thumb|Meşterul Manole
In Romanian mythology, Meșterul Manole (roughly: The master builder Manole) was the chief architect of the Curtea de Argeș Monastery in Wallachia. The myth of the cathedral's construction is expressed in the folk poem Monastirea Argeșului ("The Monastery on the Argeș River").
In the poem, Manole finds it impossible to build the monastery without a human sacrifice and, despite his efforts, is forced to sacrifice his own pregnant wife by encasing her in the walls of the building. Written in the style of a folk ballad, the poem is often seen as an example of an "aesthetic myth" in folkloric literature, having at its core the belief that nothing durable and unique can be built without the creator's self-sacrifice.
George Călinescu considered Meșterul Manole, along with Miorița, Zburătorul and Dochia and Trajan, as being part of the four fundamental myths of Romanian folk literature.
Plot
The Legend of Master Manole: Prince Radu the Black (Radu Negru) wanted to build the most beautiful monastery in the country, so he hired Master Manole, the best mason of those times, along with his 9 men. During construction, because the walls of the monastery would continuously crumble, the Prince threatened to kill Manole and his workers. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof. But, one by one, they all fell to the ground. A well of clear water, named after Manole, is believed to mark the spot where Manole himself fell.
Negru Vodă
Negru Vodă from the tale appears to be a fusion between Radu Negru, the traditional founder of Ţara Românească (Wallachia), and Neagoe Basarab, the historical builder of the church.
Publication and legacy
Alongside "Miorița", "Toma Alimoș" and "Dolca", it was published by Vasile Alecsandri in the first collection of Romanian folk creations in 1852, entitled "Poezii populare, balade (Cântice bătrânești) adunate și îndreptate de Vasile Alecsandri". Although the popular text has several variants, because the author is anonymous and the ballad was transmitted orally from generation to generation, the one published by Alecsandri is consecrated in literary form.
Many Romanian writers had the legend as a motif and source of inspiration. Among them, Lucian Blaga (in his Meşterul Manole theatre play) brought forth a modern take on the myth. In Blaga's version, Manole's self-sacrifice is not prompted by any gesture of Prince Radu, but it is instead a personal journey.
Analysis
The role of Ana, in particular was widely discussed by scholars, often as an example of a model wife, who never wavers from commitment and duty to Manole even in the face of supernatural efforts to stop her, but also as a feminist critique of marriage, which requires women to sacrifice themselves and become confined within the walls of the house for the sake of their husbands' work.