Romani folklore explained

Romani folklore encompasses the folktales, myths, oral traditions, and legends of the Romani people. The Romani were nomadic when they departed India during the Middle Ages. They migrated widely, particularly to Europe, while other groups stayed and became sedentary. Some legends (often from non-Romani peoples) say that certain Romani have passive psychic powers such as empathy, precognition, retrocognition, or psychometry. Other legends include the ability to levitate, travel through astral projection by way of meditation, invoke curses or blessings, conjure or channel spirits, and skill with illusion-casting. The Roma from Slavic countries believe in werewolves.^[1] Romani chovihanis often use a variety of herbs and amulets for protection. Garlic is a popular herb used by the Roma.^[2]

Romani folktales

• Bald Pate^[3]
• "The Captive's Tale and Circumcision"^[4]
• "The Creation of the Violin"^[5]
• "Fedor and the Fairy"
• The Foam Maiden
• "Jack and His Golden Snuff-Box"
• "The King of England and his Three Sons"
• "The Little Bull-Calf"
• "Mossycoat"
• "The Red King and the Witch"^[6]
• "The Yellow Dragon"^{[7] [8]}

Motifs in Romani folklore

See also: Motif (folkloristics).

• Bababiljos (male love deity)
• Baba Fingo (the Saviour)
• Baro kar ("big human penis"; see also lingam)
• Bear worship
• Beng (the Devil)
• Bibi (Romani cult)^[9]
• Bona ("baptism")
• Biboldo ("unbaptized")
• Crystal ball
• Crystal gazing
• Curse
• Chindo ("circumcised")
• Devla (God)
• Devleski Day (Mother Goddess)
• Dhampir (half-vampire)
• Dispater (god of death)
• Divination
• Dragon
• Fairy^[10]
• Fire worship^[11]
• Fortune-telling
• Gana (Queen of Witches)^[12]
• Gemstone
• George's Day in Spring
• I Gudli Saybiya (female guardian angel)
• Gypsycraft (Romani magic or witchcraft)
• Hamsa (amulet)
• Horse worship
• Household deity
• Incantation
• Kakava (Turkish spring festival)
• Moon worship^[13]
• Mullo (vampire)
• Palmistry
• Phallus worship^[14]
• Pharaun^[15]
• Psychic
• Rat-catcher
• Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
• Saint Sarah
• Shaktism
• Sunet bijav ("circumcision ceremony")
• Tarot card reading
• Tasseography
• Trushul ("cross"; see also trishula)
• Ursitory
• Vampire pumpkins and watermelons
• Werewolves

See also

• Gypsy Lore Society
• Romani society and culture

Further reading

Folklore collections

• Ficowski, Jerzy; Borski, Lucia Merecka; Mikolaycak, Charles. Sister of the birds, and other Gypsy tales. Nashville: Abingdon, [1976].
• Florea . Virgiliu . Moses Gaster și colecția sa de povești populare ale țiganilor din România . Moses Gaster and His Collection of Romanian Gypsies' Folk Tales . Anuarul Muzeului Etnografic al Moldovei . The Yearly Review of the Ethnographic Museum of Moldavia . 18 . 2018 . 305–324 . 1583-6819 . ro.
• Pavelčík . Nina . Jiří . Pavelčík . Myths of the Czech Gypsies . Asian Folklore Studies . 60 . 1 . 2001 . 21–30 . 10.2307/1178696. 1178696 . . Accessed August 25, 2021.
• Book: Tong, Diane . Gypsy folk tales . 1989 . San Diego . Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
• Book: Yates, Dora Esther . A Book of Gypsy folk-tales . London . Phoenix House . 1948.

External links

• Gypsy Folk Tales by Francis Hindes Groome [1899], at Sacred Texts.com
• Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling by Charles Godfrey Leland [1891], at Sacred Texts.com

Notes and References

1. Book: Buckland, Raymond. Buckland's Book of Gypsy Magic: Travelers' Stories, Spells, and Healings. 1 May 2010. Weiser Books. 978-1-60925-165-9 . 14 December 2023. Google Books.
2. Book: Dunwich, Gerina. Herbal Magick: A Guide to Herbal Enchantments, Folklore, and Divination. 1 September 2019. Weiser Books. 978-1-63341-158-6 . 14 December 2023. Google Books.
3. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roma/gft/gft062.htm Baldpate
4. Web site: "The Captive's Tale" and Circumcision . Childers . William P. .
5. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roma/gft/gft097.htm The Creation of the Violin
6. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/roma/gft/gft074.htm The Red King and the Witch
7. http://www.fairrosa.info/dragon/yellow.html The Yellow Dragon
8. The Gypsy Fiddle: and Other Tales Told by the Gypsies - by John Hampden, World Publishing Company: New York, 1969
9. Book: Ćirković . Svetlana . Bibi and Bibijako Djive in Serbia . Project Education of Roma children in Europe . 17 March 2020.
10. Book: Bane, T. . Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology . McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 2013 . 978-1-4766-1242-3 . Jefferson, NC; London. 199.
11. Web site: Gypsies – OCCULT WORLD. 14 December 2023.
12. Book: Wedeck, Harry E.. Dictionary of Gypsy Life and Lore. 8 September 2015. Open Road Media. 978-1-5040-2274-3 . 14 December 2023. Google Books.
13. Book: The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca. 151.
14. Book: The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca. 151. 2010. Rosemary Guiley. Infobase. 9781438126845.
15. Book: The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters. 978-1-4381-3001-9 . Guiley . Rosemary . 2004 . Infobase .