Jūratė and Kastytis, a popular legend from Lithuanian and Baltic mythology that tells
of fearless love and godly powers and that has been adapted into many different artforms
over the years, capturing the imagination of people in mainland Europe. But unlike most
other love stories in mythology from around the world, did this particular one have a
happy ending,? Let’s find out together, right now.
Jurate was the goddess of the sea. Known to be beautiful and graceful, she resided under
the waves of the Baltic sea in a glorious castle made of amber. As the Queen and ruler
of the sea, she had dominion over all the creatures of the deep. As part of her rule,
she maintained the balance and harmony of the many living beings within the ocean.
Kastytis was a young fisherman residing near the Baltic coast who was well known for his
talent with a fishing pole and net. Little did he know that his angling skill would lead
to the most definitive moment of his life. One fateful day, Kastytis was fishing, unbeknownst
to him, near the underwater amber castle of the Goddess Jurate. As talented as he was,
he was catching large numbers of fish in his nets and disturbing the sea around him. This
displeased the Goddess greatly as she felt the pain of her subjects and sensed the harmony
of the sea at risk. She sent her mermaids to warn Kastytis to leave her fish alone and
no longer disturb the sea, but he ignored them, resistant to the charms of the mermaids.
He continued to fish until eventually Jurate could contain herself no longer and ventured
from her castle to confront Kastytis. However, to her great surprise, as she approached the
fisherman, she was immediately struck by his beauty and she fell instantly in love.
As she neared and their eyes met, Kastytis was hit with the same moment of revelation
as he fell deeply and completely in love with the magical Goddess that appeared before him.
Despite the significant differences between them and their perceptions of reality, they
could not be parted and Kastytis went to live in the amber palace with Jurate. Here they
would live happily for some time, but their joy was not destined to last.
Perkunas, the God of Thunder and the most powerful of the Baltic Gods, upon discovering
the relationship between the sea queen and the fisherman, was outraged by the choice
of Jurate to pair with a mere mortal, sacrilege for a divine being. Not only this, he had
already promised the hand of the Goddess to the God of water, Patrimpas.
Jurate refused to give up on her mortal love, so sure of their bond that she was willing
to risk anything to remain with him. Filled with anger, the thunder God struck
out, sending terrible lightning bolts crashing down, killing Kastytis and destroying the
amber palace, reducing it to nothing more than a vast collection of shattered golden
fragments, scattered across the seabed. He captured Jurate and bound her to the sea
floor amongst the ruins of her castle, condemning her to spend eternity trapped alone.
The legend claims that she remains there to this day, mourning for her lost love. According
to the story, this is the reason why little pieces of amber often wash up on the shores
and beaches of the Baltic sea, remnants of the great palace of the Goddess. Some amber
pieces bear the resemblance of small tears, said to be the precious tears of Jurate herself
as she weeps for Kastytis. A short but powerful myth that has become
part of Lithuanian culture with poems, ballet, art, monuments and even a rock opera dedicated
to the legend. So next time you are walking along the Baltic coast and spot a small golden
speck in the sand, remember this tale and spare a thought for the Queen of the sea,
destined to wait in vain all eternity for her true love.