Do you remember that moment in childhood when we was afraid to sleep alone without mommy and daddy? We were all afraid of something, like dolls got diabolical reflections, darkness was a creature that puts our imagination on contribution and hide under the covers was our only way out. So did I, it was a while (lucky that it passed) that I was spending every night watching, because of fear that the spirits-“ielele” will visit me.

”Ielele” are three girls (in some myths seven) known in Romanian mythology. Is said they have supernatural powers, and are appearing at night, in retreats, even empty spaces, for example in forests. Summary dressed, always happy and laughing, very seductive, is said that if they are seen during the dance, they punish who “peeked”, they attract him with their song, and dance around him three times until he loses consciousness. And in the place where have been the dance, the land remains burned. Some legends say they was the Priestesses of a Dacian God and some legends that they were the daughters of Alexander the Great. In the latter legend, they are called: Catarina, Zalina and Marina.

From this category are also the “sanzaiene”.

Other superstitions mention that if one drink from the same place where they drank, he dies. They are of a rare beauty, during the day, they are invisible, visible only at night with a fatal effect. Is said to have wings, but also that they are traveling using a carriage pulled by horses of fire. The name “iele” comes, as I was toldin childhood, from the fact that it was not allowed to pronounce their name because they could make their appearance near you. So they were brought to discussion in the form of personal pronouns in the third person plural, “they”, which in Romania it was “iele”, now “ele”.

Over the years this myth frightened many, but it also inspired many artists. Here are a few: Bogdan Petriceicu Haşdeu in “ Magnum Etymologicum Romaniae ” Dimitrie Cantemir in “Descriptio Moldaviae”, Mircea Eliade, “At gypsys”, Camil Petrescu “Iele’s Game” etc.

Source: www.wikipedia.com