One of the elements that keeps the chain of national origin connected are the traditional Albanian cults. The prominent Albanologist Robert Elsie, who died a few years ago, studied Albanian cults that derive from antiquity and are present in the lives of ethnic Albanian communities, inside and outside Albania.
The results of his research in fields such as anthropology and ethnography prove that Albania is rich with many cult figures, so he called it “a living museum of the past”. According to Elsie, the Pre-Illyrians and Illyrians are considered to be peoples of nature, and found the first forms of the gods ready in nature.
They were amazed by the phenomena of nature and the features of various objects, such as: trees, animals, birds, reptiles, etc., which they deified and this act of deification served as a totem or as a cult for the Illyrian tribes in ancient times.
Such cults are: the cult of the Sun, of the Earth, of fire, of the horse, of the ox, of the wolf, of the snake, of the goat, of the stone, of the eagle, etc. In this article, Elsie also paraphrases the well-known Aberesh scholar of Zara, Croatia, Aleksandër Stipčević, when he describes the cult of the goat figure.
The Cult of the Earth
The basic cult of the Illyrians was that of the earth. This cult was related to her annual fertility, which made the inhabitants consider her the mother of all cults. This cult can be seen even today in popular sayings, such as: “for this earth”, “my eyes are occupied by the bread of this earth”, “do not dissolve the earth”, “I looked at the earth and looked at the sky”, etc.
The cult of fire and the Sun
Now even Prometheus has carried out the “punishment” he received from Zeus, because he gave people the secret of fire, and this “event” is fixed, not only as a legend, but also in the writings of the authors of antiquity, .sh. from Aeschylus in “Prometheus bound”. Fire is considered sacred for its values and for the changes it brought to the human world during its first steps.
In folk tales, people talk about the hearth, about the fire, even when they want to curse, people say: “May the fire burn!”, “May the hearth burn!”, “For this fire!”, “For this fire e m u shofte vatra/”, “T u shoft kandili/”, “T u shofte drita/” etc., the authors of antiquity announce that, to guard the fire in every house, a man was left.
Very significant is the fact that during the Ottoman occupation, among the many taxes, there was also a tax for smoke, or for the chimney. From this fact remained the expression, “chimney house”, which meant “high door”. “Fire was also seen as the personification of the family…” concludes the researcher R. Memushaj in the monograph “Historia e Kurveleshi”. The sentences, “You extinguished the candle!”, “You extinguished the fire!”, “Extinguished fire”, “Heart of fire (warm, welcoming)”, “Shoi that fire lumemadhi”, etc. confirm this idea.
The cult of fire is connected to the cult of the Sun, which is also thought of as the source of life, material goods, etc. The elements of nature have been a source of worship, but above all: the sun, the earth and the moon have been worshiped as deities throughout the Pelasgian and Illyrian space (Illyrians, Epirotas and Dardanians).
The people keep in their memory some expressions, which they use as wishes, curses, oaths, etc., such as: “For this and!\ “For this sky”, “For this Sun”, “For that Sun”, ” For this Moon”, “For this hearth”, “For this fire”, “The sun’s rays sting you”, “For that Sun, which is tired and broken” “For that symadh, which sees everything”. “Be white, like a ray of the Sun” etc.
These sentences originate beyond the border of the monotheistic faith, in the times of the pagan faith, and are evidence of the autochthony of the carrier element, that is, of the Illyrian-Albanian continuity.
A specific indicator of this continuity is the burial rite, which has been unchanged since Pelasgian antiquity. The placement of the corpse facing the sun and the head to the West, as well as the creation of a circle, symbolizing the Sun in the tumulus cemeteries, are another evidence of continuity and indication of the cult of the Sun. “According to the pagan belief, Baron F. Nopça confirms, the Albanians honored the Sun, praying to the peaks of the mountain.”
Even today, on the top of Tomorri, the cave of Sari Salltik in Krujë, the crown of the mountain in Gribë, Selgjikja in Malin e Gërë above Lazarat, in Gjakova and elsewhere, the tops of the mountains are respected as places of pilgrimage. The cult of the sun, according to ancient authors: Herodotus, Strabo, Cicero and Plutarch, but also Durham, Nopça, Stipčevič, Sbeshlaqiq, Shuteriqi, Shkupi and Tirta, testify that the Sun was the object of tattoos among the Illyrian-Albanians.
In Roman history, the attitude of the emperor of Illyrian origin, Constantine the Great, is noted, who ordered his soldiers to recite on Sunday, “the day of the light and the Sun”, a prayer to the Sun, who would bring them the flag” . This pagan cult existed even in the 5th century. s. We learn this from the visit of Pope Leo the Great (440-461) to the Illyrian lands.
The Moon Cult
Alongside the cult of the solar (Sun) there was also the cult of the Moon. Elderly people often hear the oath: “For this Sun and for this Moon”. Her cult has its source in antiquity. This cult has had a wide spread in our people. The cult is observed in the cult of fertility. The cult of the Sun is connected with the cult of the earth. The sun and the earth were imagined as a cult couple, or as mother and father in other peoples as well. The Egyptians thought of the earth as a huge man lying on his back.
With the cult of the Sun, Christ is also symbolized. On the coin of Vetranio (350), the symbol of Christ is expressed as “Sol Invictus”; also St. Peter in a mosaic is represented as a Koçi, climbing towards the Sun. The cult of the Sun and the Moon are also found in our toponyms. Thus, in the district of Tepelena, water sources are referred to as: “Kroi i Diellit”, “Kroi i Hëna”. They say that a man, walking on the road, encountered a band of thieves.
After he was robbed, one of the thieves, who was recognized by the robbed, killed the passerby with a knife. When he was dying, the man said: “You, my full moon, take my hook and be a witness.” After some time, the thief and a friend went to steal a grave. After digging the grave and taking out what they wanted, the thief stuck the knife in the ground to have his hands free. He tried to get up, but he couldn’t? Without the moon, it was complete.
Then he thought that the moon was taking revenge. The dead man had caught the thief with invisible hands. Traumatized, he died, while the friend who believed that the moon, as a witness of the event, was taking revenge, quickly left. The next day, when the people went to the cemetery, they saw that the knife had pierced the dress and prevented the thief from getting up.
The cult of the eagle
The eagle is an admirable bird. The ancient peoples identified the qualities of the eagle and became its fans. Albanians consider themselves to be daughters of the eagle, or to live in her country. Researcher Alex Buda confirms: “The eagle on our flag has the meaning of an ethnic symbol and a totem, that is, a sacred animal, which is considered the first of the tribe.”
The eagle and its symbol have their source in the Zeusian eagle. Even Zeus of Dodona himself was considered an eagle. Pyrrhus of Epirus was called an eagle by his soldiers. He answered the soldiers: “It is to your credit that I am an eagle, and how can I not be, when you have lifted me up with your weapons, as with swift wings. From this dialogue, researchers also see the source of the name Albania = Eagle.
During the Middle Ages, the eagle is present in the heraldry of large feudal families, such as the Kastriots, the Muzakas and the Dukagjins. The symbol of our national unity found a greater reflection in the era of the National Renaissance. The eagle is found engraved on: gates, doors, fireplaces, taverns, cemeteries, shields, tattoos, cradles, forks, tobacco boxes, household furniture, etc., which are evidence of the spread of the cult of this magnificent bird in Albania.
The cult of the horse
For many researchers, the cult of the horse has a wide base of extension in different peoples and countries, but Fetus, in the 2nd century BC. , wrote that the god of Neptune was formerly among the Illyrian tribes called hippius, which means “riding, riding”. There are data that the king of the sea among the Illyrians was called the god of the sea and in his graphic representation it is given in the form of a horse, in honor of which the Illyrians sacrificed four horses to the sea every nine years. In antiquity and antiquity, the Illyrians are mentioned as a people who sacrifice the horse, as the most expensive thing, to honor the Gods.
The famous Illyrian ships, which became a concern even for the Roman Senate, had horses’ heads engraved on their prows. The presence of the horse figure was considered auspicious, because the horse had become a cult for the Illyrian tribes. Various researchers consider the penetration of the nomadic horsemen of the northern steppes (from the end of the Bronze Age to the Iron Age) decisive in the spread of the horse cult. Linguists have expressed the opinion that the word “horse” originates from the Albanian language. Thus the Austrian researcher, Karl Traimer, says: “The very name hipus, which is called horse, is related to the verb “hip”, i.e. to ride.”
The cult of the bull
Archeological discoveries, notes of ancient authors and oral traditions include the cult of the ox in the list of cults for the Illyrians. The time of his cult is connected with the worship of cattle in general and with the invention of the plow and chariots, which were drawn by oxen. Researchers are of the opinion that this cult dates back to the era of patriarchy.
Archaeologists found the ox’s skull in the center of a mound in Pazhok of Elbasan, and the legends tell us: “Kadmus and his wife, Harmonia, describe the road to Illyria, riding on a pair of cows (cattle).
The cult of the wolf
Often in the course of people’s history, in addition to domestic animals, predators were also worshiped in ancient times, serving different tribes as cults or as totems. One of these cults is the worship of the wolf for the Illyrians, who have passed this name down to us as a toponym in the name of the city of Ulcinj, which researchers think is directly related to the name of the wolf.
The figure of the wolf is also found in the emperor of Ulcinj, in the 14th century. The worship of predators is related to their physical features and psychological factors, such as the belief that if the wolf were treated well, it would not be harmful, etc. The presence of the wolf as a totem is evident, not only as a toponym, but also as heraldic, among the Albanian feudal families of the Middle Ages. This is confirmed by the Balshaj heraldry.
Researcher Kristo Frashëri, in the third volume of studies on the Skanderbeg era, states: “The Balshaj had the wolf in their emblem, with which the legend of the founding of the city of Ulcinj is connected.” The cult of the wolf, like many deities, transcends millennia. It comes from the time of the god Apollo, who was associated with the totem, the wolf.
This is the reason why the researcher Muzafer Xhaxhiu emphasizes in his article “The way to the Pelasgians”: “This Hy, was called Apolln Lyken, from the Albanian word ulk with metathesis”.
The cult of the goat
The goat cult has its origins in the legend of Zeus, who was hidden by his mother, Rhea, in the mountains and there fed on the milk of a goat. Throughout history, the Illyrian goat was famous not only for its milk, but also for the fact that it milked twice a year and gave birth to two or three kids.
Pyrrhus of Epirus and Skanderbeg wore goat horns on their helmets. The presence on the helmet of Pyrrhus and that of Skanderbeg symbolized the luck and the good hour that the goat brought to the king, the kingdoms and their armies. In the legend of Muji and Halil, the three briarta goats are their protectors.
Often the goat was also used as a sacrifice. Researchers confirm that the goat and the goat were used as symbols of sacrifice to the gods in ancient times. Albanian folklore is another evidence of the goat cult. As an illustrative argument, we are bringing the symbolization: “The three sacred goats of the fairies”, of Çabej. In addition to the goat cult, Herodotus writes that the sheep cult was also present in the Vjosa valley. “In the valley of Vjosa, he says, a herd of sacred sheep dedicated to the Sun were kept in the cave.”
The Cult of the Oak
Ancient authors tell us that in ancient times the Illyrian tribes (Illyrians, Epirotes and Dardanians), in addition to other cults such as those of the ox, snake, horse, stone, etc., also had the cult of the oak (oak), a cult that was inherited from those from the Pelasgians.
Roberto d’Angeli in the book “Enigma”, states: “The Druze cult is a link between the Pelasgian religion and Bektashism. This cult, he argues, starting from Dodona also spread to the West with several sects”. Jacues is of the opinion that the word “dru” comes from Celtic and means “oak” and “wise”.
Referring to Dileric and Pliny, we learn that the city of Drinopoja was called Drys and the founder of this city was Dropeja, who was the daughter of King Eukalis. According to the legend: Apollo kidnapped Drope and turned her into an oak tree. Numismologists, on an ancient coin, have discovered Zeus of Dodona wearing an oak crown on his head, unlike the image where Zeus is shown with a thunderbolt and a spear.
