Prende (also Prenne, Prema, Premte, or Petka) is the dawn-goddess, goddess of love, beauty, fertility, and protector of women, in the Albanian pagan mythology. She is also called Afërdita in reference to Hylli i Dritës, Afêrdita "the Star of Light, Afêrdita" (i.e. Venus, the morning star) and to Ylli i Mbrëmjes, Afërdita (i.e. Venus, the evening star). According to some Albanian traditions, Prende is the daughter of Zojz, the Albanian sky and lighning god. In Albanian folklore she is referred to as "Lady Prenne" or "Lady of Beauty" (Albanian: Zonja Prende or Zonja e Bukurisë, in Gheg Albanian: Zoja Prenne or Zoja e Bukuris). Her sacred day is Friday, named in Albanian after her: e premte. Her name is though to be a cognate with the Ancient Greek Persephatta, a variant of Persephone. Thought to have been worshiped by the Illyrians in antiquity, Prende is identified with the cult of Venus and she was worshipped in northern Albania, especially by the Albanian women, until recent times. Originally a pre-Christian deity, she was called "Saint Veneranda" (Shënepremte), identified by the Catholic Church as Saint Anne, mother of Virgin Mary. She was so popular in Albania that over one in eight of the Catholic churches existing in the late 16th and the early 17th centuries were named after her. Many other historical Catholic and Orthodox churches were dedicated to her in the 18th and 19th centuries. Name The variants of her name are Prende, Prenne, Prema, Premte, or Petka. She is also called Afërdita in reference to Hylli i Dritës, Afêrdita "the Star of Light, Afêrdita" (i.e. Venus, the morning star) and Ylli i Mbrëmjes, Afërdita (i.e. Venus, the evening star). The evening star is referred to as Prëmë (definite Albanian form: Prëma) in some Albanian dialects. The Albanian translation of "evening" is also rendered as πρέμε premë in the Albanian-Greek dictionary of Marko Boçari. The Albanian name of the goddess, or , is thought to correspond regularly to the Ancient Greek counterpart (Persephatta), a variant of (Persephone). The theonyms have been traced back to the Indo-European *pers-é-bʰ(h₂)n̥t-ih₂ ("she who brings the light through"). Role In the Albanian pagan mythology Prende is the goddess of dawn, love, beauty and fertility. She is considered the Albanian equivalent of the Roman Venus, Norse Freyja and Greek Aphrodite. According to some Albanian traditions, Prende is the daughter of Zojz, the Albanian sky and lighning god.