PART
6 –
Ch.XXXVIII.2 (I – IV)
The
Great Pelasgian empire
(The
memory of Saturn in Romanian historical traditions)
XXXVIII.
2. The name and personality of Saturn in traditional Romanian poems.
I.
In Greco-Roman
antiquity, Saturn had various names with various peoples. He was called Kronos
by the Greeks, Saturnus by the
Romans, Seb by the Egyptians, El by the Phoenicians and Zalmoxis (Deul mos, Old god) by the
Dacians. Under the name Kronos, Saturn also had in Greek
theogonies the epithet neotatos (from neos), with the meaning
“the youngest” among the sons of Uranos, or “the youngest” amongst the gods (Apollod. Bibl. I. 1. 3; Diodorus,
Under this
particular name, Saturn also figures in the epic poems of the Romanian people,
the age of which is reduced to very remote times. In these traditional songs,
Saturn is called Novac, a word which
in southern Slav languages means young.
“Novac” corresponds therefore, by its
form and meaning, to the Greek neos, from which the epithet neotatos
was formed in Greek literature [1].
[1.Epic poems about Novac: Marienescu, Balade, I. Pesta, 1850; Corcea, Balade pop., Caransebes, 1899; Marian, Poesii pop. I. 1873; Negoescu,
Poesii pop. Balade. Bucuresci, 1896; Tocilescu,
Materialuri folkl. Bucuresci, 1900; Bibicescu,
Poesii pop. din Transilvania. Bucuresci, 1893; Alexici, Texte din lit. pop. Rom. I., Budapesta, 1899; Francu, Romanii din Muntii apuseni.
Bucuresci, 1888; Hasdeu, Columna lui
Traian, 1882; Etym. magn. Rom. t. III. p. 2256 seqq; Gerhard’s Gesange d. Serben,
In these popular
epic poems, he is also named “Novac the
old”, “Old Novac, who’s been
living for one century”, and “Novac,
old, old man”, also called “Baba
Novac”, with the same meaning. Similarly, Kronos also had the
epithet presbytes and presbytatos in Greek traditions (Eschyl, Eum. v. 638; Lucianus, Sat. 5; Diodorus,
[2. Albericus writes about Saturn (De deor. Imag.: “Saturnus pingebatur, ut homo senex, canus, prolixa barba, curuus. Novac the old has the same appearance in Romanian epic songs.
He is tall and stooping, his chest
quite hollow, his white beard reaching to his waist (Glambocata commune,
Dambovita district; Surdila Gaisenca,
Saturn was also
known under this same name “Novac the
old” in the sacred literature of the ancient Egyptians. In Egyptian
religious hymns, the age of which is reduced at least to the 15th
century bc, Saturn is also called the “Old
youth”, Jeune aine (Maspero’s translation, Etudes d. myth.
et d’arch. egypt. II. 449; II. 457). The origin of this name can only be
explained by the traditional Romanian form “Novac the old” (TN – the Old youth).
Saturn also appears
under the name Noachus and Noe in the popular legends of the
western parts of
[3. Noah of the religious legends of the Hebrews is the same
personality as Saturn. According to
Chaldean traditions, the biblical flood had taken place in the times of Saturn
(Fragm. Hist. gr. v. 280). According to John
the Antiochian, Saturn was a descendent of Noah. In ancient Hebrew
language, noah also had the meaning
of “new” (young)].
In the historical traditions
of
This historical
memory appeared again in the course of the Middle Ages, with various authors
and in various writings. In these medieval traditions, the ancient founder of
We have here in any
case a folk tradition, not of Christian origin, which has passed from antiquity
to the Middle Ages, and which appeared only as a simple echo of some ancient
legends and historical folk songs. The substitution of Saturn with Noah cannot
be considered as a simple fiction of the Christian authors, as we similarly
cannot reduce to the holy books of the Hebrews the epithet “neotatos” hold by
Saturn in Greek traditions, or his name of “Jeune aine” in the Egyptian
religious hymns.
Finally, under the
name Noe, Saturn was also venerated
in the religious cult of the Pelasgian peoples from the territory of ancient
The etymology of “Noel” is reduced without doubt to the
Latin form novellus, with the
meaning of “young”; Italian novello,
giovine; Friulian novell, neonato,
ultimonato (Pirona, Vocab. Friulano,
1871); novel, giovane in the dialect
from Como (Monti, Vocab. dei
dialetti di Como, 1845).
We resume
therefore: in the oldest Greek traditions, Saturn has the epithet neotatos,
from “neos”, young; the Egyptians call him the Old youth (Jeune aine); in the medieval traditions of Italy he is Noachus and Noe; in the religious cult of the Pelasgian peoples from the
territory of Gallia he was venerated as Noel,
Noye and Noie; and in the epic songs of the Romanian people he figures as Novac, having the same traditional
meaning as in the above names.
II.
In regard to the
nationality of Novac, he appears in
Romanian epic songs as a brave man from the “old Latani” - Prisci Latini (Corcea,
Balade, p. 81), as a brave Romanian,
called Novac Kara – Iflak (Novac
Negrul / Black Valach).
As a historical
personality, he is a Romanian Domn (Corcea, Balade, p. 94), a son of emperor (Hasdeu, Columna lui Traian, 1882, p. 354), and emperor. Finally, he is also called Deu-Imperat (TN – God Emperor), so he belongs therefore to the
ancient Pelasgian divine dynasty. (A popular tradition from Maldar commune,
Olt, says: “It is told that Novac
was the emperor of the giants).
Saturn, as the
ancient traditions tell us, had made a number of expeditions and had traveled
around the whole inhabited world. In Romanian epic songs, Novac, who represents
the ancient type of Saturn, says the following towards his son: “Nine countries I walked, Nine
countries, all of them Romanian” (Hasdeu, Columna lui Traian, 1882, 620).
The number of 9 Pelasgian countries or Arimic, was also known to the Egyptian
priests from the times of the Pharaohs. In the ancient system of the
hieroglyphs, the barbarian peoples, enemies of the Egyptians, were represented
by 9 symbolic arches (Pierret, Le
Pantheon Egypt. p. 29). The Pelasgian empire of the times of Saturn contained
therefore 9 Arimic countries.
Saturn had been one
of the most bellicose kings of the divine dynasty. We have the same tradition
in the Romanian epic songs about Novac. He tells his son, that for as long as
he had been young, “seven wars he had waged, and when he left for war, his
enemies were terrified” (Catana, p.
110; Bibicescu, p. 303).
In Italic
traditions, Saturn is the historical representative of the cultivation of
fields. He had introduced in the Italic peninsula the first agricultural
notions, the culture of the cereals and of the fruit trees. In the Roman
inscriptions of
In the same way
appears Novac in Romanian epic songs, as the beginner and patron of
agricultural works. He is often named the “Mana of the fields” and he considers
the benefits of agriculture superior to those of art and war (Marienescu, Balade, I. 69; Bibicescu, Poesii pop. p. 290; Corcea, Balade, p. 92) [4].
[4. In a traditional Romanian song, Novac counsels his son Gruia like this:
Forget the wandering,
and take up plowing,
Give your broadsword
for two oxen, and your sword for other two,
As at home we also have
two, we’ll make a plough with six oxen,
And together we shall
plough.
(Gruia Vitezul, Gherla, 1894, p. 5)
III.
According to
Romanian epic poems, the genealogy of
the Novac family appears as such:
Iancul
emperor, the father of Novac the old.
Novac
the old, son of emperor, emperor, and god-emperor.
Three sons of Novac: Iovita or Iova, Gruia, and the name of the third
unknown (Sezatoarea, Falticeni,
Rusanda, daughter of Novac. (In Greek tradition
Rusanda figures under the name Erythea and is the mother of Eurythion, who
guarded the herds of Geryon (Hellanic,
fr. 41)
Iovita or Iova,
illegitimate son of Novac.
Iovita or Iova,
grandson of Novac.
Radivoiu, brother of Novac (Hasdeu, Col. lui Traian, 1882, p. 622). This is the same as
Rhadamanthos, the brother of Minos / Saturn (Pindar, Ol. II. 83; Homer,
Iliad, XIV. 322; Odyssey, IV. 564).
Balaban, another brother of Novac, identical with
Belus, the king of
50 old uncles, “all
strong local Romanians” (Marian,
Poesii pop. ed. 1873, p. 142).
50 – 70 little
cousins “born from two sisters”
50 – 80 little
nephews.
As we see, in
Romanian traditional songs there are mentioned three Iovita: one is Novac’s legitimate son, another is illegitimate, and
a third is his grandson.
The theologians of
ancient times, writes
In Romanian
historical poems, Gruia was the
youngest son of Novac, and the most loved.
As a historical
personality, Gruia is the same as Typhon,
or Set of Greek and Egyptian
traditions. He loots the southern countries in length and width, and he is
called “Gruia of Novac, who beats the countries”. He throws himself against his
adversaries as a wintry wind (Alecsandri,
Poesii pop. 1866, p. 88; Hesiodus,
Theog. v. 869). He comes, he passes, and he goes like a devil, with his head up
(Marienescu, Balade,
[5. By his name and genealogy, Gruia (Gruia Gruian with Teodorescu,
p. 614) is also identical with Geryon
of Greek traditions, called by Hesiodus
Gerioneus
tricharenos (with three heads, because they were three brothers). On an
inscription from
The messenger of Gruia and of his father is
the raven (Alexici, Texte, I. p. 18), the same symbol of Typhon (Set) in
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs [6].
[6. Since
Gruia had been little, he had a raven,
Novac spoke to it:
“Raven, black bird, go,
fly over the entire world,
Bring me news of my
son, as I die longing for him”.
The raven beat its
wings, and fiercely croaked,
Seven countries it flew, but Gruia did not find,
When it was in the
seventh country, tired to death it was,
It started to croak,
now and then to croak;
When Gruia heard it ….
(Marienescu,
Balade,
IV.
In Romanian epic
poems, the country of Novac is called generally: Tera romanesca (Catana,
Balade pop. p. 139; Alexici, Texte
d. lit. pop. rom. I. 12) and “the Romanian
country from the old
We find the same
name in the epic songs of the southern Slavs.
In Serbian poems,
the residence of Novac is on the high mountain
The residence of
Novac is called in Romanian epic songs “White
court” (Sezatoarea, Falticeni,
IV. 7) and “Cerdacul lui (of)
Novac” (cerdac = a small and
high house with a porch, from which could be seen far into the distance). It
was situated in the “mountains of Ardel”
(Tocilescu, Mat. Folkl. 106, 173),
also called Staridel, Steridel (Hasdeu, Columna l. Traian, 1882, 619; Corcea, Balade, 118; Alexici, Texte,
The courts of
Saturn are called tursis by Pindar
(Ol. II. 787). They had therefore the form of a tower (castle) of masonry or
timber, built on top of a hill or a mountain, following the system of Tursenic
architecture, and of the Pelasgian tribes called Mosyneci (Dionysius Halic. I. 26; Strabo,
“Cerdacul lui Novac” was situated close
to Brasov (Tocilescu, Mater.Folkl.
1238), but according to other versions, it was near the western border of the
Romanian Country, or on the hill of Feleac, near Cluj in Transilvania, etc.