Water in Lithuanian folklore by Pijus Eiva This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Elements In our world, there are four main elements: air, earth, fire and water. Every single element represents and influences nation’s life, creativity and traditions.

The element of water The element water is mysterious, sometimes dreadful, but also it can be life saving and comforting.

Water in Lithuanian folk In Lithuanian folk there are many beautiful words said about water in books, legends, songs and riddles.

Water in tales There are uncountable number of tales that start “far far away, beyond nine seas and nine lagoons…” and we let ourselves go in to the magical and wonderful fantasy world.

Egle the Queen of Serpents “Egle the Queen of Serpents” is a very old and very popular fairy-tale in Lithuania. Almost everybody reads this story in the childhood. In this tale the water is represented as life saving subject and a shelter for wounded souls.

Baltaragis’ mill This novel was written by Kazys Boruta. The inspiration to write this book came after he read a tale about an evil soul who lived in a swamp near Uruvės lake. In this novel water is mysterious and magical.

Proverbs about water The wine is for the guests and the water is for you. Bread is the mother and the water is the father. In your own well even the water is sweet.

Conclusion From ancient times the motive of water stimulated nation’s creativity and imagination. The element of water played an important role in Lithuanian folklore. It was considered as one of the most essential elements on the Earth.

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