A comprehensive study was made by (Miorița, 1964), compiling 538 examples of the ballad to illustrate, with additional fragments and variants. Miorița was identified as one of the four cornerstone myths used as theme in Romaniank folk poetry, according to the analysis of George Călinescu (1941). Although the poem may be seen as an exemplar traditional Christianity, i.e., turning the other cheek, Mircea Eliade sees "cosmic Christianity" at work, i.e., "the capacity to annul the apparently irremediable consequences of a tragic event by charging them with previously unsuspected values". Man's bond with Nature is emphasized: this "mystical solidarity" is what enables the shepherd to overcome his fate. This bond with Nature is also spoken in terms of the "cosmic marriage" or "mioritic marriage". Legacy The Miorița ballad is summarized and discussed by Mircea Eliade in Zalmoxis, The Vanishing God (1972), and plays a fundamental role in his novel The Forbidden Forest. The poem was quoted extensively by Patrick Leigh Fermor in his account of the second part of a journey on foot from Holland to Constantinople in 1933–34. He includes a partial translation of the poem which he refers to as "ramshackle but pretty accurate", which was completed during an extended stay in Eastern Romania before September 1939. The Miorița is often referred to in Marcus Sedgwick's novel My Swordhand is Singing (2006). Explanatory notes References Citations Bibliography (Translations) Newcombe, N. W., tr. "Miorița", pp. 272−277 in: Latham, Ernest H., Jr., tr. "Miorița— the most quintessentially Romanian ballad" in: —— tr., in: Margul-Sperber, Alfred (1967) "Miorița ("Little Ewe-Lamb")". Romanian Review 21, pp. 66–68 (Studies) ; Reprint (2021) External links Miorița - in English (translation by W. D. Snodgrass) Mioriţa - a vocal version, sung by Grigore Leșe (An .asf file) Romanian folk poetry Romanian mythology Fictional Romanian people