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Thracian, Dacian, Illyrian, Scythian and Alanian mythologies:

 

Limitation of Thraco-Dacian and Illyrian mythological sources, in comparison with Celtic and Germanic-Scandinavian ones has got the certain problems. So, for example, not clear, whether were esteemed within the framework of the given cultures gods of the Thunder and the Clear Sky though separate hints on their cult are present. It is impossible to identify with full confidence and the God of Earth Powers (it is possible, it Zalmoxis). About Bendis - the Great Goddess we also have very small volume of the information. Actually, all of them were eclipsed by the Cultural Hero in characteristic embodiment of the horseman. It is possible to count the reason of this phenomenon very early development of rather centralised imperial authority in Thraco-Dacian and Illirian traditions. Influence of an image of the Cultural Hero on mass consciousness was so great, that he in later epoch determined character of relation with the advanced religions (that was shown in features of recognition of Mithraism by the Illyrians and Christianities by Thraco-Dacians).

The representatives of Scythian (and Sarmatian) cultural world to the basic types of a structural nucleus corresponded: to the God of Clear Sky - it is possible, Papay or "Ares" (the Scythians), to the God of Thunder - Wacilla (the Alanians); to the God of Earth Powers - Don-Bettyr, Falvara, Afsati; to the Cultural Hero - Kolaksay (the Scythians), Wasgergi (the Alanians); to the Great Goddess - Api and Tabiti (the Scythians), Bzenon, Dzerassa (the Alanians). The attention absence in the Scythian pantheon of the God of Thunder and the God of Earth Powers and accent for an image of the Cultural Hero (whether it be images of Kolaksay in anthropomorphic art or a deer pays to itself within the framework of animal style). Last fact with the big share of confidence can be attributed on the account of early addition of imperial authority at Scythians (as it was mentioned above, their history shares for the appropriate periods - 'the first empire', 'the second empire', 'the third empire'). Representatives of the Sarnatic-Alanian branch esteemed also the various deities which are going back to the God of Earth Powers. In it, probably, their ideological difference from the Scythians consists.

Fantalov Alex

 

Images of Thraco-Dacians deities.

Illyrian Mithra.

Scythian pantheon.

Mythology of Scythian and Persian Hero.

Images of Sarmatian deities and the Osset epos.

Thracian and Dacian history.

Illyrian history.

Scythian and Sarmatian history.

 

The legend about Scythian gold. (A. Fantalov, watercolour).

 

 

Other mythologies:

Slav and Balt mythology

Scandinavian mythology.

Celtic mythology

Indo-European pantheon.

 

Other sites:

INDO-EUROPEAN BARBARIANS: MYTHS AND HISTORY.

FANTASTIC PICTURES.

200 MYTHOLOGICAL COLOURED PICTURES.

ATLAS OF MYTHS.

Realism, abstractionism and art deco in the history, the theory and the practice of the fine art.

Abstractionism: painting and drawing.

School pictures dedicated to myths.

 

 For consultations or tutoring: history, political science, cultural science, art criticism, painting and theories of composition; purchase of pictures and also installing of advertising - E-mail: [email protected]

 

Zalmoxianism (Romanian Paganism)

  

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written and copyrighted by Týra Alrune Sahsnotasvriunt, June 2014

Due to the lack of written records little is known about the Thracians (~2000 BC – ~375 AC) who settled in nowadays’ Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania).
Information may be scarce, but also there are no two sources that will agree upon who and what the Thracians were exactly, how they lived and worshipped. They were mentioned in the Ilias and Odyssee, by philosophers like Herodot and described as hard-drinking and rough-necked, which paint them as some sort of bon sauvage.
Since Roman and Greek philosophers’ accounts of history and other cultures are best taken with a grain of salt it is unclear whether these depictions of them are somewhat correct or rather misinterpretations of the actual Thracian culture(s). Greek and Scythian sources mainly speak of them as people dedicated to art, “just war”/justice and courage.
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Amongst reconstructionists the debate whether their forefathers’ spirituality was a monotheistic, monistic, partly pantheistic or simply polytheistic one has been avidly discussed on various online forums.
Some of the confusion might stem from Herodot’s accounts of the Thracian people. He writes, “These Thracians, when there’s thunder and lightning, shoot arrows towards the sky, threatening the god, because they think there is no other god than theirs.”

The Thracians were one of the oldest and largest indo-Germanic people, consisting of about 90 tribes which yet were never unified. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ancient_tribes_in_Thrace_and_Dacia Each tribe/community was led by a high priest often called priest-king, basically a shaman.
Even within the Thracian spirituality different tribes worshipped and acknowledged different Gods or adopted foreign tribes’ Gods who lived in close proximity to them. (>Greek Hestia, Zeus etc. part of several Thracian pantheons.)
Now, whilst this is a common Pagan phenomenon, it is not exactly comparable to Germanic Paganism for example, where the same Germanic Gods were known under different names, depending upon the tribe, yet rituals and religious conduct were the same or at least very similar to each other. Thracian spirituality and culture was geographically specific and there were only marginal overlaps. This is one reason it is so hard to paint a complete and reliable picture on “THE Thracian belief” – there simply was no such thing.

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The creation myth of the Thracians (southern Carpathians) speaks of an impenetrable darkness and its ocean from which a God emerged. First, there were a worm and a butterfly both floating on the ocean. The butterfly, madly and desperately batting its wings, rose from the ocean, whilst the worm remained ‘trapped’. When the butterfly was first transfigured into a handsome young man and shortly after into a God, the worm became a kind of ‘devil’.
This further illustrates the Thracian belief of a life of struggle (for perseverance, self-sufficiency and justice) even further. From the butterfly mankind descends, and once they “fall”, sin, do evil etc. they “lose their wings” and regress to the “worm state”. Life is all about maintaining their “wings”.
In most creation myths there was a “void” or “chaos” in the beginning – without any mention of any creature or being as in this early Thracian tale though.
This reminds of the Babylonian Enuma-Elish and other Mesopotamian and the Zoroastrian creation myths in which pantheism and monism played a role.
Zoroastrian Ahriman was also a “worm in the dark” and even in the Finnish (Ugric) Pehlevi scriptures, which were influenced by the Persians, the original “evil” entered this world in the form of a worm, a lower being without (common) sense, slave to its animal desires, while the ‘true’ God was depicted as pure light or a winged creature representing light, everything good, pure and free from human boundaries (the body).
Interestingly, the Thracians did not only have contact with the Persians (today’s Iranians) but were ruled by them for a while, which might explain the similarities in creation myth.

Amongst the Thracians were the Getae and Dacians (who resided in the area around today’s Romania and Moldova) with their own distinctive pantheons and culture.
Gebeleizis was one of the main Gods of the indo-Germanic Getae, the God of thunder and lightning, often depicted with a spear, lightning or arch in his hands facing/battling a snake.
It is not only this but also his bushy large beard and bright red hair that remind of another God of thunder – Germanic Thor.
Gebeleizis, also called Derzelas, Derzis or simply “The Thracian Knight” can also be found in Macedonian mythology as well as the Greek one where his name was Zeus. (On a side note, the main God of the Saxons, “Saxnot” aka Týr, Teiwas, Tiw, Ziw was also known under the name Ziu or Zius. Not only by name but his traits did he remind of Zeus).
It is from Gebeleizis that the Armenian Hetanists (Armenian “Heathens”) adopted him around the 7th century BC and gave him the name Vahagn, God of War and the Sun, the “snakeslayer” who was also equated with Zeus.
Traces of him can even still be found in the tale of “St. George” slaying the dragon.
As Gebeleizis name was greconized to Zbelsurdos beliefs of a female alter ego started forming as well. Her name was Bendis, in other traditions she was named Kotys, the Great Mother Goddess, deity of the moon, womanly cycle and the hunt, (>Artemis) often depicted standing between a deer and a snake, representing her role as a deity of balance and the cycle of nature.
The Mother Goddes(ses) were highly revered and worshipped by both men and women. It comes as no surprise that although the cultural roles of men and women were clearly defined, spiritually they had the same rights and freedoms.
Thracian/Phrygian Sabazios, the King (rather: shaman) of the “horsemen” possessed traits of Wotan, especially in his regard to his eight-legged horse Sleipnir and the fact that he was linked to the underworld and realm of the dead. Although Gebeleizis and Zalmoxis are often equated Sabazios and Zalmoxis appear to have more commonalities.
These just as a few random examples on how complex, interwoven and yet distinctive from each other the Thracian Gods within their sub-cultures and traditions were.

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One thing that almost all scholarly sources agree upon (and even the cantankerous online folks) is that Zalmoxis/Zamolxis/Salmoxis/Zalmoxe was the high God of the Dacians and (most of) their sub-tribes.
It is unclear whether Zalmoxis was a man, namely a slave of Pythagoras, who then was elevated into “Godhood” or not. We only know that he was and is worshipped as a God, albeit with the connotation “man-God”, which might just as well describe his role as the “God of man(kind), the main god, “All-father figure” et al.)
However, his followers believed that they would join their God in the afterlife for eternal pleasure after a hard-working life striving for justice. To ensure this, they “sent a messenger” to him every four years. – Meaning a human sacrifice.
To be chosen as a sacrifice was considered an honor, now whether the “sacrifices” (victims?) agreed we’ll never know… The sacrifice was chosen by lot and he/she was then immediately cast high into the air and onto 3 sharp spears.
Needless to say the victims did not die instantly in most cases and were visited during their long, painful hours of slow but certain death by family who cheered them on or asked them to deliver messages to Zalmoxis.
In some cases however, the sacrifice did not die. This was considered to be proof that the sacrifice was “unworthy”, that he/she had lived a life in vain, one of evil or sin. (The concept of good and evil was deeply embedded in the Thracian mindset.) Once a sacrifice lived, another one was chosen instantly.

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Dacian life revolved around Zalmoxis and the (rewards of) afterlife. It was Herodot who mentioned the similarity of Zalmoxis, the “man who became (a) God”(6 BC) or “daimon” to Pythagoras who is sometimes said to have been his slave-master and/or teacher. The set of religious ideas whose origin is attributed to Zalmoxis does indeed resemble Pythagoreanism. Besides immortality, Zalmoxis is said to have also taughthis followers a highly praised form of psychosomatic medicine based on incantations, magic and charms, whose purpose was to bring healing by unifying the soul with the body. (Plato: Charmides)
This medical tradition appears to have been long-lived, as 40+ Dacian names of medicinal plants were inserted in the famous Materia medica of the Greek physician Dioscurides and in De herbis (3rd century CE).
Today’s Romanian incantations (folklore, “folktro”), rituals of the dead, folk dances like the Hora etc. still bear resemblance of what is known of the Dacian culture(s).

If you visited Romania recently, maybe you took notice on the plenty of bars, pubs, sports clubs or even stores which carried the name “wolf” in them. The word “Dacian” means nothing other than wolf itself (daos=wolf).
They were the wolf people, pack people. In battle, much like the Germanic berserkers frenzied themselves into battle rage, the Dacians would imitate the wolf’s howl and ready themselves for battle. They fought for their “pack”, for justice for their pack. It is surprising that they appear not to have had a Goddess like Germanic Angerboda, wolf/pack mother of Iron Wood.
Another animal sacred to them was the serpent, or more specifically its mythological variant, the dragon. Even today’s Zalmoxianists revere and celebrate the “holy fire” and wolf and dragon adorn many a flag, banner or are found in the logos of neo-Pagan organizations.

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In the spirit of “ye olden days” today’s Zalmoxianism is not “one religion” and its followers are not unified. There is an ongoing debate between the various groups on who actually follows the “true” Zalmoxianism. A debate inherited by early 20thcentury historians such as Nicolae Densușianu, Vasile Pârvan, Giurescu, Jean  Coman, Constantin Daicoviciu, and Mircea Eliade. Their claims and research material is still as controversial as it is incomplete and often takes a political or (Christian) religious character.
However, it is true that 21st century Zalmoxianism heavily leans on Romanian folklore rather than actual Geto-Dacian or general Thracian spirituality hence.
The ethnologist Ion Ghinoiu states that the Romanian lives in the proximity to the divine and that he personifies stars, creatures (animals, birds, reptiles, insects), plants, natural phenomena, illnesses, sentiments, soul feelings. And indeed most neo-Zalmoxian worship and practices are pantheistic in nature or embed core pantheistic elements in their set of beliefs.
For the early Indo-Europeans, the worship of fire was central to their beliefs as it was pivotal to their survival. (Comp. Armenian Hetanism and Tseghakron – https://paganmeltingpot.wordpress.com/category/armenian-paganism/)
Nowadays, no one sacrifices animals or even humans in Zalmoxian ritual anymore of course, instead their fire worship is of rather meditative nature. Candles or bonfires are lit, sometimes hymns and songs are being sung or a few prayers to Vesta, goddess of fire (not the similarity to the holy book of the Persian Zoroastrians – “Avesta”) are being spoken.
At Zalmoxis’ Temple in Detunata, Romania, followers gather annually to celebrate the revival of their ancient Gods together. During this ritual celebration of the “fire of creation” the deceased are being asked to reincarnate and spirits are being called upon to manifest.
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But even here rituals are not entirely free from Christianity. Alongside the 6-petaled flower the Christian (Celtic) cross is bowed to, it is placed in the center of the altar, those Zalmoxians believing in “Dumnezeu” (The Lord of Lords, also the Romanian name for the Christian God) even call upon Jesus. Undeniably this is a kind of eclecticism that doesn’t make much sense anymore in terms of a fulfilling or somewhat traditional (logical?) spirituality. To each their own of course.
In 2010 the attempt of writing the “Book of Zalmoxis”, basically a Romanian Bible, was initiated. It contained the collected interpretations of historians, philosophers, poets like Mihai Eminescu and even scientists. The blanks were filled in with other related indo-Aryan beliefs, mixed in with tidbits of Christianity. The symbol chosen for this Romanian Bible was declared as the new symbol of all of “Zalmoxiana” – Zalmoxis’ cross. (Astonishing enough since there is no mention of a cross in connection with the God Zalmoxis anywhere in historic documents…) It is an equal four-arm cross displaying The Flower of Life symbol, reminding of the original (non-political) swastika (Hindu/indo-Aryan symbol of good luck and life).
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Other modern symbols regarded as sacred are the square (symbol of masculinity and linearity), the crescent moon (Bendis/Kotys), triangle (Bendis/Kotys), Hexagon (unification of male and female principle), circle (of life).
The book claims to state historic facts, yet it is at best mainly a curiously eclectic and speculative work. Zalmoxian babies are baptized in the name of Zalmoxis, polyamory and(spiritual) polygamy are the new hit (…) and although there is no mention of it in any historical records why not throw in some sex rites and orgies in the mix, too.
Zalmoxians celebrate the usual Pagan holidays (wheel of the year) along with a few other more Romania-specific, semi-political ones. A few traditions still stem from Roman times or the Gothic occupation.
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As is often the case the organized reconstruction of ancient Pagan religions, complete with a “Bible” to go along with it, it doesn’t work. It is in fact against the core of common (ancient) Pagan spirituality, which was mostly un-dogmatic, adoptive and free-spirited, relying on ideas rather than set rules, “commands” and regulations.
There are several Pagan movements out there today whose political extremism (both left- and right-winged), religious intolerance, Christianized mindset, sexual deviance and confused eclectic rituals have turned them into one big embarrassing mess after all.
Anyhow, the largest reconstructionist Zalmoxian groups in Romania are the “Societatea Gebeleizis” (Society of Gebeleizis) with approx. 500 members split into 15 branches. Due to their core values and motto of the Societatea, “O Familie, Un Neam, Un Teritoriu” (One Family, One Nation, One Territory), left-wing extremists have accused the society of being nazist. There are rumors of scandals within the organization, however I personally haven’t found any concrete proof regarding these alleged “scandals” nor their nature. (Should anyone have information on this please do contact me though and I shall revise this entry.)
Other well known groups are Zalmoxe and Terra Dacica Aeterna as well as several smaller and lesser known ones.
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DACIAN MYTHOLOGY

The dacian mythology definition and concept underlying the brand owned by Transylvania World

DACIAN MYTHOLOGY, ROMANIAN FOLKLORE’S SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

Rich and diverse, the Dacian mythology was unfairly overshadowed by the Greek or Roman mythologies. It stands out particularly for its wolf cult, for its fantastic characters such as the werewolf or the vampire and for the unabandoned elements which gave birth to the Romanian folklore.

DACIAN MYTHOLOGY | DEFINITION

The Dacian mythology, predecessor of the Romanian mythology, is freestanding, complex and it is made up of myths, legends, heroes, fantastic creatures, rituals, stories and traditions, being closely related to the main European mythologies, the Greek and the Roman ones. The Dacian mythology was formed on Transylvania’s current territory, being firmly rooted in Cucuteni Culture – the oldest European civilization, dating from 5600 BC – 3500 BC, preceding by a few hundred years the human settlements from Sumer and Ancient Egypt.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The Dacian mythology, mainly focused on the theme of immortality, encloses a small but well defined number of gods, and stands out especially through its wolf cult subsequently expressed through the mythic character "the werewolf". After the Dacians were conquered by the Roman Empire and the Romanian population was formed, Romanian mythology generated by taking different elements from the Thracian, Greek and Roman mythologies, but mainly from the Dacian mythology, resulting in a series of wonderful tales, full of magic and mystery, but still unknown on international level.

Alongside the werewolf and the vampire, the Romanian mythology unveils a series of unique tale-like characters, most of which still unknown on global level. Among them we can count legendary heroes, fairies, witches, elves, and a whole spectrum of other fantastic creatures. These creatures are the source through which complex universal themes are approached, such as existentialism, immortality, atemporality, nature’s primordiality, or the cosmic themes of relativity, cyclicality and universal balance.

THE DACIAN MYTHOLOGY | CONCEPT

Being characterized by aniconism (including the interdiction of writing and religious representations), the Dacian (ancestors of today’s Romanians) religion and indirectly their mythology, although rich and complex, did not enjoy the same exposure as the Greek and Roman mythology with whom it was closely related. Myths and legends were transmitted orally through storytelling and customs, but little written evidence remains.

As the Cucuteni Culture (one of the oldest European civilizations) once flourished on Transylvania’s current territory, and since it was assimilated by the civilizations which spawned the Thracian and Dacian peoples, this shows with certainty that some elements of the Dacian mythology were borrowed from this culture. This way we can regard the Dacian mythology with its original elements as being at least as old and important as the Greek and Roman mythologies.

Ever since the pre-Dacian period, 4000 BC, we can find elements which refer to the wolf cult in Cucuteni Culture, such as painted ceramic objects which represent warriors with wolf heads. However, throughout the existence of the Dacian people (168 BC – 106 AC), their unique focal point was the cult of the wolf, which alongside some well-defined deities outlines a complex mythology.

The Dacians venerated a small pantheon of gods, their supreme deity being Zamolxe (Zamolxis). Sometimes Zamolxe was mistaken for Gebeleizis, the god of thunder, lightning and rain. Zamolxe was considered a god of the dead and the living, representing the underworld and life after death. Sometimes Zamolxe was perceived as a prophet, represented as handsome man, a priest in charge of the forces of nature, who also had a distinct power over wild animals (this is the starting point for the legend of the Great White Wolf). Besides Zamolxe the Dacians also venerated Bendis, the goddess of the moon, forests and charms, love and maternity, Derzis (Derzelas) the god of human spirit’s vitality and Kotys (Cottyo), the mother-goddess. The essence of the Dacians’ religion is the soul’s immortality. According to their beliefs, the soul travels to Zamolxe’s realm after physical death. The Dacians would organize rituals in the citadel-sanctuary Sarmizegetusa Regia (not to be mistaken for Ulpia Traiana), the capital of Dacia. The sanctuary is still preserved, it can be visited in Transylvania and it is also very similar to the mysterious monument of Stonehenge, England, or to the famous Mayan solar calendar.

Most of the Dacian deities find continuity in legends spread all over Transylvania’s current territory. The most important is the legend of the Great White Wolf, where we can find the first mentioning of man’s metamorphosis into a wolf, in other words the werewolf concept. In this legend, Zamolxe turned a priest into a white wolf in order to protect Dacia from invaders.[5] The wolf was a focal point for Dacian rituals but also in times of war, when the warriors excelled on the battlefield, attacking and behaving as wolfs. Even the Dacian battle flag, named `Draco`, had the shape of a wolf’s head. When air would enter its opened mouth, it would generate a strong hissing sound, resembling the howl of a wolf.

Plenty of customs and habits related to the cult of the wolf have remained intact to this day in Romania, on Transylvania’s territory. This animal left plenty of marks upon Romanian culture, materialized in mountains, cities, mountain passes, valleys, caves, forests, hills and people which bear the name of this magic and imposing animal. Popular art also used the wolf motif in ceramics and sculpture, including in decorative ecclesiastic sculpture.

The Dacian mythology further generated a series of distinct tales and fantastic characters in Romanian mythology, most of them unique on international level. In Romanian tales we can find legendary heroes, fairies, witches, pucks and plenty other fantastic creatures. These creatures represent the source through which complex universal themes are approached, such as existentialism, immortality, atemporality, nature’s primordiality, or the cosmic themes of relativity, cyclicality and universal balance.[6] [7] [8] [9] `Immortality and eternal youth` is just one example of a Romanian tale, whose origins are lost in the mists of time, with its name alone proof for the philosophical themes approached in its pages.

Although the following comparison is a stretch, its purpose is to describe the potential of tale-like characters with origins in the Dacian mythology and to offer this image to the reader who is not familiar with Romanian folklore. As an exercise of imagination we can identify, starting from the premise that Fat-Frumos is the stereotypical positive hero, we can make numerous analogies with famous characters from successful series. Făt-Frumos has all the characteristics of a knight-hero (being the equivalent of „Prince Charming„), being brave, pure-hearted, honest and powerful, being led by his love for justice and Ileana Cosânzeana.[10] [11] [12]

We can compare Făt-Frumos to Boromir from the highly successful series Lord of the Rings. Both share the same characteristics, such as loyalty for the kingdom, friends and duty, and they have the same physical characteristics (tall, handsome and powerful). Although Făt-Frumos rarely dies and Boromir’s death is an extremely important moment in the LOTR trilogy, we have to mention the fact that even after death Boromir is seen as a hero who sacrificed himself in order to help others.[13]

At the same time, the popular character Jon Snow from Game of Thrones can be seen as the series’ Făt-Frumos. In a world full of questionable moral standards, Jon Snow, just like Făt-Frumos, stands out for his righteous spirit, his noble standards and his courage, never changing his honest morals even though they bring nothing but danger in the GOT world.

Ileana Cosânzeana represents another stereotype, being the feminine equivalent of Făt-Frumos and having a series of noble qualities such as bravery, an independent spirit, modesty and righteousness.[14] Ileana symbolizes the concept of ideal feminine beauty, youthfulness and pure heart but she also has magical healing powers.

An equivalent for Ileana could very well be Galadriel from Lord of the Rings (even though in LOTR her lineage is from the elven tribes) who shares the same characteristics, such as physical beauty, long golden hair, kindness, righteousness and a general good-hearted nature.[15]

Ileana’s equivalent from Game of Thrones is surely Sansa Stark. Sansa is a young, feminine and beautiful lady, passionate about music and poetry, living her life trying to find a prince to fall in love with, while the malefic `Zmeu` is similar to the dark lord Sauron from `Lord of the Rings`.[16]

Of course these are just some exercises of the imagination, but the Romanian tales have sufficient characters people can identify with other characters from successful series, such as `The Hobbit`, `Lord of the Rings` or `Harry Potter`. Hobbits, elves, gnomes, orcs, wizards, fairies, heroes with powers over nature, animated objects, and magical animals – all of these are fairly akin to characters from Romanian tales. There are plenty of characters and tales with huge potential, full of mysticism, magic and a philosophical background, still unknown on international level. Transylvania World intends to promote them and include them in the Transylvania brand.

Note: The Transylvania World concepts are an essential part of the association brand and their usage has to quote the source and reference this website.DISCOVER THE DACIAN MITHOLOGY ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.TRANSYLVANIAOFFICIAL.COM


RESEARCH SOURCES:

1. Wikipedia, Cucuteni Culture (source)
2. National Museum of Eastern Carpathians, Cucuteni Culture (source)
3. Wikipedia, Ancient Egypt (source)
4. Wikipedia, Sumer (source)
5. The Legend of the Great White Wolf (source)
6. Vulcănescu R., Mitologie Română, Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, 1987 
7. Daicoviciu H., Dacii, Hyperion Publishing House, Chișinău, 1991 
8. Pârvan V., Getica- O protoistorie a Daciei, Meridiane Publishing House, Bucharest, 1982 
9. Conf. Univ. Dr. Claudia Costin, Etnografie și folclor, „Ștefan cel Mare” University, Suceava 
10. Wikipedia, Ileana Cosânzeana (source)
11. Enciclopedia Wikipedia, Făt Frumos (source)
12. Paliga S. Etymologica et Anthropologica Maiora, Evenimentul Foundation, Bucharest, 2007 
13. Wikia, LOTR, Boromir (source)
14. Wikipedia, Jon Snow (source)
15. Wikia, LOTR, Galadriel (source)
16. Wikia, Game of Thrones, Sansa Stark (source)