Nëna e Vatrës

Nëna e Vatrës or Nana e Votrës ("The Mother of the Hearth") is the goddess of the fire hearth (hyjnia e zjarrit të vatrës) in Albanian mythology and folklore,[1][2][3] associated with fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and the cult of the woman-centered family life.[1][4]

Names and etymology

Nëna e Vatrës is the deity of the hearth fire (Albanian: hyjni e zjarrit të vatrës) 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.[5][1] 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".[3][6]

Folk beliefs

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.[5][7] The family members should behave respectfully towards her.[7] 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.[8][7]

Nëna e Vatrës is akin to Greek Hestia and Roman Vesta.[3][4][2][9] 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.[7] In this aspect the Albanian cult is more similar to the ancient cult of the natural eternal fire of Nymphaion.[7]

See also
  • En (deity) – Albanian deity
  • Verbt – Albanian god of fire and wind or thunderstorms
  • Prende – Albanian goddess of dawn, 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

Sources

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

Bibliography
  • 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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