Moroi

A Moroi (or Moroii), same form in plural, is a type of vampire or ghost in. A female Moroi is called a Moroaică (pl. Moroaice). In some versions, a Moroi is a Ghost of a dead person which leaves the grave to draw energy from the living.

Moroi and its kin

Moroi are often synonymous with these other figures in Romanian folklore: Strigoi (another type of vampire), Varcolac (werewolf or goblin), or Pricolici (werewolf).

Etymology

The etymology and origin of the Romanian term Moroi is unclear. It may be connected to Old Slavonic mora, "nightmare", from *mer-, "to harm", from which comes Middle English mare ("Incubus (demon)") which survives in English nightmare; Old English mare ("goblin", "incubus"); Latin morbus ("disease") and Latin mors ("a corpse").

Appearance

The moroi can shapesfhift into man, as well as into different animals such as: dog, cat, horse, sheep, toad, and every kind of bloodsucking insects.

Behaviour

Moroi is said to feed on cattle, by drinking their blood, or on their own relatives, eating hearts and trying to draw them into their grave.

Main Belief

When discovered in its grave, moroi has freshly grown nails and blood streaming in its eyes, nors, ears and mouth.

How to ward off a Moroi

Moroi can be prevented by:

relative attending the burial and walking around the grave for three times. One of them should be carrying the latest candle used by the decesased;

burning resin twice a week on Tuesday and Saturday nights;

burning the clothes of the Moroi;

by stubbing (if the corpse seems to be red and ruddy) the heart of a suspected moroi with a needle, pin, or nail.

Fiction

In fiction, based on the folklore though with a number of modifications, the name Moroi is sometimes spelled as Moroii. Fictional treatments in general make a clear and consistent distinction between a Strigoi and a Moroi (or "Moroii"), the former being an undead vampire, the latter a living vampire. However, in Romanian folklore the distinction is not always clear, and a Moroi may also refer to a phantom-like figure.

See Also

• Cannibalism
• Incubus (demon)
• Nightmare
• Pricolici
• Strigoi
• Vampire
• Varcolac

References

• Guiley, Rosemary Ellen, "The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves and Other Monsters"
• Perkowski, Jan Lewis "The Roumanina Flokloric Vampire", in "The Vampire: A Casebook", Alan Dundes, Ed. Madison, University of Wisonsin Press, 1998.

Part of this article consists of modified text from Wikipedia, and the article is therefore licensed under GFDL.