This book presents rich information on Romanian mythology and folklore, previously under-explored in Western scholarship, placing the source material within its historical context and drawing comparisons with European and Indo-European culture and mythological tradition. The author presents a detailed comparative study and argues that Romanian mythical motifs have roots in Indo-European heritage, by analyzing and comparing mythical motifs from the archaic cultures, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Sanskrit, and Persian, with written material and folkloric data that reflects the Indo-European culture. The book begins by outlining the history of the Getae-Dacians, beginning with Herodotus' description of their customs and beliefs in the supreme god Zamolxis, then moves to the Roman wars and the Romanization process, before turning to recent debates in linguistics and genetics regarding the provenance of a shared language, religion, and culture in Europe. The author then analyzes myth creation, its relation to rites, and its functions in society, before examining specific examples of motifs and themes from Romanian folk tales and songs. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of folklore studies, comparative mythology, linguistic anthropology, and European culture.
Author(s): Ana R. Chelariu
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 424
City: Cham
Acknowledgements
Contents
About the Author
Abbreviations
Part I: Getae-Dacians History and Religion in Ancient Sources
1: Introduction
References
2: Brief Overview of Recent Theories on the Indo-Europeans’ Homeland
References
3: Cucuteni-Tripolye: The Indo-European Homeland?
References
4: Some Recent Genetic and Archaeological Conclusions
References
5: Daco-Romanian Language: An Indo-European Branch
References
Part II: Comparative Method: Myth, Fairy Tale, Folk Tale
6: The Development of the Comparative Method
References
7: The Concept of Myth
References
8: Myth Between Symbol and Metaphor
References
9: Myth and Fairy Tales
References
10: Mythic Time Versus Fairy Tale Time
References
Part III: Traits of Indo-European Mythic Motifs in Romanian Folk Stories
11: The Mythic Motif of Man’s Creation
References
12: Cosmogony: Fârtat and Nefârtat, the Romanian Twins among the Indo-European Divine Twins
References
13: God ‘Dumnezeu’ and the Creation of Earth, Sky, Mountains in Romanian Beliefs
References
14: The Romanian Goddess Ileana Simziana: The Sun and the Moon Marriage
References
15: The Sun and a Mortal Girl Marriage: The Romanian Song of Cicoarea ‘The Chicory’
References
16: The ‘Deer Hunt’ Motif in the Romanian Wedding Ceremony
References
17: Romanian Feminine Spirits iele, rusalii, șoimane
References
18: The Romanian Păcală among the Indo-European Tricksters
References
19: The Hero Slaying the Dragon in the Romanian Song Iovan Iorgovan
References
20: Youth Rivalry Fights: From Nart Sagas to the Romanian Song Mioriţa
References
21: Metamorphoses in Myth and Fairy Tales
References
22: Metamorphoses in Youth Initiation Rites
References
23: The Romanian Folk Story “The Enchanted Pig”: The Motif ‘Beauty and the Beast’
References
24: Indo-European Social Structures and Youth Initiation Rites in Romanian Folk Customs
References
25: Father Christmas: Romanian Moş Crăciun—A Solar Myth
References
26: Conclusions
References
Part IV: Daco-Romanian Language Position Among the Indo-European Languages
27: The Daco-Romanian Cultural Vocabulary
References
Appendix
From Proto-Indo-European to Daco-Romanian: A Short List
Mountain, Forest, Valley, Ground
Fire
Water and Hydronyms
Atmosphere, Light and Dark
Fauna
Flora
Anatomical Parts
Vital Functions
Family Relations
Habitat
Clothing and Textile
Material Culture
Transport and Road
Food, Drink, and Cooking
Social Organization, Getting and Giving, Law, Order, Strife, Warfare
Space, Time, Position, and Direction
Placement Verbs
Basic Numbers, Measure and Quantity
Emotions, Perception, Knowledge, and Thought
Sight
Colors, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Good, Evil, Ugly
Hot, Cold, and Other Qualities
Speech, Interjections and Human Sounds
Activities
Pronouns
Religious, Beliefs, and Related Vocabulary
Alphabetic List of DRomanian Words Discussed Above
Alphabetic List of the PIE Roots Discussed with DRom Reflexes
Bibliography
Index
