Ora (mythology)

estuary in the Kunë-Vaine-Tale Nature Park in Albania The Ora reside towards the north of the Drin River in Northern Albania. Within Central Albania it was believed that the Ora were present everywhere, “listening to people’s blessings and curses, which they would then aim to quickly fulfil”. Outside of Central Albania Oras live in forests and mountains, residing in streams, lakes, and caves. Baron Franz Nopcsa related the term ‘Ora’ to the ancient Greek Oreads, “nymphs of the mountains”. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Mujo’s Ora’s), translated by Robert Elsie – As Slavic Warrior Paji Harambashi searches for Mujo within the mountain ranges, he encounters three snow-white Oras – Mujo’s protectors. ==Appearance==

Within Albanian folklore and poetry, the Ora is a protective spirit that every human possesses from birth. The Ora's appearance alters according to the personality and attributes of the human – “a white Ora for the brave and industrious, or a black Ora for the lazy or cowardly.” The Fates In Northern Albania, the Oras are represented – similarly to the Southern Albanian Fatia – as a group of three mythological goddesses who gather in the night to perform the task of “determining the child’s fate at birth” and distribute their favours upon the child. The inhabitants of the Dukagjini Mountains believed that three types of Fates existed: “e Bardha (The White One) distributes good luck and wishes humans well, e Verdha (The Yellow One) distributes bad luck and casts evil spells, and e Zeza (The Black One) who decides death”. Ability to Transform Within Albanian folklore and poetry, Ora had the ability to take any form they pleased, including “birds, beasts, women, or serpents.” Serpent form In Northern Albania, Oras “often appear as serpents.” – similarly to the Southern Albanian deity Vitore. Both the Ora and Vitore are “widely represented as a serpent with golden horns who brings gold.” Albanian stories describe beliefs associated with the protective serpent Oras. The mythological cycle of the ‘deeds of Muyi’ reveal the Ora’s ability to provide the hero with supernatural powers and healing while in the form of a serpent. From Albanian literature translated by Robert Elsie - == Attributes ==

Within Albanian folklore it was believed every person was assigned an Ora at birth, for there were “as many Ora as there were humans”. Ora travel with their person and provide protection. The Ora – similar to the ancient Greek Moirai – attend the birth of each child, determining their destiny while providing their blessings upon the child; “organising the appearance of humankind”. Fate and Destiny With the birth of each child many Oras gather in the night towards the cliffs to decide upon the qualities that child would receive. Albert Doja refers to the studies of Maximilian Lambertz, revealing that the faces of the Oras change depending on the degree of happiness they bestow upon the newborn child. “Should an Ora howl at a person, the threads of their fate would be cut”. Once an Ora has been assigned to a newborn its appearance would change based on the qualities of the child; a “white Ora for the brave, or a black Ora for the cowardly”. == References of the Ora in Folklore and Epic Poetry ==

As discussed by Robert Elsie; tales and legends within Albanian folklore and poetry reveal the fundamental theme of the struggle between good and evil, “a reflection of social values as we perceive them”(Elsie, 2015). “Traditionally sung in the far north of Albania”, Albanian oral literature has preserved many archaic elements, revealing traces of Greco-Roman mythology within, including the mythical Ora. Songs of the Frontier Warriors Songs of the Frontier Warriors – described by Robert Elsie as one of “the best-known cycles of Albanian epic verse.” The earliest written account of the epic was in Northern Albania in the early twentieth century, by Franciscan priests located in the mountains. (Osborn, 2015, p. 14) Revealed are the tales and adventures of warrior Gjeto Basho Mujo and his brother Sokol as they travel through Albania. A pronounced mythological component to the text is revealed, as the brothers engage with mystical creatures that help them throughout their journey – one of those creatures being the Ora. Mujo's Oras Slavic warrior Paji Harambashi’s encounters three white oras, mystical creatures in the mountains “who revel and frolic” as he searches for Mujo. An Ora is made a victim by Paji as he clenches and crushes its arm. The three Ora then seek the help of Mujo to seek revenge on Paji. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (The Marriage of Halili), translated by Robert Elsie – Mujo and Behuri On his journey, Mujo meets an Ora who tells him he must slay Slavic warrior Behuri. As Mujo and Behuri duel, the Ora intervenes guiding Mujo to distract Behuri and use the poison dagger which the Ora had hidden on Behuri, to slay him. With the Ora’s guidance Mujo slays his rival, revealing the Ora’s ability to provide aid and guidance to its allocated person when they are in need. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Mujo and Behuri), translated by Robert Elsie – Zuku Bajraktar Zuku Bajraktar captures his mother’s secret lover, Slavic warrior Baloz Sedlija, as his prisoner. Afraid of Zuku’s strength, his mother offers to blind her son. Zuku, taunted and captured is blinded by his mother. “Wandering aimlessly in the mountains, the blind Zuku is met by an ora who restores his sights with some herbs and tells him to take vengeance”. At midnight, Zuku slays Slavic warrior Baloz Sedlija, and burns his mother to her death. Extract from Songs of the Frontier Warriors (Zuku Bajraktar), translated by Robert Elsie – == Superstitions and Beliefs ==

The Evil Eye (Syri i Keq) Syri i Keq is “one of the curses of Albania”; the Evil Eye. Evil Oras and devils would appear at night and then vanish at the “first cock-crow two hours after midnight, as they were now powerless”. Throughout Albania people would wear many types of charms to ward off the evil oras and devils. Children may have a coin tied to their forehead, or blue glass beads could be attached to the hair of both children and horses. Edith Durham reports that the dried head of a snake, cut off with a large silver medjidieh (coin) is a “very good charm” against the Evil Eye. It would be wrapped with a silver medal of St. George, then blessed by a priest - providing protection against the evil Oras and devils when worn. Evil oras disguised as serpents would guard the cavern; for if any man were to touch the items within the ancient city, they would “devour him in the darkness”. Evil Ora Within Albanian folklore, the role of the Ora tends to differ. 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. Within Albania, people believed the Ora would protect them, while others believed the Ora were dangerous creates with evil purposes. Durham reports that supernatural happenings within Albania would act as a caution, with many refusing to travel anywhere near areas believed to be cursed and/or protected by the Ora. == Similarities to other mythological figures ==

Albanian differences Northern Albanian Ghegs - The Zana The Zana is a mythological figure within Northern Albanian Gheg folk beliefs and oral epics. Zana’s are depicted as mountain nymphs, and similarly to the Ora, live near springs within the highlands of Northern Albania. Robert Elsie described the Zana as “muses of the mountains” - as every mountain has its own Zana. The Moirai would determine the fate of each child once they were born, whereas the Ora would wait till the “third night after the child's birth”. Nordic Mythology - The Norns Within Norse Mythology, the Norns were “supernatural women that controlled the fates of men”. As discussed by Snorri Sturluson, the Norns were three “maidens whose names are Urðr, Verðandi and Skuld”, meaning past, present, and future. These maidens would shape the life of every child that is born, appointing varying destinies to each – similarly to the Ora. The good Norns who are well born would shape a good life, while the bad Norns are responsible for misfortune in people’s lives. ==See also==