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 In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

: ''Zot'', analyzed as Sky Father. In some of his attributes, Zojz could be related to

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'' (de ...

, to the weather gods

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 Illy ...

and

Verbt 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 ...

, and to the mythological

demigod A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" ( spiritual enlightenment). A ...

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 ...

Etymology

''Zojz'' is the

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

continuation of '' *Dyḗus'', the name of the

Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European (PIE) is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Its proposed features have been derived by linguistic reconstruction from documented Indo-European languages. No direct record of Proto-Indo-E ...

daylight-sky-god. Cognates stemming from the noun ''*Dyḗus'' with a similar phonological development are the Messapic ''Zis'' and

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 ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

''. Other cognates are the

Rigvedic The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one S ...

'' Dyáuṣ'' and

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

'' Jovis''. This root is found also in the second element (''dí/día/dei'') of the name ''

'', used in Albanian to refer to the

. In both the Albanian ''Zoj-z'' and the Greek ''Ζεύς'' the original cluster ''*di̯'' underwent affrication to ''*dz'', and in Albanian it further assibilated into ''*z''.

Epithet

The zero grade radical of '' *di̯ēus'' and the epithet 'father' are thought to be contained in an

term for the

, '' Zot''. It is traditionally considered to be derived from

Proto-Albanian The Proto-Albanian language is the unattested language from which Albanian later developed. Albanian evolved from an ancient Paleo-Balkan language, traditionally thought to be Illyrian, or otherwise a totally unattested Balkan Indo-European la ...

''*dźie̅u ̊ a(t)t-'', an old compound for ' heavenly father' stemming

PIE A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...

''*dyew-'' ('sky, heaven, bright') attached to ''*átta'' ('father'), thus a cognate to

''*Dyḗus ph₂tḗr'' and with its various descendants: Illyrian '' Dei-pátrous'',

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

द्यौष्पितृ ('' Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́''),

Proto-Italic The Proto-Italic language is the ancestor of the Italic languages, most notably Latin and its descendants, the Romance languages. It is not directly attested in writing, but has been reconstructed to some degree through the comparative method. P ...

''*djous patēr'' (whence

'' Iuppiter''),

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

Ζεῦ πάτερ ('' Zeû páter''). Alternatively, some linguists have also proposed the Proto-Albanian etymology ''*dzwâpt'' (from ''*w(i)tš- pati-,'' 'lord of the house'; ultimately from PIE ''*wiḱ-potis'', 'leader of the clan')''.''

Mythology

In Albanian mythology, Zojz resides on the peak of mountains such as

Mount Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain range in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-col ...

, the highest and most inaccessible mountain of central

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, considered the home of the deities. This tradition has been preserved in folk beliefs until recent times.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Albanian mythology Albanian mythology Sky and weather gods Thunder gods Illyrian gods

Etymology

Epithet

Mythology

See also

References

Bibliography