[Kulti Iliro-Shqiptar i gjarprit ; The

Albanian-Illyrian snake cult] English|Page 9

1 ekorimet me gjarperinj jane te zakonshme ne Shqiperi, qofte ne shtepi te vjetera, ne dekorimet e rrobave tradicionale, dhe Dndonjehere ne varre. Kjo kafshe eshte e perhapur ne mitologjine dhe besimet folklorike shqiptare; te analizosh mitin e gjarperit eshte te shikosh brenda miteve dhe traditave tona, ashtu si dhe ato mbareevropiane. Motivi i gjarperit ngjan me kultin e vjeter ilir te tradites paloballkanike dhe fragmentet qe mbeten ne gadishullin ballkanik. Pergjithesisht gjarperinje lidhen me kultet jo-indo-evropiane, por nje rishikim i shpejte thekson rendesine e tyre ne fete e vjetra te Ballkanit (nga Greqia e Lashte tek Iliria), si simbole ne fene nordike dhe kozmogonine keltike (veza e botes mendohej te ishte nje veze gjarperi). Gjarperinjte nuk ishin vetem nje force demonike apo e te liges, ashtu sic thone monoteizmat Abrahamike, por kishin dhe aspekte pozitive ne boten e antikitetit. Nuk do te listojme ketu fakte pa fund, por do te analizojme perse ky simbol ishte popullor mes paraardhesve tane. Dy tradita identifikohen ketu: nje interpretim tellurik i lidhur me grate dhe pjellorine, dhe nje me superior qe i sheh gjarperinjte si simbole forcash te fuqishme brenda dhe rreth burrave, dhe te lidhura me hyjni si Zeusi dhe Apolloni. Si simbol ktonik dhe tellurik, gjarperinje perfaqesojne forcat elementare dhe primale te Tokes dhe jane te lidhur me fene agrare te Memes Toke, e gjendur ne Evrope dhe Anadoll perpara pushtimit te Proto- Indo-Evropianeve. Nje shembull tipik i ketij kulti eshte perendesha

2 gjarper e civilizimit Minoik. Ne besimet popullore shqiptare, gjarperinjte shihen si udheheqes te forcave te nendheut (ku fshehin thesare) dhe te dheut (pergjegjes per pjellorine e tokes), ashtu si sugjerohet nga zbulimet arkeologjike te nje statuje te nje perendeshe ilire duke mbajtur nje brir bolleku me nje gjarper rreth tij. Kjo force tellurike e perfaqesuar nga gjarperinjte shihet edhe si vdekjeprurese, dhe godet papritur, prandaj ne Malesi, para se te punojne token, thone "O zoti i arës, lëshoja token fares". Keto fjale mendohen te bejne gjarperinjte me mireberes dhe ruajne fermeret nga kafshimet e tyre. Nje shtrese tjeter i ketij simbolizmi tellurik ka te beje me grate dhe pjellorine e tyre. Riti i pjellorise eshte vezhguar ne zonat rreth Shkupit, ku grate shqiptare bejne qe gjarperinjte te zvarrisen tek fustanet e tyre cdo 22 Mars. Gjarperinjte ne nje fare menyre duken si "miqte me te mire" te gruas dhe lidhja e tyre gjendet ke nje aspekt tjeter i ketij zvarraniku: roli i tij si mbrojtes i shtepise. Ne paganizmin evropian, gjejme shpirtera qe mbrojne shtepine dhe banoret e saj. Nje besim i perhapur ne folklorin shqiptar eshte qe gjarperi qe gjehet ne shtepi nuk duhet vrare, pasi ai eshte rojtari. Ky lloj gjarperi thuhet te kete brire apo floke te vegjel te arte quhet Vitore, Bolle apo thjesht Gjerperi i shtepis dhe eshte i pergjegjshem per mireqenien e familjes. Pergjithesisht mendohet te jete shpirti i vatres, dhe vetem gruaja me e madhe e shtepise e di se ku fshihet. Pra, eshte detyra e kesaj gruaje qe t'i jape tre here ne dite sakrifica te vogla: uje, copa buke etj.

3 Kjo e identifikon gjarperin si shpirti rojtar i nje vendi specifik, apo nje genius loci ne terminologjine romake. Dhe sakrificat ngjajne me sakrificen ne qumesht qe gjermanet e zones se Danubit i bejne gjarperit, edhe sipas tyre, gjarperi sjell mbaresi. Duhet permendur qe perendesha Romake Vesta dhe perendesha shqiptare Votra apo Nena Votres kane te njejtin funksion; perfaqesojne zjarrin qe mbahet ndezur gjate gjithe kohes ne shtepi. Per me teper, edhe pse gjarperi i shtepise mund te jetoje ne nje shtepi te braktisur, besohet qe nese ne familje nderron shtepi, gjarperi mund t'i ndjeke nga pas. Ideja e lidhjes mes gjarperit te shtepise dhe familjes ngjan me perrallat shqiptare mbi Orat (pak a shume shpirtera rojtare individuale) qe fshihen duke u shnderruar ne gjarperinj. Keshtu, gjarperinjte e shtepise nuk jane vetem te ngjashem me genius loci por edhe me dii lares, zota romak qe perfaqesojne paraardhesit. Dii lares portretizohen shpeshhere ne altaret romake si gjarperinj. Per me teper, vendi qendror i nje shtepie romake (si ne shume shtepi indo- evropiane) eshte zjarri qe digjet perhere, qe eshte i lidhur me shpritin e paraardhesve. Gjarperinjte e shtepive shqiptare te kuptuar si projeksion i vatres nenvizojne ngjashmerine e tyre me dii lares: shpirti i gjalle i nje familjeje qe vezhgon dhe mbron anetaret e saj. Kulti i dii lares ishte pjese e kultit romak te paraardhesve, dhe sakrificat ndaj tyre mund te shikohen si nje forme e adhurimit te paraardhesve. Nuk eshte habi qe dekorimet e gjarperinjve gjenden neper shtepi nga veriu ne jug, si kujtese e pranise se paraardhesve,

4 apo ne gure varresh, si ato prane Tuzit ku gjejme edhe dekorime diellore. Nese shembujt qe kemi dhene deri me tash mund te interpretohen si "totemizem" eshte vetem per sa kohe i aplikohen nje shoqerie matriarkale tellurike qe rrotullohet kryesisht rreth pjellorise dhe nje spiritualiteti femeror dhe henor, ku njerezit jane skllever te forcave me te larta, dhe adhurojne mbi te gjitha ciklin e brezave. Edhe pse kulti shqiptar i gjarperit i ka disa nga keto tipare, ato cka thame me pare per gjarperin e shtepise eshte nje e dhene per nje orientim me te larte: prania e dekorimeve diellore ne varret e Tuzit tregon qe kuptimi i gjarperinjve shkon pertej tellurikes, ose te pakten i orienton keto forca drejt dickaje me transhendente te simbolizuar nga dielli. Kemi thene qe gjarperinjte portretiziohen ne altaret romake perfaqesojne dii lares, ose te pakten forcat e tyre. Ne Greqine Antike, zoti i vatres se shenjte te shtepise ishte Zeus Ktesios ("zoti i shtepise") dhe portretizohej si gjarper. Per me teper, Plutarku thote se si Aleksandri i Madh, si bir i princeshes epirote Olimpia dhe Zeusit, ishte ne gjendje te transformohej ne nje gjarper. Nga keta shembuj mund te kuptojme qe nuk vihet re shpesh qe gjarperinjte mund te perfaqesojne ne raste te rralla hyjnite me te larta. Devotshmeria e Olimpise ndaj kultit te gjarperit, kultet maqedonase te gjarperit nga ku thuhet te kate ardhur zoti-gjarper Glykon, dhe Iliria qe njihej si vendi i kulteve te gjarperit ne antikitet provojne qe keto tre vende i perkisnin te njejtes kulture dhe boteveshtrimi paleoballkanik. Per shembull, edhe pse Apollo ishte zoti i profecise dhe

5 i gjarperinjve, ne Greqi nuk kishte praktika orakullare qe perfshijne gjarperinjte. Nga ana tjeter, ne Epir kishte nje tempull ku vajza te reja i jepnin ushqim gjarperinjve te shenjte si pjese te nje rituali. Por me shume se ne Epir apo Maqedoni, burimet antike tregojne se si Iliria eshte e lidhur me gjarperinjte. Sipas 'Bibliotheka' te Pseudo-Apollodorit, kombi ilir u themelua ka Iliriusi, biri me i vogel i Kadmit dhe Perendeshes Harmoni. Keta te dy u transformuan ne dy gjarperinj binjake nga Zeusi pasi braktisen qytetin grek te Tebes, i themeluar nga Kadmi, per te udhehequr iliret. Transformimi ne gjaperinj eshte nje jehone e dy gjarperinjve ne shkopin e Hermesit, i njohur si Kadukeus. Duhet permendur ketu qe Tireias, profeti i verber i Apollonit dhe keshilltar i Kadmit, thuhet qe u shnderrua ne grua pasi vrau dy gjarperinj. Kjo lidhet me konceptin Hindu te Kundalinit. Kadmi dhe Harmonia perfaqesojne rrymat psikike mashkullore dhe femerore, perkatesisht Ida dhe Pingala, qe rrotullohen rreth shtylles kurrizore (si gjarperinjte qe rrotullohen rreth shkopit te Hermesit). Kjo arritje sjell fuqi te medha, dhe prandaj thuhej qe Kadmusi dhe Harmonia do jetojne pergjithmone. Nje reference ndaj fuqise se Kundalinit gjendet tek Cikli i Kreshnikeve, ku forca e disa heronjve thuhet qe buron nga 3 gjarperinj qe jetojne brenda vetes. Kjo eshte prova qe gjarperi nuk eshte vetem nje simbol femeror tellurik, por nje ne disa kontekste eshte nje simbol heroik, tipik indo- evropian.

6 Duhet te permendim ketu qe gjarperi ne rripat ilire te zbuluara ne varrin mbreteror ne Selca dhe mendohen te kene qene prone e mbretit Dardan Monun. Ne te ne mund te shikojme nje kalores ne lufte, dhe pas tij nje gjarper te madh. Gjarperi ketu duhet pare si nje force shpirterore qe mbron kaloresin. Sic thame me pare, disa perralla shqiptare flasin per Orat qe maskohen si gjarperinj. Ne monedha ilire nga fisi i Labeteaneve te gjetura ne Kukes mund te shikojme nje anije ilire me nje gjarper te gdhendur ne te. Kjo ngjan me anijet e famshme vikinge, te cilat njiheshin per dekorimet e tyre me gjarperinj te quajtur sjö-snäkkars (gjarperinj deti). Kemi te njejtin arketip Indo- Evropian, mbrojtje nga forca me te larta gjate luftes dhe plackitjeve me anije te vogla qe ishte nje aktivitet si ilir dhe viking. Te kthehemi tek Apolloni, duhet te kujtojme qe Apolloni mendohej te kishte origjinen nga diku jashte Greqise. Adriano Romualdi besonte qe etimologjia e emrit te ketij zoti kishte origjine ilire. Sidoqofte, nje lidhje tjeter mes gjarperinjve dhe Apollonit gjendet tek Asklepi, biri i Apollonit dhe perendi i mjekesise, i cili portretizohet me nje gjarper. Ky gjarper perfaqson forcen e jetes dhe fuqine sheruese. Sigurisht, ne kohen kur Apollo ishte perendia e vetme e mjekesise gjarperi lidhej me fort me te se sa me vone. Per me teper, Apollo thuhet te kete lene shtatzene Dryopen duke e transformuar veten ne nje gjarper, qe na kujton historine e Zeusit dhe Olimpise. Nje aspekt tjeter interesant eshte Apolloni qe vret gjarperin gjigant Python, por nuk duam te zgjatemi ketu. Le te permendim qe ne disa mite, Pythoni pershkruhet si nje gjarper femer, ashtu si Kucedra shqiptare.

7 Nga studimi yne i shkurter marrim nje imazh shume te ndryshem nga c'mendonim. Miti dhe simbolizmi i gjarperit ne traditen tone pre- monoteiste eshte neglizhuar dhe pare vetem si nje forme totemizmi primitiv. Gjarperinjte jane simbole qe perfaqesojne forca shpirterore qe mund te zoterohen per qellimi trashendente, qe korrespondojne me spiritualitetin tone Indo-Evropian dhe qe lidhen me perendite e larta Olimpike, e habitshme per disa. Sigurisht, ekziston dhe orientimi tjeter: ai i kulteve tellurike te pjellorise qe te con drejt boteveshtrimeve te mbushura me nje ndjesi pafuqie, ku duhet t'i lutesh perendive te tokes per kete apo per ate. Nga ana tjeter, shumica e simboleve gjarperore ne Shqiperi te cojne ne drejtimin tjeter. Drejtimi diellor ve ne vije drejtimin tellurik, duke i dhene nje hierarki te sakte. Pra, gjarperi mund te shifet si nje force qe kerkon nje mjeshter, bamires dhe mbrojtes per ata qe dine si ta perdorin, dhe vdekjeprures per te padenjet qe me mire t'i nenshtrohen. Ky boteveshtrim tregohet tek familja feudale shqiptare e Shpatajve, me stemen e tyre ku nje dore ka kapur dhe po shtrengon disa gjarperinj. Ky eshte qendrimi i shqiptareve ne lidhje me forcat transhendente: nje burreri shpirterore perballe numenit, i paraqitur shumicen e kohes si nje gjarper, dhe lejon heroin te arrije status Olimpik permes nje lloj Kundalini. Sidoqofte, eshte nje ceshtje qe varet nga predispozcioni personal. Ashtu si ylberi i bere nga gjarperinj tek koraca e Agamemnonit, gjarperi perfaqeson nje ure mes Tokes dhe Qiellit.

8 (English)

nake decorations are found like a leitmotif throughout Albania, be it old houses, representations on clothes, and sometimes on Sgraves. The animal is widespread in Albanian folk mythology and beliefs; to focus on this reptile is to focus on our own myths and traditions, and as well as an insight into ancient European religion. Indeed, the snake motif is reminiscent of the old Illyrian snake cult of paleobalkanic origin and its fragments surviving in the Balkan peninsula. Most of the time snakes are associated with non Indo European cults, but a quick review highlights the importance of snakes in ancient Balkan religions (from Ancient Greece to Illyria), as a symbol of Nordic religion and in Celtic cosmogony (the world egg was thought to be a snake’s egg). And far from being limited to a demonic or a nefarious force, as Abrahamic monotheisms too often relegate them, snakes have as well a positive aspect that the ancient world was aware of. But instead of listing facts what matters here with such a symbol is to understand where the stress was put by our ancestors. We can identify two main options or traditions: a telluric interpretation associated with fertility and women, and a more superior one regarding snakes as a symbols of powerful forces and currents within and around men, and tied to solar deities such as Zeus or Apollo.

9 As a chthonic and telluric symbol, snakes represent the elemental and primal forces of the Earth and are thus tied to the agrarian religion of the Earth Mother, present throughout Europe and Anatolia before the invasion of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. An echo of this cult is found in the Minoan snake goddess. In Albanian popular belief snakes are viewed as ruling over forces of the underground (where they keep treasures) as well as those above ground (field’s fecundity), as it is suggested in an archaeological discovery of a statue representing a local Illyrian goddess holding a cornucopia with a snake around it. This telluric force represented by snakes can also be deadly, striking blindly, and that is why Albanians in highlands, before working in the fields, say “O earth power, give some dirt to my grains” (“O zoti i arës, lëshoja token fares”). Such words are thought to make the snakes benevolent and especially avoid them biting those working in the fields. Another layer of this telluric symbolism has to do with women and their fertility. A fertility rite recorded among the areas near Shkup involves Albanian women making snakes slide on their dresses, each 22nd of March. As such, snakes do appear as women’s “best friends” and their connection is to be found in another aspect of this reptile: his role as the house’s guardian. Throughout European paganism we find spirits protecting the house and its inhabitants. A well spread belief in Albanian folklore is that a snake found in the house should not be killed, for he is its guardian. This kind of snake is thought to have little golden horns or hairs and is called Vitore, Bolle, or just

10 Gjarpri i shtepis (the house snake) and is responsible for the family’s prosperity. Most of the time it is believed to be the spirit of the fireplace (shpirti i vatres) and only the oldest woman of the house knows were it hides. Therefore, the duty of this woman is to give him 3 time in a day little offerings: water, bits of bread etc. This is an identification of the snake as a guardian spirit of a specific place, or genius loci (spirit of a place) in latin terminology. And the offerings are reminiscent of the milk given to snakes in small bowl on the house’s threshold by Germans of the Danube, as snakes bring prosperity according to them. It is worth mentioning as well that Roman goddess Vesta and Albanian goddess Votra or Nena Votres share the same functions as female deities representing the sacred ever burning house fire.Furthermore, even though most of the time the house snake can live in an abandoned house, it is believed that if a family moves from one house to another it is sometimes possible that the house snake follows them. This idea of a house snake linked with a family so much that it moves from place to place ties it with Albanian tales depicting Oras (more or less individual guardian spirits) hiding in the form of snakes. Therefore, Albanian house snakes are not only similar to genius loci but of the Roman dii lares, patron deities representing ancestors. Dii lares are sometimes depicted in roman house altars’ as snakes. Moreover, the central place of Roman houses (like most of Indo- European houses) was the ever-burning fire, which was linked with

11 the ancestors’ spirit. Albanian house snakes understood as emanation of the fireplace underline therefore their similar signification with roman dii lares: the living spirit of a family watching upon the members and protecting them. The dii lares cult was part of the roman ancestor cult, in a similar fashion the offerings to the house snake emanation of the fireplace could be regarded as a form of ancestor worship. Therefore, it is no surprise that snake decorations are carved in Albanian houses from north to south, as a reminder of the ancestor’s spiritual presence, or in gravestones like those near Tuzi where we find solar decorations as well. If the examples of the snake symbolism could be interpreted so far as “totemism” it could only be so as long as they apply to a chtonic-telluric matriarachal society revolving mostly around fertility and a feminine lunar spirituality where humans are slaves of higher forces, and worship above all the cycle of generations. Even though the Albanian snake cult does share these features, what has been said about the house snake appears as an indication of a higher orientation: indeed, the presence on Tuzi’s gravestones of snakes with solar symbolisms highlight an understanding of snakes going beyond mere telluric forces, or at least orients telluric forces toward the transcendent symbolized here by the sun. We have mentioned the snakes depicted on roman altars as representing the dii lares, or at least symbolizing their forces. In Ancient Greece, the divinity of the house’s sacred fireplace was Zeus

12 Ktesios (“domestic god”) and depicted as a snake. Even more than in the roman example of the dii lares, we find here a strong similarity with the Albanian house snake. Furthermore, Plutarch speaks of Alexander the Great as the son of Olympias, the princess from Epirus, and Zeus turned into a serpent. From these examples we can grasp the mostly overlooked fact that snakes can represent in some case higher divinities, such as the master of Olympus himself. Olympias’ devotion toward a snake cult, the Macedonian snake cults from which the snake god Glykon is though to come from, and Illyria being regarded by ancient Greeks as a land where of snake cults, shows that they were all part of the same shared cultural paleobalkanic religious worldview (with minor local different flavors). For example, even though Apollo was the god of prophecy and the one ruling over snakes, in ancient Greece there was no oracular practice involving snakes. On the other hand, in Epirus there was a shrine where young girls would give food to sacred snakes as part of this specific rite. But more than Epirus or Macedonia, ancient sources highlight Illyria as linked with snakes. According to Pseudo-Apollodorus’ Bibliotheca, the nation of the Illyria was founded by Illyrius, the youngest son of the hero Cadmus and Goddess Harmonia. These two were transformed into twin snakes by Zeus after leaving the Greek city of Thebes, build by Cadmus, to rule over Illyrians. There transformation into snakes is an echo of the two snakes on Hermes’ staff known as the Caduceus. It is worth

13 mentioning here that Tiresias, Apollo’s blind prophet of Thebes and advisor of Cadmus, is said to have been turned into a woman after killing two snakes. All this ties with the Hindu concept of Kundalini yoga. Cadmus and Harmonia can thus be seen as the male and female psychic currents, respectively Ida and Pingala, revolving around the spine (as the snakes revolve around Hermes’ staff). Such an achievement brings huge power, and that is why Cadmus and Harmonia are said to live forever. A reference to the tremendous power of the Kundalini is to be found in the famous Albanian epic songs of heroes (Cikli i Kreshnikeve) where the strength of some heroes is said to come from 3 snakes living inside them. This is the evidence that the snake is not just a feminine telluric symbol, but in some contexts it is a heroic, stereotypically Indo-European one. We should mention here the snake depicted on the Illyrian belt buckle discovered in the royal tomb of Selca and thought to be the property of Dardanian king Monunius. On it we can see a horseman at war, behind him stands a giant serpent. The serpent here is to be understood as a spiritual force protecting the horseman. As we said earlier, some Albanian tales speak of Oras disguised as snakes. Furthermore, on Illyrian coins from the Labeatan tribe found in Kukes we can see an Illyrian ship with a snake curved on it. This is reminiscent of the famous Vikings’ ships with carved dragon heads and called sometimes sjö-snäkkars (sea snakes). Therefore, from the same Indo-European archetype, the protection of higher forces for

14 warfare operation involving raids by sea were represented in a similar fashion on Illyrian and Viking ships. To get back to Apollo, we would like to remember that Apollo is thought to be from some place outside ancient Greece. Adriano Romualdi believed that the God’s etymology had an Illyrian origin. Nevertheless, another link between snakes and Apollo can be found in Asclepius, the son of Apollo and god of medicine, which is depicted with a snake. This snake represents the life force with healing powers. Of course, back when Apollo was the sole god of medicine the snake should have been associated with him more strongly than it is now. Furthermore, Apollo is said to have impregnated Dryope by transforming himself into a serpent, which is very reminiscent of the story of Zeus and Olympias. Another interesting aspect of Apollo is his killing of the giant snake Python, but this would lead us too far. Lets just mention that in some myths Python is described as a female snake, just like the Albanian Kulshedra. From our little study we can grasp a quite different picture than the one we are used to. The snake’s mythology and symbolism in our pre monotheistic tradition has been overlooked and regarded as only a primitive form of totemism. It is more accurate to say that snakes as a symbol represent spiritual forces that can be mastered for transcendent purposes, in tune with our warrior spirituality, and linked with higher Olympic deities, quite surprisingly for some. Of course, the other orientation has existed: the orientation toward telluric cults of

15 fertility that leads to religious worldviews filled with a sensation of powerlessness, where one has to beg to earthly deities for this or that. On the other hand, most of the snake symbolism surviving in Albania points to the opposite direction. The latter has rectified the former, establishing the proper hierarchy. Thus, the snake can be seen as the symbol of a force waiting for its master: benevolent and protecting those knowing how to deal with it, deadly for those unworthy that would better submit to it. This worldview is encompassed on the Albanian Shpata noble family’s coat of arms (most of the time overlooked when dealing with the snake cult). This is the attitude Albanians have always manifested towards transcendent forces: a spiritual virility in front of numen, depicted most of the time as snakes, and enabling heroes among them to achieve Olympic status via what could be called a kind of Kundalini yoga. Nevertheless, it is a matter of personal predisposition. Like the rainbow made of snakes on Agamemnon’s armour, the snake represents sometimes a bridge between Earth and the Sky.

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