Romania, she appears as a crone, with wrinkled skin that is peculiarly similar to tree bark. Korrigan - in northwestern France, these elf-like female beings have long hair, flowing white garments, and sometimes delicate wings. In these stories the Devil goes by the name "Nefrtatul" and is the somewhat foolish brother of God in folk versions of stories. 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. A few of the most well known types of vampires are the nosferatu, moroi, strigoi, and mullo. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". . A fascinating post. 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). These are the most popular and well-known stories and Romanian mythological creatures. Not to mention great and powerful heroes without age and giants who keep guard over the earth! vampire, also spelled vampyre, in popular legend, a creature, often fanged, that preys upon humans, generally by consuming their blood. 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. If you are curious about his adventures on this quest, you can read the story in English. This is the sad tale of Meterul Manole. Other descriptions have him as an undead . 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. Remembered it this morning when I was Tweeting for #FolkloreThursday and their #monsters theme! Glad WP is sorted. Fully grown adult chamois reaches 70-80 cm (28-31 in) in height and 107-137 cm (42-54 in) in length. 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. 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. Tall, red-haired, with bulging eyes, dressed in a white long coat, he is always described carrying his Magic Book, the source of all his powers. Once, in an old anonymous folk tale, Ft-Frumos even goes on a quest to gain immortality. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. Vlads cruel and brutal acts led to many widespread tales about him, eventually leading to the bloody legend of Count Dracula, which also pulls from Hungarian vampiric myths and other European folklore, like the Polish Wpierz. Which is much creepier. Happy to be here. If sorcerers are known to have disappeared long ago, the love stories and passionate dreams certainly are not. They are generally considered good wizards and often presented as false beggars, testing the kindness of people. It's related to the Polish striga and the Albanian shtriga. Worth mentioning is the root of the word Frtat coming from frate = brother. 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. 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. Once upon a time, there was a great king and queen. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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"). 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. The word Strigoi originates in medieval Romanian folklore. The Romanian Giants known as Jidovi, are probably one of the most beloved folklore creatures. These are usually, in our world, psychological creations that children invent as a way to socialize, be creative, and altogether develop cognitively. 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. 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. 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. According to Adrien Cremene . And so he came to live with them for uncounted years, enjoying unearthly delights. These creatures are sometimes described as one-eyed cyclops-like monsters, who feed on human flesh. One of the best answers for the question "how were these legends created" is, obviously, the Romanian folklore itself. Not at all delightful. The creatures swim to the surface of the ocean . He is called Zburatorul, meaning The One Who Flies, a handsome airman tormenting the sleep of young girls and young wives. Are these some fantasy creatures? 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. They may be the best-known classic monsters of all. This is my own version of the Romanian creation story with elements taken from all. The mythological "aluxes" have a penchant for tricks and small deceptions . It is basically the standard form of an evil spirit. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. [1]:12, Even after Christian imagery and symbolism became part of Romanian culture, Mother Earth is identified as the consort of God, the heavenly Father. 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. It was a combination snake, rooster, bat, and sometimes other animals, that was born from an . A moroi is a kind of Strigoi-light theyre also vampiric creatures, but not quite as violent or frightful as the Strigoi. Moreover, Strigoii can cause many illnesses and eve shape-shift into were-wolfs. In fact, it may have been observed and recorded by our distant ancestors knowledge that was buried in ancient texts and folklore, according to a peer-reviewed study published Tuesday in the journal Marine Mammal Science. Their songs and firelit dances can lead travelers astray. In traditional Romanian folklore the term strigoi (feminim strigoaic) can refer. . And the butterfly morphed further into a young man. 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 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. 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. Or a love story would be better, to melt your other half's heart? Best solution is not to open the door.". He only wanted his daughter to be happy. Others attribute the earthquakes to the earth (which is alive, and can therefore feel) realising the wicked ways of humans, and trembling in fright. While Ft-Frumos doesnt sound like the sexiest name in English, this classic Romanian fairy tale figure is the local equivalent of Prince Charming. As the Norse Fenris, a varcolac may swallow the moon and the sun; it's thus responsible for eclipses. What a practical love! Music and dance represent a lively part of the Romanian folklore and there are a great variety of musical genres and dances. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. But if you spot them, dont linger. In some versions, a vrcolac is a wolf demon. 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). 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. Vampires have been featured in folklore and fiction of various cultures for hundreds of years, predominantly in Europe, although belief in them has waned in modern times. 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. 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. The Strigoi is also a shapeshifter, able to transform itself into a bat, animal or fog. With stories being passed down from one generation to another, the Romanian folklore was always rich with magical or scary tales. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and, in response, God opened up the heavens so that he might fall to the earth. I cover the travel and myth/legend posts. I'm a maths tutor and a mechanical engineering student with a long time-interest in history. Seems the regular information from WP are now again delivered to me too. If the latter, hes a dark embodiment of the Romanian peoples fear of their invading enemies. They are centered on popular characters like the prince Ft-Frumos (the Romanian "Prince Charming"), the princess Ileana Cosnzeana, the villain or monster Zmeu or Cpcun, the dragon Balaur or fantastic superbeings like the good Zn and the evil Muma Pdurii. August 20, 2020 by Patricia Furstenberg. "Din senin de ap: Facerea Lumii" [Out of Infinite Clear Waters: The Genesis]. I write the history content. Different from balaur or vrcolac, the Zmeu has human features. We cant imagine a better way to learn about it than through traveling so thats what were doing. Both reside above the infinite ocean called Apa Smbetei. [1]:61, If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World. No grass would ever grow there, for many years, but instead only red, poisonous herbs and mushrooms would appear. These massive beings were mostly good and kind, and lived in peaceful existence with humanity and the creatures of the earth. Well, the representation of the symbolic animal is a fusion between a wolf and a dragon, sometimes depicted as a serpent. When great floods came, Jidovii took care of people and their animals without asking for any reward. Romanian mythology says that only a baby boy born with a distinctive sign over his face and body can become such a wizard. As the prince walked home, he found that he was growing steadily older, until he was a crooked, white-haired man. Want to find out more about Romanian mythical monsters, besides the ever-present Dracula? Jakobson, Roman (1955). Most people . This other earth is imagined as a mirror image of our own, and as a home to creatures called Blajini [blain] ("gentle/kind-hearted ones"), sometimes given the name Rohmani [roh.man] in Bucovina. Romanian mythology is vibrant and often scary, full of blood-sucking creatures, vicious and fickle lovers, and bloody battles. Since they live in isolation, they have no way of knowing when Easter comes. Overcome by sadness, he walked through every room in search of the room where he was born. Now, lets jump into Romanias mythical creatures! And with that, he slapped the old man, and Ft-Frumos fell down dead, crumbling into dust. Such imagery as a darkened sun, a bleeding moon and falling stars are associated with the beginning of the End Times. Some sources claim that this legendary era is not at all a story and that those giants indeed ruled the world at some point in time. A legend in his home country, Vlad was incredibly impressive in inspiring fear and horror into his Turkish enemies, demoralising their troops. . He is smart and hard-to-defeat. All Rights Reserved. Signs of their existence are still noticeable, local people claim.