Verbt

Verbt or Verb (definite Albanian form: Verbti or Verbi) is a fire and wind god in Albanian pagan mythology. By controlling the wind he is able to fan the flames of fire and move water, the opposite element to fire. Also known as Shën Verbti or Rmoria, he was worshiped in northern Albania until recent times.[1]

The purifying power of fire underlies the popular idea according to which this deity is the enemy of uncleanliness and the opponent of filth.[2] A reconstructed name of an Albanian fire god is *Enji, from which the Albanian word enjte "thursday" is considered to be derived.[3][4] In Albanian mythology, Verbti is the counterpart of the weather and storm god Shurdh.[5][6][2]

Etymology

The name Verbti appears to be connected with the Albanian term i verbër meaning "the blind one", however this link seems to be only a coincidence, since according to folk beliefs he can actually see very well.[7] The name Verbt / Verb must be related to vorbull and the variant vorbëtinë, "whirlpool, -wind, vortex, swirl", probably derived from Proto-Albanian *uērb-, from Proto-Indo-European *uer-b(h)-, "to revolve, twist, turn (down)".[8]

Folk beliefs

According to folk beliefs, Verbti is the god who controls fire and wind. By controlling the wind he is able to fan the flames of fire and move water, the opposite element to fire. He is said to have saved a boy from drowning after the people prayed to him. Verbti performed the rescue by controlling the northern wind, which raised the water in billow, and the waves thus created threw the boy out of the water alive.[2] Verbti is described as a deity who hates uncleanliness and bad ways of speaking and he will punish anyone who speaks badly of him.[7] The purifying power of fire underlies the popular idea according to which this deity is the enemy of uncleanliness and the opponent of filth.[2]

With the coming of Christianity in Albania, Verbti was demonized and considered a false god, and it was spread about that anyone who invoked him would go blind.[9][10] However, in folk beliefs the god Verbti was often considered more powerful than the Christian God. The struggle between the old and the new god and the predominant popularity of Verbti in Albanian folk beliefs is expressed in a tale narrated from a Christian point of view, according to which two lads met together, then one said: "Let me pray to Verbi! Afterwards we will go to fight on!" The other, however, replied to him: "Verbti, there's no such thing! But the God in heaven, who is only one, he is the true God!" So one prayed to Verbti and the other to the true God. Then they fought against each other. But God arranged it so that the one who prayed to the true God was killed, while the other who prayed to Verbi survived. Hence all the people placed their hopes in Verbti.[2][10][6]

See also

Sources

Citations
  1. Elsie 2001, p. 259; Jordan 2004, p. 339; Lurker 2004, p. 197; Lambertz 1922, pp. 47, 49, 145–146; Lambertz 1973, pp. 505–506.
  2. Lambertz 1922, pp. 47, 49, 145–146.
  3. Orel 1998, p. 88.
  4. Treimer 1971, p. 32.
  5. Elsie 2001, pp. 238–259.
  6. Lambertz 1973, pp. 505–506.
  7. Elsie 2001, p. 259.
  8. Demiraj 1997, pp. 423–425.
  9. Lurker 2004, p. 197.
  10. Stadtmüller 1954, pp. 216–217.

Bibliography
  • Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997). Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz. Leiden Studies in Indo-European (in German). Vol. 7. Amsterdam, Atlanta: Brill. ISBN 978-90-420-0161-9.
  • Elsie, Robert (2001). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture. NYU Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-85065-570-1.
  • Jordan, Michael (August 2004). Dictionary of gods and goddesses. Infobase Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8160-5923-2.
  • Lambertz, Maximilian (1922). Albanische Märchen (und andere Texte zur albanischen Volkskunde). Wien: A. Hölder.
  • Lambertz, Maximilian (1973). "Die Mythologie der Albaner". In Hans Wilhelm Haussig (ed.). Wörterbuch der Mythologie (in German). Vol. 2. pp. 455–509.
  • Lurker, Manfred (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Devils and Demons. Routledge, Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0-203-64351-8.
  • Lurker, Manfred (2004). The Routledge dictionary of gods and goddesses, devils and demons. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-34018-2.
  • Orel, Vladimir (1998). Albanian etymological dictionary. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11024-3.
  • Rose, Carol (1996). Spirits, fairies, gnomes, and goblins: an encyclopedia of the little people. ABC-CLIO. pp. 327. ISBN 978-0-87436-811-6.

Stadtmüller, Georg (1954). "Altheidnischer Volksglaube und Christianisierung in Albanien". Orientalia Christiana Periodica (in German). Pontificium Institutum Orientalium Studiorum. XX: 211–246.

  • Treimer, Karl (1971). "Zur Rückerschliessung der illyrischen Götterwelt und ihre Bedeutung für die südslawische Philologie". In Henrik Barić (ed.). Arhiv za Arbanasku starinu, jezik i etnologiju. Vol. I. R. Trofenik. pp. 27–33.
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