Ana Radu Chelariu, Author at romanianlanguage.org

Ana Radu Chelariu

Ana Radu Chelariu was born in Bucharest, Romania, on November 19th 1946. Early on she became fascinated by the world of imagination; she begins her career writing original fairy tales for the Radio-TV Romania, and was awarded First Prize for an original fairy tales transmitted on the radio broadcasting for children "Inşir-te mărgărite", prize handed by Victor Eftimiu. The interest in fairy tales, particularly the relationship between myth and fairy tales, she presented in the final graduation thesis at the University of Buchrest, entitled "Nemesis in the folktale type A-Th 325, the Wizard and his Apprentice", work created under the direction of Prof. Mihai Pop and Pavel Ruxăndoiu. She publishes articles, book reviews, and stories for children, in magazines such as Neue Literatur and Cutezătorii; she works as a freelance editorial advisor for the publishing house Cartea Românească under the directorship of Marin Preda. In 1978 she publishes a book of original fairy tales The Secret of Happyness, Ion Creangă Publishing House, Bucharest. Ana emigrates to the United States in 1979, and continues her studies graduating in 1981 from Rugers University with a Master in Library Science. Working as the director of a North Jersey public library she continues her studies in mythology and folklore. As a member of the Society of Romanian Studies she presents her studies on myth-folktale relation at various conferences organized by the Society, published afterwards in English in the "Romanian Civilization" magazine. In 2001 she publishes together with the Romanian writer Nina Ceranu Libertăţile bufniţei [The Owl Freedoms], Ana@West and Nina@East, collection of e-mail correspondece between two writers who never met in person. The book was reviewed in a few newpapers: Ildico Achimescu, National Premiere, in Timişoara was published the first epistolary novel on the Internet; Ion Arieşanu: Looking through books; Alex. Stefănescu: Chat on the Internet. In 2003 Ana Chelariu publishes the Metaphor of the Metaphor, a study of mythology, Cartea Românească Publishing House, Bucharest, a book presented at the National Book Fair, Bucharest, November 2003. The book was also presented at the Mihai Eminescu literary club, New York City, January, 2004, featured in its magazine Lumină Lină, and at the Romanian Cultural Institute, New York City, in February 2004. There were book reviews published, such as: Mircea A. Diaconu: "Un teritoriu fascinant şi recuperat, mitologia comparată [A Fascinating and Retrieved Territory, Comparative Mythology]", [Dacia Literară, XV, nr. 55, 4/2004, Iaşi], Timotei Ursu "Tot despre Crăciun [About Christmas Again]", in Lumea Liberă [Free World], New York City, nr. 798, 22 ianuarie, 2004. In the same year, 2003, she publishes at the Eubeea Publishing House, Timişoara, a bilingual children's story, Romanian-English, Nea Nae mănâncă luna/Master Nick Eating the Moon. She publishes in Balkanistica, vol. 16, 2003, (South East European Studies Association, Univ. of Mississippi) a book review of The 3000-Year-Old Hat: New Connections with Old Europe: the Thraco-Phrygian World, by Irina and Nicolas Florov, Vancouver, 2001. Continues to publish articles on various topics, particularly on the Romanian mythology in relation with the Indo-European culture in the Journal of Romanian American Academy, the magazine Origini [Roots], and the Internet publication of the Romanian language, Conexiuni. In 2013 she publishes ‘The Two Pennies Pouch; a Romanian folktale, based on Punguța cu doi bani’, by Ion Creangă, Amazon. Com., with illustrations by Serban Chelariu. Participates annually with communications at the conferences organized by the International Association of Comparative Mythology. Presently, she retired from the position of the director of Cliffside Park Free Public Library in New Jersey. She is member of the Romanian American Academy, the Society of Romanian Studies, the South-East European Studies, International Association of Comparative Mythology, The Institute of Archaeomythology, New Jersey Library Association, American Library Association.

The Romanian sine ‘self’ – a linguistic perspective presented at the 20th Ecumenical Theological and Interdisciplinary Symposium Metropolitan College of New York

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2017-03-20T07:18:34+00:00 6 October 2016|

Author: Ana R. Chelariu, MA, MLS If we take the idea expressed by G. H. Mead that language is at the heart of the constitution of the self, (1934) a short linguistic approach to the concept of self, soul, spirit may be due. In the Greek world the word Psyche as expressed in Homeric poems meant the dead or, described death, most likely associated with breath. Similar association between breath and soul is found also in the Romanian neuter noun suflet, ‘soul’, derived from the verb a sulfa, suflare ‘to breathe, breath’. Other languages associated the Soul with the Spirit, [...]

From Language to Cultural Heritage

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2017-03-20T07:26:16+00:00 15 December 2015|

Many researchers agree that “myth… is the counterpart of ritual; myth implies ritual, ritual implies myth, they are one and the same.” (E. R. Leach 1954: 13-14), while others may not agree that myth derives from ritual or the other way around, but are essentially connected. G. Kirk recommends cautiousness when associating myth and ritual as their “relations are complex and varied…” but if mythical and folkloric material cooperate the story, rite-myth gets validation. (Kirk 1970:16-17) Earlier, V. Propp (1957) extended the field maintaining that fairy tales are the text that accompanied rituals.

More on Cucuteni-Tripolye culture and the Indo-European homeland

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2017-03-20T07:18:44+00:00 16 June 2015|

This paper presents Axel Kristinsson, (Reykjavik Academy, Island) new hypothesis on the Indo-European expansion from the Cucuteni Trypolie location, and its importance for the Romanian research. His background on studies of massive movement of populations from the history of Europe such as the Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, or of the Vikings migrations from the history of Europe, not to mention the populating of the Americas, may offer a better solution for solving the IE spread. Kristinsson offers two models of expansion, by colonizing, and by ‘expansion system’, models that could be applied and observed in relation to the colonization of Dacia. Even though Kristinsson considers that the comparative mythology should not be regarded as a valid source in the IE discussions, one should not ignore the few patterns that could be observed in most of the IE cultures. An interesting example is presented to sustain this argument.

The Most Prevalent Feminine Mythical Characters in Romanian Folklore

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2017-03-20T07:26:09+00:00 15 March 2015|

The powerful mythical figure of Neolithic, the Great Goddess, survived in the Indo-European pantheon, with characteristics surfacing in almost all the feminine divinities of the classical mythologies. In the Romanian folklore one can recognize this pre-historic goddess in the character of Ileana Simziana, the most adorned fairy of the land. She is the heroine of numerous songs, carols, and fairy tales; the most beautiful of all fairies, their queen, so beautiful that ‘one could look at the sun but not at her’. Other feminine characters in Romanian folklore are the fairies, zâne, beautiful and kind, helping people. They are opposed by Iele (3rd plural personal pronoun iele) ‘they’, fairies that could turn very aggressive towards mankind; perhaps some of the demonic and chimerical depictions of the Neolithic Goddess, her relationship with death and destruction, have transpired into the characteristics of this group of fairies with negative powers.

Father Christmas – Romanian Moş Crăciun and his roots in the Indo-European mythology

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2015-03-16T09:04:41+00:00 23 December 2014|

This paper discusses a few aspects of the Romanian Father Christmas – Moș Crăciun character in relation to the Indo-European pantheon, and proposes a different etymology of his name. A general custom in many European households was to bring inside the house on Christmas Eve an oak log known in English as the Yule log, in Romanian “butucul crăciunului”. This sacred log which was burning till spring, may have its roots in a solar cult of the most important god of the Indo-European mythology, the god of sun and fire, of thunder and lightning, be that Zeus, Jupiter, Diuspater, Wodan, Indra, Perkunas, more so Mithra, the powerful Sun god celebrating his birthday on December 25th whose cult was spread in Eastern Europe by soldiers from the Roman legions.

Some Etymological Considerations on the Romanian mântui to redeem.

By Ana Radu Chelariu| 2014-12-23T19:16:10+00:00 26 August 2014|

This paper discusses the etymology of the Romanian concept mântui ‘redeem’ considered a Hungarian loan. By comparing the explanation from Hungarian etymological dictionary and Hungarian religious documents employing the concept of Mântuitor the Redeemer, new options are observed particularly in the light of the more recent Indo-European language studies, giving leeway to other possible etymological solutions.