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. Nothing about vrykolakas makes much sense to me and it sounds like a classic case of the broken telephone. Turns out that not only can lugats bite cause mental and spiritual distress, but it can also lead to the victim becoming the predator. Am I the only one wondering how those heads are placed on the body? They travelled through the northern Albanian mountains and recorded folkloric materials which were published in French translation in the 1858 Hcquard's pioneering Histoire et description de la Haute Albanie ou Gugarie (History and Description of High Albania or Gegaria). E Bukura e Dheut. (Osborn, 2015, p.14). Walking out as a regular bug that cant fly would be too troublesome! As a symbol, it is depicted by eight spiked tridents radiating outwards from a central point. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Here is our assortment of Balkan folklore and mythical beings. The folk storytellers have played an important role in preserving Albanian folklore. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Melton is a bright and educated man and I genuinely found his book a very interesting read. And that might have something to do with the rumored shtrigas desire to keep her immortality, which can be accomplished by sucking the life force, or blood, out of children. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. 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. : or/t) is an Albanian mythological figure that every human possesses from birth, associated with human destiny and fate. [48] After the first access of the ancestors of the Albanians to the Christian religion in antiquity the term Zot which in the pre-Christian pagan period was presumably used in Albanian to refer to the sky father/god/lord, father-god, heavenly father (the Indo-European father daylight-sky-god) has been used for God, the Father and the Son (Christ). Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in a relative isolated tribal culture and society,[4] and although several changes occurred in the Albanian belief system, an ancient substratum of pre-Christian beliefs has survived until today. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. The zana e malit is an Albanian mythological creature (Albanian: Zane or Zre in southern Albania)("fairy of the mountain" in English), zana (as a definite noun), or zan (plural) of pre-Roman Paleo-Balkan origin. While its true that theyre not motivated by blood the way vampires are and theyre not really categorized as either good or evil, they *can* develop or even inherit evil intentions as well as the power to do harm. They are often depicted spinning, measuring, and cutting thread, revealing their control over human life. Also, he claimed that dhampirs can also be identified as such if their bodies are boneless, which also shows in their movement. But there are also those who have certainpreferences. mythological creatures, parallels of which are found in the Balkans (Nopa, 1913a, 1913b; Tirta 2003, 2004 . The next boogeyman on the list is called Buba and we know even less about this one. Do you know any great stories or terrifying creatures? This is a method that, according to Albanian urban legends, can protect you from the evil eye of shtriga. Speaking of spitting into someones mouth If you want to avoid that for your children, or any children, for that matter, youll be relieved to know that in some Albanian regions its common to say mashaallah to children and babies while also touching their noses. The Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology, and Folk Culture makes available for the first time a wealth of knowledge about Albanian popular belief and folk customs. [2] [2] [1] The kulshedra is believed to spit fire, cause drought, storms, flooding, earthquakes and other natural disasters against mankind. Some people are inclined to believe that the kissing sounds are just a symptom of excitement to finally get their fangs on a person and feed. The Vitore is a household deity known as the woman who spins[4] spinning out the destiny of each person when they are born. Yes, in popular creativity, it mostly symbolizes good fortune and the coming of a time of prosperity. [16], Albanian myths and legends are already attested in works written in Albanian as early as the 15th century,[17] however, the systematic collection of Albanian folklore material began only in the 19th century. The heels, the swaying, and the flying fabric are creepy enough, but then it also begins to make kissing sounds. Surprisingly, they agreed and decided that the first wife to bring lunch for her husband should be the one to be encased into the walls of the monastery. Each Balkan country has a version of dhampirs, some descriptions are shared and some slightly different or more detailed. Yeah, the Balkans are full of these tales! In Albanian mythology, physical events, substances, and things are linked to mythical creatures. Albanian folk beliefs (Albanian: Besimet folklorike shqiptare) and mythological stories comprise the beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. Her skills include shape-shifting, predicting the future, andwitchcraft. And its not afraid to show it. The Drekavac really gives me the creeps! Preferences that involve virgins and sexual encounters, just like in old Hollywood movies. Clearly, the superpowers come from the vampire parent but we all know that vampires have weaknesses too. The drekavac will avoid dogs and bright light, and if the shadow of drekavac falls upon a person then that person will become ill and die. [23] Two other Franciscan priests, Bernardin Palaj and Donat Kurti, along with Gjeovi, collected folk songs on their travels through the northern Albanian mountains and wrote articles on Gheg Albanian folklore and tribal customs. Across all of Kotor and Boka the sisters were famous for their beauty. Afraid of Zukus strength, his mother offers to blind her son. This list may not reflect recent changes . Apparently the Albanian, and in general Balkan legends, believe that the fruit of two genetically different species gains all the best that both can offer. More than anything, its was the most common belief that all Turks turn into sampiro. Fatit. And honestly, people are guessing, but no one really knows for sure why this vampire includes the kissing sounds in all of this. Most commonly shtriga is described as a woman with intense and undeniable hate in her eyes. [] HER HEAD WAS SERPENT, BUT AH, BITTER-SWEET! Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Thank you so much for sharing! Yet another similarity between lugat and sampiro is that lugat also tends to getattached to its victims and prefers to feed off the same one for as long as it can. You wont be able to avoid it when you visit. This compilation was a milestone of Albanian folk literature being the first collection of Albanian material of scholarly quality. Many of the characters of the Albanian mythology are included in the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors ( Albanian : Kng Kreshniksh or Cikli i Kreshnikve ), the traditional cycle of Albanian epic songs. Ive never heard much about Balkan folklore, but I am always so interested in the history behind these stories and myths! This list may not reflect recent changes . The Drekavac is translated literally as the screamerorthe screecher. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Mujo and Behuri), translated by Robert Elsie . [28] As revealed in Albanian epic poetry, the Zana observe Albanian battles, offering their assistance and protection where needed. So we have a little bit of background now, but every good storyteller knows that a story needs a face. According to popular belief, they returned to the area to search for their lost limbs. As soon as the creature chooses a food source in the foggy streets, it will immediately proceed to follow this person. He compiled his collection with Spiro Risto Dine who emigrated to Egypt in 1866. This method would trap shtriga inside, giving you the opportunity to kill her, though Im not entirely sure how anyone would do this since sources claim that she cant be killed using regular weapons and methods. So now you might be wondering what exactly is so creepy about dhampirs. I know that if I was a kid and saw a giant, Id do the opposite. Lets just assume that you can choose one yourself. But why is it infants that the wicked witch is after? Mitko's own collectionincluding 505 folk songs, and 39 tales and popular sayings, mainly from southern Albaniawas finished in 1874 and published in the 1878 Greek-Albanian journal Alvaniki melissa / Belietta Sskiypetare (The Albanian Bee). They can live either in caves or mountain tops, and are particularly intelligent. 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. From 1848 he served as interpreter to French consul in Shkodra, Louis Hyacinthe Hcquard, who was very interested in, and decided to prepare a book on, northern Albanian folklore. Her spell was so powerful that Vita was turned into black stone that is now known as the Black Peak while Lyulin suffered a similar fate and became Lyulin Mountain. Want to read a bit more folklore and discover more mythical creatures? [28], The elements of Albanian mythology are of Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. The only downside here is that its not that easy. [45], Prehistoric Illyrian symbols used on funeral monuments of the pre-Roman period have been used also in Roman times and continued into late antiquity in the broad Illyrian territory. After WW2, rumours circulated about chilling apparitions which were named Prepasti. Usually, shtriga were described as old or middle-aged women with grey, pale green, or pale blue eyes (called white eyes or pale eyes) (Albanian: sybardha) and a crooked nose. The following day, Manole looked out and sadly saw his wife, Ana, walking towards the site. Basically scaring them to listen to rules, or else the terrible boogeyman will show up. But Im getting ahead of myself. The two titans eventually killed one another and poor Earthly Beauty drowned in her tears, which became the Osum River. A shtriga was featured in the Supernatural episode, "Something Wicked", wherein it attacked children, causing them to become comatose; it then disguised itself as a doctor so it could continue to feed upon them. Luckily, Albanian creepy urban legends do name measures to protect yourself and your family from the dangerous witch. However, I couldnt be more wrong. [51] The earliest church vocabulary of Middle Greek origin in Albanian dates to the 8th9th centuries, at the time of the Byzantine Iconoclasm, which was started by the Byzantine Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. The German linguist and professor at the University of Graz, Gustav Meyer, published in 1884 fourteen Albanian tales in Albanische Mrchen (Albanian Tales), and a selection of Tosk tales in the 1888 Albanian grammar (1888). There was no one to wall it up after she died. 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. They are known in Albania specifically by their names and not the general vampire title. Nov 14, 2017 - Explore Margarett Bridge's board "Albanian Mythology" on Pinterest. How can you fight back? Eventually, as you got a bigger picture, you would also notice her face disfigurement and possibly a cape that she tends to wear. She accepted, for some reason, but she soon realised that this was not a game. Accordingly, the male word for shtriga can be shtrigan or shtrigu. : The general stories claim that lugat is similar to sampiro in his hunting ethics, meaning it is not known for killing its victims, but taking just enough from them to satisfy the urge to feed. "[59] In Ottoman times education in the Albanian language was forbidden. Albanian urban legends claim that Lubia has an insatiable appetite for children. Because of this, the Prince threatened to murder Manole and his team. [46], Among the Illyrians of early Albania the Sun was a widespread symbol. It is said that lugat tends to lure its victims to its dark home and can even murder people in their sleep. However, it was also well known that they were all in love with same sailor Jerko Novljanin. Mount Tomorr is a mountain range in central Albania. We did establish that vampires are horny creatures, remember? They also have the tail of a snake, golden wings and incredible physical strength. The three Ora then seek the help of Mujo to seek revenge on Paji. The characters in Albanian tales, legends and myths include humans, deities, demigods, monsters, as well as supernatural beings in the shapes of men, animals and plants. Jubani's own first collection of folklorethe original Albanian texts of the folk songs published by Hcquardwas lost in the flood that devastated the city of Shkodra on 13 January 1866. [9] Besa is a common practice in Albanian culture, consisting of an oath taken by Sun, by Moon, by sky, by earth, by fire, by stone, by mountain, by water and by snake, which are all considered sacred objects. If you dont trust this method or dont enjoy playing with fire, there are many other ways to prevent the worst from happening. Zuku, taunted and captured is blinded by his mother. Now all you need to do is pick the one you like the best! Ill tell you more about it very soon. And if you tried to distract yourself from her stare somehow, you would very quickly notice her crooked nose. Serbia - Bauk is an animal-like mythical creature in Serbian mythology. What else do we know about it from the creepy urban legends? On the other hand, some people strongly believe that shtriga can be killed when she is caughtfeeding. In Christian iconography the symbol of the Sun is associated with immortality and a right to rule. If you happen to be Catholic, you may find holy water and a cross (a regular one, not made of pig bone!) InEastern Serbia,the Drekavac has been described in the form of a humanoid canine creature that walks on its back legs. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Depending on the culture, the appearance and abilities of the mythological creature may differ. Zmey are specifically attracted to female beauty and have been rumoured to capture young maidens and take them to their remote lairs. [6] The earliest attested cult of the Albanians is the worship of the Sun and the Moon. She published in 1909 her notable work High Albania, regarded as one of the best English-language books on Albania ever written. For me, not only does it say something about its personality, but also raises questions. By some accounts, her form is repulsive. Only the shtriga herself could cure those she had drained. [1] The term shtriga is used also with the common meaning of "witch", referring to a bad and ugly old woman who casts evil spells upon people. The Ora are often described as good mythological figures that offer their protection and help, but in several tales are depicted as negative and dangerous creatures. 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