Iele, the dancers of moonlit nights

The Iele are spirits of Romanian tradition.

Whoever disturbs their nocturnal round dance risks paralysis and madness. The profile calls the Iele dancers of moonlit nights, whose disturbed round can bring paralysis or madness.

SpiritsRomania

Iele

The Iele are the female nature spirits of Romanian mythology: beautiful, dangerous beings who dance their round dance at night in forests, by springs and in clearings. Whoever disturbs their dance or enters their dancing ground is struck with paralysis, madness or illness.

They appear in groups of three or seven, usually invisible, with beguiling voices. Their true names are held to be secret and dangerous, which is why they are replaced with epithets such as Daughters of the Forest. An early record appears in Dimitrie Cantemir, 1714.

At a glance: Iele

Type: Female nature spirits and fairies, nymph-like collective beings
Origin: Romanian folk mythology with Slavic, Dacian-Thracian and Roman-Latin layers
Texts: Cantemir 1714, folkloric collections (Pamfile, Kernbach)
Period: Romanian folk mythology to the present day
Appearance: beautiful, often naked young women with loose hair and small bells on their ankles

Context of the tradition

Period of the Texts

The Iele belong to Romanian folk mythology; the origin of the belief is unclear. An early written record is found in Dimitrie Cantemir, 1714.

Area of Diffusion

Throughout Romania, with regional variants. Their dancing grounds lie in forests, by springs and in clearings, far from the inhabited world.

Sources

Well documented: Cantemir’s Descriptio Moldaviae of 1714, along with the standard Romanian collections of Pamfile and Kernbach.

Name and variants

Romanian: iele, phonetically close to the feminine plural form of the Romanian word for ‘them’. The true names of the beings are held to be secret and dangerous; they are replaced with epithets such as Daughters of the Forest. Their epithet Rusalii is related to the Slavic Rusalka.

Appearance and behaviour

Appearance

The Iele are young, beautiful, sensual immortals who appear in groups of three or seven, usually invisible and ghostly, with loose hair, small bells on their ankles and beguiling voices like the Greek sirens. The place of their dance is left scorched behind: charred ground, the regrowing grass turning red or dark green, animals avoiding the spot and mushrooms thriving on it, the origin of the fairy-ring motif.

Effect

The Iele are not considered fundamentally evil but take revenge only when provoked, for instance when someone watches their dance, enters their dancing ground, sleeps beneath their tree or declines their invitation to dance. The punishments range from paralysis and crippling to madness and muteness, up to fatal dizziness.

Profile: Iele

The key aspects of the dancing nature spirits at a glance.

Tradition

Female nature spirits of Romanian folk mythology, combining Slavic, Dacian-Thracian and Roman-Latin layers.

Relates To

Mainly young men and anyone who breaks their rules: watching the dance, entering the dancing ground, or working on the Rusalii holidays.

Depiction

Beautiful, often naked young women, usually ghostly and invisible, with loose hair, small bells on their ankles and beguiling voices.

Sphere of Influence

The nocturnal round dance in moonlight; as punishment, paralysis, crippling, madness, muteness or fatal dizziness.

Forms of Warding

Garlic and mugwort worn on the body, avoiding the dancing grounds and holidays, a horse’s skull in front of the house, and the healing dance of the Calusari.

Related beings

The Slavic Vila and the Rusalka as closest relatives, the Greek nymphs and sirens, and the Erinyes as spirits of vengeance.

Secret names and three layers of folklore

The Iele are female nature spirits and fairies, related to nymphs, naiads and dryads. The origin of the belief is unclear; the word iele is phonetically close to the feminine plural form of the Romanian word for ‘them’. Their true names are held to be secret and dangerous, which is why they are replaced with epithets such as Daughters of the Forest.

In the Iele, Slavic, Dacian-Thracian and Roman-Latin layers of Romanian folklore combine; their epithet Rusalii is related to the Slavic Rusalka. An early record appears in Dimitrie Cantemir, 1714, who described the belief world of Moldavia.

Afterlife and classification

The Iele are a firm part of Romanian folklore and literature, taken up among others by Mihai Eminescu. Internationally, the Calusari ritual was picked up, among other places, in the television series The X-Files.

From a religious-studies perspective, the Iele are female nature nymphs and fairy spirits, nymph-like collective beings and, at the same time, ambivalent punishing and avenging spirits. It is important to clarify: they are not fundamentally evil, but punish only when their rules, dancing grounds or holidays are violated.

Garlic, mugwort and the dance of the Calusari

Well-attested practices include avoiding certain holidays such as Rusalii, on which working risks their revenge, wearing protective herbs such as garlic and mugwort on the body, a horse skull on a stake in front of the house, and not entering the burned dancing grounds. The most important cure for those possessed by the Iele is the ritual dance of the Călușari, a men’s dance brotherhood that restores the afflicted through their ritual.

Wila, Rusalka and the Nymphs: Parallels

The Iele correspond to the Slavic Wila and the Rusalka, their closest relatives, as well as the Greek nymphs, whose voices resemble the sirens, and, as spirits of vengeance, the Erinyes. Within Romania, they are related to the Sânziene and the Rusalii; the dark counterpart of the Romanian forest is the forest mother Muma Pădurii.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Iele

Are the Iele evil?

Not fundamentally; they only punish when someone violates their rules, dancing grounds or holidays. Without provocation, they remain among themselves in their nightly round dance.

How does one protect oneself?

Through garlic and mugwort worn on the body, avoiding the dancing grounds and the Rusalii holidays, and the healing dance of the Călușari.

How can you recognise their dancing ground?

By scorched, circular patches in the grass on which nothing normal grows any more: the grass turns red or dark green, animals avoid the spot, and mushrooms thrive there.

Further links

Literature (selection)

Further standard works in the bibliography.

As Romanian forest nymphs and dancing nature spirits alike, the Iele embody the dual nature of the nocturnal forest: bewitchingly beautiful for those who keep their distance, and dangerous for anyone who enters their circle.