During ancient times, the fairest of all goddesses was Jūratė, a mermaid Goddess of the Sea. Jūratė lived in an amber palace at the bottom of the Baltic. Kastytis, a courageous fisherman living along the Baltic coast near the mouth of the Šventoji River, often cast his nets to catch fish from Jurate's kingdom. Displeased by this intrusion, Jūratė sent her mermaids to warn Kastytis to leave her fish alone and disturb the sea no more. Paying no heed to her warnings and impervious to the charms of her mermaids, Kastytis continued to cast his nets and bring in fish. Watching the fisherman haul his catch into his boat, Jūratė saw how handsome Kastytis was and admired his great courage. Since she was a mermaid and possessed human failings, Jūratė fell in love with the mortal, Kastytis, and, in spite of great differences between them, Jurate took the fisherman to her amber palace.
Perkūnas was the God of Thunder and the father of all gods. He had promised Patrimpas, God of Water that Jūratė would be his wife. And he therefore became greatly angered upon discovering the immortal goddess in love with a mere mortal. In his fury, Perkūnas sent a shaft of lightning from the skies, striking Jūratė's palace, demolishing it into thousands of fragments and killing her beloved Kastytis. Jūratė, crying tears of amber for Kastytis and their tragic love, was punished by being chained to the ruins of her castle.
The legend says that when storms churn the Baltic, Jūratė is being tossed to and fro by the waves. To this day people sometimes say that the sound of Jūratė wailing in the depths can still be heard as she mourns for Kastytis, a son of the earth. As she cries, the peaceful depths of the sea grow restless and stormy, and lumps of amber from her demolished palace are spewed up from the sea bottom, become entangled in seaweed, and are thrown out onto the Baltic shores.
To Lithuanians, the small, tear-shaped pieces of amber are the tears of Jūratė, as clear and pure as her tragic love. The legend lives today through a variety of beautiful sculptures, wood carvings and pictures and mosaics set with amber.
Trejos devynerios natures mystery comes from ancient times. At first Lithuanians used to drink cannabis, but they were thick as a pulp. After using it they wanted to talk with gods, but their teeth started falling down, they lost balance and their memory disappeared.
Then all the wise witches and herbalists held a consultation how to reform this affair. After long discussions they selected the best, the most beautiful and useful herbs. They put them in to the pot and boiled it ceremonially for three days and three nights, till they got the magic elixir. When they tasted it, this elixir cut the old mens teeth and not only, and thereafter the old women started dancing happily and kissing. Then they understood that they had found Trejos devynerios. Later, they gave it to taste to a duke Gediminas, who tried it and founded Vilnius.
Žygimantas Augustas in the meetings with Barbora Radvilaite were drinking Trejos devynerios and they both became beautiful and intelligent. Angry Bona Sforza wanted to steal the secrets of this elixir and asked this receipt from Barbora to bring it to Italian wizards and magicians. But Barbora of course didnt give this receipt because it was a national secret. For that she was poisoned cruelly. Augustas was in mourning for Barbora and only Trejos devynerios could clear his mind.
The legend of Lithuanian language and nation originated from Romans
During ancient times a group of Romans abandoned their homeland (lItalia) and took to the road by boats seeking fortune in foreign countries. These descendents of Romans called themselves Litals, later Lithuanians. Ancient Lithuanians were heathens and believed the same gods as Romans: Vulcan the god of fire, Jupiter the god of thunder, Diana the god of forests, Eskulape the god of snakes and whipsnakes. The fire was considered as the greatest sanctity and it was called and represented as eternally flaming, protected by priests. Jupiter was adored as a god of thunderstorm and thunder and was called thunderstorm. Many places in the forests were believed to be sacred and everyone who gets in it cuts the trees or breaks the branches were threatened death. The one, who broke the branch or dared to get in to the sacred forest, would suddenly die of evil spirits or become disabled in any part of the body. In each house the snakes and the whipsnakes were kept, fed with milk and roosters.
Lithuanians, at first called Litals, were send away from Italy and Rome, later they settled down to unknown empty land between Poland, Russia, Livonia and Prussia lands, where winter predominated over the biggest part of the year because of severe cold. Right over there they founded Vilnius city and called it after the name of a duke Vilis, who helped them to leave Italy and reach the other lands. They gave the name of the same duke to the rivers flowing through Vilnius Vilija and Vilnia.
