Moroi, the mortal counterpart of the Strigoi
By Ralf Ittermann · last reviewed on
Moroi is a demon of Romanian tradition.
The mortal spirit, often of an unbaptised child.
Moroi is the spectral, mortal vampire of Romania, often the spirit of a child who died unbaptised. It returns from the grave and draws the life force of the living.
Unlike the immortal Strigoi, the Moroi is considered mortal and more diffuse, a borderline figure between spirit of the dead and vampire. Belief is widespread in Romania and Moldova, well documented by Agnes Murgoci, who names strigoi and moroi as the two most common Romanian vampire words.
Type: Mortal vampire and spirit type, borderline figure between spirit of the dead and Strigoi
Origin: Romanian folk belief concerning children who died unbaptised
Texts: well documented by Murgoci (1926), recorded together with the Strigoi
Period: Romanian tradition, documented together with the Strigoi
Appearance: spirit or phantom of a dead person, often a child’s or foetus’s spirit, also as a living vampire type
Historical Classification
Period of the Texts
Romanian tradition: the Moroi is documented together with the Strigoi and can be traced in the same early folkloric records.
Area of Diffusion
Romania and Moldova, widespread in the same region as the Strigoi.
Sources
Good: above all Agnes Murgoci’s essay of 1926, which treats Strigoi and Moroi together.
Name and variants
Romanian: The name comes from the Slavic mora, meaning nightmare or mare. Agnes Murgoci names strigoi and moroi as the most common Romanian words for vampire.
Being and effect
Appearance
The Moroi is more diffuse and spectral than the physically substantial Strigoi and is particularly closely linked to the motif of the unbaptised or stillborn child. It is a borderline figure between spirit of the dead and vampire, in which both concepts overlap.
Effect
The Moroi draws life force and energy from the living. In many accounts it is the weaker or preparatory stage: according to some traditions, a Moroi can become a Strigoi.
Profile: Moroi
The key aspects of the mortal vampire type at a glance.
Romanian folk belief concerning bad death, usually documented together with the Strigoi as a basic vampire term.
The living in general, often their own relatives, from whom the Moroi draws life force.
Spirit or phantom of a dead person, often conceived as a child’s or foetus’s spirit, in some versions also as a living vampire type.
Theft of energy and life force from the living; often regarded as a preliminary stage from which a Strigoi can develop.
Correct burial performed by the church and above all baptism, or, failing that, a subsequent ritual resolution.
Mora, unbaptised children and the closeness to the Strigoi
The name Moroi derives from the Slavic mora, meaning nightmare or nightmare-demon. Moroi are considered mortal vampires, while the Strigoi is considered immortal; Agnes Murgoci names strigoi and moroi as the most common words for vampire. Their origin is attributed to the souls of unbaptised, stillborn, killed or buried-alive children, as well as godless people and those who died violently, including suicides.
In some versions the Moroi is a living vampire, in others a phantom that leaves the grave and drains energy. It is widely seen as the weaker or preparatory stage: according to some tradition, a Moroi can turn into a Strigoi, making it a borderline figure between spirit of the dead and vampire.
Between spirit of the dead and pop-culture vampire
Through Gerard and Stoker, the Moroi is indirectly present in the Dracula tradition. In modern pop culture it is sometimes contrasted with the dead vampire, the Strigoi, as a living or human vampire, including in vampire novel series.
The Moroi embodies the bad death in its classic form: the unbaptised, stillborn or violently deceased child that received no ritual transition. It shows exemplarily how, in the Romanian-Slavic region, spirit of the dead and vampire merge into one another.
Baptism, holy water and protection from the Moroi
As with the Strigoi, correct burial performed by the church, and above all baptism, are considered the core preventive measure, since unbaptised children were regarded as the main source of the Moroi; where baptism was lacking, a subsequent ritual resolution and holy water, which draws on redemptive baptism, were used to help. In addition, exhumation, staking, burning of the corpse and garlic were employed against the energy-draining undead. Salt also counts among the traditional cleansing and protective means against the restless child spirit.
Moroi between spirit of the dead and vampire belief
The Moroi and the Strigoi form the Romanian core pair of mortal and immortal type, and it is related to the Pricolici. The motif of the unbaptised child links it closely to the Slavic Nav and the Navki as well as to the Scandinavian Myling; outside Romania stand the Upiór, the Vukodlak and the Vrykolakas.
Frequently asked questions about the Moroi
How does the Moroi differ from the Strigoi?
The Moroi is generally considered mortal and more ghostlike, often a child or foetus spirit; the Strigoi is the immortal, reanimated corpse.
Where does a Moroi come from?
From the souls of unbaptised or stillborn children, as well as those who died violently and suicides.
How can one prevent a Moroi?
Above all through a correct burial performed by the church and baptism; if this is lacking, a subsequent ritual resolution is considered important.
Further links
Further reading:
- Strigoi – the immortal counterpart of the Moroi
- Nav, Pricolici – related Slavic-Romanian spirits of the dead
- Garlic, Holy water, Salt – traditional protective means
- Protection Compass – protective means at a glance
Literature (selection)
Further standard works in the bibliography.
As a Romanian spirit between child soul and vampire belief, the Moroi shows how closely spirit of the dead and mortal vampire stand together: unlike the immortal Strigoi, it remains the more ghostlike, mortal figure of Romanian folk belief.
