Albanian paganism

Albanian paganism comprises the pagan customs, beliefs, rituals, myths and legends of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan.^[3] Ancient paganism persisted among Albanians, and especially within the inaccessible and deep interior^[4] – where Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in a relatively isolated tribal culture and society^[5] – it has continued to persist, or at most it was partially transformed by the Christian, Muslim and Marxist beliefs that were either to be introduced by choice or imposed by force.^[6] The Albanian traditional customary law (Kanun) has held a sacred – although secular – longstanding, unwavering and unchallenged authority with a cross-religious effectiveness over the Albanians, which is attributed to an earlier pagan code common to all the Albanian tribes.^[7] Indeed, the Kanun contains several customary concepts that clearly have their origins in pagan beliefs, including in particular the ancestor worship, animism and totemism, which have been preserved since pre-Christian times.^[8][9][10] Albanian traditions have been orally transmitted – through memory systems that have survived intact into modern times – down the generations and are still very much alive in the mountainous regions of Albania, Kosovo and western North Macedonia, as well as among the Arbëreshë in Italy and the Arvanites in Greece, and the Arbanasi in Croatia.^[11]

Albanian traditional tattoo patterns: 19th century (top), early 20th century (bottom). They are symbols of the Sun (Dielli) and the Moon (Hëna); the cross (also swastika in some tattoos) is the Albanian traditional way to represent the deified Fire – Zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym Enji.^[12] Also appearing in other expressions of Albanian traditional art (graves, jewellery, embroidery, and house carvings),^[13] they represent celestial, light, fire and hearth worship, expressing the favor of the light within the dualistic struggle between light and darkness.^[14] The Fire rituals and the Sun and Moon worship are the earliest attested cults of the Albanians.^[15][16]

The old beliefs in sun and moon, light and darkness, sky and earth, fire and hearth, water and springs, death and rebirth, birds and serpents, mountains, stones and caves, sacrifice, and fate are some of the pagan beliefs among Albanians.^[17] The Fire (Zjarri) rituals and the Sun (Dielli) and Moon (Hëna) worship are the earliest attested cults of the Albanians.^[15][16] The Sun holds the primary role in Albanian pagan customs, beliefs, rituals, myths, and legends; Albanian major traditional festivities and calendar rites are based on the Sun, worshiped as the god of light, sky and weather, giver of life, health and energy, and all-seeing eye;^[18] the sunrise is honored as it is believed to give energy and health to the body.^[19] The Moon is worshiped as a goddess, with her cyclical phases regulating many aspects of Albanian life, defining agricultural and livestock activities, various crafts, and human body.^[20] The morning and evening star Venus is personified with Prende, associated with dawn, beauty, love, fertility, health, and the protection of women.^[21] The cult of the Earth (Dheu) and that of the Sky (Qielli) have a special place. The Fire – Zjarri, evidently also called with the theonym Enji – is deified in Albanian tradition as releaser of light and heat with the power to ward off darkness and evil, affect cosmic phenomena and give strength to the Sun, and as sustainer of the continuity between life and afterlife and between the generations, ensuring the survival of the lineage (fis or farë). To spit into Fire is taboo. The divine power of Fire is used for the hearth and the rituals, including calendar fires, sacrificial offerings, divination, purification, and protection from big storms and other potentially harmful events.^[22] Fire worship and rituals are associated with the cult of the Sun, the cult of the hearth (vatër) and the ancestor, and the cult of fertility in agriculture and animal husbandry.^[23] Ritual calendar fires are associated with the cosmic cycle and the rhythms of agricultural and pastoral life.^[24] Besa is a common practice in Albanian culture, consisting of an oath (be) solemnly taken by sun, by moon, by sky, by earth, by fire, by stone and thunderstone, by mountain, by water, and by snake, which are all considered sacred objects.^[25] Associated with human life, bees are highly revered by Albanians.^[26] The eagle is the animal totem of all Albanians, associated with the Sky, freedom and heroism.^[27][26] A widespread folk symbol is the serpent (Gjarpër, Vitore, etc.), a totem of the Albanians associated with earth, water, sun, hearth and ancestor cults, as well as destiny, good fortune and fertility.^[28] The sun, the moon, the star, the eagle (bird), the serpent, and the bee, often appear in Albanian legends and folk art.^[29]

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In Albanian mythology, the physical phenomena, elements and objects are attributed to supernatural beings. The mythological and legendary figures are deities, demigods, humans, and monsters, as well as supernatural beings in the shapes of men, animals and plants.^[30] The deities are generally not persons, but animistic personifications of nature.^[31] Albanian beliefs, myths and legends are organized around the dualistic struggle between good and evil, light and darkness,^[32] the most famous representation of which is the constant battle between drangue and kulshedra,^[33] a conflict that symbolises the cyclic return in the watery and chthonian world of death, accomplishing the cosmic renewal of rebirth. The weavers of destiny, ora or fatí, control the order of the universe and enforce its laws.^[34] The zana are associated with wilderness and the vital energy of human beings.^[35] A very common motif in Albanian folk narrative is metamorphosis: men morph into deer, wolves, and owls, while women morph into stoats, cuckoos, and turtles.^[36] Resulted from the Albanian tribal culture and folklore and permeated by Albanian pagan beliefs and ancient mythology, the Kângë Kreshnikësh ("Songs of Heroes") constitute the most important legendary cycle of the Albanian epic poetry, based on the hero cult.^[37] Hero's bravery and self-sacrifice, as well as love of life and hope for a bright future play a central role in Albanian tales.^[30]