Editing Balaur (section)

{{Short description|Serpent or dragon of Romanian folklore}}
{{For|the dinosaur|Balaur bondoc}}
[[Image:Balaur Brasov 1.jpg|thumb|240px|A dragon sculpture in Romania.<!--Needs RS to say this object represents balaur, beyond commons contributor naming the jpg that way.-->]]

A '''balaur''' ([[plural|pl.]] '''''balauri''''') in [[Romanian folklore]] is a type of [[Polycephaly|many-headed]] [[European dragon|dragon]] or monstrous serpent, sometimes said to be equipped with wings.  The number of heads is usually around three, but they can also have seven heads or even twelve heads according to some legends.

The balaur in folktale is typically evil, demanding or abducting young maidens or the princess, and defeated by the hero such as [[Saint George]] or the fair youth [[Făt-Frumos]].

There is some lore in which the balaur is considered weather-making, and living in an airborne state, but these types of balaur are sometimes interchangeably called [[ala (demon)|''hala'']] or ''ala'', being [[confounded]] with the pan-Slavic air and water demon. The balaur (instead of the [[zmeu]]) is the vehicle of the weather-controlling [[Solomonari]] according to some sources.

There are also legends about the balaur in which they can produce precious stones from their saliva. Also, it is said that whoever manages to slay it will be forgiven a sin.