In
Romanian mythology
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 ...
, apa vie (literally translated as "Living Water" but more accurately as "Water of Life") means the
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
from which
hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
es drink so that they come back to life after healing their wounds.
Apa moartǎ ("Dead Water" or "Water of Death") is the complement of apa vie. In the vast majority of the tales it has the power to heal wounds of dead bodies (but not to give life). Usually, reviving a dead person is done (in such tales) by putting this Dead Water on their wounds to heal them and then bring them back to life with Living Water, because the Living Water cannot heal the wounds of the dead, and even revived, the people would still bleed to death without being healed first. There is a small percent of tales in which apa moartǎ is a poisonous drink that kills any person who drinks it.
Romanian mythology
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