Hillfort legend
Samogitian cycle of local legends
underground tunnels, pipes, commander Girgždas, golden chair, bells
Girgždūtė, Girgždūtė hillfort, Pagirgždūtis
The Legend of Girgždūtė Hill
People connect Girgždūtė Hill with the commander Girgždas, who supposedly defended this place and was buried here. The hill's name is also explained through pipes: when enemies approached, the warning sounded from hill to hill: I hear the pipes.
It is said that underground tunnels connected Girgždūtė with other castles, and only the defenders knew them. Through those paths one could send messages, withdraw, or hide the most precious things.
Another legend tells of a man looking for a horse. On the hill he heard neighing; when he climbed up, he saw a golden chair, ringing bells, and a chest of money. He crossed himself, and everything vanished.
Interpreting the Girgždūtė Hill Legend
The Girgždūtė legends are layered. One explains the name through sound, another through the commander's grave, and a third through appearing treasure and bells.
The pipe motif is especially interesting because sound becomes defensive technology. The message travels through the landscape, and the hills function as a signal system.
The golden chair and bells that vanish after the sign of the cross show the threshold nature of the supernatural world. It can be seen, but a Christian sign ends the vision.
History of the Girgždūtė Hill Legend
A Telšiai tourism source mentions legends of underground tunnels, commander Girgždas, and messages carried by pipes. Wikisource preserves an older tale about a golden chair, bells, and a chest of money.
Vietos dvasia and Pamatyk Lietuvoje describe Girgždūtė as one of the prominent Samogitian hillforts, associated with the memory of a sacred place and a castle.
The Girgždūtė page is therefore a good example of how one hill can have not one but a whole set of legends.
Girgždūtė, about 228 m high, is one of the highest places in Samogitia. Appearing treasure that vanishes after the sign of the cross, and underground tunnels, are classic hillfort legend motifs. In genre terms, this is a hillfort or sacred-hill legend. Lithuanian place legends were collected in Žemės atmintis: Lietuvių liaudies padavimai (1999) and classified in Bronislava Kerbelytė's catalogue, volume 3 (2002).