Download
1 / 5
E N D
Maiastra In the Romanian folklore, the Maiastra Bird is a supernatural entity of great beauty, a creature of celestial light. Maiastra is considered to be the Queen of birds, the messenger of fairies. Like any supernatural beings endowed with magical powers, she is quite rare to sight and the unique beauty and celestial light that spreads from her enchants only the truly privileged gaze. About her song, which echoes only in solitude, is said to rejuvenate every listener. Sculptured in 1910 Brancusi’s Maiastrarevealshis aspiration for perfection, trying to express the essence of flight, which for him symbolizes the rise of spirituality and transcendence. For Brancusi the flight is "the most wonderful thing in nature."
The Rooster In the Romanian mythology the Rooster is a solar symbol. He embodies the light with all its cosmic and spiritual valences. As a harbinger of light to dispel the darkness of night comes, the rooster is considered formidable foe of all the forces of darkness. In Romans beliefs (inherited also by the Romanian folklore), on hearing the first song of the roster in the morning disappear all the evil spirits, demons, ghosts and werewolves. This rooster purifies and sanctifies any place. The mythological-poetic symbolism of light of the rooster was captured in a brilliant way by our great sculptor Brancusi in his "Bronze Rooster" (1935). The cry of the earthling rooster pointing skyward is a warning against the dangers of the darkness and also a call for light and goodness.
The Stork In the Romanian tradition, is said that women should wear Martisoare until March 30 or until they see a Stork in the sky. According to folklore, the Stork descended from a royal lineage, very pleasing to God and it is a holy creature. Of Him whose house has its nest brings luck, it watches for thieves, fire, snakes, frogs, hawks or insects. Storks nesting ensures prosperity of the fields on which the house is located. Once, she had to fly through the fighting mountains to bring the living water and dead water from the other side. In return, the mountains, which were just beginning to fight gain, crushed its tail. It's a very beloved harbinger of spring. According to tradition, if one sees a stork in flight, one should expect a trip. If one sees a stork on the ground, it is said that they will have a very prosperous year.
Baba Dochia In the Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. In the folklore, Dochia was the daughter (or sister) of Decebalus, King of the Dacians. When the Roman Emperor Trajan was conquering part of the Dacian territory, Dochia seeks refuge in the Carpathian Mountains in order to avoid marrying him. She disguises herself as a shepherd but she takes off her lambskin garments and freezes to death with her herd. She is transformed into a stream and her animals into flowers. In the calendar, there are 9 days associated with the 9 coats she's shedding, from March 1 to March 9. 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.
Baba Dochia In the Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. In the folklore, Dochia was the daughter (or sister) of Decebalus, King of the Dacians. When the Roman Emperor Trajan was conquering part of the Dacian territory, Dochia seeks refuge in the Carpathian Mountains in order to avoid marrying him. She disguises herself as a shepherd but she takes off her lambskin garments and freezes to death with her herd. She is transformed into a stream and her animals into flowers. In the calendar, there are 9 days associated with the 9 coats she's shedding, from March 1 to March 9. 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.
