Юрий

Testing English version. Based on the old post DW/LJ.

In pastoral Moldovan and Romanian culture, sheep are a symbol of purity and innocence. It is said that God created the sheep while the devil created the goat. When the animals chose their means of defense, the sheep refused horns or fangs because it could not bring itself to harm anyone. The sheep is a mediator between the human and divine worlds. The world will exist as long as there are sheep and bees. The devil can take any form except that of a sheep...

One of the oldest themes in folklore throughout all Romanian lands is Când şi-a pierdut ciobanul oile (When the shepherd lost his sheep). Other names include Ciobanul care şi-a pierdut oile, Doina ciobanului, Povestea lui Tânjală, Jalea cârlanului, A oilor, Ciobăneasca, and Doina mocanului… The theme is usually performed on one of the shepherd’s instruments: fluier, tilinca, caval, or cimpoi. Sometimes it is accompanied by words.

The shepherd fell asleep and when he woke up in the evening, his flock of sheep had disappeared. In desperation, he searches for his sheep, mistaking stones, clouds, and bushes for them. He asks the wolf if he has seen his sheep, but the wolf mocks him. Finally, he finds his sheep. The sad melody is changed to a dance.