"Forest Girl"
The legend of the "Forest Girl"
One of the popular legends that, with some adaptations, has spread throughout Maramureș, is the story of "Forest Girl", a special character from the Romanian mythology.
Therefore in Maramureș, especially in the Land of Lăpuș or the Historical Maramures, if you ask the locals about the dense and old forests in the area, you will receive not only indications on the rich flora and fauna, but also a warning to protect yourself from the mystical creature of the forest, whose appearance does not predict anything good. According to local folklore, long ago, a pure and beautiful young woman got lost in the woods, wandering disoriented in an attempt to find her way home. Late in the night, she met a man who offered to guide her, but instead of taking her out of the woods, she took her deeper into the darkness to a stone house. There, he would have made incantations, causing the beautiful young woman to lose her mind and turning her into an unrecognizable creature. Then he sent her to haunt the forests and draw evil upon those who met her. Although it sounds like a film script, the legend of the Girl Forest has kept her actuality, making its way through time, as there are not a few who can swear that they have met her.
In the rural areas of Maramures, the collective memory describes the Forest Girl as an evil creature, who metamorphoses, taking either the appearance of a young and beautiful girl, with long hair down to the ground, or a grotesque face, of a very old hunchbaked woman. What's more, she would also have the ability to acquire a zoomorphic appearance. Although the source of the legend seems to be the same everywhere, the elements of the story have undergone adaptations, depending on the community. If in most places it is said that the Forest Girl lures men, blowing their minds, souls or even life, there are communities which believe that this apparition kidnaps children or turns them into furry hooved creatures. Before showing her face, the Forest Girl roars the forests and blows great winds, sings, laughs or cries, arousing the curiosity of those who fall prey to her. Other stories that have their source in this legend say that the Forest Girl punishes those who wear clothes sewn on Tuesdays, Fridays, Sundays or holidays, but also that she cast spells on sheeps, to spoil their milk.
As the saying goes "it’s better to be safe than sorry", so that, as many embodiments and troubles revolve around this character, so many are the ways to defend yourself from the Forest Girl, according to popular beliefs. First of all, the elders say that the best way to avoid the Forest Girl is not to respond to her calls, not to look for her and not to talk to her. For the same purpose of protection, in the past people wore braided rope of linden, incense, celandine, basil, garlic or peppercorns, and if they had the misfortune to see it, they would make a cross with their tongue and say prayers. Some women who thought seeing the Forest Girl, would have turned upside down all the dishes in the house to break the charms and curses, and the men would have put the horseshoes of horse squinting, to avoid her. It is also said that those who were carried by the Forest Girl at night and had the chance to return to their homes, were saved by the rooster crowing at dawn.
If you got shivers down your spine, be sure that this was not our intention. No matter how much we cherish our heritage and mythological legends, we will not urge you to avoid the forests of Maramures but, on the contrary, we invite you to discover them, following the marked trails. As for the Forest Girl, if you want to find her, we reckon that you will find her in the immortal stories of our elders and in the pages of books that study Romanian mythology, rather than in the paths of forests. There, we hope that you will find only the beauty, the peace and the cure to a light heart.