Zojz (deity)

Zojz (definite Albanian form: Zojzi) is a sky and lightning god in Albanian pagan mythology.[1][2] An epithet considered to be associated with him is "father", thought to be contained in an Albanian name for the Supreme Being: Zot, analyzed as Sky Father.[3][4][5] In some of his attributes, Zojz could be related to Perëndi, to the weather gods Shurdh and Verbt, and to the mythological demigod Drangue.

Etymology

Zojz is the Albanian continuation of *Dyḗus, the name of the Proto-Indo-European daylight-sky-god.[1] Cognates stemming from the root *Dyḗus with a similar phonological development are the Messapic Zis and Greek Zeus. Other cognates are the Rigvedic Dyáuṣ and Latin Jovis. This root is found also in the second element (dí/día/dei) of the name Perëndi, used in Albanian to refer to the Supreme Being.[6][7]

Epithet

The zero grade radical of *di̯ēus and the epithet "father" are thought to be contained in an Albanian term for the Supreme Being: Zot, which is considered to be derived from Proto-Albanian *dźie̅u ̊ a(t)t-, an old compound for "heavenly father", from PIE *dyew- ("sky, heaven, bright") + *átta ("father"), thus a cognate with PIE *Dyḗus ph₂tḗr and with its descendants: Illyrian Dei-pátrous, Sanskrit द्यौष्पितृ (Dyáuṣ Pitṛ́), Proto-Italic *djous patēr (whence Latin Iuppiter), Ancient Greek Ζεῦ πάτερ (Zeû páter).[3][4][5] Some linguists have also proposed the Proto-Albanian etymology *dzwâpt (<*w(i)tš- pati-, "lord of the house"; ultimately from PIE *wiḱ-potis, "leader of the clan").[8][9]

Mythology

In Albanian mythology, Zojz resides on the peak of mountains such as Mount Tomorr,[2] the highest and most inaccessible mountain of central Albania, considered the home of the deities. This tradition has been preserved in folk beliefs until recent times.[2][10][11]

See also

References
  1. Mann 1952, p. 32.
  2. Feizi 1929, p. 82.
  3. Demiraj 1997, pp. 431–432.
  4. Mann 1977, p. 72.
  5. Treimer 1971, p. 32.
  6. West 2007, pp. 167, 242–244.
  7. Jakobson 1985, pp. 6, 19–21.
  8. Mallory & Adams 1997, p. 348.
  9. Orel 1998, p. 526.
  10. Elsie 2001, pp. 252–254.
  11. West 2007, p. 151.

Bibliography
  • Demiraj, Bardhyl (1997). Albanische Etymologien: Untersuchungen zum albanischen Erbwortschatz. Leiden Studies in Indo-European (in German). Vol. 7. Amsterdam, Atlanta: Rodopi.
  • Elsie, Robert (2001). A Dictionary of Albanian Religion, Mythology and Folk Culture. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 1-85065-570-7.
  • Feizi, Abidin (1929). Grammatica della lingua albanese. Pubblicazione del R. Istituto orientale di Napoli. Napoli: Achille Cimmaruta.
  • Jakobson, Roman (1985). "Linguistic Evidence in Comparative Mythology". In Stephen Rudy (ed.). Roman Jakobson: Selected Writings. Vol. VII: Contributions to Comparative Mythology: Studies in Linguistics and Philology, 1972–1982. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110855463.
  • Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (1997), Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture, London: Routledge, ISBN 978-1-884964-98-5
  • Mann, Stuart E. (1952). "The Indo-European Consonants in Albanian". Language. Linguistic Society of America. 28 (1): 31–40. doi:10.2307/409988. JSTOR 409988.
  • Mann, Stuart E (1977). An Albanian Historical Grammar. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag. ISBN 9783871182624.
  • Orel, Vladimir E. (1998). Albanian Etymological Dictionary. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11024-3.
  • 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.
  • West, M. L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-928075-9.
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