Legends & Tales

with the permission of Albanologist and Historian
Dr. Robert Elsie from the Book Albanian folktales and legends
Selected and translated from the Albanian
Dukagjini, Peja 2001

-Rozafat Castle
-Scanderbeg and Ballaban
-Aga Ymer of Ulcinj
-The girl who became boy
-The snake and the King's daughter

Rozafat Castle

Ancient Rozafat Castle rises proudly over the wide Buna River and over the city of Shkodra. Who knows when the first foundations of the castle were laid? Its history is lost in the mists of the Illyrian age.
There is a legend about the construction of Rozafat Castle which has been transmitted to us from antiquity. Fog lay over the Buna for three days and three nights blanketing the rivercompletely. When three days and three nights had passed, a strong wind began to blow, dissipating the mists and making Mount Valdanuz visible once again. Up on the mountain there were three brothers at work building a castle. The foundations they built during the daytime always collapsed at night, so that they could never finish the castle.

One day, an old man came by and greeted the three brothers, saying, “I wish you success in your work ” “We wish you success, too, old man, though we ourselves are not doing very well. Day after day we work and build and at night the foundations collapse. Do you know what we can do to make the walls stay put?” “Yes, I do,” replied the old man, “but it would be a sin if I told you.” “Let the sin be ours, because we are the ones who want to build the castle.” The old man reflected for a while and then asked, “Are you married? Do you all have wives?” “
Yes, we are married,” they replied, “Each of us has a wife. But tell us what to do to build the castle.”
“If you really want to finish the castle, you must swear never to tell your wives what I am going to tell you now. The wife who brings you your food tomorrow you must bury alive in the wall of the castle. Only then will the foundations stay put and last forever.”
Thus spoke the old man and departed. But alas, the eldest brother broke his promise and revealed to his wife at home everything that had happened and told her not to go to the place where the castle was being built the next day. The second oldest brother broke his promise, too, and told his wife everything. Only the youngest brother kept his word and said nothing to his wife at home. The next morning the brothers rose early and went to work. Their axes resounded,
rocks were crushed, the walls rose and their hearts beat faster and faster...
At home the mother of the three brothers knew nothing of their agreement. She said to the wife of the eldest brother. “The workers need bread, water and their wine flask, daughter-in-law.” But she replied, “I’m sorry, dear mother, but I really cannot go today. I am ill.” The mother then asked the second wife who answered, “My word, dear mother, I cannot go either, for I must visit my parents today.” The mother then turned to the youngest wife, saying,
“My dear daughter-in-law, the workers need bread, water and their wine flask.” She got up and said, “I would willingly go, mother, but I have my young son here and am afraid he will need weaning and cry.” “You go ahead,” said the other two daughters-in-law, “we shall look after the boy. He won’t cry.” So the youngest and best wife stood up, fetched the bread, water and the wine flask, kissed her son good-bye on both cheeks and set off. She climbed up Mount Valdanuz and approached the place where the three workers were busy. “I wish you success in your work, gentlemen ” But what was wrong? The axes stopped resounding, their hearts beat faster and faster, and their faces turned pale. When the youngest brother saw his wife coming, he hurled his axe away and cursed the rocks and walls.
“What is the matter, my lord,” his wife asked, “why are you cursing the rocks and walls?” Her older brothers-in-law smiled grimly and the oldest one declared, “You were born under an unlucky star, sister-in-law, for we have sworn to bury you alive in the wall of the castle.” “Then may it be so, brothers-in-law,” replied the young woman, “I have but one request to make.
When you wall me in, leave a hole for my right eye, for my right hand, for my right foot and for my right breast. I have a small son. When he starts to cry, I will cheer him up with my right eye, I will comfort him with my right hand, I will rock him with my right foot and wean him with my right breast. Let my breast turn to stone and the castle flourish. May my son become a great hero, ruler of the world ”
They then took the young woman and walled her into the foundations of the castle. This time the walls did not collapse, but stayed put to rise higher and higher. Even today, at the foot of the castle, the stones are still damp and mildewed from the
tears of the mother weeping for her son.

Scanderbeg and Ballaban

Albania was faced with a mighty Turkish invasion, but managed to defend itself. A second, even greater invasion then took place and was again repulsed. A third, fourth and fifth invasion followed. Under the leadership of Gjergj Kastrioti Scanderbeg, however, the Albanians were able to counter each of these invasions for they fought with courage for their country, their honour, their lives and their children. Over long years and in the course of the many battles, the little province of Albania had become a graveyard for the armies of the Ottoman Empire. Armies attacked and never returned home, as if they had vanished from the very face of the earth. Finally Sultan Murad himself came, with soldiers as numerous as the sands of the seashore, and he, too, was defeated. He returned home and this time took with him another army even greater and headed by his Janissaries, and yet it, too, was vanquished. On his deathbed, the mighty Sultan Murad lamented: “What shame I have lived in vain I have conquered the whole world, I forced Bulgaria and Serbia into submission, I claimed victory over Greece and reached the very Danube, conquering the wide plains of Romania and Hungary beyond that river, but I was never able to defeat little Albania. I almost had it in the palm of my hand when Scanderbeg drove me out.” The son of Sultan Murad, Mehmed the Great, followed in his father’s footsteps, except that he was much crueler. He besieged and waged war against Constantinople the magnificent surrounded by its three walls. When Mehmed defeated the city, the most beautiful and wealthiest on earth, he set up his golden throne there and called himself the Victorious. Following this great deed, which caused all of Europe to tremble, Mehmed resolved to force Albania into submission as his dying father had begged him to do. Thus Sultan Mehmed assembled a huge army with both infantry and cavalry, and headed it himself to march against Albania. The very earth quaked as the iron-girded army marched by. The rivers were left without water after it had passed, for its horses and soldiers had drunk them dry. No grass grew where it had marched. Accompanying the Turkish Sultan was Ballaban Badheri, an Albanian who had betrayed his country and was now leading the Turks. Ballaban had been a great hero, but he betrayed both his lineage and his people, and fought for the Turks to gain high office, fame and fortune. He had taken part in many wars and had been first to plant the crescent flag on the walls of Constantinople. Sultan Mehmed had therefore made Ballaban a pasha and conferred upon him gifts and honours. But honour for the Turks had a bitter aftertaste to the Albanians, for Ballaban had no compassion with their sufferings, neither with the land he trampled upon, nor with the homes he razed to the ground, nor with Albanian blood he spilled. Sultan Mehmed set out with this great army to force Albania into submission, but Albania had Scanderbeg When Scanderbeg received word that the Turks were again to invade Albania, he assembled his troops and set forth to do battle with them. But how few they were, compared to the Turkish hordes The Albanians made their camp on the bank of a sparkling river, setting up their tents in the shade. They ate, drank and made merry as if celebrating a wedding instead of going to war. After some time, they caught sight of a Turk riding towards them, carrying a white flag in his hand. They rode out to meet him and block his path. “Who are you and what do you want here?” “I am a messenger of the mighty Sultan of the Turks and wish to speak to your lord, Scanderbeg.” “Get off your horse then and come with us.” And so, they took him to Scanderbeg. The messenger greeted Scanderbeg politely, saying, “Lord of the Albanians, the mighty Turkish Sultan has sent me to ask you where you wish to do battle with him.” Scanderbeg answered curtly, “Go and tell your lord to come and see for himself.” When the
messenger returned, Sultan Mehmed asked him, “Did you see Scanderbeg?” “Yes, Sultan, I saw him.” “Did you also see his warriors?” “Yes, I did.” “Does Scanderbeg have a large army?” “He has but a small army though his soldiers all have shining, courageous eyes. They were singing and dancing a sword dance and waiting impatiently for the order to attack.” “What is this sword dance, messenger?” asked the Sultan. “It is an Albanian dance, oh ruler over land and sea. It would send a shiver down your spine to see how those men, as huge as oak trees, were leaping and dancing with their naked swords and crossing their blades as if in battle. They forced me to stand in their midst and crossed swords over my head, but without touching me at all.” “What happened then?” “The Albanians are not afraid of death, mighty Sultan, especially death in battle. They say that death in battle by the sword is sweeter than honey.” The mighty Sultan Mehmed sighed and said to himself, “If only I had these people under my sway, if only they would do battle for me ” He turned to the messenger again and asked, “Why is it they say that death in battle is sweeter than honey?” “Because they say they are fighting for their freedom, for their country. They also swear by the sword, mighty Sultan.” “Only by the sword?” “No, by the earth, by water and stones, too. And by bread and salt. They say that honour is paradise and disgrace is hell.” “And this Scanderbeg, what was he like? Was he afraid?” “No, mighty Sultan, he showed no fear. When I arrived, he was eating with his warriors. He rose and received me standing, with both hands resting on the hilt of his sword, like a god of war. He said only, ‘Go and tell your lord to come and see for himself.’” Mighty Sultan Mehmed was infuriated and exclaimed, “I’ll show these Albanians what death is. I’ll dispatch my army and mow them down like grass. Then we will see if they still rise and dance their sword dance” “As you wish, mighty Sultan ”
Sultan Mehmed jumped to his feet and gave orders for the drums to be sounded. Immediately the drums began to beat. The noise filled the whole valley and echoed through the canyons. “Send me my shield bearers ” proclaimed the Sultan. The shield bearers appeared at once chanting in unison, “Long live the mighty Sultan Our lives belong to you We await your command ” Sultan Mehmed, son of Murad the Great, said to them, “Tell me, shield bearers, which one of you is brave enough to bring me Scanderbeg, dead or alive?” They all heard his words, yet none of them replied. They trembled at the very name of the Albanian hero. In the ensuing silence, Ballaban Badheri, who had betrayed his own people to fight under the Ottoman flag, stepped forth, “What will you give me, mighty Sultan, if I bring you Scanderbeg?” “I will give you nine hundred thousand ducats of gold and all Albanian lands that you may reign as Pasha as long as you live. You shall be free to execute whomever you please and as many as you please.” “You will have him this evening, either dead or in chains,” Ballaban promised. The Sultan was overjoyed for he knew that one could only fight fire with fire and that it would take an Albanian to beat an Albanian. He raised his arm and gave the signal for battle. Nine trumpeters of the Janissaries blew their horns, followed by ninety-nine trumpeters of the other troops. The drums pounded. The Turks drew their sabres, let out a savage war cry and, under the eyes of the Sultan, victor of Constantinople, rushed heroically into battle. The Sultan sat and observed the battle from in front of his silken tent on a hilltop overlooking the river. He could hardly wait for Ballaban Badheri to bring him Scanderbeg, either dead or in chains.
The Tatar archers strung their bows with three arrows each and all fired at the same time, causing the very sky to go black. The Turkish army resembled a swelling sea about to engulf Scanderbeg’s small band of warriors. And the battle began. The sparkling river at which the Albanians had camped turned crimson with blood. The Turks attempted to cross the river, but were unable to do so for the Albanians held it firmly. As the battle raged, Scanderbeg waited for his warriors from the mountains who were still to arrive. Meanwhile, Ballaban had found a spot at which to cross the river with his men. Scanderbeg rushed to block his path and shouted in Albanian, “Come on, come on, Ballaban Badheri You betrayed your people for a spoonful of Turkish soup Bravo, what a hero ” Ballaban trembled and turned pale, but stood his ground. Scanderbeg called to him a second time, “You’d love to make a hundred thousand ducats of gold and have Albania as your pashalic, wouldn’t you? You shall feel the blade of my sword. Come nearer.” Ballaban froze. Scanderbeg called to him a third time, “Attack, traitor, or I will attack first ” Treacherous Ballaban, advancing with his warriors, hurled his lance. Scanderbeg tried to back off but lost control of the reins of his steed and was wounded in the shoulder. The steed too was struck. Scanderbeg fell from the animal and dropped to his knees, but managed to rise to his feet in no time. The Turks cheered and encircled him without delay. Ballaban was now confident of his nine hundred thousand ducats of gold. Scanderbeg supported himself against a mighty oak tree and drew his sword. All those who approached too closely were cut to pieces. The others backed off, but then lunged with Ballaban for the final attack. As Scanderbeg, completely encircled by the enemy, fought on by himself, two thousand warriors, led by Dukagjin and Livet, rode down from the mountains to his assistance. Clasping their naked swords, they swooped down like a snowy avalanche sweeping away everything in their path. When Scanderbeg saw the warriors coming, he laughed and rejoiced, shouting “Welcome, Dukagjin Over here, come and help me for I am doing battle with the traitor, holding a sword in one hand and our glorious flag in the other.” He then set upon the enemy again like a fire raging in the brush. Headless bodies and severed heads filled the ditches. The Turks either fell or retreated. Only one of them resisted: Ballaban Badheri. They fought on man to man. Scanderbeg did not want to slay Ballaban, but to take him prisoner. At last, he shattered Ballaban’s sabre and left him standing unarmed with his head bowed. Scanderbeg wounded him slightly in his right ear, saying, “Now return to your master, dog ” The Turkish army fled. The Albanians pursued it through the canyons and over streams until it was crushed. The drums were smashed and rolled aimlessly along the ground, the crescent flags were caught up in the bushes. Ballaban, covered in blood and with his head bowed, returned to his master’s tent. The Turkish Sultan asked him, “My, my, Ballaban, you are wounded in the head. What of your bragging now? I thought you wanted to bring me Scanderbeg’s head this evening?” Ballaban fell to his knees to beg forgiveness of the Sultan, answering, “Mighty Sultan, ruler over land and sea Hear my words I was not able to bring you Scanderbeg dead or alive because not only his own strength helped him, but the entire country was behind him. I fought in many battles under your father, I have challenged many a warrior and returned victorious, but I have never met anything like Scanderbeg.” The Sultan replied in fury, “Ballaban, cover your head, sign of your infidelity, for I am going to have it removed to appease my wrath at the annihilation of my army. You gave me your word that I would bring the Albanians under my sway this time and you have broken it.” The Sultan then gave his Janissaries a sign. They seized the traitor Ballaban, tied him to a tree and beheaded him. The avalanche of sabre-bearing Albanians was still approaching. When Sultan Mehmed saw them coming, he mounted his steed and fled in haste, leaving his silken tent and his dead warriors behind. The Albanians pursued him but he continued to flee in panic. Once again, Scanderbeg had overcome the superior strength of the Turks.


Aga Ymer of Ulcinj

Aga Ymer of Ulcinj was in the prime of his life when he married. The day after his wedding the young man received an order from the Sultan saying, “Aga Ymer of Ulcinj, you must depart immediately for war. The enemy has invaded...” The order was terrible, for it separated the young man from his young wife, but as Aga Ymer was a true warrior, he lost no words. He rose, saddled his steed, gathered his weapons and bid farewell to his parents. Then he returned to his young bride and said, “My beloved wife, the Sultan has called me up. I must go to war immediately.” “Take me with you, Aga Ymer,” she begged him. “No, I cannot take you with me,” replied Aga Ymer. “I am going to war and war is for men only. I want you to promise me not to marry again, but to wait until I return. Tell me how long you will wait for me, my love.” “I will wait nine days.” “Nine days is not very long. I have a great distance to travel and the war can last a long time. If you love me as I love you, you will wait nine years and nine days. When nine years and nine days have passed and I have not returned, you may marry and live happily, for that will mean that I am dead.” The young wife sighed, “All right, Aga Ymer, I will wait for you for nine years and nine days.” They both gave their word of honour. Aga Ymer bid farewell to his wife, mounted his steed and set off content for war. The steed galloped so swiftly that it left a cloud of dust behind them, for the rider was in great haste to do battle. Aga Ymer of Ulcinj was heroic but there were many enemies. In his first battle, a multitude of cavalrymen dressed in coats of armour attacked, encircling him and setting upon him with their swords. Aga Ymer fought bravely, slew many an enemy and wounded others
until they killed his steed. Aga Ymer continued fighting on foot until his sword was shattered. The enemy took him prisoner and tossed him into the dungeon of a castle surrounded by high walls. They treated him with respect, for Aga Ymer was a hero and heroes are always treated with respect. Days in the dungeon turned to weeks, weeks turned to months and months to years. But
Aga Ymer never lost hope, for his wife had promised to wait for nine years and nine days. He ate, drank, cheered his friends and played the lute. The daughter of the foreign king was quite astonished. “Who is that man,” she wondered, “who doesn’t seem to mind being prisoner in a foreign land?” “He is called Aga Ymer of Ulcinj,” they told her. “He must be a strong man.”
“Yes, he is strong and merry and cheers the other prisoners with his words and songs.” Aga Ymer was indeed full of hope because he was waiting for the Sultan to pay the ransom for his release. “I have fought many years in his service,” said Aga Ymer to himself, “I have always obeyed his orders and gone whenever he summoned me.” But Sultans have the habit of forgetting the people who have helped them, and Aga Ymer had been forgotten by this Sultan, who had never even considered paying the ransom. And so nine years passed. The fatal day approached, the ninth day which his wife had promised to wait for before she remarried. Aga Ymer fell into a state of profound dejection. His eyes lost their colour, he could no longer eat, drink or make merry. His friends were surprised and asked him what the matter was, but he gave no reply, crouched instead in silence with his head bowed. The king’s daughter heard no more music and asked, “What is wrong with Aga Ymer? His voice is no longer to be heard.” “He has not eaten or drunk anything for days,” they told her, “he no longer sleeps or plays his lute.” “Call Aga Ymer to me,” said the king’s daughter. On being brought to her and asked what the matter was, Aga Ymer replied that he could no longer eat or drink because of a bad dream.“What kind of bad dream?” asked the king’s daughter. He then told her his dream: “I dreamt I saw my home, blackened and in ruins. My father was dead and forgotten, my mother blind. I saw my wife, too. She was about to remarry. I have only spent one night with her. The next day I received orders to go to war. I fought and was taken prisoner. We had sworn to be faithful to one another and my wife promised to wait nine years and nine days for my return. The nine years have since passed and now the nine days are running their course. I beg of you, daughter of the king, ask you father’s permission to release me for a few days. I will return home, talk to my wife and come back to the dungeon.” “I can ask him, Aga Ymer, but as you know, my father the king demands nine sacks of silver for your release.” “But where, oh where, can I get the nine sacks, daughter of the king? I have been a prisoner for nine years now.” “If I release you, Aga Ymer, what will you give me as a pledge that you will return?” “I give you my word of honour, daughter of the king.” Since the king’s daughter knew that Aga Ymer was an Albanian and would rather die than break his word of honour, she said to him, “Rise, Aga Ymer, saddle the bay horse and you’ll be in Ulcinj in three days.” Aga Ymer’s companions lamented, “How unfortunate we are
Aga Ymer is being released and leaving us behind.” But he replied, “What is wrong with you, my friends? As long as I survive, I will return and we will wait out the time together. Farewell ” They wished him luck on his journey. Aga Ymer saddled and mounted the bay horse and set off towards Ulcinj. The horse sped like an arrow over mountains and valleys. “Swiftly, horse, swiftly so that we may reach my beauty before she remarries.” The horse galloped day and night until it was exhausted. Aga Ymer, too, was fatigued, but they continued their course. In three days and three nights they arrived, catching sight of the fair town of Ulcinj shimmering before them on the water. “Oh, Ulcinj, Ulcinj, I have carried your image in my heart my whole life long ” sighted Aga Ymer. “Night after night for nine years I dreamt of you For nine years now I have been longing to kiss your earth.” The waves were breaking on the beach, a fresh breeze was blowing, the sea-gulls circled in the sky above. And there glimmered the house of Aga Ymer, too, as if in a dream. “Am I really here?” he asked himself. As he was dying of thirst, he stopped as a fountain to drink. There he saw his aged mother who did not recognize him. “Greetings, old woman.” “Good day, prisoner ” “How do you know I am a prisoner?” inquired Aga Ymer. His mother replied, “By your long shoulder-length hair. Where have you come from, prisoner?” “I have just arrived from Spain.” The mother then asked, “Have you ever seen my Aga Ymer or heard anything about him?” “Yes, I saw him three weeks ago,” he replied, “Aga Ymer was killed. I myself washed his
corpse, mourned him and paid my last respects.” The aged woman began to weep and, although it caused him great pain, he did not reveal the truth to her. Instead he inquired, “Who are those people over there passing in such a hurry, old woman? What are the volleys of fire echoing in the hills?” “They are the companions of Pasha Veli, that son of a dog, who have come to collect
the bride and take her back to his home. The cannon fire is for the wedding.” “Which bride are they collecting?” “It is the wife of my son Aga Ymer.” Aga Ymer sprang to his horse and rode off towards the wedding party. “Greetings, wedding attendants.” “Greetings prisoner. Which land have you come from?” “From Spain.” “Have you ever seen Aga Ymer or heard anything of him?” they asked. Aga Ymer told them, as he had his mother, that Aga Ymer had been killed three weeks before. The wedding attendants were relieved to hear this, but the bride began to weep under her veil. Aga Ymer became angry and said, “Aga Ymer gave me a message. May I speak to the bride for a moment?” “Yes, as long as you wish, prisoner.” Aga Ymer approached the bridal coach and asked the bride, “Would you recognize Aga Ymer?” She replied, “How could I possibly recognize him? I only slept with him one night and then waited nine years for him. His poor mother, however, told me that he has a scar on his right arm where a horse bit him.” Aga Ymer rolled up his sleeve and showed her the scar. The bride recognized him instantly,
rejoiced, got out of the coach, threw off her veil and said to the attendants, “Have a pleasant journey, companions of mine. I am accompanying my true husband. This is Aga Ymer whom I married and who will be my husband forever and ever.” Aga Ymer made room for his bride on the horse and they went home. The next morning he mounted his bay horse again to set off for Spain as he had promised. “Swiftly, horse, swiftly, for I gave the king’s daughter my word of honour ” They left fair Ulcinj behind them and the horse galloped day and night. But what was going on in Spain in the meanwhile? The king had not seen or heard of Aga Ymer for some time. He asked for news of him and was told that his daughter had released him, but that he would return. The king summoned his daughter immediately and asked right away, “What happened to the prisoner Aga Ymer?” “I let him go, father,” she replied, “he had to see his wife because she was going to marry someone else. He gave me his word of honour
that he would return in three days. Today is the last day and he will return.” The king was furious, crying, “No, he has deceived you. He won’t return ” and ordered his daughter to be beheaded. “Wait until dark, father,” the daughter implored him, “Aga Ymer will return. He won’t break his word.” “He’ll never come back,” countered the king. “Once they escape from prison, they never return. They are like birds in a cage. Once you open the door, they’re gone.” “He will return. He gave me his word of honour,” insisted the king’s daughter.“A word of honour is but a word, my daughter, and words are soon gone with the wind. Even kings break their word.” At that moment, a horseman appeared on the horizon, approaching swiftly. Soon he was at the gates of the fortress, dismounted from his sweating horse and greeted the king’s daughter“I gave you my word and have returned. I was your prisoner and now I am your prisoner again.” The king looked down at him in amazement and said, “Aga Ymer, you are indeed an honest man and have kept your word. You shall be released ” He then turned to his guards and gave
orders, “Release Aga Ymer and his nine companions and let them go wherever they wish.”




The Snake and the King's daughter


Once upon a time there was an old woman who had no children and owned nothing but the little cottage she lived in. Every day, she would go into the forest to gather firewood. One day a little snake slithered into her bundle of wood. Not noticing it, the old woman heaved the wood over her shoulder and returned home. When she dropped the wood on the floor, the snake crawled out and began to play with the cat. The old woman left the snake alone and kept it for a son because she had no children. The snake grew and grew and one day it said to her, “Old woman, go to the king and tell him to give me his daughter in marriage.” She replied, “All right, my son, but how do you expect the king to give you his only daughter. You’re a snake ” “That doesn’t matter, mother, go anyway and we’ll see what he says.” The old woman did as the snake had said and went to see the king. But the guards at the palace gate, having asked her what she wanted and what her business with the king was, would not let her enter. The old woman, nevertheless, refused to be turned away and insisted on seeing the king alone, until finally the guards allowed her to pass. She went up to see the king and said to him, “I am very embarrassed about this, but I promised to ask you, so I will. My son is a snake and wants to marry Your Majesty’s daughter.” When the king heard this, he became furious and kicked the old woman down the stairs, breaking her leg. She limped home, cursing the snake because she was now a cripple. The snake said to her, “Don’t worry about your leg, I’ll heal it. But you must not give up yet ” The snake then produced a ring, blew on it and said, “Heal the old woman’s leg ” Immediately the leg was healed. The next morning the snake sent the old woman back to the king and the very same thing happened. After being kicked and beaten, she swore she would never again set foot in the palace again. The third day, the snake said to her, “Go back to the king again. This is the last time I’ll send you.” The old woman was unwilling at first, but since the snake promised that it was the last time, she went back to the king and said to him, “Your Majesty, I must have your daughter as a wife for my son. Otherwise I will be in great trouble.” The king chuckled and replied, “I will give my daughter to your son under the following conditions. Your cottage must be a palace as big as mine by tomorrow. The path from your door to my door must be spanned with silk and four hundred attendants must be waiting on horseback, one for every hue and colour on earth. If you can do all that by tomorrow morning, I will give my daughter to your son in marriage.” When the old woman heard this she departed, happy this time not to be kicked and beaten about. She reported to the snake what the king had said and the snake simply replied, “Everything will be ready in time.” At the stroke of midnight, the snake blew on the ring and said, “May the old woman’s cottage turn into a palace bigger than the king’s ” And at once the cottage became a palace. The old woman, who was sleeping on a mat on the floor, suddenly found herself in a real bed
complete with a bell for the maid. The snake then blew on the ring again and said, “May the path between our door and the door of the king’s palace be spanned with silk ” And so it happened. Then the snake blew on the ring a third time and said, “May four hundred attendants on horseback, dressed in every hue and colour, await our command ” And they too appeared. When the snake was finished, he lay down to go to sleep. Before doing so, however, he ordered the attendants on horseback to keep guard around the house. When the king got up the next morning, he looked out the window and saw a huge, magnificent palace and wondered whom it belonged to. He called his wife over and asked her, “Is that really a palace, wife, or are my eyes deceiving me?” “It is a palace all right,” she replied. “Yesterday there was a cottage there belonging to an old woman.” Then the king remembered the conditions he had set the old woman and the two of them, the king and queen, began to lament the fate of their poor daughter. Now she would have to marry the snake because they had given their word and could not break it. The time came for the bride to be fetched and the horsemen were readied. They mounted the snake in the saddle with them and, singing a ballad, rode off to the king. There they lifted the snake off the horse and took it to the king and queen. The two were most distressed and thought to themselves, “It would be better for us to kill our daughter. What a dreadful fate to have a snake for a son-in-law The attendants picked up the bride and the wedding took place. After the festivities, the time came for the groom to be led to the bride’s chamber. When the girl saw the snake, she screamed in horror. The snake, however, shed its skin and turned into such a handsome young man that she was completely overwhelmed. Then he said to her, “My dear wife, never tell anyone that I am a human being by night and a snake by day. For if you do I will disappear and you will never find me again ” She replied, “All right, dear husband, I won’t tell anyone. But tell me at least what your name is ” He told her he was called Swift. The next morning the king sent someone to the snake’s palace to find out whether his daughter was still alive. When he
was told that she was fine and there was no need to worry, he became suspicious and didn’t believe what he had heard.
The next week, the king sent a servant to invite his daughter and the snake to lunch. When his daughter and his son-in-law arrived, the girl’s mother began to weep, saying, “Oh, my poor daughter. We have caused you such grief How miserable you must be ” But the girl replied that she felt very lucky. A few days later, a great wedding was to be held in another part of town, to which the king and his daughter were invited. The snake said to his wife, “You go ahead. I’ll come later this evening so that no one will know that it is I, turned into a human being. And remember, you mustn’t tell anybody what you know because you won’t see me again if you do.” The girl went off to the wedding alone and when darkness fell, the snake shed its skin, put on some splendid garments and followed her. When the two arrived, everyone rose in awe because they thought an angel had just come in. A little later, he began to dance so gracefully that everyone stood still in amazement and thought, “That is no being of this world. He must be from heaven ” The girl’s mother, sitting beside her, said, “My dear girl, how lucky you would be if you had a man like that for a husband ” The girl couldn’t stand it any longer and burst out, “That is my husband, mother. That is Swift, the man I love.” The moment she spoke, Swift became invisible and no one understood where he had disappeared to so swiftly. The girl looked around, could not see him anywhere and broke into tears. “Now look what you made me do, mother ” she sobbed. “He warned me not to tell anyone who he was or he would leave me forever I must set off in search of him. He told me that if I tried to find him I would need iron shoes, an iron staff and a travelling case.” Her parents gave her what she needed and she set off in search of her husband. She roamed for days and nights and finally went to seek the advice of the sun. Only the
sun’s mother and children were at home and the children immediately set upon the girl to devour her. The mother, however, stopped them and invited the girl in. “Why have you come here?” she asked. The girl told her everything that had happened and said, “I would like to ask your child, the sun, whether he has seen my husband anywhere in the course of his travels.” The
old woman replied, “The sun isn’t back yet, but we can ask him when he gets in. I fear though that he will eat you up when he comes back all tired and smells a human being.” “He won’t eat me if you don’t want him to,” countered the girl. The old woman felt sorry for her and hid her. When the sun came home for dinner, exhausted from his long journey, he said to his mother the
moment he sat down, “I smell human flesh. Bring me some of it to eat, because I’m terribly tired.” The mother replied, “There is no human here, my lad. Who would possibly come to visit us?” “Oh yes there is,” said the sun, “Bring me the human. I won’t eat him, I’ll just ask what he wants.” The old woman made the sun promise not to eat the human, brought the girl out of hiding and took her to the sun. The girl said to the sun, “I’m looking for Swift, my husband. I’ve come to ask Your Majesty if you’ve seen him anywhere in the course of your travels.” The sun replied, “No, I haven’t seen him anywhere. But go and ask the moon if he’s seen him at night.” The poor girl continued on her way, wandering for many days and nights until she finally reached the moon. The moon could not tell her anything either and sent her on to the wind. Once again she set off, this time in search of the wind. By now she was exhausted from walking and, with the last ounce of her energy just managed to reach the house of the wind.
There she met the wind’s elderly mother and the little wind children who came blowing around to devour her. The old women stopped them, however, and invited the girl in. “Why have you come here, my daughter?” she asked. The girl told her the reason for her journey and where she had been. The wind’s mother said, “We’ll ask him. I’m afraid though that he’ll eat you up on the spot when he comes back all tired and smells a human being.” But the girl insisted once more, saying, “He won’t eat me if you don’t want him to.” The old woman took pity on the girl and hid her. When the wind came in for breakfast, he could smell human flesh right away and said to his mother, “I smell human flesh. Bring me some of it to eat, for I am very tired.” The mother
replied, “How could there possibly be any humans here?” But he insisted that his mother bring forth the human and finally promised, “I won’t eat the human, mother, but bring him out so that I can ask him a few questions.” The mother made the wind give his word of honour and brought the girl out. The wind asked her why she had gone to all the trouble she’d been through. “I am in search of Swift, my husband,” said the girl, “It has been a long time since he disappeared and I haven’t been able to find him.” “Your husband is being held prisoner by a Kulshedra beyond the sea. He’s a long, long way from here,” said the wind. The girl implored him, “I must find him, no matter how far away he is. I beg Your Excellency to take me with you across the sea.” The wind replied, “I would gladly take you with me, but I’m afraid you would fall off along the way, because I am very swift.” “No, I won’t fall off,” she assured him. “Please take me with you.” The wind took pity on the girl and lifted her up on his back, saying, “Hold onto my hair and don’t look down or you’ll get dizzy.” The wind gave out a strong gust and carried the girl
across the sea, depositing her beside a spring. The poor girl had just sat down for a while to rest when suddenly a terrifying roar echoed from the mountains. A Kulshedra appeared at the spring and, catching sight of the girl, began to hop around on one leg, chanting, “First I had one, now I have two, my precious one.” It seized the girl and took her to its home where Swift was being
held prisoner. He recognized his wife at once, but didn’t dare say anything because he was frightened of the Kulshedra. Making sure the Kulshedra would not notice, he threw his ring into a jug that the wife had to wash so that she would know he was there. And it worked. As she was washing the jug, the ring fell into her hands and she recognized it as her husband’s. Later when they had an opportunity to see one another, he whispered to her, “Don’t talk to me when the Kulshedra is present or it will devour us.”
The Kulshedra fed the two of them well so that it could devour them later, the wife first and then the husband. It had also overheard them talking. One day the Kulshedra said to the wife, “When I get back for dinner, my girl, I want to find the house swept in certain parts and unswept in others.” As the poor wife was wondering what to do, her husband woke up and asked what she was thinking. She told him about the Kulshedra’s orders and that she was wondering how to carry them out. The husband said, “Let me take care of things Look for a bread crust and bring it here. Use it to sweep the floor and draw it behind you when you put it away. That way some parts of the house will be swept and others unswept.” And so the wife did what her husband had suggested. When the Kulshedra came home that evening and asked the wife whether she had done her chores, she replied, “Yes, I’ve finished, mother.” The Kulshedra looked around and saw that everything had been done exactly as it had wanted. “That wasn’t your idea,” shouted the monster. “It was your husband’s ” The next day the Kulshedra said to the young woman again, “When I get home this evening, daughter, I want to find two cauldrons of tears here and if I don’t, I shall devour you.” When the Kulshedra had left, the girl took out the two cauldrons, placed them in front of her and began to weep to fill them up. But in vain - the cauldrons would not fill up. When her husband got up, he found his wife weeping and asked her what the matter was. She explained that the Kulshedra had demanded two cauldrons full of tears the night before and that otherwise
she would be devoured. The husband said to her, “What a fool you are Do you think you can fill these cauldrons with tears Rest for a moment and let me handle this. Take the cauldrons and fill them with water, add a handful of salt and cover them up.” The young woman did as her husband had said. When the Kulshedra got back that evening and asked whether she had done her chores, the woman replied, “I finished everything, mother.” The Kulshedra went over and saw that the cauldrons were indeed full of tears. Tasting the liquid with the tip of its tongue, the Kulshedra realized that it was salty like tears, and said to the woman, “I know very well, daughter, that this wasn’t your idea, but Swift’s.” Following this, the Kulshedra began to hate the young man and planned how it would eat him. But the young man sensed the danger, so he put on some old clothes and went out to one
of the Kulshedra’s forests to chop wood. The Kulshedra searched through all its forests but could not find him. One day, however, the Kulshedra happened by while the young man was still chopping wood and, hearing the sound of the axe, shouted, “Who dares to chop wood in my forest?” He replied, “I am a poor man and am making a coffin for a young man who just died.”
The Kulshedra asked who the young man was. “A handsome lad whose name was Swift,” the man replied. The Kulshedra was delighted when it heard that Swift had died, and said, “Oh, how happy I am ” It approached the coffin. The young man asked, “Did you know the lad?” “Yes,” it replied. “Take courage then, Your Majesty,” said the young man, “and climb in and see if I’ve done everything properly.” “I’m so happy that he’s dead,” said the Kulshedra again, and climbed into the coffin. The young man shut the coffin right away, locked it and set it on fire. When he had made sure that the Kulshedra had been burned to ashes, he returned home and said to his wife, “The Kulshedra is gone forever. Pack your things and let us return home.” So they gathered up all their things, went back home and lived happily ever after. The man who had once been a snake in the daytime and a human being at night was now a human being forever.

The girl who became a boy

Once upon a time there was a man who had three daughters. When the king called up soldiers for the war, the man had no sons to send. As he sat and pondered what to do, his eldest daughter approached him and inquired, “What are you thinking about, father?” He answered, “Leave me alone, daughter. The king has called up soldiers to go to war and I have no sons. I only have you whom I can’t send to war.” To this she replied, “Marry me to someone ” Later the second daughter gave the very same answer. The youngest daughter, however, replied, “Don’t worry, father, I’ll go to war. Have a uniform made for me and cut off my hair so that no one will know that I am a girl. Then give me your horse and weapons.” Her father did as she had requested and she set off with the other young men of the village. Everyone who saw the new young man was surprised. And so they departed. That day, the king had ordered his own son to be taken out of the town to be eaten by a Kulshedra. Every year the Kulshedra would come and devour a number of people. One day the Kulshedra said, “If you don’t want me to come back ever again, give me the king’s son.” And so they brought the king’s son to the Kulshedra. When the boy was outside the town, the
townspeople all watched the Kulshedra setting upon him to devour him and they were all so frightened that no one even thought of going to his assistance. The disguised girl, however, drew her sabre, slew the Kulshedra and saved the king’s son. The news that the Kulshedra had been slain spread immediately to the king who was so overjoyed that he gave orders for a banquet and a gun salute. When the young man entered the palace with the king’s son, the son whispered, “My father will offer you a kingdom, but ask only for his horse, because it can think and talk like we do.” When they got to the king, he asked, “Which kingdom would you like to have as your reward?” The young man replied, “My only wish is not to go to war.” “Fine,” said the king, “I
will gladly free you from military service, but which kingdom do you want?” “Well, if you really want to give me something, give me the horse you’re sitting on.” The king refused, however, and so the young man departed. The king’s son followed young man and when the people asked where he was going, he replied, “I am going away with my new father. He saved my life and now he is like a father to me. If my real father cares more for his horse than he does for me, his son, then it is better for me to depart.”
When the king heard what his son had said, he changed his mind. They brought the young man the horse and placed a golden saddle on it. The young man (we will call him so though he was actually a girl) mounted the horse and rode off to another kingdom. When he arrived, he saw a crowd of people standing before a moat. The young man’s horse saw the crowd in the distance and asked its master, “My lord, can you see what they are doing?” “I can see them all right, but I cannot make out what is going on.” “The king had the moat dug because he wants to marry his daughter to someone,” replied the horse. “The person
who can jump over the moat with his horse and catch an apple can have the king’s daughter for his wife. It looks, though, as if no one has yet succeeded. I’ll jump over the moat. You just hold on tightly. Don’t be afraid, and keep an eye out for the apple. When I jump, I’ll stumble at the edge of the moat, so grab my mane and hang on.” As they talked, the horse approached. Then
it took a run at the moat and leapt over it. When it reached the other side, it stumbled on one leg. The young man seized the mane and the horse leapt into the air again so that the young man was able to catch the apple. Everyone was surprised because many people had tried to jump the moat, but no one had ever succeeded in catching the apple. The king immediately arranged for the wedding and gave his daughter away in marriage. When the marriage ceremony was over, the bride and the groom
went to bed, though of course both of them were girls. The next morning, as is custom, the wife was asked how she had spent the night. “Nothing happened,” she replied. The second and third nights were the same. The people at the court decided that they would have to kill the young man, but somehow they felt sorry for him. “I know what to do,” said one courtier, “we’ll send
him into the forest to take food to the woodcutters. There is a Kulshedra in the forest who will come and devour him.” The groom, however, was standing behind the door and overheard everything. He went back to his horse and sat down respondently. “Why are you so sad?” asked the horse. “Why shouldn’t I be?” he replied, “The king wants to send me into the forest so that the Kulshedra will devour me.” “Don’t be afraid,” declared the horse, “Ask him for a cart to carry the food and for a team of oxen, and I’ll tell you what to do when we get there.” A little later, the father-in-law summoned the young man and said to him, “Go into the forest and take the woodcutters something to eat.” “All right,” replied the young man, “but I will need a cart to carry the food.” So they gave him what he needed and he set off. On their way, the horse explained to him, “When we get to the middle of the forest, release one of the oxen and call the woodcutters. The Kulshedra will hear you and rush forth to
devour you. But don’t worry Seize it by the ear and put it to the yoke.” Hardly had the horse finished explaining when they found themselves in the middle of the forest. The young man released an ox and called the woodcutters. The Kulshedra heard him calling and set upon him, but the young man simply seized it by the ear and put it to the yoke in place of the ox. Then they returned quickly to the king. When the townspeople saw the Kulshedra under the yoke, they were horrified and hid in their houses. The horse then told the young man to release the Kulshedra, which he did. The bride and groom slept with one another again, but the bride admitted that she had spent the night the same way as she had spent the others. This time the courtiers said, “We’ll send him to water the wild mare who devours all living creatures. She will devour him too.” The young man overheard everything again and returned despondently to his horse that asked him why he was so sad. The young man recounted, “I escaped from the Kulshedra, but now I am supposed to water a mare which devours all living creatures.” “Don’t be afraid,” said the horse, “she is my mother. Just ask the king for two pails of honey.” A little later, the king summoned him and told him to water the mare. The young man then requested two pails of honey, which he received, and set off with his horse. On their way, the horse said to him, “When we get to the well, draw two pails of water out, pour the two pails of honey into the well and mix everything well. Then hang your saddle nearby so that the mare can see it, and climb up a tall tree. When the mare arrives, she will drink the water, see the golden saddle and say, ‘Such sweet water and such a golden saddle I need a human to sit on me and play with me ’ You shout down, ‘Here I am, but I’m afraid you will eat me.’ She will say, ‘No, I won’t’, and you reply, ‘Swear by the head of Demirçil the horse.’ She will swear by my head and you can then climb down and mount her.”
The young man did as the horse had told him. The mare arrived, drank some water, looked at the golden saddle and said, “Such sweet water and such a golden saddle I need a human to sit on me and play with me ” The young man shouted, “Here I am, but I’m afraid you will eat me.” “No, I won’t.” “Swear by the head of Demirçil the horse.” She swore and he climbed down the tree, mounted the mare and rode around with her. The mare then said, “I would be even happier if Demirçil were here.” “I have your son here too,” said the young man, called his horse and they all frolicked together. After a while, the young man and his horse returned to the town and the mare accompanied them. When the townspeople saw the wild mare coming, they scream at it to
frighten it off. But the mare would not leave. Finally her son begged her to return home and promised her that he would come to play with her again. And so she departed.

The Book contains more Albanian Legends and Tales.