Discover the enchanting tale of two brothers, their love for a beautiful maiden, and how their story shaped the mountains and river of Berat.
The Eternal Battle of Mount Tomorr, Shpirag, and the Tears of Osum
In the mystical city of Berat, where mountains stand like sentinels guarding its secrets, lies a tale as ancient as the rocks themselves. It is a story of love, betrayal, and sorrow that shaped the landscape, leaving its mark on the heart of Albania. This is the legend of Mount Tomorr, Shpirag, and the Osum River, a tale whispered by the winds and carried by the river’s flow.
Long ago, there were two brothers, Tomorr and Shpirag, both renowned across the lands for their unmatched bravery and striking beauty. Together, they faced the challenges of the world, side by side in battles and triumphs, never parting from one another. Their bond was unbreakable, and their love for each other was deep—until fate, in its cruelest form, intervened.
One fateful day, Tomorr’s path crossed with Osum, a woman of such divine beauty that she seemed not of this world. Her face shone like a star, and her presence filled the air with a sense of wonder. Tomorr, the strong and steadfast warrior, found his heart captured, his very soul enchanted by Osum. She changed him, making him feel emotions he had never known before. He was consumed by a love so powerful that it altered the very rhythm of his life.
Unbeknownst to Tomorr, his younger brother, Shpirag, had also fallen under Osum’s spell. He, too, had met her, and his heart was equally ensnared. Osum, torn between the two brothers, could not choose. She loved them both deeply, and in secret, she met with each of them, unable to decide which one would hold her heart forever.
For a time, the brothers kept their love for Osum hidden from each other, but secrets cannot last forever. When Tomorr discovered that his beloved brother, Shpirag, was also in love with Osum, his heart turned to stone. A storm of jealousy and rage consumed him, his once gentle love for his brother now replaced by fury. His voice, filled with anguish, echoed through the skies. Tomorr begged his brother to relinquish his claim on Osum, to let her go for the sake of their bond. But Shpirag, equally consumed by his love, could not surrender.
There was no turning back. The bond of brotherhood shattered, and the two once-inseparable brothers faced each other in an inevitable battle. In a fit of madness, Tomorr, wild with grief and anger, drew his sword and struck his brother down, cutting him into pieces. Shpirag, in his final act of defiance, launched a furious attack on Tomorr, bombarding him with cannons, leaving his body riddled with craters.
When Osum learned of the brothers’ tragic end, her heart broke into a thousand pieces. She stood between the two fallen brothers, frozen in despair, her soul shattered by the loss of both men she loved. As her sorrow overwhelmed her, she wept endlessly, and her tears flowed freely into the earth, forming the Osum River that runs through Berat to this day.
Thus, the legend says, the landscape was forever changed by their love and their sorrow. Mount Tomorr, standing tall and majestic, bears the scars of the battle, its surface marked by deep craters and valleys, a testament to the fierce struggle between the brothers. Across from Tomorr stands Mount Shpirag, its slopes lined with sharp ridges, as though it had been sliced apart by the very hand of fate. And between these two mountains flows the Osum River, a constant reminder of the tears shed by Osum in her eternal grief.
This is the captivating legend of Berat, where the mystical forces of love, betrayal, and sorrow shaped not just the lives of two brothers, but the very landscape itself. It is a tale that lives on in the mountains, in the river, and in the hearts of those who call this enchanted city their home. The story of Tomorr, Shpirag, and Osum remains a symbol of the delicate balance between love and rivalry, and how even the strongest bonds can be tested by the mysteries of the heart.
Discover the soul of Albania through its legends, where every mountain, river, and valley holds a story of magic and fate.
