Zoia MAXIM
Cluj‑Napoca
zoiamaxim@yahoo.fr
Ioana BĂDOCAN,
Cluj‑Napoca
ioanabadocan@yahoo.com
Water is the origin of life, a means of purification and the element of regeneration. It is the symbol of fertility, wisdom, divine grace. As the origin and vehicleof any form of life, it represents the vital breath and can become the supportof any energy. It can be endowed with antithetical properties, it can be purifying, or poisonous. Water can be structured according to the actions performed on it (prayer, magic formula), or the interference with the surrounding energies (objects, animals, plants). Ritual washings have a special place in all rites of pas‑sage, or initiation. The water used in these ceremonies is “living water”, endowed with magical powers. Immersion in the ritual water represents a symbolic deathand at the same time a return to the beginning, to the origins, a new birth ina cleansed body. Romanian fairy tales and legends remind of various creatures, which bring “living water” to the hero who is in trouble. Also, bathing in livingwater rejuvenates the elderly and energizes the young.
Keywords: ethnoarchaeology, Neolithic, sacred water, living water, symbol.