The Neamt Mountains, a name that became famous through the writings of Calistrat Hogas, are largely the ancient land of Neamt, the one mentioned in Nestor's Russian chronicle. The oldest in Moldova. There are mountains from the central group of the Eastern Carpathians: Ceahlaul, Bistritei, Stanisoarei, Tarcau and part of Hasmasul Mare. It is the area where most monasteries and hermitages in Europe are calculated per km2. It is a land with many spiritual itineraries: mythology and Christianity.
Traditions and stories about the hermitages and monasteries in the area will not be missing from our book. Many of them begin their writings with ancient traditions that have passed through the centuries. In our mountains, history is intertwined with legend.
There will be stories with rulers, ladies, outlaws, Dacian heroes of Burebista and Decebalus, with many fantastic beings: devils, undead, witches, iele, fairies, God and Saint Peter. Undoubtedly, among the mountains of Neamt, the best known is Ceahlaul. It is the highest mountain in Neamt and also in Moldova.
It is the most sung mountain in popular literature, but also cultured, from Cantemir and Asachi to Adrian Paunescu and Ioan Alexandru. From Russo and Alecsandri who collected legends from sheepfold fires, from hunters, shepherds and fiddlers to Hogas, Constantin Turcu, Constantin and Elena Matasa. Most of the stories are from Mount Ceahlau.
There are also stories from Grinties, from Farcasa and Borca, from Poiana Largului and Hangu, from Pipirig, Vanatori and Cracaoani, from Tasca and Bicaz. Some have been known by great writers, others are little known or even unpublished.
I also attached verse legends: they belong to the teachers Constantin Andras and Gheorghe Balta. The first from Bistricioara, the second from Buhalnita, two people with troubled existences, two lovers of mountains and folklore.
The image component is one that we could not ignore. It belongs to Professor Traian Stanciu from Bicaz (died in 2016), to Dimitrie Iavorschi from Grinties and, to a lesser extent, to Costel Cojocaru from Ceahlau.