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‘Vâlva Lupilor’ translates to ‘Vâlva of the wolves’
This myth contains two alternate versions that are treated as different versions of the same myth.
1)First Version
The 30th of November, St. Andrew’s day is also known as the night of ghosts (noaptea strigoilor). The myth says that on this night vâlva of the wolves calls all wolves to him and imparts their tasks for the year to come: who to attack and who to leave be, depending on has wronged the vâlvă.
In the parish of Ribița there used to be a peculiar but well read man called Gheorghe David that locals said to be a vâlvă of the wolves.
Below are translated stories from villagers about him:
‘People said that he gathered the wolves to him. His house was peculiar too, up on his roof tiles there where chains. His face was also somewhat peculiar…bumps on his head that hinted of horns. Lately he was saying that he no longer speaks to wolves, that he gave them away to a woman, I don’t know who it is though.’
‘The last famous vâlvă was David Gheorghe. His nicknames where Buzgaru or Gigel. He died around 2006. He told many stories about his gift, even inviting us to participate in a calling of the wolves. He told us that he’d go at night at Crișurilor springs and at midnight blow into the glass of an oil lamp to call the wolves to him, though of course I've never been to actually see how he does it.’
‘He was estranged from the village because people thought of him as weird. His house was somewhat isolated on the top of the hill. He had a particular behavior and was a learned man which made him different from the others. He had an impressive library. I saw it for myself: there where no novels but many encyclopedias and dictionaries. He knew a lot of history and geography.’
‘The village folk gossiped that the wolves attacked when and where his will directed. They say that those who did him wrong had a wolf come and either took their sheep away or killed them in their pen.’
‘A man from a little further downhill shot a female wolf. After he killed her, he hid her behind a boulder so he wouldn’t find out. But he knew! He looked for her for about a week until he found the wolf. Vâlva kept saying to him ‘Tell me where you put her, I have no business with you, I just want to know where my girl is! The best girl she was!’… Nothing happened to the man but I can’t say the same thing for his sheep. He called the wolves ‘his children’.’
‘Someone in Dumbrava de Jos told me that he had a fight with him and then, in broad daylight, wolves came into the orchard and killed all the sheep.’
‘When I was a forest ranger we went to Brad one morning. On the way we met with him near a spring: ‘Where are you off to, good Christian?’ I told him ‘To work!’ He said he’s going up the hill to visit someone. When I came back to Brad, at the bus station, I found him there! I can’t imagine the way he took.’
‘The hair stood up on their scalp when they saw Gigel or Buzgaru as some called him, or even better vâlva lupilor/vâlva of the wolves, as every soul around knew him.
He would come by quietly, on his tiptoes, like a sneaking animal, with his dirty hat pulled over his avoiding, animal-like eyes, and his ever present ragged backpack on his back. You could always hear the racket of coins and small metal objects coming from inside. He stepped softly and cerfuly over rocks, through water, stinging nettles, burdocks and other plants, casting his analyzing gaze around. Children would gather close to one another and watch him with fear. Their agitation would always seize at his sight.’
‘No one from Ribița area seems to know who is vâlva of the wolves now, the one who was picked by David Gheorghe to inherit his gift and lead the wolves. Some believe that time will either erase the stories or make the name of the new vâlvă known.’