E Bukura e Dheut. The elements of Albanian mythology are of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Dean manages to kill the monster by shooting it in the head with concentrated iron bullets while it was feeding on Sam. When assuming the form of a child, the Drekavac predicts someonesdeath, while in its animal form, it predicts cattle disease. Depending on the culture, the appearance and abilities of the mythological creature may differ. Eventually, as you got a bigger picture, you would also notice her face disfigurement and possibly a cape that she tends to wear. Whenever vrykolakas saw people going to a church, it would loudly and openly mock the people of faith and on some occasions even throw rocks at them to emphasize his disapproval. The inhabitants of the Dukagjini Mountains believed that three types of Fates existed: e Bardha (The White One) distributes good luck and wishes humans well, e Verdha (The Yellow One) distributes bad luck and casts evil spells, and e Zeza (The Black One) who decides death. Walking out as a regular bug that cant fly would be too troublesome! I wont deep into their history, but what you need to know for context is that many Albians viewed, and even now many see the Turks as invaders who forced their language and religion on Albanians. Another famous vampire type is called lugat and it may also be called kukithi or liogat. [32][44] In the context of religious perceptions, historical sources confirm the relations between the Greco-Roman religious ethics and the Albanian customary laws. and I think Im going to have nightmares of Lamia, but this whole post was such a fun read. In particular an important role was played by the Theme of Dyrrhachium and the Archdiocese of Ohrid. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that has suffered with war greatly. The next vampire creature did not originate in Albania, but in Greece. And its not pretty. [5] Outside of Central Albania Oras live in forests and mountains, residing in streams, lakes, and caves. It facilitated the conversion process to the new Muslims and became the official order of the Janissaries. The Drekavac is translated literally as the screamerorthe screecher. Or it eats their food? The hard part is getting her to actually do it. And if your religion is Islam, I expect that youll rely on an Islamic myth that suggests reciting Ayatul Kursi 225 sura Al-Baqara verses from the Quran while also spitting water on the witch. As Mujo and Behuri duel, the Ora intervenes guiding Mujo to distract Behuri and use the poison dagger which the Ora had hidden on Behuri, to slay him. The next day, he told his masons about his dream. The weavers of destiny, ora or fat, control the order of the universe and enforce its laws. [51] Some Albanians living in the mountains, who were only partially affected by Romanization, probably sank back into the Classic Paganism. Zana e ujit, Nusja Shapulic, Cuca e Liqenit, Ksheta, me diell (by sun), me dh (by earth), me zjarr (by fire), me fush (by field), me gur/gur-rrufeje (by stone/thunder-stone), me hn (by moon), me mal (by mountain), me qiell (by sky), me uj (by water), me toks (by snake), Nxiri: all-seing eyes that look at humans from the ground following their movements everywhere, considered to be the sight of the living Earth, Ditt e Plaks (Old Woman's Days, a belief about the last cold days of winter), Angu (shapeless ghost who appears in dreams), Avullushe (spirits that suffocate people with their breath), akalloz (mighty being, slightly deranged hero), Dhevshtruesi (half human and half animal), Katravesh (the four-eared one, man-eating monster), Makth (nightmare ghost that suffocates people during sleep), Through ritual processions, dances and songs (, The Barefaced Man and the Pasha's Brother, The Tale of the Youth who Understood the Language of the Animals, The Daughter of the Moon and Sun (version with, The Daughter of the Moon and Sun (version with the king's son), Seven Spans of Beard and Three Spans of Body, Revenge Taken on Kastrati a Legend of the Triepshi Tribe, The Founding of the Hoti and Triepshi Tribes, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 21:57. ORA is a mythical figure of rare beauty, minded and always ready to act, to bring good and punishment to her environment and to the beings to which it relates. Islams God? Doesnt it want to be unnoticed? She did not die and re-emerged on a different isle. And did I mention that this strategy can only be implemented on Easter Sunday? These maidens would shape the life of every child that is born, appointing varying destinies to each similarly to the Ora. [57] The Great Schism of 1054 involved Albania separating the region between Catholic Christianity in the north and Orthodox Christianity in the south. [12], Albanian myths and legends are organized around the dichotomy of good and evil,[13] the most famous representation of which is the legendary battle between drangue and kulshedra,[14] a conflict that symbolises the cyclic return in the watery and chthonian world of death, accomplishing the cosmic renewal of rebirth. Speaking of spitting into someones mouth If you want to avoid that for your children, or any children, for that matter, youll be relieved to know that in some Albanian regions its common to say mashaallah to children and babies while also touching their noses. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. So you already know that a shtriga typically targets infants for some weird reason. Albanian scholars have published numerous collections of Albanian oral tradition, but only a small part of this material has been translated into other languages. When feeding it simply bites like any human would and then sucks blood from the wound. But her care and love for him was stronger than the storm, and she kept walking. Lexicon of Albanian Mythology: Areal Studies in the Polylingual Region of Azov Sea. Thank you for sharing. In addition to that, lugats ability to fly and use the wind assomething like invisible transportation measure appears in the stories not any less common. It may not be the first time you hear the word shtriga. But why is it infants that the wicked witch is after? In fact, according to the local lore, Shtriga can cure her victims by spitting in their mouths. [69] Folk tales, myths and legends have been orally transmitted down the generations and are still very much alive in the mountainous regions of Albania, Kosovo and western North Macedonia, among the Arbresh in Italy and the Arvanites in Greece.[20][70]. However, I wouldnt rule out the possibility of sexual attraction. According to Northern Albanian folklore, a woman is not born a witch; she becomes one, often because she is childless or made evil by envy. [54] In 726 Leo III established de jure the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over the Balkans, as the Church and the State established an institution. Youll need to make a cross from pig bone and then make sure its placed at the entrance of a church. Baba. Id just like to add that I cant justify trans people and homosexuals being on this list, its completely undeserved. I would advise you to be careful, though. A shtriga ( Albanian: shtrig) is a vampiric witch in Albanian mythology and folklore that sucks the blood of infants at night while they sleep, and then turns into a flying insect (traditionally a moth, fly or bee ). Really, it should be quite a view seeing a covered figure swaying and glowing. Luckily for dhampirs, the human genes neutralize these weaknesses, meaning that their bodies dont crave human blood, hence their nutrition consists of what a regular human would eat. albanian mythological creatures TikTok : GOSHI (@nitidaddy), user7153001266706(@ulqinarmarine), BaboBitter(@babobitter), GOSHI (@nitidaddy), Imp(@imperium_populorum . They usually live in hidden places in the forest and have supernatural powers. But thats not all. Here is our assortment of Balkan folklore and mythical beings. To kill a sampiro, you need to stake it in the heart. "[59] In Ottoman times education in the Albanian language was forbidden. I think you already know the answer and you can thank Hollywood for that. Thats right, the one that lugat feeds from can become tainted by its own desire to feed off other people. Dhampirs have the ability to think and act in different ways, just like people and vampires. Afraid of Zukus strength, his mother offers to blind her son. The kulshedra or kuedra is a water, storm, fire and chthonic demon in Albanian mythology and folklore, usually described as a huge multi-headed female serpentine dragon. This game involved building walls around her body. [62][63][64] Bektashism is a Muslim dervish order (tariqat) thought to have originated in the 13th century in a frontier region of Anatolia, where Christianity, Islam and paganism coexisted, allowing the incorporation of comparable pagan and non-Muslim beliefs into popular Islam. The Balkan region is home to many captivating legends and mythical creatures. Shpiragm put up a good flight and hit Tomorr with his club leaving lasting damage. Traditionally sung in the far north of Albania,[13] Albanian oral literature has preserved many archaic elements, revealing traces of Greco-Roman mythology within, including the mythical Ora. Prince Radu the Black dreamed of building the most striking monastery in Romania. [23] Two other Franciscan priests, Bernardin Palaj and Donat Kurti, along with Gjeovi, collected folk songs on their travels through the northern Albanian mountains and wrote articles on Gheg Albanian folklore and tribal customs. He is visualised as a wise but strong old man with a full, white beard. His folklore material was republished in his Albanesische Studien (Albanian Studies). Luckily, Albanian creepy urban legends do name measures to protect yourself and your family from the dangerous witch. Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained. Vrykolakas would find someone who is asleep and then crush and suffocate them by sitting on them. And yes, vampire hunters were a thing in Greece and likely in Albania too. Any kind of partnerships and even a simple interaction could turn Albanians into vampires. Miren, another name used for them, derives from the Greek Moirae . Ooooh spooky! Another mentioned way to cure people of shtrigas touch is by getting her to die. In despair one night, Manole had a dream. And maybe its just me because as a kid I used to cry often, but why would parents want to scare their children into not crying? They bound all his wounds and healed all of his ailments. The three Ora then seek the help of Mujo to seek revenge on Paji. A common feature appearing in these songs is the desire for fame and glory, which is related to the courage of a person. . [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. Im on my way to the Realm of the Christians. Albanian folk beliefs (Albanian: Besimet folklorike shqiptare) and mythological stories comprise the beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. Although labeled as a vampiric witch, shtriga has a lot of resemblance to a boogeyman. [24] Throughout Albania people would wear many types of charms to ward off the evil oras and devils. The shtriga is often pictured as a woman with a hateful stare (sometimes wearing a cape) and a horribly disfigured face. But yeah This one really gave me the creeps, even without a detailed description. But Albania actually has 3 boogeymen that are categorized as such. I suppose it would be useful to know in what context Albanians use Lubias name, but I didnt come across any contextual use. Some of these stories actually scared me a little!! However, this particular vampire is also known for making its hunting process quite theatrical. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". And honestly, people are guessing, but no one really knows for sure why this vampire includes the kissing sounds in all of this. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Baba Tomorri has taken a fine-looking bride, Earthly Beauty. Other Indo-European scholars who collected Albanian folklore material were German linguists Gustav Weigand and August Leskien. The two main categories of Albanian mythology are factual stories and transformation tales. A shtriga was featured in the Lost Girl episode "Follow the Yellow Trick Road." Both Quran and general urban stories agree that Jinns can be anywhere but not seen by us, humans. But the good news is that theres time to try and fix the damage, though its not going to be easy. Obviously, there is a good reason why sampiros eyes are the only thing that is not all covered up. 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. And thats something we need to know in case we come across the creature! Yes, these stories are found all across the Balkans. And yes, its a huge generalization once again, but in this particular case it also involves bad blood between Albania and the Turkish Ottoman Empire or the modern day Turkey. And although all of this is very extreme, the older generations of Albanians saw it as a means to an end when it came to teaching the future generations a lesson of being careful around the Turks. 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. They appear also on later funerary monuments, including the medieval tombstones (steci) in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the burial monuments used until recently in northern Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, southern Serbia and northern North Macedonia. 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