Albanian folklore
Encyclopedia
Albanian mythology comprises myths
and legends of the Albanians
. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan.
Albania
n myths can be divided into two major groups: legends of metamorphosis and historical legends.
Many of the characters of the Albanian mythology are included in the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
, the traditional cycle of Albanian
epic songs. In various tales there is a certain degree of Greek and Latin
influence, some mythological figures derive from Greek mythology
.
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and legends of the Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan.
Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
n myths can be divided into two major groups: legends of metamorphosis and historical legends.
Many of the characters of the Albanian mythology are included in the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors are part of the traditional cycle of the Albanian epic songs. They took their definite form in 17th and 18th century and were orally transmitted by the Albanian bards. The songs were first time recorded in written form in the first decades of the 20th...
, the traditional cycle of Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
epic songs. In various tales there is a certain degree of Greek and Latin
Classical mythology
Classical mythology or Greco-Roman mythology is the cultural reception of myths from the ancient Greeks and Romans. Along with philosophy and political thought, mythology represents one of the major survivals of classical antiquity throughout later Western culture.Classical mythology has provided...
influence, some mythological figures derive from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.
List of legends, myths, ballads, and characters
Some of the best known legends, concepts, ballads, songs and/or characters of Albanian mythology are:- BesaBesa (Albanian culture)Besa is an Albanian cultural precept, usually translated as "faith", that means "to keep the promise" and "word of honor". The word's origin can be traced to the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, a collection of Albanian traditional customs and cultural practices. Besa is an important part of personal and...
- BollaBollaBolla , is a type of serpentic dragon with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs and small wings in ancient Albanian folklore. This dragon sleeps throughout the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where its faceted silver eyes peer into the world. The Bolla does this until it sees...
- Bajloz or Katallan (giantGiant (mythology)The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
) - Constantin and DoruntineConstantin and DoruntinëConstantin and Doruntine , or Constantin's Besa , is an Albanian ballad and legend. It is also narrated in a prose versionThe legend has been narrated also:...
- DhampirDhampirA Dhampir in Balkan folklore is the child of a vampire father and a human mother. The term is sometimes spelled dhampyre, dhamphir, or dhampyr. Dhampir powers are similar to those of vampires, but without the usual weaknesses...
- DjallDjallAn Albanian god of evil and death. In modern Albania Djall is the name of the Devil. He is also called Dreq from the Latin draco ....
(devilDevilThe Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
) - DrangueDrangueIn Albanian mythology, the drangue is a semi-human winged warrior. The goal of the drangue is to defeat the kulshedras and the enemies of the Albanian people.- Appearance :...
- E bija e Henës dhe e Diellit
- E Bukura e DheutE Bukura e DheutE Bukura e Dheut is a character in Albanian folklore, a crafty fairy . Her sisters are E Bukura e Detit and E Bukura e Qiellit .E Bukura e Dheut is beauty itself, golden-haired, but may also appear in the form of an arap with black skin...
- E Bukura e Detit
- E Bukura e Qiellit
- Gjergj Elez AliaGjergj Elez AliaGjergj Elez Alia is popular legendary hero of poetry and literature in Bosnia and Albania. Muslims from Bosnian Krajina modeled the poetic image of Djerzelez Alija after the image of Christian Prince Marko, based on the historic person Ali Bey Mihaloğlu...
- Gjysmagjeli
- Gogol (monster)
- Kacamisri (similar to Tom ThumbTom ThumbTom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621, and has the distinction of being the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a...
) - Karkanxhol (werewolfWerewolfA werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
) - Keshete (naiadNaiadIn Greek mythology, the Naiads or Naiades were a type of nymph who presided over fountains, wells, springs, streams, and brooks....
) - Kreshniku
- KukudhiKukudhiIn Albanian belief, the kukudhi is the final stage in the transformation of a vampire. It is basically the perfect vampire. It takes 30 years from the start to the finish of this transformation. During this time kukudhi grows in strength, shape, and vampiric powers...
- KuçedraBollaBolla , is a type of serpentic dragon with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs and small wings in ancient Albanian folklore. This dragon sleeps throughout the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where its faceted silver eyes peer into the world. The Bolla does this until it sees...
- Lugat (Liogat)
- Lubi (ChimeraChimera (mythology)The Chimera or Chimaera was, according to Greek mythology, a monstrous fire-breathing female creature of Lycia in Asia Minor, composed of the parts of multiple animals: upon the body of a lioness with a tail that ended in a snake's head, the head of a goat arose on her back at the center of her...
) - Nuse mali (Nymph of the Mountain)
- PerendiPerendiIn Albanian, Perëndi is a word for God and the sky, especially invoked in incantations and songs praying for rain. It might be derived from perëndoj "to set ", which might be borrowed from Latin parentare "to bring a sacrifice , to satisfy" or Latin imperantem "ruling" In Albanian, Perëndi is a...
- PrendePrendePrende was a goddess of love in the Albanian folklore. She was the wife of Perendi and referred to in Albanian legends as zoja e bukuris , while her sacred day was Friday....
- Princess ArgjiroPrincess ArgjiroThe Princess Argjiro is a legendary figure in the Albanian mythology of whom Ismail Kadare wrote a poem in the 1960s. According to ethnograph and historian Fotaq Andrea, the legendary figure was placed in the 15th century as a woman, who, along with her child, threw herself from the Gjirokastër...
- RozafatiRozafatiRozafa castle is a castle near the city of Shkodër, in northwestern Albania. It rises imposingly on a rocky hill, 130 metres above sea level, surrounded by the Buna and Drini rivers...
- ShtojzovalleShtojzovalleIn Albanian mythology, the shtojzovalle, also known as shtojzorreshta, shtozote and xhinde is a small creature with supernatural powers and of extraordinary beauty...
(sylphSylphSylph is a mythological creature in the Western tradition. The term originates in Paracelsus, who describes sylphs as invisible beings of the air, his elementals of air...
) - ShtrigaShtrigaThe Shtriga , in Albanian folklore, was a vampiric witch that would suck the blood of infants at night while they slept, and would then turn into a flying insect...
- Shurdhi
- The Tale of the EagleThe Tale of the EagleThe Tale of the Eagle is an Albanian folk tale that explains how Albania and Albanians received their indigenous name:A youth was hunting in the mountains. An eagle flying above him alighted on top of a crag. The eagle was especially large and had a snake in its beak. After a while, the eagle flew...
- TomorTomorTomor is the father of gods and humans in the Albanian mythology. Baba Tomor is seen as an old man with a long white beard flowing down to his belt. The deity of Tomor is of Illyrian origin. He is accompanied by two female eagles and the winds are his servants. His consort was a mysterious goddess...
- Thopc (gnomeGnomeA gnome is a diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature...
) - VerbtiVerbtiVerbti is a deity of storm and fire in northern Albanian mythology. His name means "the blind one". He was also known as Shën Verbti or, in some parts of Albania, as Rmoria....
- Ymer Agë Ulqini
- Zana e malitZana e malitThe zana e malit is an Albanian mythological creature , zana , or zanë of pre-Roman Paleo-Balkan origin...
(Mountain Fairy)
Further reading
- Robert ElsieRobert ElsieRobert Elsie is a scholar who specializes in Albanian literature and folklore.- Life :Born on June 29, 1950 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Elsie studied at the University of British Columbia, graduating in 1972 with a diploma in Classical Studies and Linguistics...
(1994). Albanian Folktales and Legends. Naim Frasheri. - Martin Mato "New View on old Text" in newspaper Albanian Daily NewsAlbanian Daily NewsAlbania Today is an English language newspaper published in Albania....
, f 10 30 Nov. 1996, Tiranë