- Genre
- Etiological legend
- Source status
- folkloric
- Motifs
- monstrous bird Skukas, shelter, brave scouting, promise, cuckoo’s call
The story
Long ago a huge, terrifying bird called Skukas hunted and swallowed other birds. At last only a small flock remained in the world.
The survivors gathered in a thick tangle of bushes. Its branches were so dense that Skukas could not push even his beak inside. He circled and waited for someone to come out, but no bird appeared.
Eventually Skukas disappeared from view. The birds still feared leaving: perhaps he was hiding nearby. None would be the first to find out.
At last the cuckoo volunteered. She would go looking for Skukas if the others promised to hatch and raise her young whenever she laid an egg in one of their nests. Her offspring would then be cared for if she died. The birds agreed.
The cuckoo flew out and found Skukas dead in a marsh, lying on his back. Delighted, she landed on his belly and called his name, her cries turning into the cuckoo’s call.
The other birds came out and were free again. Their promise remained: they would hatch the cuckoo’s eggs and raise her young. Every spring she still calls in memory of their joyful release.
Reading the story
In this version the cuckoo’s behaviour is explained by courage and a promise. She does not trick the nest owners, so the ending should not be recast as punishment for laziness.
Recorded by J. Balčikonis in Ėriškiai, Ramygala district; LMD I 814(6). The 1967 note does not give a recording year.
Source and retelling
Lietuvių tautosaka, IV (1967), Nr. 370, p. 441: „Kodėl gegutė neperi vaikų“; PDF p. 440. An original retelling of the recorded traditional narrative cited here. The sequence of events and ending are retained in modern language.