Giltinė’s Tongue: Lithuanian sakme

Sheep shears lie beside a dying old man while a white figure of Giltinė approaches in the dark

Genre

Mythological sakme

Source status

folkloric

Motifs

Giltinė, poisonous tongue, shears, stopping death, old man’s trick

The sakme

Long ago people began dying in great numbers. One old man felt that his own end was near. He called his children, relatives, and neighbors to his bed.

He said he could feel Giltinė’s poison in his heart. He was not angry about his own death, because he was old, but he could not forgive Giltinė for destroying young people.

The old man asked that after he died sheep shears be placed at his side. His relatives kept asking what they were for, and at last he explained: when Giltinė came close to strengthen herself and put out her poisonous tongue, he would cut it off with the shears.

So it was done. After the old man’s death the terrible dying ceased, as if Giltinė had lost her weapon.

Interpretation: what does Giltinė’s tongue mean?

Here Giltinė acts not with a scythe but with her tongue. Death comes as poison, a lick, an invisible touch against a human life.

The shears are a very ordinary tool, but in the sakme they become a weapon against death. This is typical of folklore: everyday objects can briefly gain supernatural force.

The old man does not seek immortality for himself. His trick is aimed against mass death, so the story has a communal dimension.

History, variants, and recording

The motif of Giltinė’s tongue is closely tied to the Lithuanian personification of death. Giltinė is often imagined as a female death being with poisonous power.

Such stories may have been especially powerful in contexts of plague, illness, and sudden death. The sakme gives the community an imagined form of resistance against a wave of death.

In Lithuanian mythology Giltinė is a death goddess, often depicted as a thin woman with a poisonous tongue; Algirdas Julius Greimas and Norbertas Vėlius both discussed her. The motif of outwitting or temporarily stopping Death is international, comparable to ATU 332, “Godfather Death.” Lithuanian variants are classified in Bronislava Kerbelytė’s catalogue (Lietuvių pasakojamosios tautosakos katalogas, vol. 3, 2002).

Death as a bodily being

In this sakme death has a body, a tongue, and even a vulnerable place. That lets a person, at least in story, meet death face to face.

For that reason the sakme is not only frightening. It gives comfort: even before the strongest boundary, one can keep intelligence, dignity, and care for others.

Giltinė’s Tongue: frequently asked questions

What is "Giltinė’s Tongue"?

A sakme about an old man who asks for shears to be placed beside his body so he can cut off Giltinė’s poisonous tongue when she comes near.

What motifs are most important in "Giltinė’s Tongue"?

The main motifs are Giltinė, the poisonous tongue, shears, stopping death, and the old man’s trick. They show the fear, belief, origin explanation, or boundary that the sakme brings into view.

What does "Giltinė’s Tongue" explain or warn about?

As a mythological sakme, "Giltinė’s Tongue" shows a human encounter with a mythic force, being, or dangerous boundary. Its meaning therefore lies not in a general moral phrase but in the specific danger of the plot and its consequence.

Why is the motif of "Giltinė" important here?

The motif is a key to the plot: through it the sakme shows what threatens people, what boundary is crossed, or what unusual feature the community is trying to explain.

Is this text a word-for-word old source?

No. This page gives an original retelling based on recorded motifs and the listed sources, so the plot is clear to a modern reader.

How is a sakme different from a fairy tale?

A sakme is usually told as something plausible or at least possible: it explains an origin, a taboo, a mythical being, or a dangerous encounter. A fairy tale more often works through wonder, entertainment, and a freer adventure plot.