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Nëna e Vatrës

Nëna e Vatrës or Nana e Votrës ("The Mother of the Hearth") is an Albanian mythological figure, the protector of the hearth (Albanian: vatër), associated with the household fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and family life.[1][2] She is sometimes regarded as a goddess (hyjni e zjarrit të vatrës "deity of the hearth fire") in Albanian traditions.[3][4][5]

Names and etymology

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Nëna e Vatrës is a mythological figure of the hearth fire commonly found in the folk beliefs of the Albanians, thus there are many dialectal variations, singular or plural: Nëna e Vatrës/Nana e Votrës, E Ëma e Vatrës/E Ama e Votrës, Mëma e Vatrës/Mama e Vatrës, Shtriga e Vatrës/Votrës, Plaka e Vatrës/Votrës, Mëmat e Vatrës/Mamat e Votrës, Xhuxhet e Vatrës etc.[6][3] The first element nënë/nanë or ëmë/amë, means "mother"; while the last element vatër/votër, means "hearth", "fireplace", and is related to the Avestan atar, "fire".[5][7]

Folk beliefs

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Fireplace (votër) of a house of Shkreli, northern Albania, drawn by Edith Durham in 1909.

In Albanian folk beliefs, Nëna e Vatrës is the protector of the vatër, the domestic fireplace. It is said that the fireplace should be cleaned in the evening. If it is left uncleaned, Nëna e Vatrës becomes angry.[6][8] The family members should behave respectfully towards her.[8] At feasts, people used to practice sacrificial offerings to the deity throwing some of the food they prepared into the fire and around the hearth.[9][8]

Nëna e Vatrës bears similarities to Greek Hestia and Roman Vesta.[5][2][4][10] To the Greek and Roman goddesses well-defined public places of worship were dedicated, while in the Albanian tradition the place of worship of Nëna e Vatrës is the hearth of every house.[8]

See also

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  • Enji (deity) – Albanian fire god and cult
  • I Verbti – Albanian god of fire and wind or thunderstorms
  • Prende – Albanian dawn goddess, goddess love, beauty, fertility and health
  • Fatia – mythological creatures in Albanian mythology
  • Ora (mythology) – Albanian mythological figure of Fate
  • Vitore – Albanian domestic deity
  • Gabija – Spirit of the fire in Lithuanian mythology
  • Nymphaion (fire sanctuary)

Sources

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Citations

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  1. ^ Gjoni 2012, pp. 95–96.
  2. ^ a b Tirta 2004, pp. 176, 410.
  3. ^ a b Gjoni 2012, p. 95.
  4. ^ a b Monaghan 1997, p. 350.
  5. ^ a b c Poghirc 1987, p. 179.
  6. ^ a b Tirta 2004, pp. 176.
  7. ^ Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 263.
  8. ^ a b c d Gjoni 2012, p. 96.
  9. ^ Tirta 2004, pp. 177, 179.
  10. ^ Gjoni 2012, p. 90.

Bibliography

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  • Gjoni, Irena (2012). Marrëdhënie të miteve dhe kulteve të bregdetit të Jonit me areale të tjera mitike (PhD) (in Albanian). Tirana: University of Tirana, Faculty of History and Philology.
  • Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q., eds. (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London: Routledge, ISBN 978-1-884964-98-5, (EIEC)
  • Monaghan, Patricia (1997). The New Book of Goddesses & Heroines. Llewellyn Publications. p. 324. ISBN 9781567184655.
  • Poghirc, Cicerone (1987). "Albanian Religion". In Mircea Eliade (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Religion. Vol. 1. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co. pp. 178–180.
  • Tirta, Mark (2004). Petrit Bezhani (ed.). Mitologjia ndër shqiptarë (in Albanian). Tirana: Mësonjëtorja. ISBN 99927-938-9-9.
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