E Bukura e Dheut

E Bukura e Dheut (English: Beauty of the Earth ) is a character in Albanian folklore, a crafty fairy . Her sisters are E Bukura e Detit (English: Beauty of the Sea) and E Bukura e Qiellit (English: Beauty of Heaven).

E Bukura e Dheut is beauty itself, golden-haired, but may also appear in the form of an arap with black skin. She may be a good spirit or (more often) evil, with magical powers the derive from her dress, and lives in the underworld, where her palace is guarded by a three-headed dog or a kulshedra. Many stories describe heroes who attempt to gain a strand of her golden hair. If he succeeds, she may be crafty and attempt to steal his possessions, but in the end, if he succeeds at all the labors she requires, she will become his faithful wife.

See also

• Albanian folklore

References

• Robert Elsie, A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture, C. Hurst & Co. Publishers, 2001, pages 79–81. ISBN 978-1-85065-570-1.
• Lindemans, Micha F. (10 March 1997). "Bukura e dheut". Encyclopedia Mythica. Archived from the original on 25 September 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050929230441/http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/bukura_e_dheut.html. Retrieved 23 May 2009.