He chose a location of the highest hill and the difficult task of construction was begun. Huge boulders and fire-baked bricks were hauled by teams of twenty oxen. Great ditches, were dug and lay gaping and waiting to receive the foundation stones which were piled high and in readiness. At the edge of the wide trench, lay a rock of incredible size--the corner stone.

It was now time to call together the vaidilos, the zyniai, the burtininkai and all the wise priests of the land for the auspicious rolling of the corner stone.

When they were gathered the Grand Duke addressed them, thus:

"Mighty servants of the Gods, interpreters of Their will, burners of fragrant amber and sacrificers of fatted beasts, tell me, what shall I offer the Great Ones, that my castle be the strongest in all the land. What offering will find favour in the eyes of the Gods, that we may gain their protection?"

Deep furrows lined the brows of the wise priests. Their clear-sighted eyes closed in thought. For a long time they pondered and scried into their sacred fires--remembering the ways of the ancestors.

Finally they came forward and spoke:

"Great Ruler of Lithuania! You are a chosen servant of the Gods. You, yourself could divine Their will. But, if need be, that you ask our counsel, then let this be know. The greatest sacrifice, the one that would find the most favour in Their eyes, must be a made by a mother, who would willingly offer her first-born son to be placed alive under the mighty corner stone."

The Grand Duke and his courtiers were awe-struck. Yes, truly, this would be the greatest and dearest sacrifice. But, where would they find such a woman? Such an offering had been hitherto unheard.

Nevertheless, it was commanded that the sorcerers and courtiers search the countryside for a mother who harboured such great love for her homeland and such hatred of its enemies, that she could make this sacrifice.

One woman did bring forth her only son and protector in her old age. He was a young man, handsome to behold and wise.

He loved his mother and did not question her decision, but he wished to test the proclamation of the priests, in order to see if they really spoke the will of the Gods.

He asked the Duke, Gediminas, if he could ask the priests three riddles. If they answered correctly, then he would take it as a sign that, undoubtedly, the priests spoke true. The Grand Duke agreed and so the young man put forth his questions:

"O Wise Ones, tell me what in all of creation is the sweetest, the lightest and the hardest?"

The priests did not think long and soon answered:

"The sweetest substance in all the world in the honeycomb of the wild bees. The lightest thing in all the world is the down of wild birds. The hardest--the sword of our Grand Duke, which can strike an armoured knight in half!"

"Not true!" rang out the cry of the young man. "I know of things that are sweeter, lighter and harder."

"Explain yourself, then," said the priests and sorcerers.

"For the babe, his mother's milk is sweeter by far. For the mother, nothing is lighter than the child in her arms. And nothing, no nothing is harder than my mother's heart, if without it breaking, she can offer her only son to such a dire fate."

The priests were quiet. Gediminas agreed with the young man. All the courtiers and people gathered together and decided that this exceptional youth must be set free, for to offer him as sacrifice was surely not the will of the Gods. And so it was done.

But the question of a fitting sacrifice still loomed. So the priests were once again called to divine a fitting offering. This time, they fasted and abstained from sleep for three days. They made offerings, sang their charms, scried and remembered the old ways. Finally, they came forward with this proclamation:

"If the Gods of Lithuania would not accept the youth as their sacrifice, then it is clear that a young maiden should lie beneath the stone; one who is the fairest and most virtuous in the land."

Forthwith, the Grand Duke issued a command that the sorcerers and other lower-ranking priests must search the country for just such a maid and that she be brought forth as a fitting sacrifice for the Gods, so that their homeland could gain divine protection.

The priests and sorcerers did not have to search for long. There were many beautiful maidens in Lithuania, but the one that they brought to Vilnius was as lovely as a wildflower blossom, with deep, sky-blue eyes and a purity of spirit that shone like rays from her being.

In her white bridal robes and with a wreath of rue about her brow, she stood smiling innocently and admiring the bouquet of blooms that she held in her small, white hands. Quietly and with an air of tranquillity, she stood, seemingly unaware that a great boulder would soon crush her enchanting frame.

Everyone's heart went out to the fair maid. But, what could they do if such was the will of the Gods?

The crowd hushed, all lowered their eyes and quickly a hundred hands pushed the mighty rock, that the inevitable deed could swiftly come to pass.

The boulder rolled its great weight into the ditch and all was quiet and still. The Grand Duke was the first to stir. He bounded to the edge of the pit and peered below with apprehension. Suddenly, his countenance became bright and a smile shone from his face. With great joy, he exclaimed:

"The Gods, themselves, have chosen the sacrifice most favourable in Their eyes!"

The crowd rushed to the edge. There below, next to the stone, stood the maiden, alive and well. As before, her eyes shone in unfearful innocence. But, on her cheeks glittered two diamonds--tears for the flowers that had been knocked from her hands and crushed by the boulder.

And so, the virtuous maiden's sacrifice found the greatest favour in the eyes of the Gods and the castle of Vilnius became the strongest in the land.

Soon after, the Grand Duke wed the fair maiden and as for the wise youth; he became a member of the Duke's council and advised him for the rest of his days.

Translated from the Lithuanian: "Vilniaus Pilies Pasaka", Gintaras, Vl. Vijeikis Press, Chicago, 1961.
First printed in "Sacred Serpent: Journal of Baltic Tradition", Summer Solstice, 1994.

Gediminas was lauded as one of the greatest rulers of Lithuania. He established diplomatic and economic links with Europe and invited many artisans and merchants to Lithuania. His reign was marked with tolerance, open-mindedness and fairness. He extended his invitations to all peoples to come and settle in his capital, including Jews and Christians. As a result, so many synagogues, temples and yeshivas were built and flourished in Vilnius, that at one time, it was called the "Jerusalem of the North".

He welcomed Christian clergy also, but demanded that they do not behave like the Christian monks already in Lithuania, who were acting immorally and selling the donations they received for personal profit.

In his letters, he repeatedly explained that Lithuania rejects Christianity because of the "heinous offences and numerous treacheries undertaken by the knights."

repeated in part from, ROMUVA/USA, issue #5, fall 1991.

Foundation sacrifices were well known in Lithuania, as archaeological digs testify. But, at some point they stopped and perhaps this legend attempts to explain why or bears witness to the actual reason.

It also gives us an idea of the role of priesthood in those days. Differentiation is made between 'priests' (kriviai) and zyniai (sorcerers-magicians-diviners-sages). 'Vaidilos' were another group - bardic priests who played the kankles. In this tale, they served Gediminas, the 'kunigaikstis', or priest-king ( kunigas- Lithuanian modern 'priest' and 'kunig' is comparable to the German, 'konig' - king).

It would appear that the old priesthood was not infallible; nor, in this case, do they seem to lay any claims to infallibility. There is even a hint of reluctance on their part to come up with a fitting sacrifice for the Grand Duke, as they remind him that he could divine the will of the Gods just as well as they could. Gediminas is, after all, a 'chosen of the Gods'.

It is also noteworthy that the common man is free to protest and question the priests and their interpretations of Divine will. The magical three riddles or challenges also comes into play and a battle of wits ensues. Riddles are an integral part of Baltic lore.

We note too, that it is not the priesthood, but the people and their leader who decide the fate of the young man. The priest and sages act as advisors to the ruler; who considers their words; but, does not appear bound to obey them in any way.

In the end, the Gods, themselves, chose their own sacrifice and let Their will be known and to the surprise of all, a blood-offering was deemed unnecessary - to the visible relief of Gediminas.

Times change and so does the world view of human beings regardless of culture or creed. We keep what is useful, what works and has validity and discontinue practices which have little or no beneficial value--spiritually and/or practically.

Although some lament the loss of past customs and rituals, we prefer to regard the process of loss as natural. What works; survives. If it didn't, then there was possibly a very good reason, with the exception of loss due to wars, persecution and foreign invasion.

This Lithuanian tale reminds us that traditions and religions are altered, constantly; as people, their lives and their outlooks change. Does deity change or do we change the face of deity?