PART 6 – Ch

PART 6 – Ch.XXXIX.3

The great Pelasgian empire

(Decline of the Pelasgian empire)

XXXIX. 3. The war of Marcu Vitezul with Iov the emperor.

In Romanian popular literature, Marcul Vitezul, exactly like Novac, has his own particular epic cycle, in which are celebrated his wars, battles and victories.

The origin of these historical songs is very ancient. They belong to the heroic times. They have passed from generations to generations until our days, certainly with modifications, more or less essential, in content and language, but their essence is archaic.

The most important poems of this cycle refer to the fight of Marcul Vitezul with Iov the emperor.

Saturn was dethroned by Jove, according to ancient traditions. But the political reign of Jove over the countries from north of the Istru was never recognized. His empire extended only in the southern parts, over Hellada, Egypt and Phoenicia [1].

[1. The Cyclop shepherd from the north of Thrace replies to Ulysses that they had no fear of Jove, venerated by those who dwelt in far away places (Homer, Odyss. IX. 275). Another giant from the regions of the Black Sea replies to the Argonauts that “Jove reigns over other lands” (Val. Flaccus, Argon. IV. 219). And in the ancient religion of the Germans we find no trace of the cult of Jove (Grimm, D. M. p. 108)].

In the Romanian poems about Marcul Vitezul, Jove figures under the name Iov emperor, whose residence is in prehistoric Teligrad, Thebes of Upper Egypt, also called Diospolis by the Greek authors, meaning the City of Jove.

Iov emperor, in order to affirm his rights of the only master of the ancient world, comes with war against the countries at north of the lower Danube, at the time when Marcul Vitezul was gone in an expedition to the western countries. Iov destroys and lays waste Marcu’s City in Tera Streiului, enslaves his wife, and goes back to Teligrad. Marcu though, returning from war, and finding his City destroyed, runs immediately to Teligrad, to take revenge on Iov for the damage and devastation done.

This fight of Marcu with Iov is presented in a folk poem from Transilvania in the following way (communicated by the priest Ion Pasca from Geaca commune, Solnoc-Dobaca county in Transilvania, cf. Revista crit.-lit. An. II. 264; other versions in Tocilescu, Mat. Folkl. p. 1071; Jarnik and Barseanu, Doine, p. 485):

Marcul Vitezul had waged a number of wars and had wandered through almost all the countries of the ancient world. In one of the Romanian epic poems he says about himself: “As many armies as were on earth, all of them I battled (Com. Marginenii de sus, Prahova). The wars of Mars (Marcul Vitezul) purposed to reestablish the authority and integrity of the divine Pelasgian empire. The memory of these battles and defeats has echoed in the songs and traditions of all peoples for thousands of years.

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