Molfar Explained

Molfar
Country:Ukraine

A molfar (Ukrainian: мольфа́р) is a person with purported magical abilities in Hutsul culture. Their abilities focus around herbalism and other folk magic.

The origin of the word is uncertain. It may originate from Romance languages, e.g., Italian malfare 'to do evil'.[1]

Molfar culture was popularised by Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's book Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, published in 1911, and a subsequent film made in 1964.

A prominent Carpathian molfar was Mykhailo Nechay, who lived in Verkhniy Yaseniv and was killed in 2011.[2] [3] [4]

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Notes and References

  1. Етимологічний словник української мови : у 7 т. : т. 3 : Кора — М / Ін-т мовознавства ім. О. О. Потебні АН УРСР; укл.: Р. В. Болдирєв та ін; редкол.: О. С. Мельничук (гол. ред.) та ін. — К. : Наукова думка, 1989. — 552 с. — .
  2. У Верхньому Ясенові живе останній мольфар… - Web site: У Верхньому Ясенові живе останній мольфар… « Народне ОКО . 2014-11-21 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141102105851/http://oko.if.ua/2009/08/04/1747/ . 2014-11-02 .
  3. [Ukrainian Independent Information Agency|UNIAN]
  4. [Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn|TSN]