Eglė

Gender: Feminine
Origin: Lithuanian
Meaning: “fir tree.”
(EG-lay)

Eglė is name with very ancient roots, it is derived from the Lithuanian word for the fir tree or spruce.

In Legend, it was borne by a beautiful maiden who made a fateful pact with the king of the sea serpents. She married him and lived happily after, until she betrayed him by visiting her family in the mortal world. In revenge, Eglė’s family murders her husband. Out of grief, Eglė and her children transform themselves into trees.

The famous Lithuanian poetess, Salomėja Nėris, wrote a poem based off the legend, entitled Eglė žalčių karalienė (1940).

The designated name-days are March 3 (Estonia) and April 4 (Lithuania).

Sources

1. Beresnevičius, Gintaras. “Eglė žalčių karalienė” ir lietuvių teogoninis mitas: religinė istorinė studija. Vilnius, (2003).
2. Nėris, Salomėja. Eglė žalčių karalienė. Kaunas, (1940)
3. http://www.behindthename.com/php/find.php?name=egle