The good news is that it can be killed. Songs of the Frontier Warriors described by Robert Elsie as one of the best-known cycles of Albanian epic verse.[14] The earliest written account of the epic was in Northern Albania in the early twentieth century, by Franciscan priests located in the mountains. This list may not reflect recent changes . [5] Outside of Central Albania Oras live in forests and mountains, residing in streams, lakes, and caves. Unlike with a female shtriga, however, we dont really get an explanation of how men turn into shtrigu. As soon as the creature chooses a food source in the foggy streets, it will immediately proceed to follow this person. However, I couldnt be more wrong. In particular an important role was played by the Theme of Dyrrhachium and the Archdiocese of Ohrid. In this case, one of the most famous Albanian mythology creatures, sampiro, is no different. Be it for their food, or to murder them. Mount Tomorr is a mountain range in central Albania. But thats not all. Lets just assume that you can choose one yourself. and I think Im going to have nightmares of Lamia, but this whole post was such a fun read. When exploring the area, it seems there is a story behind almost every building, mountain or village. But why is it infants that the wicked witch is after? Category:Albanian legendary creatures Help Pages in category "Albanian legendary creatures" The following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total. In fact, it is said that women who submit to envy and for some reason dont bear children are the ones who turn into shtrigas. But what bothers me is the part of scaring children into not crying. Also according to Church documents, the territories that coincide with the present-day Albanian-speaking compact area had remained under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome and used Latin as official language at least until the first half of the 8th century. Drop a comment in the box, wed love to hear from you! [20], The Albanian National Awakening (Rilindja) gave rise to collections of folklore material in Albania in the second half of the 19th century. [11], From Albanian literature translated by Robert Elsie -. [10] A widespread folk symbol is the serpent, a totem of the Albanians associated with earth, water, sun, hearth and ancestor cults, as well as destiny, good fortune and fertility. Children may have a coin tied to their forehead, or blue glass beads could be attached to the hair of both children and horses. It would be wrapped with a silver medal of St. George, then blessed by a priest - providing protection against the evil Oras and devils when worn.[24]. Very long! But, one by one, they all plummeted to the ground and died. [4], In Catholic legend, it is said that shtriga can be destroyed using holy water with a cross in it,[5] and in Islamic myth it is said that shtriga can be sent away or killed by reciting verses from the Qur'an, specifically Ayatul Kursi 255 sura Al-Baqara, and spitting water on the shtriga. female eagles and the winds are his servants. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Surrounding him are four long-beaked, female eagles. When she enters peoples home, she goes straight for a sleeping infant, sucks its blood, and then turns into an insect. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Like most things about vrykolakas, the death part has multiple versions of what can actually end the vampire. They also have the tail of a snake, golden wings and incredible physical strength. Next, the second sister died, and the youngest, Rosa, bricked up her window too. The birthing sow became to be a bad omen due to a prophecy, so the people of the isle chased her until she ran into the waters. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. And its not pretty. A Albanian folk beliefs Kng Kreshniksh C Constantin and Doruntin Culture of Dean D Djall E E Bukura e Dheut E Bukura e Qiellit En (deity) J Jinn L Thanks for sticking to the end, I hope you enjoyed the Albanian creepy legends and Albanian mythology creatures so far! Hold on, this is going to be *very* different. As you now know, this lugat vampire is a tricky one. [34] Albanian folk beliefs and mythology also retained the typical Indo-European tradition of the deities located on the highest and most inaccessible mountains (Mount Tomor),[35] the sky, lightning, weather and fire deities (Zojz, Perndi, Shurdh, Verbt, En, Vatr, Nna e Vatrs),[36][37] the "Daughter of the Sun and Moon" legend (E Bija e Hns dhe e Diellit),[38] the "serpent-slaying" and "fire in water" myths (Drangue and Kulshedra), the Fates and Destiny goddesses (Zana, Ora, Fat, Mira)[39] the Divine twins (Muji and Halili),[40][41] and the guard of the gates of the Underworld (the three-headed dog who never sleeps). [42], Albanian folklore traces back to Paleo-Balkan mythology including a substrate of Illyrian religion. The Eastern Church expanded its influence in the area along with the social and political developments. I know that if I was a kid and saw a giant, Id do the opposite. Very straightforward. If you happen to be Catholic, you may find holy water and a cross (a regular one, not made of pig bone!) These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. : or/t) is an Albanian mythological figure that every human possesses from birth, associated with human destiny and fate. Their stare would make people uncomfortable, and people were supposed to avoid looking them directly in the eyes because they have the evil eye (Albanian: syliga). The Albanian terms for "hero" are trim (female: trimnesh), kreshnik or hero (female: heroin). As you know, sampiro shows up during the night, especially if its a foggy night to add some special effects. These would travel high into the clouds and even change into creepy, dark figures. [4], The Ora reside towards the north of the Drin River in Northern Albania. All we have is that Buba is some kind of a serpentine monster. To ward off a witch, people could take a pinch of salt in their fingers and touch their (closed) eyes, mouth, heart and the opposite part of the heart and the pit of the stomach and then throw the salt in direct flames saying "syt i dalin syt i plain" or just whisper 36 times "syt i dalin syt i plain" or "plast syri keq.". It facilitated the conversion process to the new Muslims and became the official order of the Janissaries. [20] A substantial contribution in this direction has been made by the Albanologist Robert Elsie. You wont be able to avoid it when you visit. Youll need to make a cross from pig bone and then make sure its placed at the entrance of a church. 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. Miren, another name used for them, derives from the Greek Moirae . [4] Albanian folk tales and legends have been orally transmitted down the generations and are still very much alive in the mountainous regions of Albania, Kosovo, western North Macedonia, lands formerly inhabited by Albanians like Montenegro and South Serbia and among the Arbresh in Italy and the Arvanites in Greece. Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained. Im on my way to the Realm of the Christians. Dean manages to kill the monster by shooting it in the head with concentrated iron bullets while it was feeding on Sam. The earliest church lexicon is mainly of Late Latin or Ecclesiastical Latin origin and, to a large extent, of native origin, which leads to the conclusion that the Christianisation of the Albanians occurred under the Latin-based liturgy and ecclesiastical order of the Holy See. Of the three sea facing windows, only the one belonging to the youngest sister remained. [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. They hoisted the hero and got him up standing. So we have a little bit of background now, but every good storyteller knows that a story needs a face. It seems that in Albania the legends of this particular vampire, vrykolakas, werent really reinvented or changed, so what Im about to tell you is the Greek version of vrykolakas that is applied in Albania too. Kind of like a drunk sexual predator. Its all part of the fun of exploring this amazing, unusual part of the world. Fun facts! But yeah This one really gave me the creeps, even without a detailed description. Or it eats their food? A figure from northern Albanian mythology, the name comes from the Albanian word for 'steam' and refers to a spirit-like creature that can suffocate humans with their breath. [26] Albanian folk songs and tales were recorded by the Austrian consul in Janina, Johann Georg von Hahn, who travelled throughout Albania and the Balkans in the middle of the 19th century and in 1854 he published Albanesische Studien (Albanian Studies). Who knows. The elements of Albanian mythology are of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Also, he claimed that dhampirs can also be identified as such if their bodies are boneless, which also shows in their movement. More than anything, its was the most common belief that all Turks turn into sampiro. Surprisingly, they agreed and decided that the first wife to bring lunch for her husband should be the one to be encased into the walls of the monastery. Gogol is a horrifying and scary-looking giant, though we dont have details about what is so scary about him, other than his size. It starts as an illness and it begins to progress, eventually ending with death. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Halili Avenges Mujo), translated by Robert Elsie . During the day, Earthly Beauty spends time with her sister, Sea Beauty, and in the evening the wind returns her to Baba Tomorri. If you follow my work closely, you probably noticed how often I say this: every creepy urban myth and legend has a deeper meaning. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Naturally, for that same reason children are warned to stay away from the wells. Amongst the creatures that the Henwen gave birth to were a bee, a piglet, a wolf cub and an eagle. The male noun for shtriga is shtrigu or shtrigan. From 1848 he served as interpreter to French consul in Shkodra, Louis Hyacinthe Hcquard, who was very interested in, and decided to prepare a book on, northern Albanian folklore. From the second half of the 20th century much research has been done by the Academy of Albanological Studies of Tirana and by the Albanological Institute of Prishtina. Turns out that dhampirs can even enjoy the sunlight the same way a human would as opposed to the way a vampire would not. If theres anything lugat is known for in Albania, its its preference to live in wells, caves, and anything else that keeps it away from the daylight and shields it with darkness. while sleeping" are very widespread among the Balkan peoples. To kill a sampiro, you need to stake it in the heart. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But still, even being a shapeshifting vampire, lugat does have behavioral patterns. Zanas are depicted as mountain fairies, and similarly to the Ora, live near springs within the highlands of Northern Albania. Baba Tomorri has inflicted many wounds on the face of Shirag which can still be seen today. 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. Yes, you read that right. The Ora (Albanian: or, definite form: ora, pl. After WW2, rumours circulated about chilling apparitions which were named Prepasti. But there are also those who have certainpreferences. For a cover? the Bolla dragon. Having said that, she is also known to be a bloodthirsty baddy who slithers through the night, searching for children to consume. Circulated about chilling apparitions which were named Prepasti a giant, Id do the opposite by the of! Window too the Theme of Dyrrhachium and the Archdiocese of Ohrid Im going to be * *... Progress, eventually ending with death infants that the wicked witch is after a comment in the with... For `` hero '' are trim ( female: trimnesh ), translated Robert... 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