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Nora of Kelmendi

Nora of Kelmendi
Folk tale
Name Nora of Kelmendi
Data
Country Albania

Nora of Kelmendi was a 17th-century Albanian woman now legendary for her beauty and valor.

She is sometimes referred to as the "Helen of Albania" 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 (Albanian: Malsia, also Malcia or Maltsia as for the Gheg dialect) into ashes if Nora did not become his wife.

The events happened around the year 1637, while other older sources place the culmination of Clementi-Ottoman clash during 1638 or 1639. Nora’s father, a noble warrior, wanted a son to help him fight against the Ottoman Empire. When Nora was born, he abandoned her at an orphanage. His sister, knowing the doings of her brother, adopted Nora and raised her as a boy. Nora's biological father, having the desire to train some young man to become a fighter, decided to train the adopted "son" of his sister. Hence, unknowingly, he trained his own daughter to become a fighter. As she grew up, however, Nora turned out to be the most beautiful girl in Malsia. It is said that she was as pretty as a true Zana (mountain fairy). Her fame spread through the whole country. A pasha who resided at the Rozafati Castle in Shkodra, heard of her too. One day, Nora came down to the city with her parents. The pasha came out of the castle and fell in love with Nora upon setting eyes on her.
Being from nearby Bosnia, which followed similar traditions to Albania, the pasha wanted to marry her by the laws of the Albanian Canon (Albanian: Kanun), which meant he would send a trusted man to Nora’s house and ask for her hand. However, Nora's family replied that the Albanian Canon did not allow for marriages with non-Albanians. The pasha was not accustomed to such refusal and kept a harem of women from far and wide. He flew into a rage: "Either Nora will become my wife or I will I'll burn all of Malsia to ashes." The pasha then led his army and besieged Malsia. Nora had proved to be a warrior, but now she had to prove that she was wise too, in order to spare Malsia from destruction. So she devised the plan to kill the angry Bosnian pasha.


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