The Duke and Iron Wolf
The legend that gave the inspiration to build Vilnius
The hunting went well, we had enough food to feed ourselves for months.
Orders are given by the duke to set a camp by the hill where two rivers come to one. Fires lit, guards were sent to their posts to protect the camp. The duke has to be protected at all times. The cross-bearers know, if they kill the duke they will take our land over without much resistance. Our people are strong but without a leader, they won’t fight. They will retreat to the forests. The knowledge priests will leave the land and go back where their language came from, the lands of the hot sun.
The dinner was served. We sat around the fire, we made offerings to the gods of the forest. We asked them to protect us and we promised that we protect them. We thanked the fallen animals for their sacrifice.
After late dinner, the duke retreated to the tent. The knowledge man sat in front of his tent to keep the guard.
In the morning, the duke called for his priest. He told him about his dream.
“Iron wolf howled on the hill where two rivers meet, I stood next to him looking at the moon. It felt that the wolf wants to tell me something but I was too ignorant to understand.”
“Tell me, dear friend, What does it mean?” the duke asked.
The priest said nothing. He walked out of the tent and went away up the hill.
We waited for the priest for three days. On the third day, the priest came down the hill.
“ My leader, you must build a city on the hill. The city will attract people from around the world. In the future, the city will fall and then it will rise again. It will be the city everyone will want to come to see”.
This short piece is my take on the legend of the city of Vilnius. The city I was born, the most beautiful city everyone should visit.
