Laumes — fascinating, mysterious, dangerous nymphs of the forest
Laume is one of the oldest goddesses of Heaven and Earth.
The main goddess Laume was very beautiful and was married once to thunder god Perkunas.
She lives in the clouds and under her throne stone is the water of life.
The image of laume came from very old times — the paleolithic period.
Then they were shown in jewelry like birds or zoomorphic figures (cats, bears).
Later they became half human-like the woman with the goat’s horns or chickens’ legs.
From the stone age, they became fully human-like creatures.
Frightening and threatening at first — as they had cannibalistic habits, later — like judges for greedy and immoral people.
Especially they disliked men.
Women tried to gain laumes favor by leaving soap and hot water for them in saunas.
For that, they were leaving expensive gifts, like silk or colorful wool.
If treated in a friendly way and with respect, they can be very nice and will help people.
But if you try to deceive them or use their powers for your benefit — they will pay you back before you know it.
Laumes always took care of forgotten children and poorly-living women.
But also there are many tales of how they exchanged newly-born children with their own or left just a bundle of straw in his place.
Laumes are similar to Celtic fairies or Germanic forest nymphs.
There are so many tales and stories about them. Some are really frightening and some are just fun.
Fabrics of laume
Once a poor woman went down the hill and found three beautiful big cloths outstretched on the grass for whitening.
She thought „Nobody is watching those, maybe they are not all that valuable for the owner, I could take one, my kids are dressed in rags all the time, I‘d sew them some new clothes“.
She waited a little longer, but no one came.
Then she started to wrap one piece of fabric.
Suddenly came a low voice:
- Cut and sew, but never look for the end, then you will have it to the end of your life.
The woman used this fabric for many years, her children grew and had their children already, and they never had to worry about the fabric for new clothes.
One lonely winter‘s evening the old woman grew curious and unwrapped all fabric to look what magic was there.
But she didn‘t find anything hidden, just the fabric ended.
That was a fabric given her by laume.
Deceived Laumes
Once upon a time, there lived a farmer and he had a son. The son grew up and brought a young wife back home. As she was the only woman in the household, they hired some help from the villagers to do all the women's jobs. One Saturday the farmer and his son had to go somewhere and left the young woman alone at home. It was Autumn already and the days were short. Soon she lit an oil lamp and silently sat with her sewing by the fire. Suddenly she heard banging on the door. When the woman opened it, she saw three women that looked like poorer villagers. She did not yet know everyone here by sight, so she let them in. They asked if they could do some work for her. The woman brought them three bundles of flax for spinning into yarn and sat back down by the fire. She only made a few stitches in her sewing when one of the villagers said they were done already and asked if there was something more to spin. The young woman saw that they weren’t lying, all flax was neatly spun. She brought some more flax, this time much bigger bundles. But they were still done in no time. Then she brought some more and some more until all the flax in the household was spun. ‘Give us something to spin!’ asked one of the villagers. ‘I think it’s enough for today, go home, told the young woman to them. ‘No no, we will not go anywhere until everything is spun for you’ they answered. The young woman was already afraid. She brought them her last hards and slipped through the back door to her nearest neighbor, who lived right there by the forest. The neighbor was old and knew at once what kind of guests were those villagers. She quickly told the young woman what she must do and ushered her back home with some more flax, saying that if she’d hidden here it would be even worse. When she got back, the three women were already done and waiting for more work. Trying not to show how scared she was, the young woman handled her neighbor's flax and lit her grainy candle (the one which was used for the thunder god feast). Laumes (because this is what they were) at once felt uncomfortable and asked her to put the candle away, it was enough light for them from the fireplace. But the young woman held her candle firmly and said: ‘Oh, but can you hear what I just heard!’ ‘What did you hear?’ asked laumes starting to stand up. ‘I heard so many children crying in the east, that the whole forest is ringing’. ‘Really?!’ All three of them ran through the door to check that out because laumes always took care of lost or abandoned children. Once they were outside, the young woman shut the door at once. ‘There are no children's cries’, said laumes and tried to get back inside, but the door was shut. The young woman stood by the window still holding her candle. Because of that candle, they could not do anything. ‘You are lucky that you are so smart, girl’, laumes told her, ‘Because otherwise, we would have spun your hair also’. Then they disappeared into the darkness.
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