Amber Tears

Across storm-ridden waves

Her sorrowed voice echoes

Where the crest meets the shore

Her ambers tear crown the strand

Evermore, her love, she mourns

Amber Tears is taken from my upcoming book, She Set The Sky Ablaze, and is loosely based on the story of Jurate and Kastytis. There are various versions of the story but the basics remain intact. 

The tale goes that the Goddess (sometimes a mermaid) Jurate lived in an amber castle within the Baltic Sea and ruled over all the sea life, as well as the sea itself. A young fisherman, Kastytis, disturbs the peace by catching all the fish. Jurate, whom is understandably upset by this, decides to punish him. However, upon seeing him, she falls in love with him.

Perkunas, the Lithuanian thunder god, finds out about this love affair between the divine Jurate and the mortal Kastytis, and in his rage, strikes the amber castle (or Kastytis, depending on the version of the tale).

In the versions where Perkunas strikes the castle, it explodes into a million pieces, which is why amber is found on the shore. In the versions where Kastytis is struck down, Jurate is said to weep tears of amber, which are washed ashore, and her sad voice can be heard during storms on the Baltic Sea as she mourns him to this day.

Image source: BalticNord Blogger.

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