It is not a secret, that Lithuania is well-known for strong amber craftsmanship traditions, but who knew that there is also an old legend about the origin of amber? This story was written in 1842 by Adomas Jucevicius.
According to the legend, a long long time ago when the Thunder was the main and the strongest God of all pagan gods, the goddess Jurate was living in an amber castle at the bottom of the sea.
She was the prettiest of all the goddesses and haven‘t yet discovered human love.
But one time, in a place where small river Sventoji merges with the Baltic sea, a brave fisherman Kastytis threw his fishing net.
Jurate sent mermaids to inform the fisherman, that it is not allowed to disturb the sea life and catch the fish.
But fisherman Kastytis ignored the warning and continued fishing.
Jurate was intrigued to find out, who did not follow her orders and decided to go to the surface.
Once she saw Kastytis, she instantly fell in love with him for his bravery and charm.
Kastytis couldn‘t resist Jurate as well, so he went to the bottom of the sea to live with her at the amber castle.
Unfortunately, the Thunder found out about their love and got really mad.
He was so upset that he threw his bolts and flashes of lightning at the amber castle and tore it down completely.
Kastytis did not survive this tragic accident, and Jurate was stuck near the damaged amber wall.
Now, with every wave that comes, Jurate still cries and mourns for the love of her life Kastytis and their love story that ended so tragically.
Her crying and heartbreak sometimes become so sad and potent, that the sea starts to run high, which involves small amber pieces of the broken castle, and throws it to the seaside.
Those small pieces of amber are called Jurate's tears, because of their clarity and pureness, same as Jurate and Kastytis' love.