E Bukura e Dheut

E Bukura e Dheut (the "Beauty of the Earth" or "Earthly Beauty") is an epithet in Albanian mythology and folklore, used in some traditions for a crafty fairy, and in other traditions for a chthonic/earth goddess, the counterpart of e Bukura e Detit (the Beauty of the Sea) and i Bukuri i Qiellit (the Beauty of the Sky). As a goddess of the underworld and at the same time a personification of springtime, the Beauty of the Earth is evidently an epithet of the Albanian equivalent of the Ancient Greek Persephone, which is considered to be Prende, the Albanian dawn goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, health, and protector of women, also referred to as Zoja e Bukuris "Goddess/Lady of Beauty".

In central Albanian folklore E Bukura e Dheut appears as the sister of e Bukura e Detit and the consort of Baba Tomor.

The quest for the e Bukura e Dheut is a very popular and frequent motif in Albanian folktales: the princely hero must search for or rescue the Earthly Beauty, even going into her mystical underworld palace.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.