Vitore

The cult of the household serpent is implemented in the Albanian traditional art: the snake silouhette commonly appears carved on the walls and doors of Albanian houses for good fortune and to ward off the evil eye.[1]

The Vitore (Albanian definite form: Vitorja, also Gjarpni i Votrës, Gjarpni i Shtëpisë, Bolla e Shtëpisë or Ora e Shtëpisë) is a household divine serpent (gjarpër or bollë) in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with human destiny, good fortune and the souls of the ancestors.[2] In folk beliefs the household serpent is strongly related to the cult of the hearth (vatër) and it is especially considered the guardian of the family and the house.[3]

  1. ^ Tirta 2004, pp. 152–162; Doli 2009, pp. 127–128.
  2. ^ Galaty et al. 2013, p. 161; Stipčević 2009, p. 507; Berishaj 2004, pp. 49–50; Elsie 2001, p. 260; Tirta 2004, pp. 147–149; Poghirc 1987, p. 179.
  3. ^ Galaty et al. 2013, p. 161; Stipčević 2009, p. 507.