Myths, legends and folk stories from the Baltic Lands
A story often about magical imaginary lands involving fantastic forces and beings like faries, wizards, witches.
Fairy Tale | Lithuania | 
14 minute read
A Lithuanian fairy tale, this version was published in the Grey Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, in 1905.
Once upon a time, there was a king who had three sons. Now it happened that one day the three princes went out hunting in a large forest at some distance from their father’s palace, and the youngest prince lost his way, so his brothers had to return home without him.
Fairy Tale | Estonia | 18 minute read
An Estonian fairy tale, this version was published in the Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang, in 1901.
Long, long ago there stood in the midst of a country covered with lakes a vast stretch of moorland called the Tontlawald, on which no man ever dared set foot. From time to time a few bold spirits had been drawn by curiosity to its borders, and on their return had reported that they had caught a glimpse of a ruined house in a grove of thick trees, and round about it were a crowd of beings resembling men, swarming over the grass like bees. The men were as dirty and ragged as gipsies, and there were besides a quantity of old women and half-naked children.
Fairy Tale | Latvia | 7 minute read
A Latvian fairy tale, this version is from Tales of The Amber Sea, compiled and translated by Irina Zheleznova in 1974.
Once upon a time there lived an old peasant. He was not badly off except that his wife had died leaving him alone with their only daughter.
Now, all of the peasant’s kin, not counting some in-laws, lived far away from him, and one day making up his mind to pay them a visit, he left his daughter at home by herself and drove away.
Fairy Tale | Latvia | 6 minute read
A Latvian fairy tale, this version is from Tales of The Amber Sea, compiled and translated by Irina Zheleznova in 1974.
Once upon a time there lived a man and his son. One day it so happened that there was no bread left in the house, so the father gave the son a ruble to buy some. The son took the money and set off for the market.
He walked and he walked and what did he see but a peasant beating his dog so hard that it looked as if he meant to kill it.
Fairy Tale | Lithuania | 5 minute read
A Lithuanian fairy tale, this version is from Tales of The Amber Sea, compiled and translated by Irina Zheleznova in 1974.
In the village of Shortlegs, at the foot of Mount Hammer, not far from Lake Spoon, there lived six Toothless Men and a Squinteyed one.
The six Toothless Men did not get on with the Squinteye.
One day they were crossing a meadow, and seeing Squinteye’s bull, fell on hi and killed him.
When his bull failed to return that night Squinteye went to look for him. He looked and he looked and he found him lying the field, dead. He skinned the bull, put the skin in a cart and brought it home.