Nora of

Kelmendi Kelmendi is a historical Albanian tribes, Albanian tribe (''fis'') and region in Malësia (Kelmend (municipality), Kelmend municipality) and eastern Montenegro (parts of Gusinje Municipality). It is located in the upper valley of the Cem (river), ...

is a legendary folktale 17th century Albanian woman for her beauty and valor. She is sometimes referred to as the " Helen of

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

" as her beauty also sparked a great war. She is also called the Albanian Brünhilde too, for she herself was the greatest woman warrior in the history of Albania. There are two versions of Nora's legend; both end with Nora killing the Pasha, head of the Ottoman Army, who had vowed to reduce the Highland () into ashes if Nora did not become his wife.

Legend

In the tale dating back to around 1637, or possibly 1638 or 1639 according to some sources, Nora, a girl from

Malësia Malësia e Madhe ("Great Highlands"), known simply as Malësia (, ), is a historical and ethnographic region in northern Albania and eastern central Montenegro corresponding to the highlands of the geographical subdivision of the Malësi e Madhe ...

, was abandoned at an

orphanage An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusi ...

at birth by her father, a noble warrior who desired a son to fight the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. Raised as a boy by her aunt, Nora grew up to be exceptionally beautiful, likened to a

Zana Zana may refer to: Mythological figures * Zână, Zână (Romanian mythology), a female figure in Romanian mythology * Zana (mythology), Zana (Albanian mythology), an Albanian mythological figure Places * Diana Veteranorum or Zana, an ancient ...

, a mythical mountain

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

. Word of Nora's beauty reached the pasha of Rozafati Castle in Shkodra, of Bosnian origin, who sought to marry her under Albanian tradition. However, Nora's family refused, citing the Albanian Kanun's prohibition against marriages with non-Albanians. Unaccustomed to such refusal, the enraged pasha threatened to destroy Malësia if Nora did not marry him. The pasha then led his army and besieged Malësia. To save her homeland, Nora devised a plan. In one version, she pretended to accept the pasha's proposal, dressed in a

xhubleta The xhubleta is an undulating, bell-shaped Folk costume, folk skirt, Traditional Albanian clothing, traditionally worn by Albanians, Albanian women in northern Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro. It is a garment that survived from an ...

, traditional North Albanian women dress, and entered his tent. There, she used a family heirloom

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

to wound him while he was distracted. She then fled and, as planned, the army of Malësia attacked the Ottomans, winning temporary victory over them. In another version, Nora led a group of 300 women in battle against the Ottomans. During the fighting, she faced the pasha in a duel, killing him. Both versions name the pasha as Vutsi Pasha from Bosnia.

Historical events

Historical sources give a less folkloric version of the story, focusing more on the ongoing struggle of over a decade between the Ottomans and Clementi highlanders initially due to their collaboration with the

Montenegrins Montenegrins (, or ) are a South Slavic ethnic group that share a common ancestry, culture, history, and language, identified with the country of Montenegro. Montenegrins are mostly Orthodox Christians; however, the population also includes ...

, and their fame as the most stubborn between Albanian tribes, rather than the portrait of Nora or any other local heroine, though they mention that women fought as well. According to

Pjetër Bogdani Pjetër Bogdani (; 1627 – 6 December 1689) was the most original writer of Old Albanian literature. He was author of the Cuneus Prophetarum (''The Band of the Prophets''), 1685, the first prose work of substance written originally in (Gheg) A ...

's ''

Cuneus Prophetarum ''Cuneus Prophetarum'' (, ) is a philosophical, theological and scientific treatise written by Pjetër Bogdani, an Albanian philosopher, originally published in Padua in 1685 in Albanian and Latin. It is considered to be the most prominent wor ...

'', there were around 500 Kelmendi attacking the Ottoman army of 12,000.

François Lenormant François Lenormant (; 17 January 1837 – 9 December 1883) was a 19th-century French Hellenist, Assyriologist, and archaeologist. Biography Early life Lenormant's father, Charles Lenormant, distinguished as an archaeologist, numismatist and E ...

in his ''Turcs et Monténégrins'' (

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, 1866) mentions an Ottoman army of over 30,000 with 900 on the Clementi side, while the conflict starts in 1624 and spikes in 1638. Another description comes from Father F. Arcangelo da Salto,

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and counsellor of

Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...

and consultant of the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, who mentions around 700 Clementi, and the Ottoman casualties around 4,000, published in ''Vita del Venerabile Padre Fr.Bonaventura da Palazzuolo Riformato'', vol.II,

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, October 1722.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nora Of Kelmendi 17th-century deaths Legendary Albanian people Legendary Christians Albanian legends 17th-century Albanian people Women in 17th-century warfare Female duellists Year of death unknown Year of birth unknown Albanian Roman Catholics Women in European warfare

Legend

Historical events

See also

References

Sources