erasmus+ ka2 strategic partnership 2nd ltt activity: 4th ... · soldiers, mercenaries, and the...

SEMINARUL TEOLOGIC ORTODOX “SF. IOAN GURĂ DE AUR”

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Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnership

2nd LTT Activity: 4th – 8th June 2018, Târgoviște, Romania

Project No: 2017-1-IT02-KA219-036568_3


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ROMANIA – THE PLACE OF THE FAIRY TALES

PELEȘ CASTLE- The Story of a Queen

Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov and 122

km from Bucharest), Peles Castle is one of Romania’s

most important museums since it was the final resting

place for several Romanian monarchs including King

Carol I, who died here in 1914.

The castle was built in 1899–1902 by order of

King Carol I, as the residence for his nephew and heir, the future King Ferdinand (son of Carol's brother

Leopold von Hohenzollern) and Ferdinand's consort Queen Marie.

In 2006, it was decided that the entire complex, including Pelișor, a museum and tourist site, is

the legal property of the King Michael I of Romania.

It is a place chosen to be the location for another fairy tale, the most recent film A Christmas

Prince (2017)

Queen Elisabeth of Romania

Carmen Sylva, as she calls herself by her nom de plume, a

name compounded from her fondness for song and wood, was

by birth a princess of Wied, one of the many tiny principalities

with which Germany abounded. At the time the princess was

born namely, December 29 1843, her family, one of the oldest

among small German princelings, had by their kindliness and

culture made them beloved of their subjects.

In 1868 Prince Charles of Hohenzollern had been chosen ruler

of Roumania, and in the autumn of the next year he came to the

Rhine to remind the Princess Elizabeth of her desire to rule over

that kingdom. Even so it was a little while before she could

consent to resign her fiercely cherished independence, but she yielded, and in November of the same

year he took her to his home amid the Carpathians. Arrived in her new home, she at once threw herself


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with native ardor into all her new duties. She learned to read and write Roumanian, she made herself

acquainted with the needs and requirements of the land, and soon saw that she had not been wrong

when, years ago, she had aspired after this throne as one which would give her a noble work to do.

While keeping herself carefully aloof from the entanglements of politics, the result of her endeavors was

soon felt more beneficially than those of cannon or diplomatists. She founded schools, hospitals, soup-

kitchens, convalescent homes, cooking-schools and crèches; she encouraged popular lectures;

Her fairy tales were inspired by the local folklore, but contained motifs encountered in German tales,

thus being an interesting combination of reality and imagination.

PELIȘOR CASTLE

Pelișor was designed by the Czech

architect Karel Liman in the Art Nouveau style;

the furniture and the interior decorations were

designed mostly by the Viennese Bernhard

Ludwig. There are several chambers, working cabinets, a chapel, and "the golden room". Queen Marie

herself, an accomplished artist, made many of the artistic decisions about the design of the palace, and

participated in its decoration, including as a painter. Queen Marie considered Art Nouveau a weapon

against sterile historicism, creating a personal style combining Art-Nouveau elements with Byzantine

and Celtic elements.

The official hall, simple and bright, is decorated with oak-wood cassetons. The paintings,

drawings and water-colours feature Maria with her children. King Ferdinand’s solemn study resembles

the German Neo-Renaissance from Peles. “The Golden Bedroom” is furnished with pieces made in

1909 in the arts and crafts workshops at Sinaia, to the Queen’s plans and drawings. Maria’s study,

arranged in an interior dominated by Brancovan-style columns, has a fireplace that is specific to

Romanian interiors. The chairs and desk are decorated with Maria’s symbols: the lily and the Celtic

cross. It was the Queen’s wish to spend the last moments of her life in the Golden Chamber. Here, the

gilded walls are decorated with thistle leaves that resemble the emblem of Scotland, Maria’s native land.


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THE STORY OF A QUEEN’S HEART

Queen Marie died at Pelișor on July 18th 1938, at 5.38pm. Two days after her death, the Queen’s

body was brought to Bucharest, where it lay in state in the Cotroceni Palace’s white drawing room.

Thousands of Romanians filed past to see the body of their beloved Queen. Her body was taken and

buried at the Curtea de Arges monastery, but her heart was enshrined in a small golden casket,

emblazoned with the emblems of Romania’s provinces and laid to rest in the Stella Maris Chapel in her

palace of Balchik, as she had wished.

Queen Marie’s heart had been covered with the

Romanian flag on one side and the British flag onthe other,

symbolic for the two countries that the Queen had loved.

However, when South Dobrudja was returned to Bulgaria in

1940 during World War II, the Queen’s heart was transferred

to Bran Castle.

Her youngest daughter Princess Ileana built a chapel

there especially to house the heart, kept inside two silver boxes and then placed within a marble

sarcophagus, in its own special niche. In 1995 a plaque was erected to commemorate the fact that the

Queen’s heart had formerly been deposited here to rest. But the Communist Regime later seized Bran,

removed the Queen’s heart and had it – together with the silver boxes – put in the National Museum of

Romanian History in 1971, where it has remained for the last forty years, that is until 2015.

Now the heart of the Queen is to be laid to rest at Pelisor Castle, in keeping with the wishes of

King Michael of Romania, Queen Marie’s grandson. It is poignant to ponder the Queen’s heart returning

to a Castle that she loved, with whose design she was so deeply involved and within whose walls she

died. Whilst her body remains in the Curtea de Arges monastery, the Queen’s heart will find its final

resting place there.


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BRAN CASTLE

1211- The Teutonic Knights – “Ordo domus Mariae Sanctae Theutonicorum Hierosolimitanorum” – a

catholic religious order formed in Palestine during the late twelfth century by German crusaders,

received Țara Bârsei (“Terra Borza” or “Burzenland” – a country named after the Cuman tribe of Burci)

from King Andrew II of Hungary. The purpose of this gift was to establish the

Teutons in the area and to defend the Southeastern border of Transylvania from the

Cumans and the Pechenegs.

The Teutons erected a fortress in Bran (a Turkish name meaning “gate”), before they

were driven away from the area in 1226.

1377

On November 19, the office of the Hungarian King Louis the Great – Louis I of

Anjou – issued a document granting to the people of Brasov (“Kronstadt” – The

Crown’s City) the privilege of building a castle. Through this document, the Saxons

of Transylvania (“Sachsen” – a population of German origin that came to

Transylvania in the twelfth century), from the region encompassing Brasov, were

urged to participate in the building of Bran Castle, which was previously named

“Dietrichstein” or “Törzburg” in German, “Törcsvár” in Hungarian, and “Turciu” in Romanian.

1388

In 1388, the castle’s construction was complete. The Castle was built on a steep cliff between Măgura

and Dealul Cetăţii (“fortified town’s hill”), with an exceptional view of the nearby hills, Moeciu Valley

and Valea Bârsei. It served the role of customs – holding 3% of goods transferring in and out of

Transylvania – and the role of a fortress – the castle stood at the Eastern border of Transylvania and was

used in an attempt to stop the Ottoman Empire’s expansion. The castle was inhabited by professional

soldiers, mercenaries, and the storyteller Ioan de Târnava, wrote about “the English brigands and ballista

soldiers” of the fifteenth century. The lord of the castle was elected by the King, usually from among the

Saxons, and whose role was increasingly important in the history of Transylvania. By the end of the

fifteenth century, the castle’s commander also held the title of Vice-Voivode of Transylvania.

1407- The Castle was given as fief (“property given in return for

loyalty”) by Sigismund of Luxembourg to his ally, Prince Mircea,

the Elder of Wallachia, where he could escape to in case of an

attack by the Turks. After the death of the Romanian Prince in

http://www.bran-castle.com/assets/pages/history-teutonic_knights.jpg

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1419, due to the political instability of Wallachia, Sigismund took over the castle and entrusted it to the

Princes of Transylvania.

1441- The Turks raided Transylvania, but John Hunyadi (Iancu de Hunedoara)

defeated them in Bran. Iancu, Prince of Transylvania, who needed the support of

the Saxons at the border, reinforced the promises granted to the inhabitants of

Brasov by Mircea the Elder and by Sigismund.

1459- Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes) was allied with Bran and Brasov during his first reign (1448) and

through the start of his next reign, after the Princes -of Transylvania requested

that he handle the anti-Ottoman resistance at the border. During his second reign

(1456 – 1462), however, his army passed through Bran in early 1459 to attack

Brasov, in order to settle a conflict between the Wallachia Voivode and the

Saxons, who requested higher customs taxes and supported his opponent for the

throne. Vlad the Impaler burned the city’s suburbs and murdered hundreds of

Saxons from Transylvania, provoking the Saxon community to seek revenge by

later mentioning in reports that the Voivode were a tyrant and extremely ruthless. He was the ruler of

Targoviste three times.

1886 Between 1883 and 1886, the imperial authorities agreed, at the insistence

of the Brasov inhabitants, to repair damages made to the castle during the

Revolution of 1848 and during the Russo-Turkish war of 1877. Extensive

restoration work was carried out.

1888 -The City Administration of Brasov transferred the castle to the region’s

forestry. For 30 years, the castle fell into decay – it was inhabited, up to 1918, by the foresters,

woodsmen and forest inspectors coming from Brasov.

1920 - After 1918, Transylvania became part of Greater Romania. On December 1st

1920, the citizens of Brasov, through a unanimous decision of the city’s council, led

by Mayor Karl Schnell, offered the castle to Queen Maria of Romania, who was

described in the deed as “the great queen who (…) spreads her blessing everywhere

she walked, thus wining, with an irresistible momentum, the hearts of the entire

country’s population”.

The Castle became a favorite residence of Queen Maria, who restored and arranged it to be used as a

residence of the royal family.


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1932

From 1920 until 1932, the Castle was converted into a royal summer residence,

coordinated by the Czech architect Karen Liman, who designed the castles

Peles and Pelisor.

The 57 meter deep well of the castle gave insufficient water; therefore water

was piped to the castle from natural springs situated across the valley. In 1932,

the castle added a hydroelectric power plant on the stream Turcu, to light the

castle but was also connected to the towns of Bran, Simon and Moeciu. The

grateful inhabitants thanked Queen Marie, to which she referred in her writings:

“poor villages, pure Romanian that in a near future would not have had this advantage.”

The area around the Castle was turned into an English Park with two ponds and a Tea House. An

elevator was installed into the well shaft to provide easy access between the castle and the park for the

Queen suffering from arthritis. Other buildings were erected: a guesthouse, a wooden church, staff

housing, stables and garage.

1938

When Queen Marie died, on July 18, Bran Castle was bequeathed to the

Princess Ileana, now married to Archduke Anton of Austria since 1931.

The Queen’s favourite, according to a statement from Balchik on June 29,

1933. The Archduchess continued the planning for the castle's future.

1940

After the Vienna Award, when Romania lost the South Danube territories,

Queen Marie’s heart that had been in the Stella Maris chapel of the Balchik’s

palace on the Black Sea, was brought in its sarcophagus to Bran. The

sarcophagus containing the heart was placed into a crypt chapel carved into

the rock across the valley from the Castle. Upon Queen’s death, her heart had been placed in a silver

box that was placed into a precious ornate box, which were then wrapped in the flags of Romania and of

her native England and then placed in a marble sarcophagus.

1944

The Princess Ileana built a hospital in Bran, she named it “the Hospital of the

Queen’s Heart”, which serviced the treatment for wounded soldiers from Brasov

after the Red Cross hospital was bombed by American aircrafts. After 1945, the

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hospital continued to treat people wounded and maimed in the war and the population of the region.

Princess Ileana herself cared for patients as a nurse and even operated in the hospital.

She continued the work with great efforts until January 1948.

1948- Princess Ileana and her family were forced to leave the country by the newly installed communist

regime. Ileana moved via Switzerland and Argentina to the United

States in 1950, together with her six children: Stefan (born 1932),

Maria-Ileana (born 1933), Alexandra (born 1935), Dominic (born

1937), Maria – Magdalena (born 1939) and Elisabeth (born 1942. At

the same time, Archduke Anton returned to Occupied Austria to

save what he could of his war ravaged estate. In the United States, P

rincess Ileana provided for herself, her children and their education through proceeds from lecturing on

her life, Romania and Communism.

1956 - Bran Castle was transformed by the communist authorities into a museum. The museum had

three departments: the Castle – which contained pieces of royal heritage; the medieval customs; and

Ethnography – that included traditional houses in the park near the castle.

1990 -In September 1990, Princess Ileana, who since 1961 lived in a convent

and was ordained as Mother Alexandra, visited Bran Castle and witnessed the

damaged buildings and loss of some of the inter-war construction.

She died shortly after, on January 21, 1991, and was buried in The Orthodox

Monastery of Transfiguration Elwood City, Pennsylvania, which she founded

and of which she was the abbess. In her grave was placed a small box

containing earth from the foot of Bran Castle, collected when she was exiled.

1993

The castle’s restoration works, which had started in 1987, were finished. The Castle was reopened as a

museum and was reintroduced into the tourist circuit.

2006

On May 18, after several years of legal proceedings, the castle was legally returned to the heirs of

Princess Ileana of Romania and Archduke Anton of Austria. However, the Romanian Government,

through the Ministry of Culture, provisionally administered the castle for another three years.

2009

On June 1, 2009, the Castle fully re-entered the possession of its legal heirs, Archduke Dominic,

Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth.

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A Young mother, who is a true artist, relating

a fairy tale, is one of the greatest joys in this

world.(Carmen Sylva)

The Lily of Life: A Fairy Tale is a children’s story written by Carmen Sylva, Queen Elisabeth of

Romania. The book that was originally published in 1913.

(https://archive.org/details/arealqueensfair00sylvgoog)

here lived a happy king and queen, in a beautiful golden castle by the

sea. The couple had two beautiful daughters, one with golden hair and

sad, brown eyes. The other had jet black hair, with bright blue eyes. The

golden-haired girl was named Corona, and the black-haired girl named

Mora. Corona was named as such because when she was born, it looked

like she had a golden crown on her head. The nurse who cared for the

girls noticed Corona’s sad eyes and wondered if the girl carried the sadness of the world within her.

Despite her sad eyes, both girls grew up very happy, and loved their parents deeply. As the girls

aged, their parents couldn’t help but think of marriage for them. The girls wouldn’t hear a word of it, as

they hated the idea of being separated from one another. Around the castle were massive forests,

through which the sisters would enjoy long rides together. Mora had an inky-black horse, and Corona a

shining golden one.


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One day, the girls rode deep into the forest, where

they came across a pool of dark water. Hot from their fast ride, they dismounted their horses and leaned

against them. They stared into the deep pool of water. When Mora looked up, she saw that a knight clad

in gold armor stood before them. The

knight rounded the pool, bared his head, and knelt before the young women. The girls discovered that

the knight’s name was Ilario. He was a prince from afar, and was lost in the forest.

One of the pages rode ahead of their group to alert the king to prepare a feast for the foreigner.

The trio rode back to the castle, flanked by Yno, Corona’s page. They were all very happy, except for

Yno, when he suddenly felt very lonely as a large eagle flying overhead looked down at them. The eagle

admired the beauty of the scene below, but felt sad with all of the world’s sorrow.

Ilario was warmly welcomed into the court by the king and queen, with feasting and a great

tournament. The two sisters who had lived alone with their parents, found a new joy in their lives (not

realizing their guest was the source of their happiness.) Ilario won the tournament with ease. The two

sisters’ hearts leapt in their chest when he gazed upon them in admiration. It was the first time the girls

harbored a secret from one another as they each fell in love with him.

Three weeks later, Yno found his mistress crying. She confided in him that Ilario and Mora

didn’t even realize when she wasn’t with them any longer. The queen began to notice the divide

between the sisters, and her heart grew heavy. It wasn’t long after that Ilario asked the king and queen

for Mora’s hand in marriage, and the king gladly acquiesced. However, the queen grew more upset with

the fact that Corona would be left behind.

At a celebration for the announcement, Corona was the first to give her sister an extravagant gift;

a small blue casket covered in diamonds that held within it a tiny book. The book was carved out of an

opal, edged with diamonds, and on its pages held says that brought good luck to those who read them.

The sisters embraced, but for what seemed to be the last time, as they knew their friendship would never

be the same again.

When the wedding drew closer, Ilario fell deathly ill. Mora sat with her beloved day and night.

When she became too exhausted, she asked Corona to sit with him for her. When she left, Ilario looked

at Corona with feverish eyes, and began proclaiming words of adoration for her. Not realizing she

wasn’t Mora because of the fever, Corona sat with him while he uttered words of love for another, and

her heart broke further.

A gypsy woman arrived at the castle one day who proclaimed to know of a wise woman in the

woods far away who would know a cure for the prince. Only a young girl, with a soul as white as snow

could make it through the dangerous bog that was between the forest and the witch’s home. When

Corona heard this, she immediately volunteered to go. Reluctantly agreeing, her parents and Mora


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watched as she rode off with Yno. As they rode, Yno couldn’t help but feel as though Corona too, had

forgotten his presence.

They found the edge of the bog. Seeing the treacherous landscape, Yno begged his mistress not

to go. Corona replied that she must go alone, and implored him to wait for her there until she returned.

In the evening light, Yno saw that upon her head shone a halo-like white light. It was then that he

remembered the gypsy’s words that only a young girl with a soul white as snow could cross the bog.

Despite her own fear, Corona pressed onward. On her way, she was accosted by horrible images of

dying and suffering people. Filled with despair, she finally came across an old boat on the shore of the

sea when she passed out.

When she awoke, she found herself in a room with an old woman who possessed the saddest

eyes in the world. The woman gave Corona something to drink, and touched her fingers to her head,

drawing out all of her weariness. The woman confessed that her heart died within her long ago, and she

no longer has tears to shed, because she had been greedy in her younger years. That greed lead her lover

to his death, is search of the largest, most beautiful pearl he could find. In her grief, the woman’s hair

turned white, and everyone called her a witch because her selfishness killed the man.

Corona told the witch her quest. She grasped an old book, and told Corona that it came from

afar, and was full of all the wisdom in the world. The book told of a forest filled with cruel beasts, and a

white marble temple made of six courts. In the innermost court lies a pool of dark water, where grows

the Lily of Life. The lily is so white and intense that the human eye cannot behold it without being

stricken with blindness. But he who plucks the flower can heal any illness.

The woman asks if it is for her lover, and Corona says that it’s for the love of her sister that she

would go to the far away land. Because the love within her was completely unselfish, the woman

instructed her on how to get to the temple. She told her that she must not utter a sound to anyone, and

that she must go alone. She gave her a magnet, a strangely shaded lamp that would light itself when she

needed help, and a round piece of yellow glass.

By boat, Corona was allowed to return to the castle and leave a note for her sister in the middle

of the night, as she was allowed to speak to no one, to let her know that there was hope in Ilario’s

healing. She kissed the ill Ilario, then fled back to the boat. As she departed, she noticed Yno following

her. Fearing he may drown, she drew him into the boat with her. He questioned her, but she could give

him no answer as to where she was going.

In the morning, they reached the shore. She wrote in the sand that she must go alone, and he

must wait for her. With a breaking heart, he watched her go. With the magnet to guide her way, Corona

traveled long and far. Her feet were bleeding from crossing the great burning plain, and she was plagued


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with fatigue. A little brown bird alighted on her shoulder, and sang a song so beautiful that she felt

completely rejuvenated to reach the mountains.

She walked more, and the air grew thinner and colder. She grew so cold by the time she reached

an immense frozen lake, surrounded by treacherous black rock walls. The shadow of a terrible figure fell

upon her. Unable to move forward over the frozen lake, she was forced to face it. An old man, covered

in icicles looking as frozen as the lake, asked who had entered his domain. With her muteness, she

couldn’t answer. Which turned out to be a blessing, for the man couldn’t tolerate the sound of a human

voice and would therefore not turn her into stone. Before he let her go, he demanded payment, which

she appeased by giving him her long golden hair.

Free from the man’s terrible grasps, she started to cross the lake. Suddenly, a flock of swans

appeared and ferried her across the ice to a treacherous stairway cut into the side of the black rock wall.

She fearfully climbed until she reached the top, pulled along by the magnet. Exhausted, she collapsed,

yet the little brown bird appeared again to rejuvenate her.

She traveled until she reached a small cabin, where an old man and his son lived. Seeing her

state, they helped her and allowed her to rest in their home. The man kept asking her questions, but she

was unable to answer any of them. She slept until the magnet roused her in the middle of the night. She

wrote a message, thanking them for their kindness, leaving behind her jeweled belt, and left.

The magnet led her deep into a thick, beautiful forest. Flowers and strange animals inhabited its

depths, and Corona was overwhelmed with its beauty. Suddenly, a white stag with massive golden horns

appeared before her. His eyes were blue just like Mora’s. He bent a knee and allowed her to sit astride

his back. He took her as deep into the forest as he could, until his horns became too big to pass through

the undergrowth. She slid from his back, and thanked him, not wanting to go on alone.

As she continued, large panthers with gleaming green eyes, and other ferocious creatures

blocked her path. It was then that she remembered the little lantern the witch had given her. She pulled it

out, and its bright light made the creatures backed away, allowing her to pass in safety. The animals of

prey fell back when she reached a broad road, strewn with glowing ashes. Having no other way to

traverse the landscape, she pushed forward, willing her mind to rule her body. Suddenly, she felt light,

and the ground dropped away from her. She realized she was in the grip of a great bird. They landed on

a soft green patch of moss covered in flowers. The great bird was an eagle and he took pity on her. His

wings caressed the girl’s scorched feet and took all the pain away as if with magic. He leapt up and left

her.

The magnet pulled her towards a mass of flowers, which covered a massive white marble wall.

Elated, she searched for a door to the temple. She found it, but didn’t know how to open it. Next to the

door grew a plant with red flowers that looked drops of blood.


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They emitted the sweetest of scents (a combination of all the beautiful scents she had smelled

throughout her entire life). She went back to the door, held up the flower, and the door opened before

her into the temple.

She passed through five inner courts by holding the flower to the door, each room having its own

beautiful architecture and flowers more beautiful than the last. Each was guarded by a pair of ferocious

beasts, but her little lantern allowed her to pass unharmed. She reached the final door, flanked by two

angels, which opened the door for her. A blinding light emanated from the center of the room. A pool of

dark water sat at the center, with a glowing object too bright to look at. With the yellow glass the witch

had gifted her, she confirmed it was the lily.

She knelt down at the water’s edge and wept. She wept tears of pain and grief, relieving her

overburdened heart. When her tears hit the floor, they turned into pearls, and rolled into the dark water.

When she wept all of her tears, she unclasped her blue cloak and put it on the floor. She descended into

the pool, and retrieved the lily. The moment the stem snapped, the air around them filled with music,

and light shown over everything. It was as if the heavens had opened into the room. When she looked

back, a new lily stood in the place of the old one, waiting for the next weary wanderer to seek out its

healing powers.

She lifted the lily to her face and instantly felt infinite gladness. Even more, her golden hair grew

thickly past her waist, and her soiled dress changed into a garment of the most spotless white. Lifted by

swans, she was flown back to the place where she had left Yno. Her tongue now loosened, she asked the

swans to stop and allow her to thank the man and his son for their kindness to her. Reaching the shore,

Yno was awed by her presence, Something in her face seemed otherworldly, and the white dress seemed

to pure to touch. In her hands sat the lily of life. When she saw that he had waited for her, she praised

him, and told him how God had mercifully led her on her journey. The two took the boat back to the

castle.

Arriving, Corona discovered that she was just in time. Ilario barely held onto life, but was still

alive. Her mother too, had realized the change that Yno had seen. Corona’s beauty seemed unbearably

pure. When Corona saw Ilario lying on his sick bed, she instantly was struck by his beauty. She felt a

great love rise within her, but was reminded by Mora that she was his betrothed. With the lily, she

touched his brow. Instantly, his health improved, and life returned to him. Ilario jumped up and kissed

Mora.

Soon, the castle was filled with joy at the news of Ilario’s miraculous recovery. The marriage

was the next day. The king was proud of his two beautiful daughters, but the queen saw deeper, and

understood the grief to come for Corona, who acted like nothing was amiss. After the proceedings, she

went out to the stable and wept into the neck of her beloved horse, mourning.


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After the ball, the bride and groom prepared to leave on a boat, back to the land of Ilario. Mora

begged her sister to come visit, but Corona felt that she was bidding farewell. Ilario came to her, and he

suddenly realized everything she had sacrificed. He kissed her, and then departed with Mora. Corona

remained on the beach long into the night. Yno found Corona on the beach. Her skin was deathly white,

her parted lips smiling, and her hands clasped over her broken heart.

In the morning, the king and queen sent out a search party for their missing daughter. On the

beach two figures were found–Yno with with his head on his maiden’s feet, and a brown bird singing

upon the beautiful girl. On a distant shore, the witch saw white wings rising towards Heaven, and heard

the name “Corona” on the wind


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ROMANIAN LEGENDS

The Legend of Master Manole- Prince Negru Vodă (Radu Negru) wanted to build the most

beautiful monastery in the country, so he hired Master Manole, the best mason of those times, along

with his 9 men. During construction, because the walls of the monastery would continuously crumble,

the Prince threatened to kill Manole and his workers.

Desperate about the way construction went, one night Manole had a dream in which he was told

that, for the monastery to be built, he had to incorporate into its walls some person very loved by him or

his masons. He told his masons about his dream, and they agreed that the first wife who would come

there with lunch for her husband the following day should be the one to be built into the walls of the

monastery so that their art would last.

The next day, Manole looked over the hills and sadly saw his wife, Ana (who was pregnant),

coming from afar. He prayed to God to start rain and storm in order for her to stop her trip or go back

home. But her love was stronger than the storm, and she kept going. He prayed again, but nothing could

stop her. When she arrived, Manole and the builders told her that they wanted to play a little game,

which involved building walls around her body. She accepted happily, but she soon realized that this

was no game and implored Manole to let her go. But he had to keep his promise. And that was how the

beautiful monastery was built.

When the monastery was completed, the Prince asked the builders if they could ever make a similarly

splendid building. Manole and his masons told the Prince that they surely could always build an even

greater building. Hearing that and fearing they'll build a bigger and more beautiful building for someone

else, the Prince had them all stranded on the roof so that they would perish and never build something to

match it. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof. But, one by one, they all fell to the

ground. A well of clear water, named after Manole, is believed to mark the spot where Manole himself

fell. (the real location the Curtea de Argeș Monastery)

The Legend of Baba Dochia - Baba Dochia had a son, called

Dragomir, who was 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


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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 lambskins, but it rains

on the mountain and the skins get soaked and heavy. Dochia has to get rid of the skins and when frost

comes she perishes from the cold with her goats.

Babele Myth -A folk myth associates the 9 days from March 1 to March 9 with the 9 coats she's

shedding. Her spirit is haunting every year around that time, bringing snowstorms and cold weather

before the spring sets in. Women use to pick a day out of these 9 beforehand, and if the day turns out to

be fair, they'll be fair in their old days, and if the day turns out to be cold, they'll turn bitter when older.

In Romanian language 'babele' is the plural of 'baba', the hag or the old woman. Dochia is sometimes

depicted as a proud woman who teases the month of March, who in return gets its revenge by taking

some days from February.

The Romanian Giants known as Jidovi, are probably one of the most beloved folklore

creatures. Jidovii are described in Romanian legends as kind and patient, walking with huge steps from

one hill to another. Their presence in Romania is well maintained by the multitude of places that were

named after them: the Jidovi table, the Jidovi cave, the hill or the tombs of Jidovi, and also, there is

jidovina, a measuring unit consisting of several meters, the equivalent of a giant’s step. Wherever you

go, their memory is well preserved and you must not be surprised to hear that there are still many people

who believe in their past existence.

In the Carpathians, Jidovii are often named Blajini, which means the Kind Ones, or Novaci, which

means the Powerful Ones as they could snatch a tree without any effort. They lived in caves and thick

woods, enjoyed talking and respected the little humans, which they considered their successors, the next

owners of all the rivers and mountains. At the beginning of 1900, there were still some people who

claimed to have heard real stories about Jidovi from their grandparents who saw them in person.

According to their stories, there were few giants left but lived in good communion with humans. When

great floods came, Jidovii took care of people and their animals

without asking for any reward.

Also, there is a story which repeats regardless of region, when

giants seeing people plowing the land, took them in their hands as

little toys, smiled at them and then put them back carefully. But the

best legend ever is that of the famous agreement between the great

Dacian king Burebista and all the Jidovi from the mountains. They were left to live in the mountains

only if they promised to guard with their life the great Dacian gold treasures. So, it is believed, that in

the deepest caves of the Carpathians Mountains may still live some Jidovi, protecting the treasures for

generations to come.


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SOURCES

A Real Queen’s Fair- The Lily of Life- A Fairy Tale -

(https://archive.org/details/arealqueensfair00sylvgoog)

Burying a Queen’s Heart

http://royalcentral.co.uk/blogs/burying-a-queens-heart-queen-marie-of-romania-52050

Historical Timeline - http://www.bran-castle.com/history.html

Folklore of Romania-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_of_Romania#Romanian_myths_part_of_international_culture

Created by the Romanian Erasmus+ Team Project –

Seminarul Teologic Ortodox „Sf Ioan Gură de Aur”, Târgoviște, Romania

June 2018


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