Kulshedra

The kulshedra or kuçedra is a water, storm, fire and chthonic demon in Albanian mythology and folklore, usually described as a huge multi-headed female serpentine dragon.

[7] The legendary battle of a heroic deity associated with thunder and weather – like drangue – who fights and slays a huge multi-headed serpent associated with water, storms, and drought – like kulshedra – is a common motif of Indo-European mythology.

[9] In Albanian mythology the legendary battle between drangue and kulshedra is the most famous representation of the dualistic struggle between good and evil, light and darkness,[10] a conflict that symbolises the cyclic return in the watery and chthonian world of death, accomplishing the cosmic renewal of rebirth.

[2] Every year she asked for a specific number of young boys and girls from villages (each version has a different number) and every year they never came back until she fought the daughter of the Moon and Sun who ended it for once and for all According to folk beliefs, the kulshedra's earlier stage is the bolla, which takes the form of demonic serpent possessing both chthonic and aquatic attributes.

The bolla's eyes remain shut for the whole year except on Saint George's Day, when it gazes at the world and upon which it will devour any human on sight.

As a semi-human divine figure, she holds also positive qualities that emerge indirectly from Albanian folk tales, beliefs and rituals.

[22][5] Kulshedra is believed to cause drought and other water-related issues for humanity such as torrents, tempests,[5] water shortages,[19] big storms, flooding, or other natural disasters.

To frighten the evil demon, the Albanian tribesmen used to shoot in the sky or provoke great noise with metal objects, even by ringing the church bells.

If it lives another fifty years without being seen, it becomes an ershaj which coils around its human victim's neck, punctures his chest and eats the heart.

[17] Albanian beliefs, myths and legends are organized around the dualistic struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, which cyclically produces the cosmic renewal.

[27] The most famous Albanian mythological representation of the dualistic struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, is the constant battle between drangue and kulshedra,[28] a conflict that symbolises the cyclic return in the watery and chthonian world of death, accomplishing the cosmic renewal of rebirth.

[29] The legendary battle of a heroic deity associated with thunder and weather – like drangue – who fights and slays a huge multi-headed serpent associated with water, storms, and drought – like kulshedra – is a common motif of Indo-European mythology.

Those celestial divine heroes are often drangue (the most widespread culture hero among Albanians), but also E Bija e Hënës dhe e Diellit ("the Daughter of the Moon and the Sun") who is described as pika e qiellit ("drop of the sky" or "lightning") which falls everywhere from heaven on the mountains and the valleys and strikes pride and evil,[31] or other heroic characters marked in their bodies by the symbols of celestial objects,[6] such as Zjermi (lit.

[7] Dragùa, sometimes called drangue or drangoni,[5] is the male conqueror of the female monster kulshedra, whom he must fight to the death in collective beliefs.

When they sense a Kulshedra approaching, dragùas "go completely berserk and their souls depart from their bodies in preparation for the coming battle".

[32] When a human is attacked the dragùa will "fly to their assistance and slay kulshedra by pelting it with cudgels, ploughs, yokes, lances and stones, and even with uprooted trees and houses.