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Revision as of 19:01, 3 January 2006
In Romanian folkore a balaur is a creature similar to a dragon, although distinct: dragons as such also exist in Romanian folklore. A balaur is quite large, has fins, feet, and multiple serpent heads (usually three, sometimes seven, or even twelve).
As a traditional character which is found in most Romanian fairy tales, it represents Evil and must be defeated by Făt-Frumos in order to release the Princess (see also Zmeu).
Balaur seems to derive from PIE *bel-, 'strong', or PIE *bhel-, 'to swell'. It is considered to be a pre-Roman word from the Romanian substratum.
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