Legends of Lithuania Archives - Kauno mitas

The legend of Vilnius

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:45:52 +0000

One man once went to Vilnius to sell a dray of hay. This was a very long time ago, when the country was still ruled by the first Muscovite rulers. As the man stood with his hay in the market, another man soon approached and bargained to buy. But he said:
‘I will need somebody to take the hay outside the city.’
‘Don’t worry,’ replied the man, ‘I’ll do it.’
And so there they were – walking side by side while a horse carried the hay. As they passed the town wall, they reached a hill. The hill opened and they rode inside. In the heart of the hill, they saw a good many horses. All the horses were kneeling and each of them held a man resting on his back. As the two men entered the hill, the men and the horses began to rise but the man who bought the hay waved his hand and said:
‘Lie down! Lie down! It’s not the time yet! It’s not the time!’
Thus, the men went back to sleep. The hay was unloaded, and money paid. The money, however, turned out to be from different times, much older.
‘Do not worry about this money. Though you will be taken to the Muscovite king for possessing it, but don’t be afraid – nothing bad will happen to you. Tell their king what you witnessed today and tell him that you were given this money by St. Casimir*. I will rise with my army when the time comes.’

* St. Casimir was the patron of Vilnius.

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The legend of Šventaragis

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:33:50 +0000

After a very long search, the Duke Šventaragis of Lithuania found an incredibly beautiful place in the woods where Vilnia flows into Neris and, in the face of impending death, he requested his son Skirmantas to burn his body in this beautiful spot in accordance with the ancestral customs. He wanted the bodies of succeeding dukes and noblemen to be burned and buried there too.

Carrying out the will of his father, Skirmantas burned his father’s remains in the valley – as well as the horse his father used to ride, the clothes he used to wear, his falcon and greyhound. From that time on, the place was called the Šventaragis’s Valley and was used to burn and bury the bodies of the dukes of Lithuania.

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The legend of lake Talkša

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:33:03 +0000

In the past, lakes used to stroll around until they found the right place and the right name to settle. A lake once came out of nowhere flying and humming and hung over Šiauliai. People were terrified that it might descend over the town. For several days and nights the residents prayed, sang hymns, walked in long processions – all just to make the lake leave. But the lake took not a single step – instead it hummed and gushed even more threateningly.

Someone had a dream that all it would take would be to guess the name of the lake and it wouldn’t flood the city. And so people guessed all the possible names they could think of but no one managed to get it right and call the lake by its real name. Until an old unfortunate lady, who had been praying the most, almost unwittingly muttered under her breath ‘Telkšok čia!’ (‘Lake lie low!’) As soon as she uttered these words, the lake descended well beyond the city where it has lain ever since.

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The legend of Veliuona

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:23:16 +0000

As one legend tells, the Duke Gediminas of Lithuania was killed here.

According to another legend, there stood a cursed manor, where there lived the most beautiful young girl in Veliuona. Once a devout and god-fearing man was walking to church along the path between two mountains. It was in that spot that he saw the beautiful and lovely young girl sitting on a chest. She asked the man to kiss her. She used all possible means, even trying to tempt him with the fortunes from the chest. But the man just spat and said, ‘May the earth swallow you if you try to tempt me again!’ After he spoke, the earth opened. The girl moaned and, before being submerged, only managed to utter these words: ‘You are such a merciless man. You could have saved me and my entire manor. But now I shall have to suffer for another seven hundred years!’

No one has heard anything about the young girl ever since – the curse is yet to expire.

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The legend of Seredžius

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:22:40 +0000

Palemonas sailed to the Baltic Sea, reached the river Nemunas through the Curonian Bay, and travelled to Dubysa. Here he and his companions stayed in a beautiful oak grove. Meanwhile, his sons – Kunas, Borkas and Spera, founded the towns of Kaunas and Jurbarkas. It is believed that Palemonas himself was buried in Seredžius mound.

According to the legend, once upon a time a group of overseas travellers were paddling along the river Nemunas. When they reached the Dubysa’s mouth, they burst into a joyful song: ‘Čia radom!’ (‘We found it! We found it!’) This was how Seredžius* got its name.

* The travellers’ song bears a phonic resemblance to the place name.

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The legend of Pypliai Mound

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:21:35 +0000

The legend tells that this mound was built by the duke Pyplys in honour of his son who died in a war. It has long been believed that, as All Saints’ Day approaches, the souls of the dead return to where they came from and the returning souls of fallen war heroes turn into trees. This is why there are so many trees on the mound.

Another legend tells that Napoleon’s soldiers erected the mound by each one pouring out a hat of soil.

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The legend of Neringa

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:17:59 +0000

Once upon a time, when the spit hadn’t yet formed and only a chain of islands protruded above the water in its place, a girl was born in autumn in one of the islands which belonged to the lord Karvaitis and where the temple of Laima – the goddess of fortune and fate – stood. The newborn, seemingly guarded by the goddess Laima, was growing into a pretty, intelligent, and kindhearted little girl. And when the parents gave her the name of Neringa, the little girl began to grow up by the hour rather than by the day, at least so it seemed. In nine months she was a beautiful young girl. When she reached eighteen, Neringa was already famous for her extraordinary work: she was so powerful that she could single-handedly drag a Kurenkahn out of a stormy sea or a carriage out of viscous sand. The fame of the girl’s beauty and her kind heart spread far and wide; crowds of youths flooded to win her heart. But she said she would only marry the one who succeeded in throwing a stone all the way across the bay to the Ventė Castle. Only the heir of the Ventė Castle himself managed to complete this difficult task and Neringa became his fiancée. Infuriated by Neringa’s self-serving behaviour, Bangpūtys (the Tideblower) caused a dreadful storm – for thirteen days and nights, it rained and poured, and clouds merged with the earth. Finally, Neringa filled her apron with sand, poured out a path, and separated the raging sea from the bay. The sea calmed down and the young couple celebrated their wedding.

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The legend of Neris and Nemunas

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:10:42 +0000

According to the legend, once ran Neris – nimble and cheerful – between green hills. Young Neris rushed towards Dauguva. It seemed that nothing would shift her course. But then she learned about Nemunas. And one morning Neris decided that she wanted to run towards him.

‘But you have to go to Dauguva,’ the hollow voice of the Earth echoed, and a heavy chain of hills blocked her path.

Neris felt upset. She was very eager to meet Nemunas, but could not disobey the Earth. Torn between the two, she wriggled and twisted. This was how the villages of the Great and the Little Svyruonėliai* sprung up. Even though birds sang love songs, Neris remained sad. This is where five islets and the large river loop beside Buivydžiai appeared. Finally, the Earth conceded. The joy of Neris was boundless, she whirled and laughed in the shoals. It was a dance of happiness. Up to this day this place is called the Shoal of the Dance of Virgins.

The coastal hills and valleys were pleased too – paths through the most beautiful places opened up for Neris. One after another, friends gathered around her: Žeimena, Vilnia, Vokė, Bražuolė, Dūkšta, Žiežmara, Musė, and finally, even the great stream of Šventoji rushed to join.

One morning, Neris wore a white veil of fog, opened her blue eyes, and laid her eyes on Nemunas. Where the two rivers met, flowers burst into bloom.

The news about Nemunas, Neris, and their journey together to the sea spread far and wide. All rivers of Lithuania rushed to greet Nemunas and Neris and offered their waters to these great rivers. Only the beautiful Minija of Semogitia ran late. Up to this day noone knows whether she got to the bay by herself, or was shown the way by the great and persistent Nemunas.

* Lith. svyruoti – ‘to sway, swing, rock’.

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The legend of the dungeons of Kernavė

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:08:12 +0000

The legend tells of a secret tunnel which ran from the mounds of Kernavė to Trakai and even extended all the way to Vilnius. The entrance to the tunnel was hidden behind an iron door in Kernavė, a silver door in Trakai, and a golden door in Vilnius.

At night, one can hear the clanking of arms in the vicinity and, when two thousand years after the birth of Christ will have passed, a numerous army will march out of the dungeons…

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The legend of the princess of Gediminas Hill

admin — Mon, 04 Feb 2019 03:07:34 +0000

In the old days, there was a princess in Vilnius who used to climb Gediminas Hill on every market day with a chest of gold in her beautiful hands. She would approach everyone headed to the market, ask them to take some money and donate it to the Saint Virgin Mary. People were afraid and did not want to touch her gold, but there was one man who once took a good handful of coins from her chest. In the market, he drank all the money away.

On the next day of the market, the princess was out again. On his way to the market, the same man spotted the princess and asked her if she could give him more gold to donate to the Saint Virgin Mary. But the princess said:

‘Come and get it yourself!’

The unsuspecting man approached the chest. As soon as the princess opened the chest and the man grabbed the coins, she released the lid and thus beheaded the man. This was the last time the princess appeared on the hill.

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