YouTube - Besa Arberore
auf griechisch
In the Kanun, the besa is described as the highest authority. It is closely related to the notion of honour, so essential to personal and familial standing as to be virtually a cult; it lies so near to the heart of Albanians as to be referred to in documents as an example of “Albanianism”.
The “man of besa” connotes a man of respect and honour, someone to whom you can trust your life and family. His opposite is besëçartur (the man who breaks besa) – with a sense not merely of unreliability, but even of craziness and banishment from the community. A man unable to save his besa is worth nothing.
Besa also draws on biblical notions of the word as the foundation of human society: “In the beginning was the word”. From medieval times, Albanian society was ruled by the word or promise given. All human relationships – in family, community, village or ethnic area – were governed by the promise, and the responsibilities it entailed. Besa is the moral testament of Albanians since the appearance of its earliest national and social mythologies.