[59] Since its founding in 1912, Albania has been a secular state, becoming atheist during the Communist regime, and returning secular after the fall of the regime. Follow Dark Scope on social media for the updates! [56] In a text compiled around the beginning of the 11th century in the Old Bulgarian language, the Albanians are mentioned for the first time with their old ethnonym Arbanasi as half-believers, a term which for Eastern Orthodox Christian Bulgarians meant Catholic Christian. Lets just hope you never meet it and dont become its sustainable source of blood. By some accounts, her form is repulsive. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Very straightforward. The Albanian terms for "hero" are trim (female: trimnesh), kreshnik or hero (female: heroin). As for lugats target, generally it could be anyone, although mostly its children. Thank you so much for sharing! One then strolled near him and spoke to him, saying: The oras we are of the great earthly hero. Note that the parent vampire is not a dhampir, but a 100% vampire. Among the main bodies of Albanian folk poetry are the Kng Kreshniksh ("Songs of Heroes"), the traditional non-historical cycle of Albanian epic songs, based on the cult of the legendary hero. [26] Durhams studies within Albania reveal that no man has ventured within the cavern for many years. God bestowed it upon me to come to my assistance., Within Albanian folklore it was believed every person was assigned an Ora at birth, for there were as many Ora as there were humans. : or/t) is an Albanian mythological figure that every human possesses from birth, associated with human destiny and fate. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Zuku Bajraktar), translated by Robert Elsie , And make your eyes as you once had them., Syri i Keq is one of the curses of Albania; the Evil Eye. Revealed are the tales and adventures of warrior Gjeto Basho Mujo and his brother Sokol as they travel through what is now Albania. [50] Church administration, which was controlled by a thick network of Roman bishoprics, collapsed with the arrival of the Slavs. As you can see, the Northern Albanian folklore only mentions women as potential shtrigas, but other sources of Albanian mythology creatures dont exclude men from thisopportunity. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in a relative isolated tribal culture and society,[4] and although several changes occurred in the Albanian belief system, an ancient substratum of pre-Christian beliefs has survived until today. Some scarier than others. Albanian creepy urban legends will have 2 parts with a focus on Albanian mythology creatures. Yet another similarity between lugat and sampiro is that lugat also tends to getattached to its victims and prefers to feed off the same one for as long as it can. The same motifs were kept with identical cultural-religious symbolism on various monuments of the early medieval culture of the Albanians. As a matter of fact, there is only one way and it is by using a wolf, as it is the only creature that can do harm to lugat. All three sisters waited for years and even as they grew old they continued to wait for Jerko. [2] Albanian Mythology. [28], The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. With the Oras guidance Mujo slays his rival,[20] revealing the Oras ability to provide aid and guidance to its allocated person when they are in need. Its time to meet some of North Macedonias mythical creatures! [2] Baron Franz Nopcsa related the term Ora to the ancient Greek Oreads, nymphs of the mountains. :B. Amazing post! On the other hand, some people strongly believe that shtriga can be killed when she is caughtfeeding. If a silver coin were to be soaked in that blood and wrapped in cloth, it would become an amulet offering permanent protection from any shtriga. [15] The characters in Albanian tales, legends and myths include humans, deities, demigods, monsters, as well as supernatural beings in the shapes of men, animals and plants. Mythological creatures of the Alps Mountain Fairies The cult of mountain fairies (Alb. The zana e malit is an Albanian mythological creature (Albanian: Zane or Zre in southern Albania)("fairy of the mountain" in English), zana (as a definite noun), or zan (plural) of pre-Roman Paleo-Balkan origin. But her care and love for him was stronger than the storm, and she kept walking. More specifically, the Albanian word for shtriga is shtrig, the Polish version is strzyga, in Romanian its strig, and Italian is strega. Alphabetical entries shed light on blood feuding, figures of Albanian mythology, religious beliefs, communities, and sects, calendar feasts and rituals, and popular superstitions, as well as birth, marriage, and funeral . Naturally, every country has its own version of the word, though its easy to tell that they are referring to the same creature. Albanian Mythology Creatures: Vampires and Dhampirs Dhampirs are a widely-spread subject in Balkan folklore, which includes Albania, today's subject. The next vampire creature did not originate in Albania, but in Greece. Zmey are specifically attracted to female beauty and have been rumoured to capture young maidens and take them to their remote lairs. Her favorite target is infants and she typically hunts during the night when infants (and their parents, for that matter) are sleeping. I could go on for days on what can turn you into a vrykolakas. The two titans eventually killed one another and poor Earthly Beauty drowned in her tears, which became the Osum River. But yeah, its that simple. And you wouldnt be wrong for seeking that because of what in Albanian is called syliga. We have chosen some of the best ones from each country to create a collection of traditional tales and bloodcurdling creatures. So if youre a fan of all things vampire, you wont be surprised to read that the general Balkan stories, and hence Albanian stories, imply that the regular vampires are not just thirsty for blood, but women too. The Vitore is often depicted as a golden horned serpent that would provide protection and bring good luck to the family of the house it resides in.[4]. SHE SEEMD, AT ONCE, SOME PENANCED LADY ELF, SOME DEMONS MISTRESS, OR THE DEMONS OWN SELF. A Lamiais a creature said to be half woman, half serpent. If you watch South Park, you may feel a deja vu as you read the part with the nickname, as Cartman from South Park has assigned this exact nickname to people with red hair who can walk in the sunlight without being scared of its effects on them. But thats not all. Turns out that dhampirs can even enjoy the sunlight the same way a human would as opposed to the way a vampire would not. In Albania, Romania and Hungary, some people believe that if a snake lives long enough and is not seen by a human, it will eventually turn into a dragon. So worst-case scenario, you were chosen by sampiro. The Drekavac really gives me the creeps! [2] [1] The kulshedra is believed to spit fire, cause drought, storms, flooding, earthquakes and other natural disasters against mankind. But Im getting ahead of myself. Prepasti often manifested in places where the soldier had lost a body part. Many of the characters of the Albanian mythology are included in the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors ( Albanian : Kng Kreshniksh or Cikli i Kreshnikve ), the traditional cycle of Albanian epic songs. I mean, it would make more sense if it was the evil nose, but fair enough. Their name derives from Fate. It has to be one with wings, typically either a fly, a bee, or a moth. Kind of like a drunk sexual predator. Thanks Jenny. Serbia - Bauk is an animal-like mythical creature in Serbian mythology. Fatit. According to Maximilian Lambertz (1882-1963), he is the relic of an ancient Illyrian god. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So we have a little bit of background now, but every good storyteller knows that a story needs a face. One must never disturb a snake, even if its found within a babys cradle as it is the ora that belongs to the house and the baby. Naturally, for that same reason children are warned to stay away from the wells. I love these stories! Danish Indo-Europeanist and professor at the University of Copenhagen, Holger Pedersen, visited Albania in 1893 to learn the language and to gather linguistic material. I dont think there has been a building constructed without some sort of tale behind it! Can you see that Ora, standing at my bedside? the albanian history. Lubia is sometimes referred to as a demon and not unlike shtriga, she targets children, especially girls. Youll need to make a cross from pig bone and then make sure its placed at the entrance of a church. How can you fight back? Albanian stories, in particular, tell us that dhampirs can be recognized by their black or messy and untamed hair. Thanks for sticking to the end, I hope you enjoyed the Albanian creepy legends and Albanian mythology creatures so far! The Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture makes available for the first time a wealth of knowledge about Albanian popular belief and folk customs. [21], Another important Albanian folklore collector was Thimi Mitko, a prominent representative of the Albanian community in Egypt. Turns out that not only can lugats bite cause mental and spiritual distress, but it can also lead to the victim becoming the predator. This is a method that, according to Albanian urban legends, can protect you from the evil eye of shtriga. [20] A substantial contribution in this direction has been made by the Albanologist Robert Elsie. Great was the rage that the shkja felt for Mujo! Some of the best Balkan Folklore comes from Albania. Neighbours of Albania Montenegro Kosovo North Macedonia Greece Questions & Answers Who is the national founder of Albania? [58], Islam was first introduced to Albania in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of the area. And did I mention that this strategy can only be implemented on Easter Sunday? I think Ill try found out more about this. There are no known explanations why, but one could assume that female vampires are either not attracted to mortals or simply do not possess a sexual appetite as vast as the males do. [67][3][68] Ancient paganism persisted among Albanians, and within the inaccessible and deep interior it has continued to persist, or at most it was partially transformed by the Christian, Muslim and Marxist beliefs that were either to be introduced by choice or imposed by force. Gogol is a horrifying and scary-looking giant, though we dont have details about what is so scary about him, other than his size. [1] [2] Often depicted as three female deities, the Ora "maintain the order of the universe and enforce its laws" [3] - "organising the appearance of humankind." [4] However, I couldnt be more wrong. The German linguist and professor at the University of Graz, Gustav Meyer, published in 1884 fourteen Albanian tales in Albanische Mrchen (Albanian Tales), and a selection of Tosk tales in the 1888 Albanian grammar (1888). The three fates of Greek Mythology, the Moirai, are represented similarly to the Ora as three goddesses who determine human destiny. Even if vrykolakas has no intention of killing people, it still has a pattern of visiting their home when theyre asleep to eat all of their food and drink all of their wine. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". : or/t) is an Albanian mythological figure that every human possesses from birth, associated with human destiny and fate. Yes, you read that right. The folklorist Giuseppe Pitr published in 1875 a selection of Albanian folk tales from Sicily in Fiabe, novelle e racconti popolari siciliani (Sicilian Fables, Short Stories and Folk Tales). [2] Albert Doja refers to the studies of Maximilian Lambertz, revealing that the faces of the Oras change depending on the degree of happiness they bestow upon the newborn child. People who were in the sampiro list included liars, thieves, petty criminals in general, trans people and homosexuals, as well as people whowere too much into animals (if you know what I mean), and those who would frequent sex workers. Shefit Koboci Afrdita Armati Bardha Bindusi Bolla Baloz (monster) Constantin and Doruntin Since infants had only started their existence, they presumably have the most of life force. Unlike sampiro, however, lugat leaves its victims to deal with very serious consequences. Albanian folk tales were first recorded in the middle of the nineteenth century by European scholars such as Johann Georg von Hahn, the Austrian consul in Janina (Ioannina), Karl H. Reinhold and Giuseppe Pitr. Folk beliefs of the Southern Tosk Albanians reveal similar Albanian mythological figures of fate and destiny, the Mirai and Fatia. Now all you need to do is pick the one you like the best! The two main categories of Albanian mythology are factual stories and transformation tales. He compiled his collection with Spiro Risto Dine who emigrated to Egypt in 1866. Syliga basically refers to the evil eye that can unleash a storm of bad luck. Foreign scholars first provided Europe with Albanian folklore in the second half of the 19th century, and thus set the beginning for the scholarly study of Albanian oral tradition. All the children it attacked return to normal. But going back specifically to the Albanian version of shtriga, there is one particular characteristic of shtriga that caught my attention. How else would it hunt, right? 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