Bolla

For other uses, see Bolla (disambiguation).

Bolla (also known as Bullar in South Albania), is a type of serpentic dragon (or a demonic dragon-like creature) with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs and small wings in ancient Albanian folklore. This dragon sleeps throughout the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where its faceted silver eyes peer into the world. The Bolla does this until it sees a human. It devours the person, then closes its eyes and sleeps again.[1]

In its twelfth year, the bolla evolves by growing nine tongues, horns, spines and larger wings. At this time it will learn how to use its formerly hidden fire-breathing abilities, and is now called a Kuçedra (hydra). The gheg version of the name is kulshedra. The Kuçedra causes droughts and lives off human sacrifices. The Kuçedra is sometimes also represented as an enormous woman with a hairy body and hanging breasts. In other mythologies it corresponds to the Lernaean Hydra of the Greek Mythology.[2][3]

The monster can cause a shortage of water and it requires human sacrifices to propitiate it. The creature is also known as Bullar in southern Albania.

Both Bolla and Bullar are actual names for snake/lizard species as well. Bolla (usually stands for European ratsnake but different bollas include a group of serpents of families Colubridae or Boidae) is considered as harmful as usually consumes eggs and poultry, while Bullar (stands for common indigenous glass lizard Scheltopusik ) is considered harmless and even half-domestic as it consumes arthropods and mice.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lurker, Manfred (1984). The Routledge Dictionary of God and Goddesses, Devls and Demons, Taylor & Francis e-Library. p.35
  2. ↑ Mircea Eliade, Charles J. Adams. The Encyclopedia of religion. Macmillan, 1987, ISBN 978-0-02-909700-7: "the Kul- shedra, an evil spirit, portrayed as a giant hairy old woman or as a dragon, corresponds to the Greek Hydra."
  3. ↑ Elsie, Robert (2001). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture. C. Hurst. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-85065-570-1. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
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