Zojz (deity)
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Zojz is a name for a sky and lightning god in Albanian pagan mythology. Regarded as the chief god and the highest of all gods, traces of his worship survived in northern Albania until the early 20th c
The cult practiced by the Albanians on Mount Tomorr in south-central Albania is considered as a continuation of the ancient Indo-European sky-god worship.
Daylight sky
Region of Zadrima, where traces of Zojz' worship survived until the early 20th century
View of Mount Tomorr from the Tunja village
Albanian paganism
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Albanian paganism comprises the pre-Christian customs, beliefs, rituals, myths and legends of the Albanian people. The oldest stratum of Albanian mythology is of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin. Ancient
Zojz (deity)
…Zojz is a name for a sky and lightning god in Albanian pagan mythology. Regarded as the chief god and the highest of all gods, traces of his worship survived in northern Albania until the early 20th century, and in some…
Albanian warrior dance in circle around fire (zjarri), drawing from the book Childe Harold's Pilgrimage written by Lord Byron in the early 19th century. Practiced for several hours with very short intervals, the dance gets new vigour from the words of the accompanying song that starts with a battle cry invoking war drums, and which is of a piece with the movement and usually changed only once or twice during the whole performance. The ritual purifying fire is traditionally used by Albanians, in particular singing and dancing around it, to gain
Men of Theth (Shala) practicing the gjâmë – the Albanian lamentation of the dead – in the funeral of Ujk Vuksani, 1937.