XXXVIII

PART 6 – Ch.XXXVIII.3

The Great Pelasgian empire

(The memory of Saturn in Romanian historical traditions)

XXXVIII. 3. The war of Saturn with Osyris in traditional Romanian songs.

The first war of Saturn with Osyris was, according to the traditions collected by Diodorus Siculus, for the possession of the African lands from the regions of the Nile, a war which ended with the defeat of Saturn and the conquest of Thebes, the royal residence from upper Egypt (see Ch.XXXVI. 5).

One of the most important historical Romanian poems, which we shall publish here, refers to these remote events. In its original form, this traditional poem had at the same time a cosmogonic character. It brought together the genesis of the world with the first generation of men, and the beginning of the rule of the divine dynasty.

After the world was made, this epic song tells us, God gave power to Iancu and his son Novac, to be mighty emperors over the whole world. “Iancul emperor” founds later a royal residence in the southern parts, which he surrounds in a miraculous way with a wide and strong wall, in a single day, and by only the power of his word.

This famous southern residence of the divine dynasty is called in the Romanian historical poem Teligrad (Tarigrad). From the point of view of its geographical situation though, of its chronology and its legendary history, this is entirely different from the medieval Teligrad, or the City of Constantine the Great.

Teligrad, founded by Iancul emperor and his son Novac, appears as one of the most ancient citadels of the world. It was built straight after the formation of the earth, and was situated on a plain, close to the regions inhabited by the Ethiopians, or the black African tribes (Corcea, Balade, p. 106; Tocilescu, Mat. Folkl. p. 1241).

This prehistoric Teligrad corresponds therefore to the magnificent Thebes of Upper Egypt, the most ancient and richest citadel of the world (Diodorus Siculus, lib. I. 50; Homer, Iliad. IX. 381). This city was the southern residence of the divine dynasty, and it was said about it that it had controlled the earth since its beginning (Pierret, Le Pantheon Egypt p. 96).

We must also note here that in the Romanian historical poems of the cycle of Novac, there are mentioned two Teligrad; one was in the mountains of Ardel, at the “cerdacul lui Novac” [1], and the other Teligrad, about which speaks the following poem, was situated in the southern parts, close to the territory of the African blacks.

[1. In a folk poem from Slavesci commune, Valcea: “in the mountains of Teligrad, at the house of Novac” (Alexici, Texte de lit. pop. I. 7-8).

The Greek historian Zosimus (5^th century) mentions near the Euphrates, on the territory of ancient Chaldea, a town called Zaragardia, where existed a stone throne, which the local inhabitants called the throne of Traian. This reveals the fact that generally, the geographical name Tarigrad, or Teligrad is pre-dating the Slav invasion in the Balkan peninsula. It seems in fact that also the original form of the Slav Tarigrad (imperial city) had been Starigrad, “the ancient city”, as in some epic Romanian poems, the Ardel is also called “Staridel, Cearidel” and “Cerdel”].

The two residences of the divine dynasty are also mentioned in the ancient religious Egyptian texts (Grebaut, Hymne a Ammon-Ra, p. 5, 7); Pierret, Livre d. morts, p. 445). One of these residences was Thebes, the famous Pelasgian citadel in the upper regions of Egypt [2], and the other, much more important from the dynastic and religious point of view, was situated in the northern regions, under the constellations of the two Ursae.

[2. The Egyptian Thebes was also called by Greek geographers the City of Jove (Dios-polis).

We find traces of this name also in Romanian popular songs:

You, Marcule, my son…., when you went out of your city,

To your city there came, Iovu from Teligrad, and your city he destroyed.

(Revista crit.-lit. II. 268).

It results therefore that the prehistoric Teligrad was identical with Thebes, also called the “City of Jove” (Dios-polis)].

The southern Teligrad, as the Romanian epic poem tells us, had been conquered even in the times of Iancu and Novac, by a huge number of Turks. Here, under the name “Turks” we have an influence of medieval geography and ethnography.

Epic poems have a narrative character. They tell about the deeds of heroes, and about the more significant historical events of ancient times. Because of this, the popular rhapsodists, in order to be better understood, had often changed the geographical and ethnographical names, substituting them with others, newer and closer to the times in which they lived. An eloquent example is presented in this regard by the German historical poems. In them, the ancient inhabitants of Dacia (Arimii, Titanii, Gigantii and Tursenii) are often called Huns / Hunen, Huni (Grimm, D. Myth. 1854, p. 489), because the Huns had occupied Dacia around the end of the 4^th century, and they had become famous also for their wars.

Of this historical poem, in which is told about the founding and fall of prehistoric Teligrad, we have only one version, communicated from Tera Hategului, thanks to the teacher Stefan Tarina from Paucinesci village. The singer, from whom this poem has been heard, has recited the first part only in prose, because he did not know anymore its verse version. It was a long time, he said, since he had heard this song, from a grandfather of his. It is a happy occurrence for us anyway, that even these two fragments have been preserved, after such a vast series of centuries. We reproduce here this song, as it has been communicated.

First part.

The founding of Teligrad (Thebes of Egypt).

Iancu had Novac as his son, and to them was given the world, when the earth was made. God gave them power to be mighty emperors. While they reigned, Teligrad was made. Iancu emperor a big order gave, a man riding a horse to go on a summer day as far as he could, and to return in the evening following another route. In the evening he started to turn back. But he could not advance anymore on his horse. He could not advance because of a very big and strong wall. In front of the horse was a very big wall, behind the horse the wall came towards them, building itself as it went; and the man spoke: Oh, my God, where have I gone … .I rode on a straight road, and now, before me, there is wall, very strong and big, and behind me the wall comes building itself as it goes, and I can’t see anybody either working, or building. And Iancu emperor spoke: “My posisor (?)….step aside, so that the walls shall meet, as I have ordered. The rider stepped aside and the walls met, Teligrad was made”.

Second part.

The fall of Teligrad.

[3. The same legend, but modified according to geographic and ethnographic circumstances, had existed regarding the fortifications of Troy.

According to Homer, the strong walls of the citadel of Troy had been built by Neptune and Apollo, and after the Greeks had conquered Troy, and had returned with their ships to their country, Neptune and Apollo had destroyed with a flood the great wall, built by the Greeks near the Hellespont, which has therefore entirely disappeared (Iliad, VII. 454; XII. 17, XXI. 45)].

Saturn, writes Diodorus Siculus, after being defeated by Dionysos-Osyris, had tried overnight to put fire to the city, after which he had run away.

The memory of this episode also appears in the historical Romanian poem. After the Turks (the African Arabs) occupy Teligrad, Novac enters in the evening into the city, starts again the fight, and cuts a huge number of Turks, so that he himself wonders, why had become red the clouds above Teligrad. Iancul intervenes, wanting peace, and Novac, incensed, starts demolishing the walls of the citadel [4].

[4. Another series of epic songs follows then in Romanian folk literature. Gruia, the youngest son of Novac (Typhon), renews the fight at Teligrad, and it is said about him that three times he looted, in length and in width, Teligrad, or the country of Teligrad (Marienescu, Balade, I. p. 75; Bibicescu, Poesii pop. 299-303; Francu, Romanii din muntii apuseni, p. 199-226; Catana, Balade, p. 130; Sezatoarea, Falticeni, I. 108)].

Iancul, who appears as the father of Novac in the above poem, is from a historical point of view the same personality as Ianus from the traditions of antiquity, whose popular Roman name had also been Iancus.

We find in one of the ancient Carmina Saliarae of the Romans, the refrain Iancus Ianes duonus cerus es, dunus Ianus, meaning “Iancu, Ianes Domne, you are the sky, Domne Ianu” [5].

[5. Terentius Varro (L. L. VII. 26) cites the following verses from a Saliar song:

“Cozeulodori eso (var. Cozeulodoizeso) omina vero ad patula coemisse.

Iancus Ianes duonus cerus es, dunus Ianus

ve vet pom melios eum recum”.

(Bergkius, Commentatio de Carm. Saliar. reliquiis; Nisard, Varron, I. VII. 26).

The second verse is a simple refrain, which contained the name of the divinity Iancus-Ianus, in honor of whom this religious hymn was sung. That duonus cerus has here the meaning “the Lord (Domn) of the sky” is also ascertained by the refrains in Romanian carols: “Domne Ler, Domn din ceriu” (TN – Lord Ler, Lord from the sky), or “Leru-i Domne, Domn din ceriu” (TN – Ler the Lord, Lord from the sky”, and also by the words of Macrobius: “alii Janum coelum esse voluerunt” (Sat. I. 9).

In the times of Augustus the Saliarae songs were not understood anymore, not even by the priests. Because of this, there were mixed together in these texts not only the words, but also the letters of the words. The copyists, not knowing their meaning, transcribed them incorrectly.

The words Cozeulodoizeso, with which begins the above Saliar song, must be rectified to the form: Colo-ze(s)u-doi-zeso, and correspond therefore to the first verse with which most of the Romanian carols of Transilvania begin: “Colo’n jos, mai din jos” (TN – down there, from down there). As for the words: omina vero ad patula coemisse…ve vet pom melios cum recum”, they present a great resemblance with some verses of a Romanian carol: “Jos la umbra lor (a merilor), dusue, misue d’un pat incheiat…vent de vara c’a batut prin pometul raiului” (Teodorescu, P. p. 77)].

As we see, the Saliares priests use in this refrain three forms of the same name: Iancus, Ianes and Ianus, because according to the principles of Roman theology, is was considered as an impiety, as a lack of religious respect owed the divinity, if in the prayers addressed to it, some of the names, under which it had been once venerated, were omitted.

We also have a tradition about the reign of Ianus over the countries at north of the lower Danube, extracted from the sacred books of the Romans: that the power or reign of Ianus had been established in the regions of the two Ursae (Lydus, De mens. Iv. 2), constellations which were also called by the ancient astronomers and geographers, “Ursa Getica”, “Geticum plaustrum” and “Geticus polus” (see Ch. XXXVI.3).

Ianus as king of Scythia, appears also in other historical traditions. Romuald II, the archbishop of Salerno (1153-1181), basing himself on some older sources, begins his Chronicle like this: “The first age of the world is from Adam to the flood … In this age rises the kingdom of the Scythians, where the first king was Ihannus” (Muratorius, Rer. ital. SS. VII. 8, ed. Mediol. 1725).

Finally, we must stress here another point of the ancient doctrines of Pelasgian theology.

According to the text of the above poem, Iancul or Ianus figures at the head of the divine dynasty, considered by the Saliarae songs and by Macrobius, as a primordial divinity, as a personification of the sky, Cerus or Coelus, and therefore identical with Uranos of Greek cosmogony, so the beginning of the reign of Iancu is connected with the genesis of the world and with the first generation of men. We also find this same theogonic and cosmogonic tradition with the Roman authors. As Augustinus writes (Civ. Dei, VI. 9): et ipse Varro commemorare et enumerare deos coepit a conceptione hominis, quorum numerum exorsus est a Jano.

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