Nëna e Vatrës or Nana e Votrës ("The Mother of the Hearth") is the goddess of the fire hearth (''hyjnia e zjarrit të vatrës'') in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and the cult of the woman-centered

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

life.

Names and etymology

Nëna e Vatrës is the deity of the hearth fire ( Albanian: ''hyjni e zjarrit të vatrës'') commonly found in the folk beliefs of the Albanians, thus there are many dialectal variations, singular or plural: ''Nëna e Vatrës/Nana e Votrës'', ''E Ëma e Vatrës/E Ama e Votrës'', ''Mëma e Vatrës/Mama e Vatrës'', ''Shtriga e Vatrës/Votrës'', ''Plaka e Vatrës/Votrës'', ''Mëmat e Vatrës/Mamat e Votrës'', ''Xhuxhet e Vatrës'' etc. The first element ''nënë/nanë'' or ''ëmë/amë'', means "

mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

"; while the last element ''vatër/votër'', means " hearth", "

fireplace A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design ...

", and is related to the Avestan ''

atar Atar, Atash, or Azar ( ae, 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭, translit=ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to ...

'', "fire".

Folk beliefs

In Albanian folk beliefs, Nëna e Vatrës is the protector of the

vatër The vatër ( sq-definite, vatra) is the domestic hearth in Albanian folklore. The fire of the domestic hearth, zjarri i vatrës, is considered the sustainer of the continuity between the world of the living and that of the dead, and ensures the c ...

, the domestic

. It is said that the fireplace should be cleaned in the evening. If it is left uncleaned, Nëna e Vatrës becomes angry. The family members should behave respectfully towards her. At feasts, people used to practice sacrificial offerings to the deity throwing some of the food they prepared into the fire and around the hearth. Nëna e Vatrës is akin to

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

Hestia In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Hestia (; grc-gre, Ἑστία, meaning "hearth" or "fireside") is the virgin goddess of the hearth, the right ordering of domesticity, the family, the home, and the state. In myth, she is the firstborn ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Vesta. To the Greek and Roman goddesses well-defined public places of worship were dedicated, while in the Albanian tradition the place of worship of Nëna e Vatrës is the hearth of every house. In this aspect the Albanian cult is more similar to the ancient cult of the natural eternal fire of Nymphaion.

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* * * * * {{refend Domestic and hearth deities Fire goddesses Albanian mythology Paleo-Balkan mythology

Names and etymology

Folk beliefs

See also

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