The Kukudh (

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

definite In linguistics, definiteness is a semantic feature of noun phrases that distinguishes between referents or senses that are identifiable in a given context (definite noun phrases) and those that are not (indefinite noun phrases). The prototypical ...

form: Kukudhi) is an

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

creature in

Albanian mythology Albanian paganism comprises the pagan customs, beliefs, rituals, myths and legends of the Albanian people. The elements of Albanian mythology are of ancient Paleo-Balkanic origin and almost all of them are pagan. Ancient paganism persisted among ...

Etymology

Undetermined. Most probably a derivative of

kuku Kuku may refer to: People * Emir-Usein Kuku (born 1976), Crimean Tatar human rights defender * John Dean Kuku (born 1963), Solomon Islands politician * Kuku people, an ethnic group in South Sudan * Kuku Yulanji, an Aboriginal people of the Dai ...

("mourn, lament."), as its synonym kukuvriq suggests. In

Tosk Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is ...

and

Gheg Gheg or Geg (Gheg Albanian: ''gegnisht'', Standard ) is one of the two major varieties of Albanian, the other being Tosk. The geographic dividing line between the two varieties is the Shkumbin River, which winds its way through central Alba ...

folklore, the Kukudh is associated with nightmares and death, connecting it to the nocturnal bird, the owl, and the

cuckoo Cuckoos are birds in the Cuculidae ( ) family, the sole taxon in the order Cuculiformes ( ). The cuckoo family includes the common or European cuckoo, roadrunners, koels, malkohas, couas, coucals, and anis. The coucals and anis are somet ...

(), which are considered to be bad omens; messengers of bad news.

Appearance

The Kukudh is a

revenant In folklore, a revenant is a spirit or animated corpse that is believed to have been revived from death to haunt the living. The word ''revenant'' is derived from the Old French word (see also the related French verb ). Revenants are part o ...

, a

miser A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend money, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone ...

's poor soul that haunts his house after his death. For this reason, people feared the house of a miser and would avoid staying overnight out of fear of being killed. Only a brave boy may defeat the creature and bring eternal peace to its damned soul, being appointed heir in reward. In and around

Tomorr Tomorr is a mountain chain in the region of Berat and Skrapar, in Albania. It reaches an elevation of above sea level at the Çuka e Partizanit, which is the highest peak in central Albania. Mount Tomorr is one of Albania's biggest water-col ...

, there is a legend that a

lugat A lugat or liogat is a vampire-like being in Albanian mythology. According to Orel the etymology "Lugat" is borrowed from Vulgar Latin *lupus peccatus (“false wolf”), though with difficult semantics. They abide in shadows and darkness, esp ...

who is not burned in due time will become a Kukudh. In some areas, the Kukudh appears as a stocky and short-legged man with a goat's tail. He is invulnerable and may only be strangled with a noose made of

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

. Because he brings mayhem, an evil man is also commonly referred to as a Kukudh. The Kukudh and Karkanxholl (etymologically related to

Kallikantzaros The ''kallikantzaros'' (; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, караконџула, separator=" / ", karakondžula; ; or ''kallikantzaroi'' in plural) is a malevolent creature in Southeast European and Anatolian folklore. Stories about the ''kallikantzaros'' ...

, also known as the ''Karkançoli'') are also

gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

" corpses, who go around in January, laden with chains and effusing a deadly breath, known notably among Calabrian Albanians. According to another version, the Karkançoli is vested with iron clothes, which is why

chainmail Mail (sometimes spelled maille and, since the 18th century, colloquially referred to as chain mail, chainmail or chain-mail) is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was in common milita ...

armor is known as ''këmish karkançoli'' in

. In Southern Albania the Kukudh is a blind female

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

of sickness, carrying the plague. "Kukudh" is also the name of a sickness like

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

, but worse.

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

is said to have brought it, after having raped the corpse of an

Epirote Epirus () is a geographical and historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay of Vlorë and the Acroceraunian Mountains in ...

princess, who would not return his love during her lifetime. Consequently, there is a derisive

saying, ''As të ha kukudhi!'', which translates to: "Not even the plague will devour you!"

References

{{reflist Albanian legendary creatures Albanian folklore Corporeal undead Demons