Myth of Skanderbeg
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The Myth of Skanderbeg is one of the main constitutive myths of Albanian nationalism.[1][2][3] In the late nineteenth century during the Albanian struggle and the Albanian National Awakening, Skanderbeg became a symbol for the Albanians and he was turned into a national Albanian hero and myth.[4][5][6]
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After the death of Skanderbeg, the Arbëresh (Albanians) migrated from the Balkans to southern Italy. There his memory and exploits survived and were maintained among them in their musical repertoire.[7] Skanderbeg was transformed into a nation building myth by Albanian nationalist writers and thus his deeds were transformed into a mixture of facts, half truths and folklore.[8] The Myth of Skanderbeg is the only myth of Albanian nationalism that is based on a person; the others are based on ideas, abstract concepts, and collectivism.[9] The myth of Skanderbeg was not created by Albanian intellectuals but was already part of the Arbereshe folklore and collective memory.[10] According to Oliver Jens Schmitt, "there are two different Skanderbegs today: the historic Skanderbeg, and a mythic national hero as presented in Albanian schools and nationalist intellectuals in Tirana and Pristina."[11]