The tale of the craftsman Manole

The Arges Monastery

This tale is said that it happened on the time when Neagoe Basarab was the ruler.
It is said that he took 10 bricklayers to build up a monastery. The most skilled one of the bricklayers was Manole. The place the monastery was about to be build, was near an old wall. After they got there, the bricklayers started to work on building the monastery. But as the time passed, all the work they did on it, by next day was falling apart. Nobody knew why this was happening.

All the bricklayers were working hard, fearful. If the monastery wasn’t done quickly, death will come above their heads, as the ruler said. Only Manole stopped working. He saw it was useless and decided to sleep. In his sleep, he had a weird dream. When he got up, he ran to the other bricklayers and told them about his dream.

He dreamed that a voice came to him and told him that no matter what they’ll do, the wall won’t last and it will fall again by night. There was one way only. The next day, whose wife or sister of one of the bricklayers will come to bring them food, the one shall be built into the walls of the monastery. And then it shall not fall and it will be done.
They made a pact in which they won’t announce their wives and sisters. And the one who will show up tomorrow with food, she’ll be sacrificed.
The other nine bricklayers broke their promises and told their wives about it. Only Manole keep his promise and said nothing to his wife.
The next day, Manole climbed the scaffolding and tried to look who’s wife was about to come. His heart stopped when he saw that the was who was coming was his wife, Ana. Then he got up on his knees and prayed to God to bring the most awful rain on Earth to turn his wife back home. God listened to his wish and the most awful storm started. But no matter how awful it was, his wife didn’t give up and tried to come and give her husband’s lunch, thinking of him. Then Manole started to pray again and asked God for the most awful wind to blow the trees down and to move the mountains. God listened to his pray again and did what Manole asked. But his wife Ana never had the thought of going back home.
The other bricklayers started to be happy, only Manole was the only one who felt he was going crazy when he saw his wife was getting close to him.
When Ana got there, Manole took her in her arms and kissed her. He told her that he wants to make a joke and built her up into the walls. He climbed her up on the scaffoldings and started to build her in. She was laughing believing her husband was joking. But Manole became sadder. The wall was climbing up and he started to build it up. Then she realized it that the wall was tightening and the joke was getting serious. She started pray to her husband to finish this joke and let her go. But he couldn’t do that, because he had a promise to fulfill. Ana was caring his baby and this hurt him even more. The wall was up until he couldn’t see her anymore, just heard her voice praying he let her out of the walls.

When the monastery was build and ready, Neagoe Basarab came to see it. It was so beautiful! Then he asked the bricklayers if they could do another one more beautiful than this one. They started to praise they can do another one more beautiful than this. The ruler though a little and gave order to destroy all the scaffoldings and latters around it and leave the bricklayers up on the roof to die there. He didn’t want them to build another monastery more beautiful than this one.
As they were left there, the bricklayers started to build wings from light wood to fly down the roof. But it wasn’t good and they all died trying to fly down.
When Manole’s turn came, he heard for the last time his wife’s voice from inside the walls. She was dyeing slowly. His eyes were filled with tears of pain hearing her and he felt down and died. In the place where he died, a small spring came out with salty water, just like his tears. That spring is now known as Manole’s Fountain.
Today this monastery is known as The Arges Monastery. 

The charmed horse

In a stormy night, an old lady came to the Prince’s castle and asked for shelter. The Prince, as he saw her, he pushed her away and told her:

- How dare you cross the verge of my castle? Work if you want shelter here.

Than the old lady turned into a beautiful princess and said to him:

- Because you don’t feel pity for people and you don’t have a soul, I shall turn you into a horse, and the spell will be broken only when a girl will offer you “something” from her heart.

Many years have passed and the Prince was unhappy. He felt sorry for the way he behaved with the old lady. In all these years many princesses have come and brought gifts, believing they will break the spell and inherit his money. But there was no result.

One day a shepherded named Giralda, who was in love with the Prince, has picked up a calla lily which she has prepared with care. On the back of a paper in which the precious pure and glowing flower was put in, was written in red “trinket”.

When she appeared in front of the prince, he said to himself: “From where I know these clear and honest eyes?”

The girl gave him the gift saying:

- This is a symbol of my love for you prince!

When the prince touched the trinket, he turned back into his human form.

Later they made a big wedding with lots of joy. The prince decided that every year on the 1Th of March, to remember that day and also on that day boys to offer this trinket to girls as a sign of gratitude and love.

The tale of Mures and Olt

Once upon a time, when charming tales were devised, on a mountain peak from Eastern Carpathians there was a citadel with two towers. The king and queen had two twin sons, who resembled each other like two drops of water. The sons may look alike, but they had different characters. From nothing they were starting to argue and fight until blood dropped. That is how God let them on this Earth.
When they grew up, the king went to war with his warriors, and never came back. The queen sent men to look after her husband on all sights, but they couldn’t find him. The king died far away in a bloody battle. But the queen didn’t know that. “What am I going to do now with my two sons?” the queen was wondering, “They fight all day. I build them two separate towers. In the North tower lives Mures, and in the South tower lives Olt. Look, they are good princes ready to get married, and they still don’t get along.”
- Brother Olt, said Mures, who was more abstinent. Mom cries every day after our father, the king. What shall we do?

- I say, brother Mures, to leave our childish fights aside and go look after our father. Maybe he’s somewhere in a dungeon and he needs our help to set him free.

Olt and Mures went to their mother, the queen, to let her know what they have decided. Hearing what they had to say, their mother shed tears of pain, but also of happiness. Of happiness because her sons were worthy and determined, and tears of pain because she had to let them go and she was too afraid to lose them.

- Well, my sons! She said in the end. Leave in search of your king. Mures and you, Olt! I advise you to stay always together, like horses on a carriage, never apart from each other.

And they left. But once they got out of the citadel, they started to argue on which way to go. As I said, they were different on characters and thinking.
-Let’s go towards North, said Mures!

- No! Let’s go towards South, shouted Olt!

And like in their childhood, they started to fight with their fists. After a while, they decided to do as their mother told them and said:

- I grew up in the North tower and I’m heading that way, said Mures.

- And I grew up in the South tower, and I’ll follow that way, said Olt.

They split. The dark in nature Mures went North, and the hot-wire Olt went towards South. After a while, Mures felt like he missed his brother:

- We fight, but we love each other, said Mures. Mother asked us to stay together. What if I go back and go look for my brother Olt?

In a valley, Mures turned towards South, but he couldn’t find Olt anymore. He lost his way and went towards sunset, trough such beautiful plains, that he forgot about his twin brother.

In the citadel, the queen, got news from her messengers:

-  From the citadel’s gate, great queen, Olt and Mures started to fight and split their ways, disobeying your orders.

Upset the queen ran to turn her sons from their way, but she couldn’t reach them anymore, because they were running fast in different parts. And the queen started to cry so hard, that springs were coming out of her eyes:

- God, please take care of my sons. I lost my king. God, anything, but don’t let my wild sons ever perish.
God listened to her prayer and right away, decided to turn her sons in two undying rivers. And they stayed rivers until today, keeping their names: Mures and Olt.
Mures flows very slow towards plain, good and hoping after many turnings, he will find his twin brother.

While the hot tempered Olt, strikes on the mountain rocks, stirs them, foaming at the Red Tower.

The bee and the spider

There was once a poor woman who had two children: a boy and a girl. They left out in the world to earn their living. The boy became an apprentice at a weaver of cloth, and the girl was carrying stones for bricklayers. On her death bed, their mom called them near her. The girl came right away, but the boy didn’t want to come. His mom forgave him, but after her death, the girl turned into a bee, and the boy into a spider.
Since then, the spider lives always alone, with no brothers or sisters and no parents. He runs from daylight and waves his spider web in dark places, he’s gloomy and upset, people hate him, and anywhere he is, they ruin his web, chase him or kill him. The bee is always cheerful and all day long flies from flower to flower, lives with her parents, brothers and sisters in one place. People love her and cherish her, because she shares what she gathers and offers us her honey.