FOREST MAIDEN // ARCHITECTURAL VIDEO-MAPPING #1
“The Forest Maiden no longer roams the woods; she doesn’t exist out there anymore because she is within people.”
This statement surfaced frequently during field research in Maramureș, where interviews with villagers revealed the vivid local perception of this mythological figure—so lifelike that she often emerges from the stories as a flesh-and-blood being. In most accounts, the Forest Maiden appears as a wild and malevolent female spirit. Those who stumbled upon her trail would fall under her spell, wandering aimlessly for a night or even three through desolate, untrodden lands, gorges, and brambles, returning home battered and nearly lifeless. Some were struck mute, others crippled; it is said she could carry people away, acting aggressively toward shepherds, and that she chained and flew away with young men.
Discussions with ethnologists who studied this topic, archiving their own field experiences, reveal that her malevolent aspect has left the most lasting imprint on people’s consciousness. This is partly due to the church’s influence, which deemed such pagan-rooted beliefs to be “devilish inventions,” and partly due to the human tendency to retain what inspires fear. The Forest Maiden stands as the best-represented archetype in the pantheon of figures inhabiting the folk imagination and exemplifying what we might call the magical dimension of reality. This dimension encapsulates the unknown—apparitions, events, and supernatural phenomena—painting an extraordinary landscape beyond the ordinary rhythm of life. Yet, everything inexplicable and defying reason or the laws of physics evokes terror.
The Forest Maiden dwells in hidden places deep within the wilderness—in hollow trees, caves, where even lumberjacks don’t venture, in thickets so dense that light barely filters through. These are treacherous realms inhabited only by wild creatures. Many stories of encounters with her come from those who grew up in remote mountain hamlets, isolated from main roads and larger settlements, and who traversed such untamed areas out of necessity—to reach markets, mills, or pastures. Yet, her presence is not confined to the wilderness; she is said to have appeared even in villages, ensnaring both men and women in her spell, leading them astray on paths they knew as intimately as their own hands.
Ovidiu Baron, director of the ASTRA Museum in Sibiu, has researched the cultural phenomena surrounding this figure in Săpânța, shedding light on the rural imaginary. His work reveals that all of nature is imbued with life and also with unclean forces, which threaten as soon as one steps beyond the safety of the village—sometimes even as soon as one steps outside the household gate. He also highlights the protective role of the intricate carvings on Maramureș gates, designed to guard homes from evil spirits.
The Forest Maiden, as a prime archetype of untamed nature, Mother Earth, and the feminine spirit, symbolizes fertility, creativity, rebirth, regeneration, and healing. Her beauty, regarded skeptically by those who see it as a seductive trap or danger, serves as a metaphor for the divine in earthly nature. Her healing and life-giving powers are reflected in the image of her garden, a sacred space where she carefully plants and nurtures all the world’s medicinal herbs. Some individuals, guided by her, have found this garden, learned which plants to harvest, and used them to heal themselves and their animals. Others have experienced her gentleness, her soothing songs, and her warm caress. These benevolent aspects persist, albeit in a more subdued form.
Professor and ethnologist Pamfil Bilțiu emphasizes that fear of the Forest Maiden parallels fear of the feminine—a force compared to nature’s uncontrollable might, storms, tempests, and the mysteries symbolized by the moon.
Cote’s visual video mapping on the Romanian Art Movement gallery building encapsulates this complexity of femininity, dressing the Forest Maiden in modern attire. Her wild intensity is camouflaged to allow her to step onto the pavement, cross the street, and venture into the urban landscape, spreading through the city’s matrix. The goal of the video-mapping event is to reaffirm the words of those interviewed, both villagers and ethnologists: “The Forest Maiden is within people now.” The effort seeks to keep her mythological image alive by adapting her essence to contemporary cultural contexts. The magical dimension is not exclusive to rural imagination; fantasy, the supernatural, and the extraordinary are just as present in urban consciousness, shaping fictional pasts and futures alike. Delving deeper, we uncover shared fears, beliefs, and superstitions between rural and urban worlds, revealing a common ground where these two spheres intersect.
The feminine mystery evoked by the Forest Maiden, through her traits borrowed from wild nature, takes on new meanings in the visual artist’s imagination. Her presence suggests humanity’s inherent wildness, reflecting the magical and mysterious dimension of reality.
Video-mapping visuals: COTE
Sound: TUDOR
Photography and video art: Mihai Barabancea
Event co-financed by the Ministry of Culture