We hope you know that the story of Dracula – you know, the vampire story – is just a made up story, or an “urban legend.” However, we would not quite consider that a Romanian urban legend. Sure, it takes place in Transylvania, which is in Romania, but the story was created by an Irishman (Bram Stoker, to be exact).
Today, we are going to share some real Romanian urban legends with you. If “urban legend” just sounds like buzzwords to you, we are talking about Romanian stories that have gone around that have to do with particular cultural sites and elements. These are spooky tales that you have the opportunity to experience should you visit Romania!
The Nymphs of Cioclovina Cave
Deep in the Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania is a dark cave with archeological remains older than 3,300 years old! In this cave, the Cioclovina Cave, is a cathedral-like building with tombs, Scandinavian and Mesopotamian treasures, skeletal remains, and an absurd number of bats. Bronze sculptures were also found, along with Mesopotamian and Egyptian glass jewelry, Nordic amber beads, and horse-riding gear.
There was also pottery and sacrificial offerings. It is believed that this was the site of a subterranean temple that might have been used in a nymph cult, giving offerings to the naiads who lived in this holy place.
Keep in mind, all of these objects were found deep in the mountains, in a spot that is not currently lived in. So how did all of these items end up in the Cioclovina Cave? Well, first of all, if this was a place religious place for nymph worship, then the location makes sense.
This is because those who worshipped nymphs would find remote places to avoid interruption or detection. In The Odyssey by Homer, he write about how naiads would make their worship spaces inside of caves and would place special altars inside. And it is believed that the Western European treasures that were found here may have arrived through trade routes that existed before the Silk Road trade route was customary.
This cave is truly a place with deep history!
The Ghosts of the Teleki Mansion
The Teleki Mansion is located in Ocna Mures, a town just southeast of Cluj-Napoca. Currently, the mansion is rundown and abandoned, and most locals try to steer clear of the building. This is because of the haunting stories of events that have happened within those walls.
During World War II, a group of soldiers decided to enter the mansion to drink some wine that they knew were inside. They found the wine cellars and drank as much as they could. Of course, this was too much alcohol and they began drunkenly firing off their guns.
They punctured a couple of massive wine barrels, and suddenly the cellar began to flood. The soldiers could not escape in time and ended up drowning in wine and dying. Ever since then, ghosts have been haunting the mansion. In 2011, someone captured some blurry photos of the mansion where ghosts can be seen. Visit the mansion if you dare!
Corvin Castle
Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle, is located in Hunedoara, Romania. After the 17th century, the castle had been abandoned for many decades, and then a fire destroyed a great part of the castle, leaving it in ruins.
What stands today is a restoration of the old castle, with modern architects interpreting how a great Gothic castle would have looked. Perhaps because of this creative interpretation, this castle looks straight out of a fairytale! Ironically, this is a castle where many were tortured and died.
Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned here as a kid and teenager and in a sense grew up here. He was imprisoned for many years by the Ottomans, but was still given an education and learned to be a warrior. However, Vlad was separated from his father and greatly resented the Ottomans for this, which perhaps caused his thirst for blood to grow.
Legend has it that later three Turkish men were captured here and were told to dig a well. They were told that once they found water, they would be let free. They died during this project, and on the walls were written: “You now have water, but you don’t have a heart.”
The Kidnapped Children Found in Transylvania
You have probably heard the tale of the Pied Piper, but you might not have heard the “sequel” to it, if you will. The story goes that Pied Piper went to the the town of Hamelin, Germany to clear the town of rats. He did this with his musical pipe. However, when the work was done, the locals refused to pay him, even though he solved their problems.
He was furious, so to get revenge on the locals, he started playing a new toon, which hypnotized the kids into following him. There are different versions of the story from here, but one of the versions says that he got all the kids to jump off a cliff.
However, instead of dying, they reappeared in the Vaghis Cave in Transylvania. This would explain why there are a bunch of German-speaking blond-haired and blue-eyed people in this region of Romania.
Human-Eating Lakes
Alright, so these lakes do not literally eat humans, but there are a few stories about people dying in these lakes, so here we go:
Lake Vinderel somehow manages to drown even the most skillful swimmers. Located in the northernmost part of the country, people have claimed to find bloody pieces of human flesh floating in the ocean. Yikes!
Lezer Lake is another dangerous site. According to one of the stories, a nearby slop collapsed and caused much of the town to flood. Not only did many houses flood, but so did a church. People in the neighboring town of Tisa heard church bells ringing and they thought that it was in celebration of Easter. They only later found out that the incessant ringing was from the church drowning!
We hope that you enjoyed some of these Romanian urban legends and that you add some of these destinations to your list of places to visit next time you are in Romania!