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The vatër (or votër; Albanian definite form: vatra or votra) is the domestic hearth in Albanian culture. The fire of the domestic hearth (Zjarri i Vatrës) holds divine attributes in Albanian beliefs, being considered the sustainer of the continuity between the world of the living and that of the dead, and ensuring the continuity of the tribe (fis) from generation to generation.[1] The absence of fire in a house is traditionally considered a great curse.[2] In Albanian folk beliefs the fire hearth is the symbol of fire as the offspring of the Sun (Dielli).[3] In Albanian tradition the deified fire (zjarri) was evidently also called with the theonym Enji, the god to whom Thursday – e enjte – was dedicated in the Albanian language.[4]
The Albanian term vatër (or votër; Albanian definite form: vatra or votra), "hearth", "fireplace", is derived from Proto-Albanian *ōtr-, obtained through the *o to *vo-/*va- development which is observed exclusively in the Albanian language as the dipthongization of *o in the two major dialect groups (Tosk: vatra/Gheg: votra). It is an Albanian inherited term from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ehₓ-tr-eh₂ < *h₂eh₁ter- ("fire").[5][6] It is a cognate to Latin ater and Proto-Iranian *HáHtr̥š ("fire", cf. Avestan: Atar). The Albanian term, in particular the Tosk form with va-, was loaned to Romanian and spread to other Balkan languages such as Slavic.[7][8][5][9]
The Albanian term zjarr, zjarm, zjerm, etc., "fire", is inherited from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰermno- "warm". Notably within the Palaeo-Balkanic IE group, it is cognate to Greek: θερμός thermos and Armenian: ǰerm.[10]
The function of the fire of the domestic hearth (Zjarri i Vatrës) is the sustenance of the continuity between the world of the living and that of the dead. After death, the souls of the ancestors (hije) assume a divine connotation and remain in contact with the family protecting the domestic hearth.[7][11]
Zjarri i vatrës is considered to ensure the continuity of the tribe (fis) from generation to generation.[7] In Albanian tradition, indeed, the lineage is identified with an original fire (zjarr); the members of a tribe are the ones who come "from the same fire" (pe një zjarri). The fire burns into the hearth (vatër), where it assumes another connotation besides the primordial concept: the fire of the domestic hearth is considered also as a place of common existence and commensality.[12]
In Albanian folk beliefs the fire hearth (vatra e zjarrit) is the symbol of fire as the offspring of Dielli ("the Sun").[3] The place of the ignition of fire is traditionally built in the center of the house and of circular shape representing the Sun. Traditionally the fire of the hearth is identified with the existence of the family and it is worshiped as a deity (hyjni/perëndi të zjarrit të vatrës). Its extinguishing is regarded as a bad omen for the family.[13]
Some of the information Catholic priest Ernesto Cozzi had given Edith Durham about Albanian folk beliefs and customs of the very early 19th century was recorded by her, also in particular about the fire cult in northern Albania:[14]
He says that great ceremony is observed when the fire is for the first time kindled in the hearth of a newly built house. The Zoti i Shpis [master of the house] must enter alone, stark naked, while the rest of the family wait outside. The fire has already been laid on the hearth & into this the Zoti i Shpis fires his revolver thus lighting it. He then goes out & dresses & all enter & take possession of the house.
Rose Wilder Lane (1923) provided the following description regarding the northern Albanian fire cult:[15]
The bride carries with her from her home one invariable gift—a pair of fire tongs. When she arrives at her husband's house she takes a humble place in the corner, standing, her hands folded on her breast, her eyes downcast, and for three days and nights she is required to remain in that position... this custom remains from the old days when the father of each house was also the priestly guardian of the fire, and anyone coming to ask for a light from it stood reverently in that position, silent, before the hearth, until the father priest gave it to him. The bride, newcomer in the family, is a suppliant for the gift of fire, of life, of the mystery that continues the race.
A figure which is widespread in Albanian beliefs is Gjarpri i vatrës (the serpent of the hearth), a household divine serpent personifying the souls of the ancestors.[16] Another widespread figure is Nëna e Vatrës (the Mother of the Hearth), a beneficent deity who protects the fire of the domestic hearth. She is akin to Greek Hestia and Roman Vesta.[7][11][17][3] 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.[18] In this aspect the Albanian cult is more similar to the ancient cult of the natural eternal fire of Nymphaion.[18]
Sacrificial offerings to the deities associated with the hearth are traditionally practiced by Albanians at feasts, by throwing some of the food they prepared into the fire of the domestic hearth and around the hearth.[19][7]
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