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Zmeu
The ''Zmeu'' (plural: ''zmei'', feminine: ''zmeoaică'' / ''zmeoaice'') is a fantastic creature of Romanian folklore and Romanian mythology. Though referred by some sources as a dragon, the zmeu is nevertheless distinct, because it usually has clear anthropomorphic traits: it is humanoid and has legs, arms, the ability to create and use artifacts such as weapons, and to ride a horse, and has the desire to marry young girls. There are commentators that class it as a giant (equivalent of an ogre), or a devil, or even a vampire. In some stories, Zmeu appears in the sky and spits fire, or has the ability to change form. In other stories, it has a magical precious stone on its head that shines like the sun. It likes beautiful young girls, whom it kidnaps, usually for the purpose of marrying them. It is almost always defeated by a daring prince or knight-errant. The zmei has also been conflated with or confused with the ''dracu'' or with the '' balaur'' type dragon. Etymology M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romanian Folklore
The folklore of Romania is the collection of traditions of the Romanians. A feature of Romanian culture is the special relationship between folklore and the learned culture, determined by two factors. First, the rural character of the Romanian communities resulted in an exceptionally vital and creative traditional culture. Folk creations (the best known is the ballad Miorița) were the main literary genre until the 18th century. They were both a source of inspiration for cultivated creators and a structural model. 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. Overview Creation of the world Stories suggest God made the Earth with the help of animals, while the Devil was trying to thwart his plans.Cosma, Aurel. ''Cosmogonia poporului român'' (The Cosmogony of the Romanian People) (1942). Bucharest: Tipografia Ziarului "Universul".Leeming, David Adams. ''Creati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balaur
A balaur ( pl. ''balauri'') in Romanian folklore is a type of many-headed dragon or monstrous serpent, sometimes said to be equipped with wings. The number of heads is usually around three, but they can also have seven heads or even twelve heads according to some legends. The balaur in folktale is typically evil, demanding or abducting young maidens or the princess, and defeated by the hero such as Saint George or the fair youth Făt-Frumos. There is some lore in which the balaur is considered weather-making, and living in an airborne state, but these types of balaur are sometimes interchangeably called ''hala'' or ''ala'', being confounded with the pan-Slavic air and water demon. The balaur (instead of the zmeu) is the vehicle of the weather-controlling Solomonari according to some sources. There are also legends about the balaur in which they can produce precious stones from their saliva. Also, it is said that whoever manages to slay it will be forgiven a sin. General ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Făt-Frumos
Făt-Frumos (from Romanian language, Romanian ''făt'': son, infant; ''frumos'': handsome) is a knight hero in Romanian folklore, as exemplified in the fairy tale ''Făt-Frumos with the Golden Hair''. Făt-Frumos has to go through tests and obstacles that surpass ordinary men's power. With dignity, he always brings these to a positive resolution. He fights demonic monsters and malevolent characters (''zmeu'', ''balaur'', ''Muma Padurii, Muma Pădurii'', etc.). He travels in both "this land" and "the other land" (''tarâmul celălalt'') on the ''Calul Năzdrăvan'' ("The Marvellous Horse"), who also serves as his counsellor. Akin to Prince Charming, he possesses such essential attributes as courage, purity, justness, physical and spiritual strength, cleverness, passion, and unshakable love. Făt-Frumos also displays some minimal abilities in performing miracles, as well as total commitment to a task once his word is given and to the monarch he serves. In some tales, he is so pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zmey
A Slavic dragon is any dragon in Slavic mythology, including the Polish żmij, Russian '' zmei'' (or ; ), Ukrainian (), and its counterparts in other Slavic cultures (See below). The physiognomy resembles a combination of the classical dragon and a snake (as a winged serpent), less often depicted with two legs and/or more than one head. Similar representations include the Aztec Quetzalcoatl ( Feathered Serpent) or Caduceus ( Sumerian symbol of the god Enki borrowed into Greek mythology). The Romanian '' zmeu'' could also be deemed a "Slavic" dragon, but a non-cognate etymology has been proposed. A ''zmei'' may be beast-like or human-like (assuming dragon form in air, human form on ground), sometimes wooing women, but often plays the role of chief antagonist in Russian literature. In the Balkans, the ''zmei'' type is overall regarded as benevolent, as opposed to malevolent dragons known variously as '', '' ala'' or ''hala'', or ''aždaja''. The Polish ''smok'' (e.g. Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solomonar
The Solomonar or Șolomonar (German phonetization: ''Scholomonar'') is a wizard believed in Romanian folklore to ride a dragon (zmeu or a balaur) and control the weather, causing rain, thunder, or hailstorm. They are recruited from common folk and taught their magic at the Solomonărie or Şolomanţă (German phonetization: Scholomance). General description The Solomonars are said to be tall, red-haired, wearing long white robes of peasants, sometimes woolen, or clad in ragged attire made from patches, a small version of a Semantron, which serves to summon the Vântoase (alternatively the winds are contained in a little wooden jar). When not helping the Devil, they are most often seen around begging for alms, and the collected coins are then thrown into rivers, as offerings to the water spirits. The contents of their magic bag are instruments such as an iron axe used as lightning rod (also as a wand to summon them or his mount), birchbark reins or a golden bridle, and a book of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prâslea The Brave And The Golden Apples
Prâslea the Brave and the Golden Apples () is a Romanian fairy tale collected by Petre Ispirescu in '' Legende sau basmele românilor''. Synopsis A king had a magnificent garden with a tree that bore golden apples, but he never ate them, because every year, the apples were stolen as they became ripe. None of his guards could catch the thief. His oldest two sons tried, one year after the other, but fell asleep near midnight. The next year, the youngest son, , tried. He set up two stakes to prick him if he ever started to lean in his sleep. At midnight, he heard rustling and shot an arrow. In the morning, a trail of blood led away, and the apples were ripe. The king was pleased, but Prâslea wanted to track the thief. He and his brothers followed the blood to a ravine, where the older two brothers tried to have the others lower each one of them, grew frightened, and came back. Prâslea had them lower him. He found a copper castle. There, a lovely maiden told him she wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character archetype who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, including "Snow White", "Sleeping Beauty", "Rapunzel" and "Cinderella", even if in the original story they were given another name, or no name at all. Elements of the Prince Charming character date at least back to Charles Perrault's ''Sleeping Beauty'', published in 1697. Often handsome and romantic, these characters are essentially interchangeable, serving as a foil to the heroine; in many variants, they can be viewed as a metaphor for a reward the heroine achieves for the decisions she makes. The prominence of the character type makes him an obvious and frequent target for revisionist fairy tales, usually portraying him as narcissistic, dimwitted, and solely focused on romance, and often as a foil to either the heroine or their true ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greuceanu
Greuceanu is a hero of the Romanian folklore. It is a brave young man who finds that the Sun and the Moon have been stolen by '' zmei''. After a long fight with the three ''zmei'' and their wives ''( zmeoaice)'', Greuceanu sets the Sun and the Moon free so the people on Earth have light again. "Greuceanu" is also the title of a fairy tale collected by Petre Ispirescu in '' Legende sau basmele românilor''. Summary In the kingdom of the Red Emperor ("împăratului Roșu"), an ogre has stolen the sun and the moon from the sky, and the Red Emperor promises to give his daughter's hand in marriage and half of his kingdom to anyone brave enough to get them back. A youth named Greuceanu decides to take up on the offer. On his way to the castle, he meets two deserters who are to be beheaded on the king's orders, but Greuceanu thinks he may dissuade the king of his decision and offer them a pardon. The emperor agrees. Greuceanu takes his brother and visits Faur, the "world's greatest smith ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kite Flying
A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have a bridle and tail to guide the face of the kite so the wind can lift it. Some kite designs do not need a bridle; box kites can have a single attachment point. A kite may have fixed or moving anchors that can balance the kite. The name is derived from the kite (bird), kite, the hovering bird of prey. There are several shapes of kites. The Lift (force), lift that sustains the kite in flight is generated when air moves around the kite's surface, producing low pressure above and high pressure below the wings. The interaction with the wind also generates horizontal Drag (physics), drag along the direction of the wind. The resultant force vector from the lift and drag force components is opposed by the tension of one or more of the rope, lines ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Strigoi
Strigoi in Romanian mythology are troubled spirits that are said to have risen from the grave. They are attributed with the abilities to transform into a beast, become invisible, and to gain vitality from the blood of their victims. Bram Stoker's ''Dracula'' may be a modern interpretation of the Strigoi through their historic links with vampirism. Etymology Strigòi is a Romanian word that originated from a root related to the Latin terms '' strix'' or ''striga'' with the addition of the augmentative suffix "-oi" (feminine "-oaică"). Otila Hedeşan notes that the same augmentative suffix appears in the related terms ''moroi'' and ''bosorcoi (''borrowed from Hungarian ''boszorka'') and considers this parallel derivation to indicate membership in the same "mythological micro-system." The "-oi" suffix notably converts feminine terms to the masculine gender as well as often investing it with a complex mixture of augmentation and pejoration. The root has been related particula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vârcolac
A vrykolakas (, pronounced ), is a harmful undead creature in Greek folklore. Similar terms such as vourkolakas (βουρκόλακας), vourvoulakas (βουρβούλακας), vorvolakas (βορβόλακας), vourvolakas (βουρβόλακας), vourdoulakas (βουρδούλακας) were also used for the creature. It shares similarities with numerous other legendary creatures, but is generally equated with the vampire of the folklore of the neighbouring Slavic countries. While the two are very similar, a ''vrykolakas'' eats flesh, particularly livers, rather than drinking blood, which combined with other factors such as its appearance bring it more in line with the modern concept of a zombie or ghoul. Etymology The word ''vrykolakas'' is derived from the Bulgarian word върколак (''vǎrkolak''). The term is attested in other Slavic languages such as Slovak ''vlkolak'', Ukrainian вовкулака, Serbian '' vukodlak'', ultimately derived from Proto-Slavic '' v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
