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44-542: They are recruited from common folk and taught their magic at the Solomonărie or Şolomanţă (German phonetization: Scholomance ). The Solomonars are said to be tall, red-haired, wearing long white robes of peasants, sometimes woolen, or clad in ragged attire made from patches, a small version of a Semantron , which serves to summon the Vântoase (alternatively the winds are contained in a little wooden jar). When not helping

88-484: A connection to them and the legendary Red Jews ( evreilor roşii ) has been suggested by Adrian Majuru  [ ro ] . This hypothesis builds on Lazăr Șăineanu 's theory that giant/Jews in Romanian folklore derived from the historical Khazars , and Arthur Koestler bringing the notion of the "Red Jews" into that formulation (Koestler's The Thirteenth Tribe , the ultimate source being A. N. Poliak 's book on

132-524: A credibility issue, since there is a complete vacuum in the records about any of it for the 1900-year interim. Mihai Coman  [ ro ] is another skeptic who referred to the idea as "speculation by Herseni". Parallels with the legend of the Serbo-Croatian garabancijaš dijak ( Hungarian : garabonciás diák ) " necromantic scholar" had been sought in Moses Gaster 's paper, which

176-573: A genuine Romanian term, but rather a misnomer, created through the corrupted Germanization of " Solomonari ", the term for the students and not the school. Such a view was given by Elizabeth Miller , a scholar specializing in Dracula studies. A mistaken idea that "Scholomance" was a neologism first reported in 1885 by Emily Gerard was at one time current in English-speaking circles. The terms "Scholomance" and "Scholomonariu" appear in

220-428: A great part of the earth. A rather different presentation is that Solomonari who normally lived as beggars among the populace would occasionally engage himself for a fee to become the dragon-rider and hail -bringer. He selected which fields to damage, knowing which peasants behaved unkindly to them. A peasant may hire a "counter-Solomonari" ( Romanian : contrasolomonar ; pl. Contra-Solomonarĭ) to cast spells to divert

264-465: A large body of work on folklore and ethnography, in which traditional Romanian culture was first researched systematically. He collected folk songs, which he published in books. His pioneering investigations into Romanian folklore appeared in book form as Descântece poporane române (1886) and posthumously as Păsările noastre și legendele lor . Works of synthesis that laid a foundation for Romanian ethnography include: Chromatica poporului român (1882),

308-607: A school of magic named the Scholomance. In Blizzard Entertainment 's World of Warcraft , the Scholomance is a ruined castle held by undead forces whose cellars and crypts are now used to train necromancers and create undead monsters. Like its legendary namesake, the Scholomance in World of Warcraft is in the middle of a lake. The school is also featured in the Scholomance Academy expansion pack of 2020, for

352-407: A snake is included in some lists. Once they are in the guise of beggars (often crippled or blindfolded beggars), they blend in with the populace so they cannot be distinguished as wizards. However, they apparently have the knowledge and memory of which peasant's farm deserves his retribution when he acts as a dragon-rider sending down his hailstorm. The Solomonari, by some accounts, are recruited from

396-517: A story from Schäßburg ( Sighișoara in Transylvania) in which a Romanian mistook a robed student for a solomonar. Scholomance The Scholomance ( Romanian : Șolomanță [ ʃ o l o ˈ m a n ts ə ] , Solomonărie [ s o l o m o n ə ˈ r i . e ] ) was a fabled school of black magic in Romania , especially in the region of Transylvania . It

440-540: Is closer to the latter form was given by Gaster. The modern-day dictionary plural form in Romanian is Solomonari , and "solomonars" in the plural has been used in English translation. An old dictionary form in the plural Șolomonariu occurs in a lexicon published in 1825, where the term is glossed as Latin : imbriciter , Hungarian : garabantzás deák , and German : der Wetter macher , Wetter treiber , Lumpen mann . Andrei Oișteanu remarked that this form

484-590: Is given elsewhere. These forms suggest a tie to King Solomon , and it has been pointed out that one account in folklore describes the Solomonari as disciples of the weather-controlling ways of Solomon. Additionally, some assimilation might have occurred with Salamanca , Spain, the famed city of learning, with medieval stories of a sorcery taught by the devil located in the Cueva de Salamanca  [ es ] . Scholomance has been suspected of not being

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528-578: Is one a major source for the Solomanari folkloristics. The Croatian version was described by Vatroslav Jagić and the Hungarian version by Oszkár Asbóth  [ hu ] . A number of synonyms can be found in Romanian, including " zgrimințeș ", and it is considered synonymous or closely connected to the widespread Balkan legend known in Serbo-Croatian (for example) as grabancijaš dijak ("the necromancy student"). Some sources like to refer to

572-429: Is rather dated. Scholomonáriu is defined as Zauberer or "sorcerers" in an even earlier source, a glossary appended to a book dating from 1781. The default explanation is that the word is connected to King Solomon via the addition of the occupational suffix " -ar ", although this may be folk etymology. A folkloric account attests to the association with the biblical king. In an account given by Friedrich von Müller

616-431: Is said that the children who become solomonar are born bearing a particular type of membrane on their head or on the whole of their body. Later, as the legend says, these children were to be selected into apprenticeship by experienced Solomonars, taken into forests or in caves which would usually be marked with encoded inscriptions. These children would learn the art and craft of wizardry, which they would use to fight against

660-1623: The Cernăuți theological institute. He then served as a parish priest at Poiana Stampei (1875-1877), Voloca (1877) and Siret (1877-1879). From 1879 to 1883, he taught catechism at Siret. He settled in Suceava in 1883, working as a teacher and, from 1894 until his death in his adopted city, a professor at the Higher Gymnasium . He was elected a titular member of the Romanian Academy in March 1881. His first published work appeared in Familia magazine between 1866 and 1867: Datinile poporului român: o nuntă la Ilișești în Bucovina . He contributed to numerous magazines: Cărțile săteanului român, Amicul familiei, Gazeta poporului, Viața Românească , Junimea literară, Convorbiri Literare , Analele Academiei Române, Gazeta Transilvaniei, Calendarul Ligei, Aurora Română, Calendarul Bucovinei, Literatorul, Noua revistă română, Observatorul, Revista critică literară, Vatra, Calendarul diecezan, Amicul poporului, Calendarul poporului, Albina Carpaților, Calendarul gospodarilor, Cărțile săteanului român, Curierul literar, Epoca, Familia, Patria, Albina, Glasul Bucovinei, Lumea nouă, Reforma, Revista română, Tribuna and Revista pentru istorie, arheologie și filologie . Together with Teodor V. Ștefanelli , he founded Revista politică . He produced

704-470: The "Kaiser Salomo" has the ability to control the weather, and the inheritors of his art are called "Scholomonar". Gaster, more complicatedly, suggested a hybrid of the word for the magic school Scholomantze (Romanian orthography: Şolomanţă ) from association with Salamanca , and Solomonie (from Solomon). An alternate derivation from the German Schulmänner ("scholars"), in reference to

748-477: The "solomonars" started to be perceived as evil and the popular beliefs even invented an "anti-solomonar" hero type. Fortunately, as it has been observed, the belief in "solomonars" has not died out; it had diminished over time but it is still kept in remote locations of Romania . The "Solomonars" are often rather seen as cunning and intelligent people. However, generally speaking, people did and do not treat them as evil wizards. Friedrich von Müller (1857) reported

792-535: The Austrian journal Österreichische Revue in 1865, written by Wilhelm Schmidt (1817–1901) The piece is discussed as a belief present in the Central Romanian Fogarasch (Făgăraș) district and beyond, with additional lore from Hermannstadt . Emily Gerard later wrote on the topic of " Scholomance ", although she only referred to its attendees as "scholars", and did not specifically employ

836-547: The Austrian journal Österreichische Revue in 1865. Bram Stoker , who studied Gerard 's work extensively, refers to it twice in Dracula (1897), once in chapter 18: The Draculas were, says Arminius , a great and noble race, though now and again were scions who were held by their coevals to have had dealings with the Evil One. They learned his secrets in the Scholomance, amongst the mountains over Lake Hermanstadt, where

880-564: The Devil to become the designated Weather-maker ( German : Wettermacher ) who rode the "Ismeju" dragon (German phoneticization of zmeu dragon). Or he became the "Devil's aide-de-camp " who rode the zmeu to make thunderbolts. Or thirdly, the Solomonariu would fly up into the skies, and whenever his dragon glanced at the clouds, rainfall would come. But God intervened to keep the dragon from growing too weary, lest it plummeted and devour

924-445: The Devil, they are most often seen around begging for alms, and the collected coins are then thrown into rivers, as offerings to the water spirits. The contents of their magic bag are instruments such as an iron axe used as lightning rod (also as a wand to summon them or his mount), birchbark reins or a golden bridle , and a book of wisdom which contained all their knowledge, and is the source of their power. A branch that has killed

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968-531: The Forest (1888), which Stoker might have also read, and other commentators stated this was Stoker's direct source for Scholomance in his novel. Twenty years earlier, a description of the Scholomance and its pupils (the Scholomonariu ) was given in an article written by Wilhelm Schmidt (1817–1901), a German schoolteacher at the Romanian town of Hermannstadt. Some modern commentators have referred to

1012-635: The Khazars in Hebrew ). Similarity with the Geto-Dacian ascetics called the ktistai described by Strabo was noted by Traian Herseni (d. 1980) who hypothesized that they were the original Solomonari. Herseni posited that the ktisai were more properly called " skistai " meaning "those who abstain from worldly pleasures", and that the cryptic byname that Strabo gave them Kapnobatai (which literally means "smoke-treaders") really meant "travelers in

1056-481: The Scholomance as a Shadowhunter training academy to train elite Shadowhunters in her spinoff to The Mortal Instruments , The Dark Artifices . The novel A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is the first in a series primarily set in a boarding school for young wizards inspired by and named for the legendary Scholomance. The warlocks in Bungie 's Myth II: Soulblighter are described as having been trained at

1100-401: The civilized world, and sometimes they are said to actually live on " the other realm " although they are known to return to civilization and beg for alms although they do not need anything and wherever they are not received well, they would call a hailstorm as a means of punishment. In early times, the solomonars were considered benevolent, but as Christianity began to supplement early beliefs,

1144-590: The clouds". The theory has found its strong proponent in Eugen Agrigoroaiei, who pronounced that the origins of the Solomonari had been established, and the Dacian cloud travelers must have been authentic Solomonari. Andrei Oișteanu cautions that while "enticing", the "hypothesis remains as only as plausibility". He points out that a tradition kept alive from Caesar's time to the 19th century presents

1188-444: The dark forces of nature and of the human spirit. They are often said to be very secretive and if they lied or broke the caste rules, they were severely and cruelly punished. Some accounts state that Solomonars have a special book in which all their knowledge and power is gathered. This is the book they use during their apprenticeship and only one out of seven apprentices becomes a solomonar. The Solomonars lived like ascetics, away from

1232-512: The devil claims the tenth scholar as his due. And in chapter 23: He dared even to attend the Scholomance, and there was no branch of knowledge of his time that he did not essay. Stoker's reference to "Lake Hermanstadt" appears to be a misinterpretation of Gerard's passage, as there is no body of water by that name. The part of the Carpathians near Hermannstadt holds Păltiniş Lake and Bâlea Lake , which host popular resorts for people of

1276-452: The dragon glanced at the clouds, rainfall would come. But according to legend, God made sure the dragon would not weary, because if it plummeted, it would devour a great part of the earth. The Solomonari's dragon-mount was, however, a balaur according to folklorist Marian 's account. Scholomance is a Germanization, Solomonărie was the Romanian form according to the popular beliefs collected by Marian , and an alternate Șolomanțâ

1320-408: The dragon-riding Solmomonari. In this version, the type of dragon they rode were the balauri (sing. balaur ). This dragon can be brought out of a bottomlessly deep lake by using "golden reins" or bridle ( German : ein goldene Zaum "; Romanian : un frâu de aur ), and the wizard and dragon would create storms or bring down hail. "Scholomance" and "Scholomonariu" appeared in print in

1364-468: The dragons that the Solomonari ride as "storm dragons". The riders may travel together with Moroi . Fearing their wrath, people usually ask a Master Stonemason for advice. This Master Stonemason is a former Solomonar himself, who dropped the craft in favor of being again amongst people; his knowledge is highly prized because he knows the secrets of Solomonars. The Solomonars were not supernatural creatures, but rather humans who learned special abilities. It

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1408-609: The first Romanian-language book of its kind; Ornitologia poporană română (two volumes, 1883), which won the Năsturel-Herescu Prize from the Romanian Academy and was the first of its type anywhere; and Insectele în limba, tradițiile și obiceiurile românilor (1903). He wrote thematic monographs on ethnography that went through multiple printings: Nunta la români (1890), Nașterea la români and Înmormântarea la români (both 1892). Between 1898 and 1901, he published

1452-399: The people. They are taught their magic and the speech of animals at the school ( Scholomance ), and become capable of riding the dragons. Tradition says they became the Devil's students, either being instructed by him, or becoming a servant to his commands. An additional belief was that the students were taught at the Devil's school which was situated underground, and that the students avoided

1496-517: The popular belief that solomonars attended a school, is credited to J. Vulcan . King Solomon as weather-maker may derive from the Greek myth of Zeus the king of gods controlling the weather, a theory proposed by A. Oișteanu This notion that Solomon's adherents were wizards may have been popularized by the influence of the adventure tale Solomon and Morcolf . As the Solomonari have been described as red-haired giants ( Romanian : uriaşi , pl. ),

1540-480: The rain. The duration of their study was seven or nine years, and the final assignment for graduation required the copying of one's entire knowledge of humanity into a "Solomonar's book". There was also the belief that the Devil instructed at the Scholomance. Moses Gaster remarked that this association with the Devil indicates that the memory of the school's origins as having to do with King Solomon had completely faded. The Scholomance, according to Gerard,

1584-430: The rays of the sun for the 7-year duration of their study. They were in fact a type of Strigoi or Vampire , according to S. F. Marian , who collected the folklore from the field. The solomonari were regarded as dragon-riders who control the weather, causing thunder, or rain, or hail to fall. One way in which this belief was articulated was that a particular pupil out of the graduating class of ten would be selected by

1628-694: The related game Hearthstone that is also set in the Warcraft universe. Simion Florea Marian Simion Florea Marian (September 1, 1847–April 11, 1907) was an ethnic Romanian Austro-Hungarian folklorist, ethnographer, Eastern Orthodox priest and teacher, from the Duchy of Bukovina . Born in Ilișești , a village southwest of Suceava , his parents were Grigore and Ruxandra (née Stanovici). He studied high school in Suceava, Năsăud and Beiuș , passing his Matura in 1871. From 1871 to 1875, he attended

1672-464: The school as "L'École du Dragon" or "The School of the Dragon". The school, it was believed, recruited a handful of pupils from the local population. Enrollment could be seven, 10, or 13 pupils. Here they learned the language of all living things, the secrets of nature, and magic. Some sources add specifically the pupils were instructed on how to cast magic spells, ride flying dragons, and control

1716-464: The surrounding area. In the fantasy novel Lord of Middle Air by Michael Scott Rohan , the character of wizard Michael Scot reveals that he dared to train at the Scholomance on two occasions, as there was so much knowledge it could not all be learnt in one night. The novel Anno Dracula by Kim Newman cites the same quotation from Stoker's Dracula in chapter 23. The young adult fiction novel Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare uses

1760-650: The term Solomanari or the equivalent. Romanian ethnobotanist Simion Florea Marian described the Solmonari in his article on "Daco-Romanian Mythology" in the Albina Carpaților  [ ro ] (1879. Marian collected this folklore orally from the people in Siebenbürgen (Transylvania) and the adjoining Bukovina - Moldavia region. Solomonar is the singular form, and the variant Șolomonar also listed. The German phonetization Scholomonar which

1804-523: Was at some unspecified location deep in the mountains, but the dragon (correctly spelled zmeu , though given phonetically in German as ismeju ) was stabled underwater in a small mountaintop lake south of Hermannstadt in central Romania (modern Sibiu, Romania, called Nagyszeben in Hungarian). Stoker's novel locates the Scholomance near a non-existent "Lake Hermannstadt". The Solomonărie , as it

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1848-575: Was called by the Romanians, was situated underground, according to Romanian folklorist Simion Florea Marian . Students there shunned sunlight for the seven-year duration of their training. By some accounts, one of the 10 graduating students would be chosen by the Devil to be the Weathermaker ( German : Wettermacher ) and to ride a dragon ( zmeu in Romanian) in this errand; every time

1892-496: Was kept submerged in a mountaintop lake, south of Sibiu , according to some accounts. An early source on the Scholomance and Dracula folklore was the article "Transylvanian Superstitions" (1885), written by Scottish expatriate Emily Gerard . It has been established for certain this article was an important source that Bram Stoker consulted for his novel Dracula . Gerard also published similar material in Land Beyond

1936-579: Was run by the Devil , according to folkloric accounts. The school enrolled about ten students to become the Solomonari . Courses taught included the speech of animals and magic spells. One of the graduates was chosen by the Devil to be the Weathermaker and tasked with riding a dragon to control the weather. The school lay underground, and the students remained unexposed to sunlight for the seven-year duration of their study. The dragon ( zmeu or balaur )

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