How Klaipėda was founded

The legend tells of a tribe which lived midway along the river Akmena. The two bravest hunters of the kin – the brothers Deer and Wolf – were sent to look for a place better suited for living. On their way downhill, the two men saw the sea. To meet it, Deer and Wolf set out to overcome the vast boggy marshland and took two separate paths. Deer successfully reached the sea and decided to bring his tribe to settle there. Meanwhile, Wolf, who took a different path, disappeared forever. As much as Deer searched, as much as he called for his brother – the only thing he found was a sole muddy footprint. Upon his return, Deer led his tribe to the newly discovered land, where they settled. For generations, people recounted his adventures to the children of the tribe. As time passed, however, the story was forgotten. Only the name of the place where Wolf had perished remained – Klai(džio)pėda*.

*Klaidžiota pėda – ‘the foot that strayed away’.