In
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 ...
, Muma Pădurii () is an ugly and mischievous or mad old woman living in the forest (in the heart of virgin forests, in a hut/cabin or an old tree). She is the opposite of fairies such as
Zână. She is also the protector of the animals and plants, brewing potions and helping injured animals. She cures the forest if it is dying and she keeps unwanted trespassers away by driving them mad and scaring them.
She can be associated with witches (like the witch from the story of "
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister.
Hansel ...
"), but she's a neutral "creature", harming only those who harm the forest.
Etymology
Muma Pădurii literally means "mother of the forest", though "mumă" is an archaic version of "mamă" (
mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...
), which has a
fairy tale overtone for the Romanian reader (somewhat analogous to using the archaic pronouns like "thou" and "thy" in English). A few other such words, typically protagonists of folktales, have this effect.
Characteristics
Muma Pădurii is a spirit of the forest in a very ugly and old woman's body. Sometimes she has the ability to
change her shape. She lives in a dark, dreadful, hidden little house.
She is thought to attack children and because of this a large variety of
spells (''descântece'' in
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
) are used against her.
This (step-) mother of the forest kidnaps little children and enslaves them. In one popular story, at some point, she tries to boil a little girl alive in a soup. However the little girl's brother outsmarts Muma Pădurii and pushes the woman-monster in the oven instead, similar to the story of
Hansel and Gretel
"Hansel and Gretel" (; german: Hänsel und Gretel ) is a German fairy tale collected by the German Brothers Grimm and published in 1812 in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' (KHM 15). It is also known as Little Step Brother and Little Step Sister.
Hansel ...
. The story ends on a happy note when all kids are free to go back to their parents.
In modern culture
Instead of saying "She's ugly", Romanians sometimes say "She looks like Muma Pădurii".
See also
*
Culture of Romania
The culture of Romania is an umbrella term used to encapsulate the ideas, customs and social behaviours of the people of Romania that developed due to the country's distinct geopolitical history and evolution. It is theorized and speculated that ...
*
Religion in Romania
*
Baba Yaga
In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga, also spelled Baba Jaga (from Polish), is a supernatural being (or one of a trio of sisters of the same name) who appears as a deformed and/or ferocious-looking woman. In fairy tales Baba Yaga flies around in a ...
*
Black Annis
*
Boo Hag
*
Crone
In folklore, a crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obstructive. The Crone is also an archetypal fig ...
*
Hag
HAG is a Swiss maker of model trains. The company was founded by Hugo and Alwin Gahler on 1 April 1944 in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Gahler brothers originally manufactured model trains in O scale but due to competition, particularly by Märk ...
*
Mother Nature
*
Nocnitsa
In Slavic mythology, notsnitsa (, , , , , , , ), often referred in plural, is a nightmare spirit or demon that torments people and especially children at night. Other names for notsnitsa in East Slavic languages include kriksy, plaksy, plachky, ...
*
Onibaba (folklore)
A is an oni woman from Japanese legends.
Mythology
They are normally considered to be women who have turned into oni as a result of karma and resentment, with the younger ones being called "kijo" while the ones that look like old ladies are ...
*
The Witch (fairy tale)
"The Witch" is a Russian fairy tale. Andrew Lang included it in '' The Yellow Fairy Book''. A version of the tale, under the title "The Twins and the Snarling Witch", appears in ''A Book of Witches'' by Ruth Manning-Sanders.
Synopsis
A poor wido ...
References
*Lăzărescu, George, Dicţionar de mitologie. Dicţionarele Editurii Ion Creangă, București, 1979.
External links
Muma Pădurii și Păduroiul
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muma Padurii
Mythological anthropophages
Romanian legendary creatures
Witchcraft in folklore and mythology