Bolla

The Bolla (also known as Bullar in South Albania), is a type of demonic-serpent like Dragon from Albanian folklore with a long, coiled, serpentine body, four legs, small wings, and silver, faceted eyes. This dragon sleeps throughout the whole year, only to wake on Saint George's Day, where it peers into the world until it sees a human. It devours the person, then closes its eyes and sleeps again. This is explained in the legend of Saint George. When he fought and vanquished the dragon, Saint George cursed the beast so that it be forever blind and only open its eyes on his day only. The Bolla can change into a Kulshedra should it live many years without being seen by a human. It is etymologically related to Greek Φάλη, Φάλαινα 'monster, whale,' (although the relationship is not certain) and comes from the Latin chersydrusus which means something like ‘the snake that lives in the water and on the earth’.

The Kulshetra (in Gheg), or Kuçedra (in Tosk), is widely considered to be a storm demon and is often depicted as a dragon in Albanian Folktales. It can appear as a dragon-like creature with a long tail, nine heads, spines down its back, and covered in red hair, or a female who is typically old with breasts that hang down to the ground. Both its milk and urine are poisonous. The Kulshedra is believed to cause drought and other water-related issues for humanity such as torrents, tempests, shortages, big storms, flooding, or other natural disasters. Often to placate it, a human sacrifice must be made. The Kulshedra is often depicted as a female in many Albanian beliefs. The male form, called Kulshedër, acts as a devil.

In the Kosova town of Prishtina, the Kulshedra is called Bolla ("a kind of serpent") after it has lived twelve years. When the serpent manages to live fifty years without being noticed by anyone, it becomes a Bullar, a reptile that provides the venomous snakes with their poison by giving them its milk. If it lives another fifty years without being seen, it becomes an Ershaj, a reptile that wraps itself around people and plunges into their chest to eat their heart. When an Ershaj lives another hundred years without being seen, it finally becomes a Kulshedra.

In Tirana, it was believed that newly born Kulshedras hid in a dark hole where, at the end of six months; they turned into snakes, and it was only after another six months that the snakes could be called Kulshedra.

In many views on the Bolla/Kulshedra, the relationship is similar to metamorphosis (caterpillar to butterfly/moth). Often the Bolla must be unseen for a certain number of years (varying based on belief) in order to transform into a Kulshedra.

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