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The zmeu is described by some as a "dragon", but a dragon that may assume the role of a suitor or a lover of a human female, and in some cases are heroic figures, [5] though in other cases, diabolical.
The Romanian zmeu could also be deemed a "Slavic" dragon, but a non-cognate etymology has been proposed. A zmei may be beast-like or human-like (assuming dragon form in air, human form on ground), sometimes wooing women, but often plays the role of chief antagonist in Russian literature.
The dragon in Russian folk fiction may be female, in which case she is called zmeya. The tendency is for the prose folktale versions to have male dragons, and the byliny poetry to have the females. [10] This will affect the behavior of the dragons. For instance, only the male dragons will capture or captivate a princess or a maiden as a love ...
The Solomonar or Șolomonar (German phonetization: Scholomonar) is a wizard believed in Romanian folklore to ride a dragon (zmeu [a] or a balaur) and control the weather, causing rain, thunder, or hailstorm. They are recruited from common folk and taught their magic at the Solomonărie or Şolomanţă (German phonetization: Scholomance). [1]
The Scholomance, according to Gerard, was at some unspecified location deep in the mountains, but the dragon (spelled in Romanian as zmeu, [20] though given as ismeju [21]) was stabled underwater in a small mountaintop lake south of Hermannstadt in central Romania (modern Sibiu, Romania, called Nagyszeben in Hungarian). [16]
The biggest difference is that the zmeu, even if it has some lizard features, nevertheless is a human-like figure, while the balaur is the true form of the dragon. Usually, in all Romanian myths, legends and fairy tales, the balaur always has three, five, seven, nine or twelve heads.
The balaur recurs in Romanian folktales as a ravenous dragon that preys upon maidens only to be defeated by the hero Făt-Frumos ("Handsome Lad"). [2] The balaur may also be the abductor of the princess Ileana Cosânzeana , [ 4 ] although according to Șăineanu the kidnapper of this princess is a zmeu in the form of giant with pebbly tails [ 2 ...
Zmeu (Romanian folklore) – Giant with a habit of kidnapping young girls; Zmiy – Slavic dragon; Zombie (Vodou/Worldwide) – Re-animated corpse; Zouyu - Long and big Cat-like Spirit with a long, red tail; Zorigami – Animated clock; Zuijin – Tutelary spirit; Zunbera-bō – Faceless ghost