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There is a legend that surrounds the founding of Vilnius, the present day capital of Lithuania. Legend has it The Grand Duke of Lithuania, Gediminas, went on a hunting trip in the holy woods of the Valley of Sventaragis. Tired after a successful day of hunting, the Grand Duke settled for the night near a hill at the convergence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers. He fell asleep soundly and had a dream. A huge iron wolf was standing on top of this hill and the sound of hundreds of other wolves inside it filled all the surrounding fields and woods.

After the hunting trip, Gediminas went back to Trakai (the capital of Lithuania at that time) and consulted the pagan priest (oracle), Lizdeika, to reveal the secrets behind the dream. And the priest told him: “What is destined for the ruler and the state of Lithuania, let it be: The iron wolf means a formidable castle and town which will be established by the ruler on this site. The city will stand as strong as iron and its walls will protect the land from its enemies. The massive sound dwelled inside the wolf, symbolized the fame of the city shall echo beyond their borders and proclaim throughout the centuries the glory of Lithuania.”

Gediminas heeded and pleased with the priest’s reveal of his dream. He begin to summon artisans and craftsmen around the country and Europe to design and construct his new strong and beautiful kingdom, which would surround this hill where he had the dream of the iron wolf. Upon the completion Gediminas moved his home, signaling the establishment of a new capital for his country: Vilnius.

Now in the present time, the western tower of the upper Gediminas Castle still stands at the top of this hill in Vilnius. As well as at the bottom of the hill, stands the statue of Gediminas and the iron wolf in Gediminas Square.

The Grand Duke Gediminas ruled from 1315 until his death in 1342. During his reign as Grand Duke, Lithuania developed into a strong national power. He started the long-term expansion of Lithuania into the lands of the eastern Slavs by absorbing most of Belarus and Ukraine through marriage alliances with the local Orthodox princes and through conquest against the Crusaders of the Order of Teutonic Knights.

The Grand Duke Gediminas is credited with the founding the capital, Vilnius, when Vilnius was first mentioned as the capital of Lithuania in 1323, in the letters of the Grand Duke Gediminas wrote to the Roman Pope. He welcomed Jewish, Orthodox, and Catholic traders to Vilnius by providing them safe settlement and fair treatment. With this tactic, Vilnius became one of the largest trading posts in Europe, helping to make Lithuania wealthier, larger, more diverse, and more strategically significant during the Gediminian dynasty.

This interpretation is one example of this great and amazing legend in Lithuania. Other interpretations of this legend include what animals they were hunting, details of how the landscape around the hill, how non-verbal actions of the priest when Gediminas was explaining his dream, and etc.

The legend of Gediminas and the Iron Wolf is held highly by Lithuanians as our National Anthem legend is to us in the United States. It’s a part of their history; it’s a part of them. The legend has great deal of truth in it. In 1985 archeologists uncovered the remnants of the ancient pagan temple, which had stood right on the site of the present Cathedral. In addition, some Lithuanians see this legend as a foreshadowing of their independent in 1991. Could the oracle have foreseen the events of 668 years later, when in 1991 the people of Vilnius stood up to the Soviets, changing the world?

Throughout the centuries, ever since the time the Lithuanian nation was formed, simple folks have expressed their talent in Folklore which touch the most sensitive chords of the human soul, it intertwines with everyday family life and work, keeps the historical memory alive, stimulates thinking fuse into a nation and survives. With this in mind, I could see that this is true as I was listening to this legend from my friend. I could see how this legend was so sacred to her and what it meant to her. The excitement in her voice and her face increased as she went along telling me about the legend. And after listening to her, I felt closer to her as if the legend was part of my past as well.

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