The functions of water in Romanian fairy tale: A study of Dumitru Stăncescu and Petre Ispirescu collections

Abstract

This article investigates the symbolic, narrative, and ethical functions of water in Romanian fairy tales, drawing on a corpus collected by Dumitru Stăncescu (2010) and Petre Ispirescu (1984), with selective comparative reference to Germanic and Slavic traditions researched in Brothers Grimm (2011) and Aleksandr Afanasyev (2020) fairy tales. Water emerges as a central organizing principle of narrative imagination, functioning in multiple, interrelated roles that structure plot development, mediate moral testing, and facilitate transformation. The study employs a motif-based methodology, systematically cataloguing narrative sequences in which water appears and analyzing them according to functional typologies. The approach allows for an integrated understanding of water as a dynamic agent within the narrative economy rather than as a static symbol.

            In Romanian fairy tales, water often operates as a liminal threshold, marking various transitions. Aspects and bodies of water (rivers, brooks, lakes and wells) define spatial and temporal boundaries, signalling the onset of trials, quests or transformative experiences. Immersion, bathing or proximity to water is regularly associated with shifts in identity, especially for female characters, and may precede changes in physical appearance, social or marital status, or even human and non-human embodiment. Sometimes, water functions as a site of moral testing, where enchanted or forbidden waters activate narrative crises, whose outcome depend solely on the dispositions of the characters. Consuming or coming into contact with forbidden water leads to immediate repercussions, frequently manifesting as transformation, illness, or social alienation. Certain narratives illustrate that restoration is either postponed or contingent, emphasizing water’s function as a mediating element in moral assessment rather than as a neutral or inherently advantageous entity. This is demonstrated in fairy tales such as Busuioc şi Musuioc from Stăncescu’s collection, where the brothers’ engagement with water shapes the moral and spatial outcomes of the story, ultimately resulting in their irrevocable separation from the human realm instead of their reintegration.  

            A related function pertains to the role of water in resurrection and deferred restoration. Water serves to preserve bodes or identities, facilitating eventual reconstitutions through extended narrative processes. Stories that involve the repeated death and transformation of children exemplify how water mediates a prolonged suspension of life, postponing restoration until specific narrative and moral conditions are met. Likewise, enchanted waters offer promises of rejuvenation and renewal.

            A comparative analysis reveals that Romanian fairy tales set themselves apart from Germanic and Slavic traditions through their narrative restraint and ethical mediation. In contrast to the narratives of Brothers Grimm or Afanasyev, which frequently depict water as a striking or pivotal magical force, Romanian tales focus on ambiguity, gradual charge, and conditional restoration. In these stories, water serves as a medium through which moral, social and narrative repercussions emerge, thereby contributing to a unique poetics characterized by process, restraint, and ethical contemplation.

            Through a systematic examination of the various roles of water, this study illustrates its significance within the Romanian fairy tale tradition and establishes a foundation for future comparative investigations into water, symbolism, narrative agency, and the interplay of ritual, gender, and spatial dynamics in oral narrative traditions.