People often asking me: " Why The Iron Wolf?"

Well... I hope you will find the answer here after reading this Lithuanian legend.

The Iron Wolf - Lithuanian Mythology

There is a story that surrounds the founding of Vilnius. The Grand Duke Gediminas, 1316-1341,went out hunting with his friends in a sacred forest. While twilight was creeping in, Gediminas spied upon a large bull. Gediminas hunted the bull and finally caught up with it on a hill -standing where the Neris and Vilna Rivers meet. Here it was that Gediminas made his kill.

The hunt for the bull took so long that night had fallen. Gediminas and the rest of the hunting party decided to camp in the woods for the night.

In the morning the Grand Duke awoke saying, "An amazing dream did I dream this night! I dreamt of a great Iron Wolf, standing on that hill. His howl was so great and terrible; his voice was that of one hundred wolves. Who would know what this dream means?" No one could interpret his dream, but know it he would. Not far from the hill lived "Kriviu Krivaitis" - the High Priest of Lithuania. Gediminas decided to ride out to his homestead and ask him to interpret the dream. Kriviu Krivaitis heard the dream and said, "Most noble Grand Duke, the Iron Wolf symbolises a large and formidable city, and it must be built on that hill. That city will be as strong as iron. The wolf's howl -the city's life and strength. Build it!"

The city of Vilnius was built and still stands today as the nation's capital.

The legend of Gediminas and the Iron Wolf is held highly by Lithuanians as National Anthem legend here in the United States. It's a part of our history,it's a part of us.