Ileana Cosânzeana is a figure 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 Romania ...

. She is represented as a beautiful and good-natured princess or daughter of an Emperor,Ileana Cosanzeana
Petre Ispirescu, Great Romanian Characters, Retrieved 16 April 2017 or described as a fairy with immense powers.

Names

According to professor Nina Cuciuc, her name can also be translated or written as the following: Cosînzeana, Cosenzeana, Sânziana, Sînziana, Ileana Kossinzana, Hélène Cossinzana and Ileana Cosînzeana Sora Soarelui ("Sister of the Sun"). She can also be described as "Queen of Flowers". According to Adela Ileana Draucean, the name Ileana derives from Elena, and ''cosânzeana'' is linked to ''

sânziană ''Sânziană'' is the Romanian name for gentle fairies who play an important part in local folklore, also used to designate the '' Galium verum'' or '' Cruciata laevipes'' flowers. Under the plural form ''Sânziene'', the word designates an an ...

'', a Romanian holiday and another term to designate fairies in

. Folklorist Lazar Saineanu translated her name into French as ''Hélène aux cheveux d'or'' (

sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; ''thus'', ''so'', and ''in this manner'') inserted after a quotation indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated as found in the source text, including erroneous, archaic, or unusual spelling ...

) ("Helen with Golden Hair"). Romanian linguist

Sorin Paliga Sorin Paliga (born Viorel-Sorin Paliga on 21 June 1956 in Braniștea, Dâmbovița County, Romania) is a Romanian linguist and politician. He is a university professor at the University of Bucharest. As a politician, he was the former mayor of S ...

also lists several alternate names for the character: ''Ileana Simziana'', ''Floarea Florilor'' ("the Flower of Flowers"); ''Frumoasa lumii'' ("The Beauty of the World"); ''Zâna dobrozâna'' (''zână'', from Latin ''Diana'', meaning 'fairy', and, according to him, the Slavic word ''dobr'' 'good'). She is sometimes called ''Rora'' and ''Rozuna'', which, according to Paliga, contains the word for "dew", which - he argues - connects her to a

dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

and vegetation deity. Another theory proposes partial origin from a Late Latin ''Constantiana'', perhaps influenced by the Greek pronunciation ''*Cosandiana''. This may be due to an association with Saint Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine the Great, later influenced by ''sânziană'' and associated with fairies.

In folklore

In Romanian folklore, Ileana is the original concept of feminine beauty, the most beautiful amongst the fairies: her eyes look like the sun, her body is like the sea, and her garments are made of flowers. Pearls and gold flow out of her mouth when she sings. She is also said to use her power of white magic to heal or revive. Ileana Cosânzeana signifies the most poetic imagination of Romanian genius. She personifies the beauty, the youth, and the angelic soul, in one word, the perfection of humanity. She is a mythical character with supernatural powers and with symbolic features. Ileana Cosânzeana succeeds in defeating the evil forces because she is brave, smart, modest and diligent.

Ileana as the moon

Ileana Cosanzeana is "the girl with golden hair and azure eyes" and, argues professor Adela Ileana, represents the "female counterpart" to "the solar male archetype": Prince

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 ob ...

. On the other hand, several scholars argue for a

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

aspect of Ileana Cosanzeana, also due to her possible etymology that connects her to the

Roman goddess Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to the ...

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

. The moon is also said to have been worshipped as Ileana Sanziana. Romanian folklorist

Marcu Beza Marcu Beza (June 30, 1882 in Kleisoura, Ottoman Empire – May 6, 1949 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian poet, writer, essayist, literary critique, publicist, folklorist, and diplomat of Aromanian origin. Beza was elected a corresponding ...

stated that the moon appears as the ''Sister of the Sun'' in "a popular" Romanian Christmas carol ( colinda), and also in a ballad of Transylvania. In a legend collected by Tereza Stratilesco, the sun wants to marry, but cannot find a suitable wife. He sights a group of nine maidens, including Ileana Simziana, "the sister of the sun". She tries to dissuade him to marry his own sister by setting difficult tasks for him. Meanwhile, Ileana blesses herself with the sign of the cross and dives into the sea, becoming a barbel. The sun orders fishermen to get her, but they only find the fish. Saints take pity on her, take her off the sea and to see Adam and Eve, who "polish her" and name her "Luna". God sets her as the counterpart of the sun. Beza also reported a version of the story collected by fellow folklorist G. Dem. Teodorescu, where the moon tries to stall the wedding by asking the Sun to create an iron bridge over the Black Sea and a ladder to the sky.

Similar characters

Romanian folklorist Lazar Saineanu compared Romanian Ileana Cosanzeana to Albanian

Bukura e dheut E Bukura e Dheut (the "Beauty of the Earth" or "Earthly Beauty") is an epithet in Albanian mythology and folklore, used in some traditions for a crafty fairy, and in other traditions for a chthonic/earth goddess, the counterpart of e Bukura e Deti ...

("Beauty of the Earth") and the Hungarian Tündér Ilona ("Fairy Elena").

In tales

In some tales "Ileana Cosânzeana" is the fairy of the Spring flowers, who gives each flower its perfume, although she also has the power to take it back. The elves love her, as do the flowers; even the wind loves Ileana, but he can never catch her. In the myth, she is a beautiful

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

kidnapped by the ''

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 ...

'' (a Dragon equivalent), who locks her in his castle and waits for her to give in to his marriage proposal. She is saved by

, who is analogous to

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 ...

. Făt-Frumos is tested by many trials as he makes his way to Ileana Cosânzeana. Finally, he fights the ''Zmeu'', beats him, and frees Ileana Cosânzeana. They both live happily ever after. Ileana Cosânzeana is, in some tales, described to have an elder brother –

Verea Viteazul Verea Viteazul is a character of Romanian folklore, a powerful and courageous hero, and the elder brother of Ileana Cosânzeana. Role in folktales He appears as the main character in Romanian fairy tale "Chiperi Viteazul lumii, Verea Viteazul and M ...

. In the tale ''Ileana Cosânzana, din cosita floarea-i canta, noua imparatii asculta'' ("Ileana Cosanzeana, the Flower that she Has in Her Braided Hair is Singing, Nine Kingdoms are Listening"), princess Ileana Cosanzeana is associated with music by the way of a magical flower that produces heavenly songs.

Related characters

Another similarly named fairy maiden exists 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 Romania ...

: ''Iana Sanziana'' ( ro). According to Adela Ileana, they cannot be confused for each other, despite some similarities: both are indeed fairies, but Iana is a celestial or astral character, while Ileana Cosanzeana is "a human, chthonic one". Iana also shows features of a solar character, being the sister of the sun.Draucean, Adela Ileana. "The Names of Romanian Fairy-Tale Characters in the Works of the Junimist Classics". In: ''Studii și cercetări de onomastică și lexicologie'', II (1-2), p. 26.

Names

In folklore

Ileana as the moon

Similar characters

In tales

Related characters

See also

References

Further reading