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Werewolves
In Medieval Europe, the corpses of some people executed as werewolves
were cremated rather than buried in order to prevent them from being
resurrected as vampires. Before the end of the 19th century, the Greeks
believed that the corpses of werewolves, if not destroyed, would return to
life as vampires in the form of wolves or hyenas which prowled
battlefields, drinking the blood of dying soldiers. In the same vein, in
some rural areas of Germany, Poland and Northern France, it was once
believed that people who died in mortal sin came back to life as
blood-drinking wolves. This differs from conventional werewolfery, where
the creature is a living being rather than an undead apparition. These
vampiric werewolves would return to their human corpse form at daylight.
They were dealt with by decapitation with a spade and exorcism by the
parish priest. The head would then be thrown into a stream, where the
weight of its sins were thought to weigh it down. Sometimes, the same
methods used to dispose of ordinary vampires would be used. The vampire
was also linked to the werewolf in East European countries, particularly
Bulgaria, Serbia and Slovakia. In Serbia, the werewolf and vampire are
known collectively as one creature; Vulkodlak.[6] In Hungarian and Balkan
mythology, many werewolves were said to be vampiric witches who became
wolves in order to suck the blood of men born under the full moon in order
to preserve their health. In their human form, these werewolves were said
to have pale, sunken faces, hollow eyes, swollen lips and flabby arms. The
Haitian jé-rouges differ from traditional European werewolves by their
habit of actively trying to spread their lycanthropic condition to others,
much like vampires.
The Origin of Evil
Other accounts, closer to the biblical one, suggest that the Devil and his
demons were once angels of God. The Devil, however, tried to rebel, and,
in response, God opened up the Heavens so that he might fall to the earth.
Fearing that Heaven might be voided, the archangel Michael re-sealed it,
thus freezing the demons that had not yet fallen to hell in place. This is
related to the concept of soul customs, where every soul is intercepted on
its way to Heaven by these demons, who force it into hell. It has also
given rise to the Romanian saying pānă ajungi la Dumnezeu, te mănāncă
sfinţii (before you reach God, the saints will eat you).
The Origin of God
Another question commonly addressed is that of the origin of God, which is
explained in a Russian doll type fashion. Before every God there was
another God that created him. Thus explaining the many names the Bible
used for God, the Oltenians believed the first God was called Sabaoth,
followed by Amon, Apollo, the Creator God of the Bible, and finally, Jesus
Christ.
The Origin of Race
Quite surprisingly for a Caucasian race, Romanian folklore asserts that,
as God had made the humans out of clay, and clay was perceived to be black
like soil, the first humans were black-skinned. It was later during the
time of Cain and Abel that God did punish the murderous Cain by bleaching
his skin. This is identified as the source of the expression a se
īngălbeni de frică (to go yellow with fear), which can also be found in
various forms in the folklore of other peoples.[4]
Although, some sources attest that the Dacians were already familiar with
dark-skinned people as evidence of the existence of an African race
appears to have been found on the territory of Romania.
The myth of the Blajini
As Romanians generally perceived the earth as a disc, they were naturally
creative enough to imagine what existed on the other side. This other
earth is imagined as a mirror image of our own, and as a home to creatures
called Blajini [bla'ʒinʲ] (rom. gentle/kind-hearted ones), sometimes given
the name Rohmani ['roh.manʲ] (in Bucovina. They are described as
anthropomorphic and short, sometimes having the head of a rat. They are
either described as malicious or as having great respect for God and
leading a sinless life. They are considered to fast the year through, and
thus doing humans a great service.
The Romanian holiday Paştele Blajinilor (the Easter of the Blajini) is a
way to repay them for the benefits they bring. Since they live in
isolation, they have no way of knowing when Easter comes. It is for this
reason that Romanians eat dyed eggs and let the shells flow downstream,
from there they believe they will get to the Apa Sāmbetei, and from there
to the Blajini.
Some explain them as the descendants of Adam's son Seth. Others state that
they used to live alongside humans on the earth, but that Moses, seeing
his people oppressed by them, parted the waters and, after he and his
people had retreated to safety, poured the waters back onto them, sending
them to their current abode.[9]
Eschatology
The most prominent symbol associated with the End Times is that of the
earthquake. Waters overflowing and mountains collapsing are both linked to
these earthquakes, which are mainly caused by lack of faith, which
accelerates the crumbling of the World Pillars. Others attribute the
earthquakes to the earth (which is alive, and can therefore feel)
realising the wicked ways of humans, and trembling in fright. Other rare
natural phenomena such as Eclipses or Comets were seen as a sign of
impending doom.[10]
If these warnings should fail, God will initiate the End of the World.
Such imagery as a darkened sun, a bleeding moon and falling stars are
associated with the beginning of the End Times. Three saints (usually in
the persons of Enoch, John and Elijah) are said to come to earth to unveil
the Devil's attempts to destroy the world, whereupon they shall be killed
by decapitation. The sky and the earth will be set alight and the earth
will be purged, so that its Creator may descend upon it. The 12 winds are
said to sweep up the ashes of people and gather them in the valley of
Safed, where the Last Judgement shall be done.
Sources form Moldova and Bucovina also speak of a great army led by the
emperor Constantine, which will conquer all the world's states, and kill
everyone save for a few pure ones, which will then repopulate the earth.
In another instance, should this army not come, God shall burn the earth
as described and bring the Blajini to live there. In another version, true
to the succession of Gods mentioned earlier (s. here), Jesus Christ is
said to come and create a new world like his father before him. A
not-so-widespread belief is that of a definitive destruction of the earth,
whereupon God and the Devil shall divide the souls of the dead among
themselves and retire to the moon, who is considered to have been made in
the image of the earth to serve a place of retreat after the destructuon
of the earth.
The Earth
As in other cultures, the Earth was regarded as a giver of life even
before Christianity had spread to the Romanian lands, and as such, was
personified as the feminine archetype of the Great Mother. This form can
be traced back to the Iranian mazdeist religion, where Spenta Armaiti is
found as the personification of the Earth. This form endured even after
Christian imagery and symbolism became part of Romanian culture, Mother
Earth often being identified as the consort of God, the heavenly Father.
The origin of mountains is explained in a number of ways by the cultures
of the different regions of Romania. One account is that mountains formed
as a response to God demanding the Earth to nurture all life, to which the
earth shuddered and brought forth mountains. Another version suggests the
Earth was too large to fit under the firmament, and so God attempted to
shrink it, thus raising mountains. Often, these accounts are accompanied
by the imagery of one or several World Pillars, which sustain the earth
from below and are usually placed beneath mountains. Earthquakes are
frequently attributed to the earth slipping due to the Devil's constant
gnawing at these pillars, which are rebuilt by God and his angels in times
of fasting.
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