The "zmeu" figures prominently in many Romanian folk tales as the manifestation of the destructive forces of greed and selfishness. Often, the zmeu steals something of great value, which only
Făt-Frumos (the Romanian "
Prince Charming"; literally: "handsome youth") can retrieve through his great, selfless bravery. For example, in the ballad of the knight
Greuceanu, the zmeu steals the sun and the moon from the sky, thereby enshrouding all humanity in darkness. In the story of
Prâslea the Brave and the Golden Apples, the zmeu robs the king of the precious "
golden apples"; a parallel can be drawn to the
German fairy tale
The Golden Bird, the
Russian Tsarevitch Ivan, the Fire Bird and the Gray Wolf, and the
Bulgarian The Nine Peahens and the Golden Apples — although in all these other cases, the thief was a bird (nevertheless, in some versions of the Romanian story, the zmeu does transform into a bird to steal the golden apples). Usually, the zmeu resides in the "other world" (
celălalt tărâm) and sometimes
Făt-Frumos has to descend into his dark kingdom, implying that the zmeu lives underground. The zmeu has a plethora of magical, destructive powers at his disposal. He can fly,
shapeshift, and has tremendous supernatural strength. Ultimately, the abilities of the zmeu are of no avail, as
Făt-Frumos defeats him through martial skill and daring. The zmeu likes to kidnap a maiden to be his wife in his otherworldly realm. After
Făt-Frumos slays the zmeu, he takes the maiden as his own bride-to-be. Similarly, like the giant in the popular
British stories of
Jack and the Beanstalk, the zmeu returns home to his fortress from his raids into human lands sensing that a human (
Făt-Frumos) is lying in ambush somewhere nearby. A Zmeu is also sometimes pictured as a flame who goes in the room of a young girl or widow and once inside, becomes a man and seduces her. There are people who have allegedly seen zmei flying through the sky. They are supposed to look like a living trail of fire, or fireworks. == Explanatory notes ==