Balaur - the Romanian Dragon
by Alexandru (Sasha) Bogdan - the Great Wanderer of Valinor “Romanian Green Dragon – initial sketch”, by Ana M. Pavlov In Romanian culture, the phrase “balaurul cu şapte capete” (tr. ‘the seven-headed dragon’) is often used to refer to an issue that is particularly troublesome, difficult to overcome. It has become so ingrained in colloquial language, that few ever stop to wonder about the phrase’s origin. So let us dive into Romanian folklore and take a look at the mythical beast itself. What is a balaur ? Balaur (or bular in Aromanian) is an autochthonous term and the equivalent of dragon (Latin: draco and Ancient Greek: drakon – these two terms were originally applied to great serpents in general). It is an etymological remnant from our Dacian heritage, being likely derived from the Thracian root bel , meaning “beast, monster” and closely linked with the Albanian words boljë (‘snake’) and...