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Revision as of 02:30, 3 August 2005 by Alex '05 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)In Romanian mythology a balaur is a creature similar to a dragon, although distinct: dragons as such also exist in Romanian mythology. 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 Fat-Frumos in order to release the Princess (see also Zmeu).
The etymology seems to be PIE *bal-, meaning "strong", or PIE *bhel-, 'to swell'.
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