In fact, according to the local lore, Shtriga can cure her victims by spitting in their mouths. Jerko, from Herceg Novi, could not choose between the sisters and, instead, he set off on a long sea voyage which he hoped would make the decision easier. These relations can be seen during the rule of the Illyrian emperors, such as Aurelian who introduced the cult of the Sun; Diocletian who stabilized the empire and ensured its continuation through the institution of the Tetrarchy; Constantine the Great who issued the Edict of Toleration for the Christianized population and who summoned the First Council of Nicaea involving many clercs from Illyricum; Justinian who issued the Corpus Juris Civilis and sought to create an Illyrian Church, building Justiniana Prima and Justiniana Secunda, which was intended to become the centre of Byzantine administration. Palaj and Kurti published in 1937on the 25th anniversary of Albanian independencethe most important collection of Albanian epic verse, Kng kreshniksh dhe legenda (Songs of the Frontier Warriors and Legends), in the series called Visaret e Kombit (The Treasures of the Nation).[24][25]. Thats right, the one that lugat feeds from can become tainted by its own desire to feed off other people. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, in Albania arrived also the Bektashi Sufi order[61] which spread widely among Albanians because of its traditional tolerance and regard for different religions, practices and beliefs and because it allowed itself to be a vehicle for the expression of Crypto-Christian, Christian and pre-Christian pagan beliefs and rituals. 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. Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained. In Ottoman times, often to escape higher taxes levied on Christian subjects, the majority of Albanians became Muslims. Ill tell you more about it very soon. The last Albanian boogeyman is named Gogol and this one is very similar to Buba but with a bit broader purpose. Zuku, taunted and captured is blinded by his mother. The heels, the swaying, and the flying fabric are creepy enough, but then it also begins to make kissing sounds. It doesnt take one to be a wolf expert to know that a wolf is a wild and free animal that doesnt take orders from humans, so youll probably need to think of an indirect way to complete your mission. The German physician Karl H. Reinhold collected Albanian folklore material from Albanian sailors while he was serving as a doctor in the Greek navy and in 1855 he published Noctes Pelasgicae (Pelasgian Nights). So unlike sampiro and lugat, vrykolakas doesnt bother to spare its victims. All Rights Reserved | Vita turned down every other suitor in the hope of marrying Lyulin. 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. Some of these stories actually scared me a little!! She did not die and re-emerged on a different isle. 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. Newborns, children or beautiful girls have been said to catch the evil eye more easily, so in some Albanian regions when meeting such a person, especially a newborn, for the first time, people might say "masha'allah" and touch the child's nose to show their benevolence and so that the evil eye would not catch the child. People who develop their blood thirst after an encounter with lugat are called sanguinarians. One of the early Albanian collectors of Albanian folklore from Albania proper was Zef Jubani. He compiled his collection with Spiro Risto Dine who emigrated to Egypt in 1866. Giving him back all his might and his power. 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? It can even take weeks. Her favorite target is infants and she typically hunts during the night when infants (and their parents, for that matter) are sleeping. Sometimes she manifests as a dark mass, or a shadow, which can be seen on a persons chest or neck during the night. He prayed for rain and storms to stop or delay her. Most believe he is visible only at night, especially during thetwelve days of Christmasand in the earlyspring. In the 1800s, John Keats, a romantic poet, created this vision of Lamia, SHE WAS A GORDIAN SHAPE OF DAZZLING HUE, VERMILION-SPOTTED, GOLDEN, GREEN, AND BLUE; STRIPED LIKE A ZEBRA, FRECKLED LIKE A PARD, EYED LIKE A PEACOCK, AND ALL CRIMSON BARRD; AND FULL OF SILVER MOONS, THAT, AS SHE BREATHED, DISSOLVD, OR BRIGHTER SHONE, OR INTERWREATHED THEIR LUSTRES WITH THE GLOOMIER TAPESTRIESSO RAINBOW-SIDED, TOUCHD WITH MISERIES. In an attempt to escape, they made wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof. [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). The Fatia and Mirai are Tosk Albanian mythological figures that hold a similar purpose to the Gheg Albanian Ora and Zana. the Bolla dragon. [] HER HEAD WAS SERPENT, BUT AH, BITTER-SWEET! [50] Church administration, which was controlled by a thick network of Roman bishoprics, collapsed with the arrival of the Slavs. Now that you know about dhampirs and a few general characteristics of vampires, I do want to shed some light on a few specific types of vampires. [28], The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. 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. Dhampirs are a widely-spread subject in Balkan folklore, which includes Albania, todays subject. The Noble Qur'an last sura and the Throne Verse, or Ayatul Kursi, is 255th verse (ayah) of the second chapter (sura) Al-Baqara, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shtriga&oldid=1140331752, Articles containing Albanian-language text, Articles containing Italian-language text, Articles containing Romanian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 16:25. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Kron-i/krua/kroi: living water, flowing water. 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. So thats all we know about the physical appearance. Thank you for sharing. Clearly, vrykolakas sounds like a cowardly predator, avoiding a confrontation with its victims and only sneaking into their homes when theyre asleep. If you are unfortunate enough to be attacked in your slumber by a Night Hag, you will become restless, grunt, move around, have difficulty breathing, experience a tight chest and, when you wake, it will feel like something was strangling you in your sleep. 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 Zana are thought to have observed the speeches at theLeague of Prizren at 1878. However, this particular vampire is also known for making its hunting process quite theatrical. But her care and love for him was stronger than the storm, and she kept walking. She is a female demon who comes to you at night, in many forms, to give you nightmares and terrify you. Miren, another name used for them, derives from the Greek Moirae . Yes, these stories are found all across the Balkans. 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. Other descriptions have him as an undead child, who was unbaptised, that has returned to haunt its parents. Albanian giants are as tall as pine trees, with black beards that reach to their knees. And yet vrykolakas sits on them? Lets just hope you never meet it and dont become its sustainable source of blood. 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. In addition to that, no one knows the exact number of Lubias heads, but Albanian creepy urban legends hint that it can be any number between 7 and a hundred. In addition to that, for an unknown reason, sampiro also wears high heels and is therefore swaying as it walks. And its not afraid to show it. Yes, in popular creativity, it mostly symbolizes good fortune and the coming of a time of prosperity. I cant wait to visit the Balkans one day and just love learning about this area . Yup, thats it! As for the origins of vrykolakas and how you can turn into one, wellhold on tight, the list is long. It isnt the murderous type, but it still hunts, it can shapeshift, and it can even leave you bloodthirsty. Can you see that Ora, standing at my bedside? Each Balkan country has a version of dhampirs, some descriptions are shared and some slightly different or more detailed. According to legend, only the shtrig herself could cure those she had drained (often by spitting in their mouths), and those who were not cured inevitably sickened and died. The Vitore is a household deity known as the woman who spins[4] spinning out the destiny of each person when they are born. So, if you feel bitter towards the witch and want revenge for all that shes done, that may be the way. Amongst the creatures that the Henwen gave birth to were a bee, a piglet, a wolf cub and an eagle. The two main categories of Albanian mythology are factual stories and transformation tales. The town of Berat sits in the foothills of Mount Tomorr and is closely guarded by Baba, as its his favourite city and great source of pride. Another super-easy way that is done by Albanians in some regions of the country, is having garlic at home and using it to keep the evil eye away from you. [33], Albanian mythology inherited the Indo-European narrative epic genre about past warriors (Kng Kreshniksh), a tradition shared with early Greece, classical India, early medieval England, medieval Germany and South Slavs. But what about the personality and hunting methods? 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