The Legend of the Osum River and Tomorr Mount in Berat, Albania
Berat is one of the most beautiful towns in Albania and the Balkan Peninsula. Included on UNESCO’s world heritage list, Berat is the best well-preserved Ottoman-era city in Eastern Europe and should totally be included in your Albanian travel itinerary. Read our article about the legend linked to its history.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl, Osum, and two inseparable brothers, Tomorr and Shpirag. The brothers spent all their time together and loved each other deeply. One day, Tomorr met the girl and fell in love with her immediately. The same thing happened, a few days later, to Shpirag, who was unaware of his brother’s feelings for Osum.
Osum was in love with both of them and met the brothers in secret. Tomorr and Shpirag kept the secret relationship from each other, but one day, Tomorr came to know about his brother’s affair. He asked Shpirag to give up Osum and end their relationship, but Shpirag, furious, refused. Tomorr’s pain was so great that his scream could be heard in the heavens.
Tomorr had no choice than to fight his brother. With his sword, he cut Shpirag into pieces, while Shpirag hit Tomorr with cannons blowing holes in his body. Both the brothers died during the battle. Osum heard about the tragedy, and legend says her tears formed the Osum River (situated between the Tomorr and Shpirag mountains). Today the river also divides two neighborhoods, Mangalem and Gorica, in the town of Berat.
Tomorr and Shpirag are in fact two mountains facing each other. If you look carefully, you can see Tomorr’s surface is full of holes, while Shpirag has giants scars and is divided in two parts.
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