Vârcolac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A vârcolac in Romanian folklore may refer to several different figures. In some versions, a vârcolac is a wolf demon. Like the Norse Fenris, the vârcolac can swallow the moon and the sun and is thus responsible for eclipses.
Some legends say it is a ghost or vampire (Strigoi) while others say it is a werewolf (in some versions, a werewolf that emerges from the corpses of babies [citation needed]). In Romanian, vârcolac commonly means "werewolf". It can occasionally mean "goblin".
The word vârcolac is a loan from Slavic (cf. Bulgarian varkolak, vulkodlak, Greek vrykolakas), meaning "werewolf" (etymologically "Wolf's Fur").
The pricolici is another form of vârcolac, also resembling a werewolf.
The legend was used in the comic book Hellboy: The Varcolac
[edit] References
- Dicţionarul explicativ al limbi Române, Academia Românǎ, 1998.
This article relating to a European myth or legend is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
