Nëna e Vatrës


Nëna e Vatrës or Nana e Votrës is the goddess of the fire hearth in Albanian mythology and folklore, associated with fire worship, the cult of the ancestor and the cult of the woman-centered family life.

Names and etymology

Nëna e Vatrës is the deity of the hearth fire commonly found in the folk beliefs of the Albanians, thus there are many dialectal variations, singular or plural: Nëna e Vatrës/Nana e Votrës, E Ëma e Vatrës/E Ama e Votrës, Shtriga e Vatrës/Votrës, Plaka e Vatrës/Votrës, Mëmat e Vatrës/Mamat e Votrës, Xhuxhet e Vatrës etc. The first element nënë/nanë or ëmë/amë, means "mother"; while the last element vatër/votër, means "hearth", "fireplace", and is related to the Avestan atar, "fire".

Folk beliefs

In Albanian folk beliefs, Nëna e Vatrës is the protector of the vatër, the domestic fireplace. It is said that the fireplace should be cleaned in the evening. If it is left uncleaned, Nëna e Vatrës becomes angry. At feasts, people used to practice sacrificial offerings to the deity throwing some of the food they prepared into the fire and around the hearth.

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