Romani Mythos~Stories With Hidden Truths

Romani Mythos

Stories With Hidden Truths

Dr Raven Dolick MsD

Mar 29, 2016

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Concerning The Gods, Devils and the Fey

Given the diversity of Romani belief it is not surprising that their mythology is somewhat confusing. However two basic dualistic theologies can be discovered in the tradition, the first is a simple dualistic monotheism which seems to be the basis of the Byzantine belief that the 11th century Egypt were Manichean Gnostics. In this belief the highest deity is called O Devla (from Sanskrit Deva) an all powerful creator who has partly withdrawn from the World, however the World itself is governed by O Bengi, Beng or Bang, a chthonic power that was later associated with the Devil. Bang lives in a huge swamp in the lower world and takes the form of a giant frog (apparently a Syrian image). His spirits, later seen as demons, are known as Bengesko (in contrast Devla has the Develesko, which equate with angels or devas). The two forces are sometimes said to be in constant battle in other traditions.

In addition to this there is a more Pagan pantheon governed by a Sky Father (Devla?), who suspends the World between his ox horns, and his consort the Develeski, or the Earth Mother (E Phuri Dai). She is also said to appear in the guise of the triple Fate Goddess, Vurzitori (sometimes associated with Kalika), who is much like the Wyrd Sisters or Norn (her agents are the Urmen Fey). While others claim this is really the Moon Goddess. These two are sometimes said to produce twin offspring O Kham, King Sun and O Shon, Queen Moon. In turn these produce more offspring the most powerful being Yag, or King Fire; Bavol, or King Wind; and King Rom, the Great Ancestor (sometimes regarded as Cain, or Tubalcain, and seen as the offspring of Adam and Lilith or Cain and Eve). In other stories from Bohemia the Sky and Earth are locked in embrace and produce the Five Kings (Krali): Wind, Fire, Sun, Moon and Haze (or Rain). King Wind seperates his parents as in Greek mythology which probably influenced the account. Bang doesn't feature here though is sometimes added to the tales (some researchers associate him with King Haze or the Water Lord etc).

O Shon (or alternatively King Moon) rules the waters with the aid of Pani, the Water Lord, who appears to be the same being known as the amorous Panusch in other parts of the Balkans, a Pan like watergoat man. There is also the Wodna Muz, or demonic Water Man, who dwells in the watery depths dragging down the wary. While the Wodna Susa, the Water Woman, is a benign figure if appeased properly. The dwarvish Lord Puvus, rules the earth element on behalf of the Earth Mother. Lord Bavol and the Wind King, and Lord Yag and the Fire King, are usually regarded as equivalent, though some see them as separate beings. Given that each nation, or even each tribe sometimes, has a slightly different language and culture, unifying or separating these archetypes can be problematic.

Beneath this Royal Court are the hosts of elementals: Bavolshi (Daemons) for the winds, Yagshi (Vulcani) for fire and lightning, Panishi (Water Sprites) or Navashi (Merfolk / Undines) for water and Puvushi (Dwarves) for the earth (to use their Hungarian titles). In addition to the Puvushi there is also the Kashali, or 'Wood Elves and Nymphs', the offspring of King Haze, under E Phuri Dai / Forest Mother, ruled over by Queen Ana. The Great Forest Mother sometimes has a consort, the Lord of the Wilderness (of Forest or Mountain), who appears in various forms across cultures. The mysterious Horned One; the ecologically aware Bear Lord; a terrifying, cannibalistic mountain giant called Mashurdalo; the dangerous Omro, the Great Wild Man (with his Omren, or 'Furry Folk') or the more benign Green One, also known as the King of the World. These perhaps differ from each other according to local tradition or environment. This couple rule over the elementals and are sometimes evoked or appeased. But it is their elemental host who are the most important to the Romani magicians and it is these who are called on in the name of the elemental Lords (or Rai). Thus their principal natural elements are Fire (the protective campfire is always central for the Rom and given almost religious devotion), Air, Earth, Wind, Wood, Water and Haze (and one might include Metal as the quintessential human element, the Romani being renowned metal workers). Equally important as the elementals are the ancestors and the spirits of dead Romanis, who function similar to the 'secret chiefs' in modern Occultism. In addition there are also the subterranean demons, the Luca or Locholics (also known as the Serpent People), human taboo breakers turned into cannibalistic ghouls by the Fey. These dwell in darkness but if 'brought into the light' they transform and 'give gifts' or 'reveal hidden treasures'. Some modern interpreters see them as 'repressed complexes'. And finally there are the much feared Mullo, or Living Dead (see below)

For magic users, and the superstitious, however a third tradition seems even more important, though whether its patron is a friend or foe is uncertain, perhaps potentially both. This is a 'Dark Goddess' tradition, sometimes referred to as the Queen of the Fey and other times as the Queen of the Witches, she is known as Dina, Sina and Gana by different peoples but is generally the same figure, the Mistress of the Wild Hunt, whose day is Walpurgisnacht, and who represents both life and death, often taking the form a veiled maiden wearing many silver rings, or appearing in the form of a black cat. She is traditionally made offerings of mead from an ox's horn. This archetype is universally known, but is held in particular awe by the Romani, reflecting their attitude to women in general as powerful but dangerous. Her name is sometimes also given as Kalika, which has led some to identify her with Kali, however this is not proven as the name is merely Romani for the 'Black One' (a figure associated with the Wyrd Fate Goddess). She is probably the same being the Catholic Gitan tribes call St Sara le Kale, the Black Madonna. It is uncertain how she connects with the other figures above, but Dina maybe derived from Diana or Dana, and Sina appears to be based on a late Chaldean reworking (and sex change) of the Babylonian Moon god Sin (though note that many Balkan gypsy tribes, particular in Bohemia, also preserved a male Moon deity). She thus appears to be related to O Shon. This is further indicated by her dual form as a Seductress or Crone. Her name Gana may be derived from the Sanskrit term Gana, basically referring to the terrifying host of Shiva (equivalent to the Wild Hunt or the Riotous Company of Dionysos), it also signified a transgressive form of Tantra. She is usually singular but sometimes has a partner, later associated with the devil, and thus perhaps with Bang.

Related to this mythos is the story of Ana, Queen of the Kashali Fey, who was seduced, blackmailed or raped by the Demon King of the Luca Serpents and gave birth the spirits of disease. These include Queen Dschuma; Melalo, demon of psychosis; his partner Lili (Lilith?), woman headed fish demon of mucous membrane inflammation and respiratory tract infections; Tcaridyi, a long haired worm demon, causing fevers in women; Bitoso and his children, multi-headed worm demons, the cause of pain; and Porescoro, a serpent tailed bird with four cats heads and four dogs heads, who dwelt underground rising only to cause serious epidemics. These names were used by healers to defeat a disease in personified form.

Although it is the Fey and the Demons that the Romani are most concerned with in both magic and everyday practise, it should be noted that in historical times nearly all Romani were Christian or Muslim, with the Monotheistic pantheon dominant and all the other beings reduced to Angels, Demons and Saints for everyday Romani. In addition to the female Saints Sara, Mary and Anne, the most famous Saint in the Balkans was St George known to the Romani as Green George and representing the Green Man in Spring. In Poland St Stephen represents a similar Oat Spirit, with a feast day in Autumn, while in Hungary St Basil is a Shepherd archetype celebrated in Winter on New Years Day. The Midsummer Sun is generally represented as St John, while the name David is associated with Jewish magicians and axe wielding Thunder spirits by Roma. Only the Sinti would retain a purely pagan pantheon for any time.

Mullo, the Undead, Vampires and Werewolves

The greatest terror of the Romani are the Living Dead or Mullo. These come in various forms but they are basically the restless dead. They may be a ghostlike shade returning and producing poltergeist phenomena or even allegedly a dead body reanimated by its previous owner or an evil spirit. The Roma believe that any grudges will cause the dead to return and so go to great lengths to appease them. On death the subject is surrounded by Mullo Doods, or death lights, orbs of light said to guide the dead into the underworld. If any negative influence is introduced to the dead body, such as woman walking over it, or it not being purified properly, it was once believed that an 'unclean spirit' would enter and reanimate it. Most recorded cases appear to be of the ghost type however. The Romani made careful plans to appease and celebrate the dead in an extended wake. After this period they were forgotten and all their property burnt. This was to make sure that they would have no ties to the world and to ensure their clean passage into the next. Even after this their name was never spoken again lest they be evoked, through Romanis would often visit their graves to 'talk to their headstone' believed to be a channel to them. Necromancy was a serious business as it was believed that of all the evil spirits the Mullo alone had the power to kill.

The ghostly dead and ethereal fey had one dangerous trick, they could become Tsochano, or vampires, and 'drink the blood of the living' and in this way gain an 'ectoplasmic body'. Those adept in this might become difficult to distinguish from flesh and blood beings. The early phase of vampirism consists of energy drain, when more corporeal they may drink blood and eat flesh. The flesh eating vampire is said to often take part animal form and becomes indistinguishable from the Vyushengri, or Wolfman. The idea of a human changing into a wolf appears to be a homegrown one, probably from the local Saxons, while most Romanis associated the form with the undead solely. Humans could also perform vampirism, both psychically and physically, those that did would become undead vampires, so their bodies were torn apart, mutilated and burnt, and a hawthorn bush put on their grave to prevent their shades returning. Much of the traditional vampire lore involving stakes and running water are found in Romani tradition, with the addition that a vampire must be cremated to be truly destroyed and the odd feature that they rise at noon and retreat at dusk. There are also unique features to Romani vampire lore too. For instance a vampire can impregnate a woman, whose child becomes a hybrid, a rubbery bodied half vampire called a dhampir. Such beings are trained to combat vampires in Romani folklore, having the ability to 'see' invisible vampires and to 'command' them. Many Romani vampire hunters claimed to be dhampires, in traditional fashion, though many of their abilities can be attributed to hypnosis. A bizarre aspect is the possibility of not only human and animal vampires, but also the vampire tree or pumpkin or even vampire shovel (inanimate tools also have 'souls' imparted by their creator in most folklore). These beings obviously work mainly psychically, though pumpkins are allegedly adept at rolling. They are possible because the vampire state is linked to the Marime or unclean state. Anything contaminated becomes sealed off, and anything stagnant becomes isolated, thus it becomes Tsochano and draws off energy vacuum like. Also anything left out all night under a full moon is unclean. A related idea is that a menstruating woman can unconsciously throw off her 'malign shadow', which if touching someone will drain them of their energy. The presence of these unique features and the notion that the oldest vampire stories are found India and Chaldea (and only later their neighbours) has led many to believe the vampire was brought to Europe by the Romani.

Afterlife

The Romani concept of an afterlife was of a retreat of the souls of the dead into the underworld, under the guidance of the Mullo Doods, or death lights. Once there they would lead a life much like that on Earth in worlds especially prepared for them. They retained a link with their body however, even if it was reduced to ashes and beyond this the link would be retained with a stone or tree erected on the grave which absorbed the essence of the body. This was nominally the headstone. The Romani believed that standing stones served this purpose and were linked to powerful indigenous ancestors in the underworld.

The Romani Chovino, male witch.  claimed to be able to enter trance and become possessed by the dead, or manifest the spirit in a room. The Romani ability in trance work was legendary and often linked to their alleged proficiency in hypnosis, which some claimed they had brought from India. Though no doubt much was pure showmanship. Historians of the occult have suggested that European Cunning Folk learned these techniques from the Gypsies and in turn passed them on to their later descendants the Psychic Mediums (both real and fraudulent) and presumably the most divergent of all the stage Ventriloquist.

After time the dead might return to the world in reincarnated form or become a wise ancestor. These ancestors, and allied Fey, were often very concerned with important events in the world of the living.

Ritual Practices

There were many other ritual practises undertaken by the Romany, such as Crossroads work, but perhaps the most interesting involved the Mountain Mysteries. Obviously these emerged in the Balkans and only applied where the Gypsies encountered mountains (such as Scotland and Wales in Britain, perhaps explaining the gravitation of Roma to these regions). There is some indication that the lore may have been transferred to hills in some areas, given the congregation of the Romani around place such as Gypsy Hill in Southern England.

In this lore the world contains seven Great Mountains and each of these was surrounded by Lucky Mountains or Bactale Bar. Earth ritually collected on these mountains had magical powers, primarily to open and close gates to the otherworld, thus letting in or out good or bad spirits and luck. Such earth can be sealed in amulets or taken as a herbal preparation. Treasures are stored in all these mountains which are believed to be hollow, the treasures are guarded by the Serpent People and the Dove Women, who if captured will give it up. Marrying one would redeem them and help reveal treasure. Earth from a Great Mountain or special Lucky Mountain gave the power to see the treasures. The reason for this was probably threefold, firstly symbolically the highest points on a horizon are liminal spaces where sky and earth met, and so were seen as gates to heaven, secondly they were also the easiest places to find great caves and caverns and so were regarded as hollow, and so gateways to the underworld as well, a kind of cosmic crossroads. Note this idea was also found in Celtic hill lore, which may have been absorbed by Romani in England. The idea of a church with a spire and crypt also preserves the idea, so hills and mountains can be seen as the true temples of nature, and explains the latter worldwide emergence of artificial hills and pyramids. The ideas of the sacred mountain is universal, but the Romani developed their own unique form as ever.

The Greatest Mountains were all sacred to King Sun, apart from the tallest which were sacred to King Wind and regarded as gateways to the land of the dead. Tongue stones are also found on lucky mountains, which have oracular powers and make their finder eloquent. The Romani associate various Wind King Mountains with their dead parents or grandparents, they thus have a Father Mountain and a Mother Mountain on which they commune. A dream of a dead parent is a call to the mountain where a fast and communion is undertaken. On passing a Wind King Mountain Gypsies will spit three times to avoid being captured by the Mullo. Next to a Wind King Mountain is often a Cats Mountain, this is the home of the restless dead who take the form of black cats, who may leave the mountain and adopt new owners, becoming familiars. A sparkly Cat Stone can be found on the mountain, which turns everything it touches to gold. But it is surrounded by a ring of fire only extinguished on St John's Eve. The lowest mountains or foothills in a range dominated by a Solar or Wind Mountain are known as the Mountains of the Moon. Offerings are made to the Moon here, and no fires may be burnt, it is a place of 'Witches Sabbats' and a haunt of demons. The earth here and the herbs growing in it have the power to make women fertile, and a glittering stone called Cat Silver has the power to make them sexually alluring. Witches pacts are made here with a blood offering to Gana on a Friday, this must be repeated every seven years and the mountain left without looking back, or Witches (Borsako) will appear and spit poison in the practitioners face killing them instantly. Other mountains house the White Four Eyed Bitch, a hound that howls on the mountain and may patrol its neighbourhood. Its dung is very lucky and brings wealth, when a Rom sees a rich or lucky man he will say 'the bitch has dropped for them'. They will also step in any dog doo on the chance it might bring them fortune.

Two special rituals held on magical mountains are the Fast and the Feast, the latter involves making libations of asses or sow's milk (once mead), offerings of meat, buried or hung on trees, and a fire being lit and spat on three times by each person. The ash of the fire becomes part of a lucky talisman which wards off bad luck (and lightning) and brings good fortune. The Fast consists of camping on the mountain after a three day fast of nothing but mare's milk, and engaging in a diet of white hen's eggs, two apples and the blood and meat of an animal. The bowl and shells are then buried with a wish.

Connections between British and Romani Witchcraft

There is some evidence of a connection between British Witchcraft and Romani Sorcery. There have long been claims among hereditary witches of intermarriage with Romanis and Witch families and of British witches living amongst the Gypsies. At face value this seems unlikely given the stigma attached to association with Gajdos. However there is a little documentary evidence to support the claim, a Miss Judith Phillips who was pilloried for Witchcraft in 1594 was said to have 'lived for some time amongst gypsies' and to be known under other names. Phillips is also a name used by a Romanichal clan. In fact comparing the names of British witches of all social classes listed in various sources with Romani names often shows a correspondence of around 33-50% (though that is not conclusive of identity). Moreover the infamous witch of Camden, Mother Red Cap, Jinny Bingham (whose former home is now the World's End Pub) while showing no Romani signs herself was briefly married to a sheep thief called Gypsy George who was hanged at Holloway. This may also be a clue to the association, as if criminality is involved then Romani taboos may have weighed little with such Gypsies, they may even have been Banished Men some of whom found their way into criminal Canting Crews, whose leaders were called Upright Men, a term also used amongst witches for their leaders. Finally the evidence pointing to witchcraft traditions coming to England from Scotland, such as the Horseman's Word, the Toad Men and the Tubalcain tradition, may also be taken as evidence of Romani input, given the nature of the traditions and the fact that Scotland was the first home of Romani Gypsies in these Isles. Furthermore the still mysterious finds of similarities between witchcraft practices across Europe, used by Margaret Murray to suggest a now discredited universal Witchcult, may in fact be better explained by the dissemination of beliefs and practices carried by Romani peoples.