Albanian Religion

Albanian folk beliefs and mythological stories comprise beliefs expressed in the customs, rituals, myths, legends and tales of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Albanian folklore evolved over the centuries in the context of a relatively isolated tribal culture and society. Albanian folk tales and legends have been orally transmitted down through the generations and continue to be related to this day. In Albanian mythology, physical phenomena, elements and objects are attributed to supernatural beings. The deities are generally not persons, but animistic personifications of nature. The earliest attested cult of the Albanians is the worship of the Sun and the Moon. In Albanian folk beliefs, the earth cult and sky cult hold a special place. An important role is played by fire, which is considered a living, divine element used for rituals, sacrificial offerings and purification. Fire worship is associated with the cult of the Sun, the cult of the hearth, and the cult of fertility pertaining to agriculture and animal husbandry. Albanian myths and legends are organized around the dichotomy of good and evil, the most famous example being the legendary battle between drangue and kulshedra. This conflict symbolizes cyclic return in the watery and chthonian world of death, and results in cosmic renewal. The weavers of destiny, the ora or fatí, control the order of the universe and enforce its laws. 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. A very common motif in Albanian folk narrative is metamorphosis. Men can morph into deer, wolves, and owls, while women can morph into stoats, cuckoos, and turtles. Among the main bodies of Albanian folk poetry are the Kângë Kreshnikësh (Songs of Heroes), the traditional non-historical cycle of Albanian epic songs, based on the cult of legendary Albanians. The bravery and self-sacrifice displayed by a hero, as well as their love of life and hope for a bright future play a central role in Albanian tales. Islam was first introduced to Albania in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of the area. In Ottoman times, often to escape higher taxes levied on Christian subjects, the majority of Albanians became Muslims. However, one part of the region retained its Christian and pre-Christian beliefs. In the 16th century the Albanians are first recorded as being worshippers of the Sun and the Moon. British poet Lord Byron, describing the Albanian religious belief, reported that "The Greeks hardly regard them as Christians, or the Turks as Muslims; and in fact they are a mixture of both, and sometimes neither."