Lithuanian legend about the origin of amber.
Once upon a time in the depths of the Baltic Sea, there was an amazing palace. It was made of amber, gleaming like drops of sunlight on the waves. Jūratė the wise and brave goddess of the sea, lived there.
One day Jūratė heard the wind whisper. She learned that a fisherman by the name of Kastytis was upsetting the delicate balance of the underwater world by catching too many fish. She decided to see what was going on. She swam to the surface and appeared before the fisherman. Delighted with Jūratė's kindness an wisdom, Kastytis fell in love with her. It turned out that the love was mutual. They spent a lot of time together, listening to the murmur of the wind the whisper of the waves and the singing of the harbour porpoises. They discovered the secrets of the marine world, took care of sea creatures and shared each other's dreams.
But not everyone was happy with this relationship. Upon learning of his daughter's love for Kastytis, Jūratė's father, Perkūnas the ruler of storm and thunder, got angry. He was upset that the goddess found company outside the underwater kingdom. In his anger he sent a powerful lightning bolt that struck Jūratė's amber palace. Millions of small pieces of amber got scattered across the bottom of the Baltic sea.
To this day people collect them on the beaches and hear Jūratė's quiet call.
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