Myth or Monster Monday: The Romanian Creation Myth

Hello, lovelies,

It's time for another installment of Myth or Monster Monday!

One of the most popular myths to come from Romania is, of course ,that of Vlad the Impaler or Dracula, but that tale is one of hundreds to come from the region. Romanian mythology is full of fascinating tales of good overcoming evil, and vice versa. This focus on good and evil begins with the Romanian creation myth, which pits God against the Devil.

Oddly enough though, it isn't God who halts the Devil's machinations in this particular myth.... it's a tiny mole. While this probably isn't the first time the concept of a mortal creature doing an amazing thing appears in mythology, it's fascinating to me in that the myth embraces the view that mistakes happen, sometimes for the good of mankind.

 

According to Romanian creation myth, God created Heaven. Once complete, he measured the vast space beneath with a ball of thread before sending the Devil to bring him a handful of clay from Apa Sâmbetei, the vast ocean where they resided, so he could shape Earth. The Devil, deciding he would undertake this mission his own way, tried in vain to obtain the clay by invoking his own name. But the clay would not come to him. Fed up, the Devil finally invoked God's name, and the piece of clay grew so that God could shape it into the Earth.

As God used the ball of string and clay to weave the pattern of the earth, a mole asked to help. God allowed the mole to hold the thread while he wove, and the Earth grew. As it did, God laid himself down to rest, and the Devil tried to push him over the side of Heaven into the vastness below.

But the mole accidentally let out too much thread, and Earth grew too large. Each time the Devil would try to push God over the edge, the Earth would expand below, preventing the Devil from succeeding in his task. Once the Devil tried four times, and failed, the cross he'd created in the ground scared him away.

The mole did not know of this though, and was embarrassed that he'd ruined Earth. He ran and hid beneath the Earth. When God awoke and realized the mole was gone, he sent a bee to look for the mole, needing the mole to advise him on how to fix their mistake. The mole laughed at the proposterous thought of God needing his advice and refused to return with the bee.

The bee, refusing to return to God without the mole's advice, hid in a flower. He overheard the mole talking to himself about how he would fix the problem by squeezing the Earth, which would create mountains, valleys, and make the Earth smaller. The bee returned to God and told him what the mole advised. God liked this plan, and so the Earth was completed.

Not bad for a little mole, is it?

What's your favorite creation myth?

xoxo,

Ayden

 
FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon | Barnes and Noble. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million