Wikipedia
Zână (plural zâne; zînă and zîne, d̦ână and d̦âne in old spellings) is the Romanian equivalent of the Greek Charites or fairy Godmother. They are the opposite of monsters like Muma Pădurii. These characters make positive appearances in fairy tales and reside mostly in the woods. They can also be considered the Romanian equivalent of fairies and of the Germanic Elf.
They give life to fetuses in utero and bestow upon them great gifts like the art of dancing, beauty, kindness, and luck. In folk tales, it is told not to upset them because they also have the power to do bad things or put a curse on the wrongdoer. They also act like guardian angels, especially for children who enter the woods, or for other good people.
The word zână comes from the Roman goddess Diana (as does Astur-Leonese xana). She is the one who has all the beauty, and is the one that gives it away.
Zână is also used in current Romanian slang to refer to an attractive girl, though it is not necessarily the kindest way to do so.
Zana may refer to:
- Mythological figure
- Zână, a female mythological figure in Romanian mythology
- Zână, an Illyrian name meaning fairy
- Zana e malit, an Albanian mythological creature
- Zana is a Kurdish word meaning wise, knowing, learned, or astute. Zana is a neutral name for both male and female in Kurdish.
- Zana (band), a Serbian music group
- Zambian News Agency, the official Zambian news agency
- "Zana", an Abkhazian "wild-woman" believed by some people to have been a relict hominid; see Almas (cryptozoology)
Zana is a Serbian pop group from Belgrade.
Formed in 1979 by guitarist Radovan Jovićević, keyboardist Zoran Živanović and vocalist Zana Nimani, Zana's first releases saw large mainstream popularity. Until the mid-1980s the band had moved from their initial new wave and synthpop sound towards pop rock. After the departure of Zana Nimani in 1984, Jovićević and Živanović continued to lead the band, changing several vocalists. During the 1990s, Zana worked as a trio consisting of Jovićević, Živanović and vocalist Jelena Galonić, moving towards pop and away from Serbian rock scene. In 1999, Jovićević left the group, leaving Živanović and Galonić as the only official members of Zana, the two moving towards pop-folk sound. In the 2010s, Živanović and Galonić formed a new lineup, making a return to rock format.