- Genre
- Etiological legend
- Source status
- folkloric
- Motifs
- catching insects, birds’ excuses, diligence, tireless flight
The story
God saw that the flies, mosquitoes and other insects he had released into the world were troubling people and livestock. Some even drank their blood. He decided to ask the birds to catch these pests.
Large birds and small ones gathered, but each found an excuse. Some said the prey was too tiny, others that flying was difficult or their eyesight poor. Only the swallow agreed and immediately began catching flies and mosquitoes.
It worked so hard that few insects remained. God called it over and told it to rest after its labour. The swallow said it felt no tiredness: it would rest when it had caught them all.
God rewarded that diligence with a gift. From then on, the swallow would never tire in flight. So the story explains its seemingly endless movement through the air.
Reading the story
The plot contrasts many refusals with one willing helper. The swallow does not ask for a gift; the reward comes when it declines even an offered rest.
The 1967 notes cite the earlier source Mūsų tautosaka IX (1935), no. 115. The tireless bird belongs to the legend’s imaginative explanation.
Source and retelling
Lietuvių tautosaka, IV (1967), Nr. 366, p. 439–440: „Kregždė“; PDF p. 438–439. An original retelling of the recorded traditional narrative cited here. The sequence of events and ending are retained in modern language.