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Shurdh
Shurdh ( sq-definite, Shurdhi) is a weather and storm god in Albanian pagan mythology, who causes hailstorms and throws thunder and lightning. Shurdh was worshiped in northern Albania until recent times. He is thought to have been an ancient Illyrian god. In Albanian mythology Shurdhi is the counterpart of the fire, water and wind god Verbti. Shurdhi could be related to the sky and lightning god Zojz, and to the presumable sky and weather god Perëndi. Some of Shurdhi's attributes can be found in the mythological figure of drangue. Etymology The name ''Shurdhi'' appears to be connected with the Albanian term ''i shurdhët'' meaning "the deaf one", however, this link seems to be only a coincidence, since the name ''Shurdh'' must be a compound of ''*seuro'', "water" (cf. Albanian '' shurrë'' "urine"), and ''*dos'' "giver/donor" (cf. Albanian '' dhashë/dha'', "I gave/he gave"); his name thus means "water donor". Some scholars believe that ''Shurdh'' seems to be related to the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shurdhah Island
Shurdhah Island ( sq, Ishulli i Shurdhahut) is an island in northern Albania in the Vau i Dejës Reservoir. It was formed after the flooding of the Drin river valley during the construction of the HPS. It is the largest island in the reservoir with an area of 7.5 hectares. From the most northern tip of the island to the most southern tip of it, it has an estimated length of .It is accessible by tourist boat in summer from the Vau i Dejës dam or Rragam. Shurdhah attested in medieval sources as ''Sarda'' and its submerged area were an early medieval settlement in Albania linked to the Komani-Kruja culture. Name The name of the original Illyrian settlement was Sarda (Albanian Sardë). Later, the name was changed to Shurdha which means 'deaf' in Albanian. The name changed while Albania was an Atheist Communist state, when due to the strong religious connection of the island, it was forgotten. History Sarda was founded between the 6th and 7th centuries and is linked to the devel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albanian Folk Beliefs
Albanian folk beliefs ( sq, Besimet folklorike shqiptare) comprise the beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in a relatively isolated tribal culture and society. 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, ex-Albanian lands of Montenegro, and southern Serbia, and among the Arbëreshë in Italy and the Arvanites in Greece. In Albanian mythology, the physical phenomena, elements and objects are attributed to supernatural beings. The deities are generally not persons, but personifications of nature, which is known as Animism. The earliest attested cult of the Albanians is the worship of the Sun and the Moon. In Albanian folk beliefs, earth is the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albanian Mythology
Albanian folk beliefs ( sq, Besimet folklorike shqiptare) comprise the beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in a relatively isolated tribal culture and society. 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, ex-Albanian lands of Montenegro, and southern Serbia, and among the Arbëreshë in Italy and the Arvanites in Greece. In Albanian mythology, the physical phenomena, elements and objects are attributed to supernatural beings. The deities are generally not persons, but personifications of nature, which is known as Animism. The earliest attested cult of the Albanians is the worship of the Sun and the Moon. In Albanian folk beliefs, earth is th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Verbti
Verbt ( sq-definite, Verbti) is a fire, water and wind god in Albanian pagan mythology. He controls fire, water as the opposite element to fire, and the northern wind which fans the flames of fire. Also known as ''Shën Verbti'' or ''Rmoria'', he was worshiped in northern Albania until recent times. The purifying power of fire underlies the popular idea according to which this deity is the enemy of uncleanliness and the opponent of filth. A reconstructed name of an Albanian fire god is '' *Enji'', from which the Albanian word ''enjte'' "thursday" is considered to be derived. In Albanian mythology, Verbti is the counterpart of the weather and storm god Shurdh. Etymology The name ''Verbti'' appears to be connected with the Albanian term ''i verbër'' meaning "the blind one", however this link seems to be only a coincidence, since according to folk beliefs he can actually see very well. The name ''Verbt'' must be related to '' vorbull'' and the variant ''vorbëtinë'', "whirlpool, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zojz (deity)
Zojz ( sq-definite, Zojzi) is a sky and lightning god in Albanian pagan mythology. An epithet considered to be associated with him is 'father', thought to be contained in an Albanian name for the Supreme Being: ''Zot'', analyzed as Sky Father. In some of his attributes, Zojz could be related to Perëndi, to the weather gods Shurdh and Verbt, and to the mythological demigod Drangue. Etymology ''Zojz'' is the Albanian continuation of '' *Dyḗus'', the name of the Proto-Indo-European daylight-sky-god. Cognates stemming from the noun ''*Dyḗus'' with a similar phonological development are the Messapic ''Zis'' and Greek ''Zeus''. Other cognates are the Rigvedic '' Dyáuṣ'' and Latin '' Jovis''. This root is found also in the second element (''dí/día/dei'') of the name '' Perëndi'', used in Albanian to refer to the Supreme Being. In both the Albanian ''Zoj-z'' and the Greek ''Ζεύς'' the original cluster ''*di̯'' underwent affrication to ''*dz'', and in Albanian it furt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drangue
The drangùe ( sq-definite, drangùa, drangòni) is a semi-human winged divine figure in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with weather and storms. Babies destined to become drangue are born with their heads covered in caul and with two or sometimes four wings under their arms. The drangue hold supernatural powers, especially in the wings and arms. He is made invulnerable by the singular conjunction produced at his birth, and can die only if this conjunction is repeated once again. The main goal of the drangue is to fight the kulshedra in legendary battles. He uses meteoric stones, lightning-swords, thunderbolts, piles of trees and rocks to defeat the kulshedra and to protect mankind from storms, fire, floods and other natural disasters caused by her destructive power. Heavy thunderstorms are thought to be the result of their battles. Name and etymology Standard Albanian form of the name is ''dragùa'' ( def. ''dragói''). A common dialectal variant is ''drangue''. D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shkodër
Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shkodër and the foothills of the Albanian Alps on the banks of Buna, Drin and Kir. Due to its proximity to the Adriatic Sea, Shkodër is affected by a seasonal Mediterranean climate with continental influences. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Balkans, Shkodër was founded under the name ''Scodra'' upon the traditional lands of the Illyrian tribes of the Ardiaei and Labeates in the 4th century BCE. It has historically developed on a hill strategically located in the outflow of Lake Shkodër into the Buna River. The Romans annexed the city after the third Illyrian War in 168 BCE, when Gentius was defeated by the Roman force of Anicius Gallus. In the 3rd century CE, Shkodër became the capital of Praevalitana, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zibelthiurdos
Zibelthiurdos is a Thracian god of heaven, lightning and rain, whose name is known mainly from epigraphic monuments. The only known reference to this god so far in ancient literature is in Cicero's speech against Pizon, where he is mentioned under the name ''Jovi Vrii'' (''Iuppiter Urius''). According to Cicero, Jupiter Urius had the most ancient and venerated of the barbarian temples, which was sacked by invading armies and resulted in diseases from which those afflicted never recovered. There is not enough information to draw clear conclusions about his cult, worship, or functions. The preserved images give reason to connect Zibelthiurdos with the ancient Greek God Zeus the Thunderer; he is depicted holding a lightning bolt in his raised right hand, and to his right an eagle with wings spread out. Names and epigraphy In the epigraphic evidence, the deity's name is attested in 12 documents, alternatively written as ''Zbelthiourdes'', ''Zbelthourdos'', ''Zbelsourdos'' or ''Zbersu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Perëndi
Perëndi ( sq-definite, Perëndia) is an Albanian noun for God, deity, sky and heaven. It is used capitalized to refer to the Supreme Being, and uncapitalized for "deity", "sky" and "heaven". Name Description In Albanian, ''Perëndí'' (definite: ''Perëndía'') is the name of God, the sky and heaven, and is used capitalized to refer to the Supreme Being. The plural indefinite form is ''perëndí'' while the plural definite form is ''perëndítë'', used uncapitalized to refer to the deities. Some dialectal alternative forms include: ''Perendí'', ''Perenní'', ''Perondí'', ''Perundí'', ''Perudí'', ''Perndí'' and ''Parandí''. The word ''perëndi(a)'' is attested in Old Albanian literature, firstly mentioned by Luca Matranga in the late 16th century and Bishop Pjetër Budi in the early 17th century, included into the text of the Albanian translation of the ''Pater Noster''. However it never appears in the works of the earliest Albanian author, Gjon Buzuku, who trans ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drangue
The drangùe ( sq-definite, drangùa, drangòni) is a semi-human winged divine figure in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with weather and storms. Babies destined to become drangue are born with their heads covered in caul and with two or sometimes four wings under their arms. The drangue hold supernatural powers, especially in the wings and arms. He is made invulnerable by the singular conjunction produced at his birth, and can die only if this conjunction is repeated once again. The main goal of the drangue is to fight the kulshedra in legendary battles. He uses meteoric stones, lightning-swords, thunderbolts, piles of trees and rocks to defeat the kulshedra and to protect mankind from storms, fire, floods and other natural disasters caused by her destructive power. Heavy thunderstorms are thought to be the result of their battles. Name and etymology Standard Albanian form of the name is ''dragùa'' ( def. ''dragói''). A common dialectal variant is ''drangue''. D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Albanian Language
Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europe and Oceania. With about 7.5 million speakers, it comprises an independent branch within the Indo-European languages and is not closely related to any other modern Indo-European language. Albanian was first attested in the 15th century and it is a descendant of one of the Paleo-Balkan languages of antiquity. For historical and geographical reasons,: "It is often thought (for obvious geographic reasons) that Albanian descends from ancient Illyrian (see above), but this cannot be ascertained as we know next to nothing about Illyrian itself." the prevailing opinion among modern historians and linguists is that the Albanian language is a descendant of a southern Illyrian dialect spoken in much the same region in classical times. Alternativ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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