Matrix The Albanian epic songs evolved incorporating pagan beliefs, mythology, and legendary Balkan motifs from ancient times to about the 17th and 18th centuries, when the songs took their definite form. The names of the Albanian heroes date mainly from the
Ottoman period, but the matrix of the epic songs is much older. The constant feature of fights against
Slavs, principally for pastures and women, reveals a connection between the formation of the Albanian epics and the
arrival of the Slavs in the Balkans in the 6th century CE. Furthermore, the abundance of ancient mythic elements and possible relations to the
Ancient Greek mythology indicate a much older origin of the Albanian epics, leading some scholars even to hypothesize a continuity between the presumable
Illyrian epics and the Albanian
Kângë Kreshnikësh. The legendary heroes fully observe the Albanian traditional rituals, which hold complete authority in their social, political, and religious life. They know the cult of the sun, of human sacrifice, the ancient festivals, the sacred practice of climbing on mountain tops, etc. Two types of female warriors/active characters appear in
Albanian epic poetry, and in particular in the
Kângë Kreshnikësh: on the one hand those who play an active role in the quest and the decisions that affect the whole
tribe; on the other hand those who
undergo a masculinization process as a condition to be able to participate actively in the fights according to the principles of the Albanian traditional customary law, the
Kanun. The dichotomy of
matriarchy and
patriarchy that is reflected by the two types of female warriors in Albanian epic poetry might be connected with the clash between
Pre-Indo-European populations—who favored '
Mother Earth Cults' comprising earthly beliefs, female deities and priesthood—and
Indo-European populations who favored '
Father Heaven Cults' comprising celestial beliefs, male deities and priesthood.
Main theme , 1880. The main theme of the cycle is the brave warfare between the
Albanian heroes (Albanian:
kreshnikë or
trima, and
aga), who have supernatural strength and an extremely large body holding ordinary family lives, and opposing
Slavic warriors (Albanian:
shkje and
krajla), who are likewise powerful and brave, but without
besë. The songs are the product of a
mountain tribal society in which blood kinship (Albanian:
fis) is the foundation, and the
Kanun, a code of Albanian oral
customary laws, direct all the aspects of the social organization. In the songs emerges a truly heroic concept of life. The
hero is admired, and heroism transcends enmity, so the characters are ready to recognise the valor of their opponents. The disputes between heroes are generally solved by duels, in which characters take part sometimes in order to show who is the greater warrior, but mainly in order to defend their
honor or that of their kins (Albanian culture considers honor as the highest ideal of the society, thus heroes uphold honor disdaining life without it). The duels are sometimes engaged on horseback, other times hand-to-hand (Albanian:
fytafyt,
fytas), and the weapons often used are medieval, like swords (
shpata), clubs (
topuza), spears (
shtiza).
Mythology /
Dioscuri with their horses and two
giant serpents/snakes depicted on a marble relief from
Illyricum. Common traits of the
Indo-European divine twins are manifested by the pair of heroic brothers and main characters of the
Kângë Kreshnikësh – Muji and Halili. Mythical horses and snakes are among the main legendary creatures of the Albanian epic. Peculiar traits of the two brothers and main characters of the epic cycle,
Muji and Halili, are considered to be analogous to those of the Ancient Greek
Dioscuri and their equivalents among the early
Germans,
Celts,
Armenians,
Indians, and other ancient peoples, who trace back to the common
Proto-Indo-European Divine twins.
Nature has a strong hold in the songs, so much that its components are
animated and personified
deities, so the Moon (
Hëna), the Sun (
Dielli), the stars, the clouds, the lightning, the Earth (
Dheu/Toka), and the mountains, participate in the world of humans influencing their events. People also address oaths or long curses to the animated elements of nature. In battles, the heroes can be assisted by the
zana and
ora, supernatural female mythological figures. The zana and ora symbolize the vital energy and existential time of human beings respectively. The zana idealize feminine energy, wild beauty, eternal youth and the joy of nature. They appear as warlike nymphs capable of offering simple mortals a part of their own psychophysical and divine power, giving humans strength comparable to that of the
drangue. The ora represent the "moment of the day" (Albanian:
koha e ditës) and the flowing of human destiny. As masters of time and place, they take care of humans (also of the zana and of some particular animals) watching over their life, their house and their hidden treasures before sealing their destiny. Almost all the epic songs begin with the ritual praise to the supreme being:
"Lum për ty o i lumi Zot!" ("Praise be to you, o praised God!"). The primeval religiosity of the Albanian mountains and epic poetry is reflected by a
supreme deity who is the god of the universe, but who is the conceival of the belief in the fantastic and supernatural beings and things, allowing the existence of zanas and oras for the dreams and comfort of humans. The goddesses of fate "maintain the order of the universe and enforce its laws" – "organising the appearance of humankind." However great his power, the supreme god holds an executive role as he only carries out what has been already ordained by the fate goddesses. . Among other mythical attributes, the horse holds swimming abilities in the
Kângë Kreshnikësh, similar to the
hippocampus in the ancient Mediterranean mythology.
Legendary creatures of the Albanian epic songs belong to the repertoire of the general
Mediterranean mythology. Among the main legendary animals are
horses,
snakes and
birds, which are able to
speak like humans. The horse holds swimming abilities, similar to the
hippocampus of the god
Poseidon in
Ancient Greek mythology. This mythical figure appears not only in oral tradition, but also in
monochrome mosaics like those found in
Durrës. Along with speaking and swimming attributes, the horse appears in the epic songs as a
mourning character, an animal which humanly expresses its emotions and sufferings. An analogy is found in the
Homeric myth, where
Peleus' horses,
Balius and Xanthus,
mourn humans when they pass away. Muji's horse also manifests
oracular abilities, being able to
predict the
future. The bird, typically a speaking
cuckoo, is similar in qualities to the
owl of the Ancient Greek goddess
Athena and Roman
Minerva, which tells the truth and which can be entrusted. The cuckoo often appears in Albanian epics as a messenger bird which confers information. The speaking snake holds singing, healing, advising and
divining abilities. In the epic songs the snake
assists the hero, and the humans protect it and honor it as a totem. In some songs the snake appears as a witness of the truth. Many scholars consider that these representations of the snake derive from a
Paleo-Balkan cult, probably
Illyrian. Historical, archaeological, anthropological and linguistic data reveal the functional attributes of this cult to be an extension of the Illyrian-Albanian tradition. Another mythical creature is the
wild goat. Three golden horned goats appear in the Albanian epic as deities of the forest, which ensure the zanas their supernatural abilities. The divine power of the goats resides in their golden horns. ==Documentation==