Nje dite nje i ri ishte duke gjuajtur neper male, ku nje shqiponje fluturoi mbi te duke rrahur fort krahet dhe ndaloi ne nje shkemb. Shqiponja ishe shume e madhe dhe mbante nje gjarper ne sqepin e saj. Pas pak, shqiponja fluturoi mbi shkemb dhe ndaloi aty ku kishte folene e saj. Djaloshi i ri kerceu mbi shkemb dhe vuri re se ne fole ishte nje shqiponjez e vogel qe po luante me gjarperin e ngordhur. Por gjarperi nuk ishte fare i ngordhur. Ne ate cast gjarperi ngre koken dhe u pozicionua gati per te pickuar shqiponjezen e vogel me dhembet e tij helmues.Djaloshi nxorri ne cast harkun dhe shigjeten dhe qellon mbi gjarperin per vdekje. Me pas e mori shqiponjezen dhe mori rrugen e kthimit. Kur s’kish bere vecse ca hapa, degjon mbi koken e tij nje zhurme te forte perplasje krahesh, ishte shqiponja meme.
“Perse po me rremben foshnjen time” iu qa shqiponja.
“Shqiponjeza tani eshte imja, pasi une i shpetova jeten duke vrare gjarperin qe donte ta pickonte, gjarperin qe ti nuk e vrave dot vete.” iu pergjigj djaloshi.
“Me kthe zogthin tim dhe une do te te jap si kembim mprehtesine e syve te mi dhe forcen e kraheve te mi. Do te behesh i forte dhe i pathyeshem dhe do te njihesh me emrin tim.Djaloshi u bind dhe ia ktheu zogthin memes se vet. Kur shqoponjeza u rrit dhe nisi te fluturonte, shihej gjithnje te fluturonte ne qiell diku mbi koken e djaloshit, ngado qe ai shkonte, i cili dhe vete ishte bere burre, ishte rritur ne nje gjuetar dhe luftetare te madh. Ku kalonte afer ndonje vendi te banuar me njerez dridhej toka nga frika e njerzve kundrejt njeriut me shqiponj. U be nje prijes i mencur dhe i urte, cdo vend kerkonte urtesin e tij. Me harkun dhe shigjetat e tij ai vrau shume grabitqare neper pyje dhe me shpaten e tij u preu kokat shume kundershtare dashakeqes.
Te mrekulluar nga bemat e djaloshit gjuetar e luftetar, banoret e atyre aneve e zgjodhen ate prijesin e tyre dhe e quajten Shqipetar ose bir i shqipes, dhe trojet ku banonin i quajten Shqiperi ose Vendi i Shqiponjave.
Pergjate tere ketyre viteve, shqiponja e shoqeroi djaloshin dhe e udhehoqi pa iu ndare as edhe nje cast.
Ata ishin te pandashem, nje trup me dy koka.
A youth was hunting in the mountains. An eagle flying above him alighted on top of a crag. The eagle was especially large and had a snake in its beak. After a while, the eagle flew away from the crag where it had its nest. The youth then climbed to the top of the crag where he saw, in the nest, an eaglet playing with the dead snake. However, the snake was not dead. Suddenly it stirred, revealed its fangs and was ready to pierce the eaglet with its deadly venom. The youth quickly took out his bow and arrow and killed the snake. Then he took the eaglet and started for his home. Suddenly the youth heard above him the loud whir of the great eagle’s wings.
“Why do you kidnap my child?” cried the eagle. “The child is mine because I saved it from the snake which you didn’t kill,” answered the youth.
“Give me back my child, and I will give you as a reward the sharpness of my eyes and the powerful strength of my wings. You will become invincible, and you will be called by my name!”
Thus the youth handed over the eaglet. After the eaglet grew, it would always fly above the head of the youth, now a grown man, who with his bow and arrows killed many wild beasts of the forest, and with his sword slew many enemies of the land. During all of these feats, the eagle faithfully watched over and guided him.
Amazed by the valiant hunter’s deeds, the people of the land elected him king and called him Shqipëtar, which is to say Son of the Eagle (shqipe or shqiponjë is Albanian for eagle) and his kingdom became known as “Shqipëria” or Land of the Eagles.The two heads on the eagle represent the north and the south.