Gjeto Basho Muji or simply Muji is a legendary Albanian warrior from "Songs of the Heroes" Albanian folktale ballads. It is revered as one of the most important legendary heroes of Albanian folklore in Northern Albania, Kosovo, and among the Malësor Albanians of Montenegro.

Gjeto Basho Muji
Folk tale
NameGjeto Basho Muji
Also known asMuji of Udbina
MythologyAlbanian folk beliefs
Country Albania  Kosovo  Montenegro
RegionAccursed Mountains

The main theme of the cycle is the brave warfare between the Albanian heroes (Albanian: kreshnikë or trima, and aga), who have supernatural strength and an extremely large body holding ordinary family lives, and opposing Slavic warriors (Albanian: shkje and krajla), who are likewise powerful and brave, but without besë.[1][2]

Overview

Legendary creatures of this Albanian epic songs belong to the repertoire of the general Mediterranean mythology. Among the main legendary creatures and animals are The Mountain Fairy (Albanian:Zana e Malit), supernatural female mythological figures, and birds, which are able to speak like humans and aid or inform the main hero about the events that happened or will happen in the future. The songs are the product of a mountain tribal society in which blood kinship (Albanian: fis) is the foundation, and the Kanun, a code of Albanian oral customary laws, direct all the aspects of the social organization.[3][2][4]

In particular, peculiar traits of the two brothers and main characters of the epic cycle, Muji and Halili, are considered to be analogous to those of the Ancient Greek Dioscuri and their equivalents among the early Germans, Celts, Armenians, Indians, and other ancient peoples, who trace back to the common Proto-Indo-European Divine twins.[5][6][7] The approximate timeline of events focus around the fight between Albanians and Slavic tribes during the Ottoman Period, but the stories are evolved variant of older mythological stories of Albania before the Ottoman occupation since there are similiar stories between Arbëresh population of Italy, like The Twins, which left Albania before The Ottoman Occupation.

Legend

The legend is focused on the story of two brothers who spent their whole lives fighting with swords and spears. Muji's power was not supernatural until one day he drank milk from the Mountain Fairy. Muji became so strong that when a passer-by had asked him where a village was, Muji, who had been plowing the field, raised his hands along with the plow and pointed in the direction of that village.

Scene from the epic cycle Kângë Kreshnikësh – Zana feeding young Muji (postage stamp of Albania, 2009).

Muji's power was a contrast with his brother whose strongest skill was the agility. A formidable warrior, he fought with swords, spears and bare handed. In order to protect their Albanian lands, they had fought against Krajl's (Slavic lord) soldiers and the Ottoman Sultan's vassals. His first deed was against Slavic bandits known as "Harambash gangs", which at that time had committed robberies, burnings and murders among the Albanian tribes.[8][9]

History

Hypotheses based on numerous parallels between the motifs of the Albanian Cycle of the Kreshniks and the Balkan History of the 6th-7th centuries presuppose the origin of the name Muji and some of the legendary informations about him from the name and history of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice Tiberius, the last ruler of the dardanian dynasty of the Justinians. Similarly, the name of his wife, Ajkuna (or Kuna), corresponds to that of the Empress Aelia Constantina, the wife of Maurice, if we take into account the laws of phonetic evolution of the Albanian language since Late Antiquity.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Friedman 2012, p. 303.
  2. 1 2 Neziri 2001, pp. 7–10.
  3. ↑ Miftari & Visoka 2019, pp. 240–241.
  4. ↑ Watkins 1995, pp. 83, 164, 443.
  5. ↑ Çabej 1968, p. 286.
  6. ↑ Juka 1984, p. 64.
  7. ↑ Neziri 2008, pp. 80–82.
  8. ↑ "Legjenda e Mujit dhe Halilit".
  9. ↑ Shuka, Gjergji (2005). Tridhjetë legjenda dhe këngë ballkanike. Naimi. ISBN 9789928109866.
  10. ↑ Akademia e Shkencave te Kosoves; Shuka Gj. (2023). "Nenshtresa ne tri kenge te Ciklit te Kosoves". Studime Shoqerore (9): 245–285.

Sources

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