In Albanian mythology, the shtojzovalle, also known as shtojzorreshta, shtozote and xhinde is a small creature with supernatural powers and of extraordinary beauty. They are invisible woodland creatures, which can be seen by humans only on rare occasions and are fond of song and dance.

Name

The term shtojzovalle derives from the Albanian

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 words shtoj (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: add), zot (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: god, deity) and valle (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: dance), with the term meaning in English "may God give increase to their dance"
or "multiply, God, their choirs". The name shtojzovalle is a product of Pagan

Paganism

Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....

 and Christian

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

 religious syncretism

Syncretism

Syncretism is the combining of different beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. The term means "combining", but see below for the origin of the word...

. The alternative term shtojzorreshta means "may God give increase to their rows" in English.

Traits

The shtojzovalles are small male and female creatures of extraordinary beauty. They live in forests and pastures and spend their time singing and dancing. They have the ability to fly and at night they spin the thread of human existence. They are invisible to humans and a human can see them only if they lift an invisible veil in front of their eyes. Occasionally humans and shtojzovalles are married, but a human can keep a shtojzovalle maiden only if he gives her his clothes to wear. If a human builds their house on lands inhabited by shtojzovalles, the house will be haunted by shtojzovalles shaking heavy iron chains. When people go for a walk and step on a shtojzovalle they may get devoured by it.

Religious syncretism

Albanian Christians and especially the Catholics

Roman Catholicism in Albania

The Roman Catholic Church in Albania is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome.Around 16.8%-17% of the population of Albania is Catholic — the second biggest religious denomination after Islam. More than 100,000 Albanian Catholics are...

 of northern Albania and Malësia

Malësia

Malësia or Malësia e Madhe, is a historical geographical region in northern Albania and eastern Montenegro. It consists of an area of land that stretches from the southeast of Podgorica to northern shores of Lake Scutari, and includes much of the Malësi e Madhe District of Albania...

 have attributed several Christian characteristics to the shtojzovalles. According to these traditions when Archangel Michael

Michael (archangel)

Michael , Micha'el or Mîkhā'ēl; , Mikhaḗl; or Míchaël; , Mīkhā'īl) is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans refer to him as Saint Michael the Archangel and also simply as Saint Michael...

 fought against Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

 the angels who remained neutral became the shtojzovalles. The shtojzovalles weep in repentance for their neutrality and if their tears fall on a human he will die. The Albanian

Albanian language

Albanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...

 phrase i ka rënë pika (English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

: "a drop fell upon him"), metaphorically means that someone died and the phrase is derived from this belief.