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] associated with fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and the cult of the woman-centered family life.[3]

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, Shtriga e Vatrës/Votrës, Plaka e Vatrës/Votrës, Mëmat e Vatrës/Mamat e Votrës, Xhuxhet e Vatrës etc.[4] 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".[2][5]

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.[4] 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.[6]

See also

Sources

Citations
  1. Monaghan 1997, p. 350.
  2. Poghirc 1987, p. 179.
  3. Tirta 2004, pp. 176, 410.
  4. Tirta 2004, pp. 176.
  5. Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 263.
  6. Tirta 2004, pp. 177, 179.

Bibliography
  • Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q., eds. (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London: Routledge, ISBN 978-1-884964-98-5, (EIEC)CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Monaghan, Patricia (1997). The New Book of Goddesses & Heroines. Llewellyn Publications. p. 324. ISBN 9781567184655.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Poghirc, Cicerone (1987). "Albanian Religion". In Mircea Eliade (ed.). The Encyclopedia of Religion. 1. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co. pp. 178–180.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Tirta, Mark (2004). Petrit Bezhani (ed.). Mitologjia ndër shqiptarë (in Albanian). Tirana: Mësonjëtorja. ISBN 99927-938-9-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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