Lithuanian tales

A playful tale about impossible events, paradoxes, and a storyteller's imagination deliberately creating what has never been heard or seen.

Eglė, Queen of Serpents is one of the best-known Lithuanian tales, centered on a promise to a serpent, life beneath the water, betrayal, a sign of blood, and the transformation of mother and children into trees.

A tale about miraculous children, golden marks, envy, substitution, and the final recognition of true origin.

A tale about the sister Elenytė and her brothers, whose fate is changed by enchantment, journeying, recognition, and a test of loyalty.

A tale about a sister, a dangerous nine-headed dragon, a trial at the boundary of water or forest, and courage that saves the family.

A wonder tale about a woman in swan form, a king's marriage, a hidden true identity, and broken trust.

A tale about a sister who must free her brothers, transformed into ravens, by enduring a test of silence, work, and patience.

A tale about a farmhand who settles accounts with his master so cleverly that the relation of work, wages, or debt turns in his favor.

A domestic tale about a peasant who escapes the pressure of stronger people not through force, but through quick wit, speech, and exact understanding of the situation.

A domestic tale about a stolen ox, suspicion, a clever way of exposing guilt, and the restoration of justice in a village community.

A tale about the children Jurgiukas and Elenytė, a journey away from dangerous homes, trials, and brotherly and sisterly loyalty.

Sigutė is an orphan-and-stepmother conflict tale about injustice, hidden help, patience, and the final recognition of truth.

The tale of orphan Elenytė and Joniukas the little ram joins orphanhood, sibling bonds, a loved one in animal form, and the correction of injustice.

An animal tale about a fox who presents a cat as her powerful husband, and forest animals deceived by fear and reputation.

A winter animal tale about the fox's cleverness, the gullibility of the wolf or other figures, and a comic ending built on deception.

An animal tale about the fox's deception, the rooster's carelessness, and the little cat's help, which restores order.

A short animal tale about a little goat, lying, undeserved blame, and the truth finally coming to light.

A tale about a wolf who tries to enter the kids' home by deception, and a mother goat who restores safety for her children.

A representative foolish-devil tale in which a human being defeats a supernatural but gullible opponent through cleverness and everyday sense.

A tale about giant strength, a devils' mill, and a situation in which supernatural danger is overcome by cleverness or unusual courage.

A didactic tale about a lazy son who must learn the value of work, independence, and responsibility through trials.

A didactic domestic tale about a person who complains of having nothing until he understands the value of work, measure, and responsibility.

A tale about two girls who receive different gifts according to their behavior: the orphan for kindness, the stepmother's daughter for pride and laziness.

A comic tale about a sow-godmother, false kinship, greed or foolishness, and social laughter arising from domestic deception.

A tall tale about two storytellers who compete not in truth but in ever more unbelievable inventions and comic imagination.