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Zburător
''Zburător'' or ''sburător'' (Romanian word meaning 'flyer') is a supernatural being in Romanian folklore, described as a "roving spirit who makes love to maidens by night". General description The zburător is also likened to an incubus, and described as a malevolent demon active in a "oniric-erotic" manner, i.e., visiting women in their dreams in the guise of a handsome young man. The zburător is otherwise referred to as a ''zmeu'' (another dragon-like creature) in some regions, though perhaps perceived to have more human-like aspects than the zmeu. History of lore Dimitrie Cantemir, writing about the myth concerning it in '' Descriptio Moldaviae'' (1714–1716). stated that the "zburator" meant "flyer" ( la, ), and according to the beliefs of the Moldavan it was "a ghost, a young, handsome man who comes in the middle of the night at women, especially recently married ones and does indecent things with them, although he cannot be seen by other people, not even by the one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 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. ''Creation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romanian Language
Romanian (obsolete spellings: Rumanian or Roumanian; autonym: ''limba română'' , or ''românește'', ) is the official and main language of Romania and the Moldova, Republic of Moldova. As a minority language it is spoken by stable communities in the countries surrounding Romania (Romanians in Bulgaria, Bulgaria, Romanians in Hungary, Hungary, Romanians of Serbia, Serbia, and Romanians in Ukraine, Ukraine), and by the large Romanian diaspora. In total, it is spoken by 28–29 million people as an First language, L1+Second language, L2, of whom 23–24 millions are native speakers. In Europe, Romanian is rated as a medium level language, occupying the tenth position among thirty-seven Official language, official languages. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages, a linguistic group that evolved from several dialects of Vulgar Latin which separated from the Italo-Western languages, Western Romance languages in the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Incubus
An incubus is a demon in male form in folklore that seeks to have sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. In medieval Europe, union with an incubus was supposed by some to result in the birth of witches, demons, and deformed human offspring. Legendary magician Merlin was said to have been fathered by an incubus. Parallels exist in many cultures. Walter Stephens alleges in "Demon Lovers", some traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, an impaired mental state, or even death. Etymological, ancient, and religious descriptions The Late Latin word ''incubus'' ("a nightmare induced by a demon") is derived from Latin ''incubō'' ("nightmare, what lies down on one whilst one sleeps") and further from ''incubāre'' ("to lie upon, to hatch"). One of the earliest evident mentions of a demon sharing qualities to an incubus comes from Mesopotamia on the Sume ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Most ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ion Heliade Radulescu
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convention. The net charge of an ion is not zero because its total number of electrons is unequal to its total number of protons. A cation is a positively charged ion with fewer electrons than protons while an anion is a negatively charged ion with more electrons than protons. Opposite electric charges are pulled towards one another by electrostatic force, so cations and anions attract each other and readily form ionic compounds. Ions consisting of only a single atom are termed atomic or monatomic ions, while two or more atoms form molecular ions or polyatomic ions. In the case of physical ionization in a fluid (gas or liquid), "ion pairs" are created by spontaneous molecule collisions, where each generated pair consists of a free electron and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and business manager of the Lyceum Theatre, which Irving owned. In his early years, Stoker worked as a theatre critic for an Irish newspaper, and wrote stories as well as commentaries. He also enjoyed travelling, particularly to Cruden Bay where he set two of his novels. During another visit to the English coastal town of Whitby, Stoker drew inspiration for writing ''Dracula''. He died on 20 April 1912 due to locomotor ataxia and was cremated in north London. Since his death, his magnum opus ''Dracula'' has become one of the most well-known works in English literature, and the novel has been adapted for numerous films, short stories, and plays. Early life Stoker was born on 8 November 1847 at 15 Marino Crescent, Clontarf, on the northside of Dubli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mihai Eminescu
Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active member of the Junimea literary society and worked as an editor for the newspaper ''Timpul'' ("The Time"), the official newspaper of the Conservative Party (1880–1918). His poetry was first published when he was 16 and he went to Vienna, Austria to study when he was 19. The poet's manuscripts, containing 46 volumes and approximately 14,000 pages, were offered by Titu Maiorescu as a gift to the Romanian Academy during the meeting that was held on 25 January 1902. Notable works include '' Luceafărul'' (''The Vesper/The Evening Star/The Lucifer/The Daystar''), ''Odă în metru antic'' (''Ode in Ancient Meter''), and the five ''Letters'' (''Epistles/Satires''). In his poems, he frequently used metaphysical, mythological and historical subjects. H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Călinescu
George Călinescu (; 19 June 1899, Bucharest – 12 March 1965, Otopeni) was a Romanian literary critic, historian, novelist, academician and journalist, and a writer of classicist and humanist tendencies. He is currently considered one of the most important Romanian literary critics of all time, alongside Titu Maiorescu and Eugen Lovinescu, and is one of the outstanding figures of Romanian literature in the 20th century. Biography Early childhood George Călinescu was born Gheorghe Vișan on 14 June 1899, the son of a housekeeper, Maria Vișan; the child was brought up by his mother's employers, Constantin Călinescu, a worker for Romanian State Railways, and his wife Maria, in their house in Bucharest. The Călinescu family, along with their housekeeper and the child, moved first to Botoșani, then to Iași, where Gheorghe Vișan, the future writer, matriculated at the școala "Carol I" (affiliated to the Boarding High School). In 1907, Maria Vișan accepted the Călinescus' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baba Dochia
In Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. She is sometimes imagined as “an old woman who insults the month of March when she goes out with a herd of sheep or goats.”Andreas Johns, ''Baba Yaga: the ambiguous mother and witch of the Russian folktale'' (Peter Lang, 2004), 76. Supposedly the name originates from the Byzantine calendar, which celebrates the 2nd-century martyr-saint Eudokia of Heliopolis (''Evdokia'') on March 1. The Romanian Dokia personifies mankind's impatience in waiting for the return of spring. The legend of Dragomir Baba Dochia has a son, called Dragomir, who is married. Dochia ill-treats her daughter-in-law by sending her to pick up berries in the forest at the end of February. God appears to the girl as an old man and helps her in her task. When Dochia sees the berries, she thinks that spring has come back and leaves for the mountains with her son and her goats. She is dressed with twelve l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miorița
"Miorița" (ad. ''mioriță'', lit. 'The Little Ewe Lamb'), also transliterated as "Mioritza", is an old Romanian pastoral ballad considered to be one of the most important pieces of Romanian folklore. It has numerous versions with quite different content, but the literary version by poet Vasile Alecsandri (1850) is the best known and praised. This had erstwhile been the oldest known written text, arousing suspicion that the poet may have authored it entirely, until the discovery was made of a version from the 1790s. Etymology The Romanian word ''mioriță'', with diminutive suffix ''-ița'', is the diminutive form of ' meaning 'ewe lamb', therefore, the literal meaning is "little ewe lamb". Some have translated the title as "The Lambkin". Summary A summary adhering to the plotline of Alecsandri's poem is as follows: Three shepherds, one a Moldovan, another a Transylvanian () and the third a Wallachian/ Vrancean, meet while tending their flocks of sheep. In the Moldovan's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
