Balaurul

A "balaur" is, in Romanian mythology, a fantastic animal of enormous size, often in the form of a snake with wings, legs and several snake heads (generally one, three, seven, nine or even twelve), representing an embodiment of evil. There are many types of "balauri". Some are monstrous, have many heads each with a tongue of fire, with long and strong claws and a tail according to their monstrosity and sometimes even wings. Some of them had a completely different appearance. In the latter, the body is similar to that of snakes. It is covered with red, greenish or yellow scales. According to other stories, "balaurii" were half human, half snake with fish scales. In the Apuseni Mountains it is believed to have the head of a horse and the body of a snake, and in other Romanian areas, it has the head of a bull. In other mythologies, it can be likened to the European dragon or the hydra of Greek mythology.