prende

Prende (also ''Prenne'', ''Premte'' or ''Petka'') is the dawn goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and protector of women, in the Albanian pagan mythology. She is thought to have been worshiped by the Illyrians in antiquity. In Albanian folklore she is referred to as "Lady Prenne" or "Lady of Beauty" (Albanian: ''Zonja Prende'' or ''Zonja e Bukurisë'', in Gheg Albanian: ''Zoja Prenne'' or ''Zoja e Bukuris''), while her sacred day is Friday, named in Albanian after her: ''e premte''. Her name is cognate with the Ancient Greek ''Persephatta'', a variant of Persephone.

Prende is identified with the cult of Venus and she was worshipped in northern Albania, especially by the Albanian women, until recent times. Originally a pre-Christian deity, she was called "Saint Veneranda" (''Shënepremte''), identified by the Catholic Church as Saint Anne, mother of Virgin Mary. She was so popular in Albania that over one in eight of the Catholic churches existing in the late 16th and the early 17th centuries were named after her. Many other historical Catholic and Orthodox churches were dedicated to her in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Etymology

The Albanian name of the goddess, or , corresponds regularly to the Ancient Greek counterpart (''Persephatta''), a variant of (''Persephone''). The theonyms have been traced back to the Indo-European ''*pers-é-bʰ(h₂)n̥t-ih₂'' ("she who brings the light through").

Role

In the Albanian pagan mythology Prende is the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, as well as the dawn goddess. She is considered the Albanian equivalent of the Roman Venus, Norse Freyja and Greek Aphrodite.

Practices

Prende was worshipped in northern Albania, especially by the Albanian women until recent times. Prende's festival was celebrated on July 26 every year, and her devotees would don beautiful clothing and would set out a mortar and pestle as a representation of sexual union. In Albanian folk beliefs the Rainbow is regarded as "Lady Prende's Belt".

When Albania became Christianized in antiquity, Prende was identified by the Catholic Church as Saint Anne, mother of Virgin Mary, and was called "Saint Veneranda" ( sq, Shënepremte or Prende, known in Gheg dialect as ''Prenne'', ''Perende'' or ''Petka''). Another Albanian Christian saint thought by some to have a non-Christian origin is Gjin.

Prende was so popular in Albania that of the some 275 Catholic churches recorded to have existed in Albania in the late 16th and the early 17th centuries, 33 were named after her, more than to any other saint except Virgin Mary and Saint Nicholas. Many other historical Catholic and Orthodox churches were dedicated to her in the 18th and 19th centuries. In the Kurbin valley pilgrimages to the church of Saint Veneranda were common among both Christians and Muslims. There people went also in the hope of a cure for mental illness.

As is usual in many cultures, in Albania the day sacred to the goddess of love is Friday, named in the Albanian language after her: ''dita e premte''.

See also

* Albanian mythology
* Illyrian religion
* En
* Perëndi
* Venus
* Freyja

References

Bibliography

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prende
Albanian mythology
Illyrian goddesses
Dawn goddesses
Love and lust goddesses
European goddesses
Beauty goddesses
Paleo-Balkan mythology