Monastery of St Michael, Gjirokaster, Albania

Kulshedra - Albanian Wyvern / Dragon

The tradition of the Winged Serpent or Dragon is found in every country throughout the world. 

In Albanian Mythology and Folklore, this takes the form of the Kulshedra, as a female serpentine dragon associated with the elemental energies of water, storm, and fire. The Kulshedra was believed to spit fire, cause long droughts, thunderous storms, lightning strikes, flooding, earthquakes and all other natural disasters against mankind.

The Kulshedra passes through many prior stages of metamorphosis to reach maturity, taking the prior form of the Bolla, which remains in the element of water as an amphibious serpent. It will eventually morph into the Kulshedra to wreak havoc and mayhem upon the land if it remains unseen and unacknowledged by humans. People would practice sacrifices to the Bolla / Kulshedra to stop and prevent any further harmful action taking place, while her attentions may be directed towards other villages which did not take similar action. 

In Mythology, she could be fought and defeated by a Drangue, a winged divine hero and protector of mankind who battles with the Kulshedra during particular heavy thunderstorms, severe floods and earthquakes and other natural disasters and catastrophes. Evidence of the battles were explained by the formation of huge landslides and movement of large rocks, uprooted trees, breached river banks, mountain-side fires covering large burnt areas. 

​As with all Mythology, the stories of the Kulshedra and its subsequent defeat by a hero and protector of mankind become the tales of many legends and can be clearly seen in the stories of Bellerophon and the Chimera, and later St George and the Dragon. The Christian Churches promoted Archangel Michael to become the divine protector against all evil in the world, combined with the Sword of Truth and the Shield of Power to replace the need for all 'other' hero's in pagan and traditional mythology. The ancient statues and stone carvings in the form of Gargoyles and other mythical monsters were often incorporated in the church temple and buildings to aid the uneducated to identify and associate with the power of the Holy Church.

The root of all of these 'like for like' worldwide myths stems from the Naga serpent energies of the Kundalini, and the rise of Wisdom when it takes winged form as the Dragon or Angelic Naga within all of mankind.  Each story told shows nature as the monster and man as the hero, whereas the reverse is most likely to become the story that is told in future times.