>>I would have to question how Slavic "drag"/"dorog"
>>(dear/expensive) could come to be equated with any
>>semblance of (devil).
>
>I didn't equate anything. What I was saying was that
>some scholars thought of another possibility, namely
>that Dracula - just because of spellings such as
>Dracole, Dragole, Dragulya or so - might actually
>
>>Andy Howey
>
>George
Funny coincidence:
meanwhile I remembered an etymologically (seemingly)
related term: <drãgaica, drãgaicele> (fem. sing. and
plur., with defin. articles). I looked it up.
These are either some kind of sylphs (that dance on
June 24; also known as Rum. <sânzienele,> etym. perhaps
< San'diana), or some (also dancing) malevolent genies
or fays or mischievous elves or pixies that harm people
(a.k.a. Rum. <iele>, plural, ['je-le]). BTW, Sânziana
is also a Rum. fem. 1st name. (<sânzienele> are by and
large good fays or elves, and <ielele> are bad ones;
strange enough that <drãgaicele> can signify both
categories in Romanian.)
The Romanian dictionary says that <drãgaica>/<drãgaicele>
has Bulgarian etymon: <dragaika.> [dragajka] The June 24
event is a religious, Christian, one though. Anyway, these
pieces of myth and folklore seem to be relics of some
forgotten ancient or prehistoric faith or custom, partially
covered by layers of (pseudo-)Christian mythology.
George