Kokle player and the Sea Maiden

                       

Once upon a time sailors sailed across the sea. Once of the sailors were a kokletajs. And, as if fate, a strong gust of wind pushed the player and his kokles in the sea. He swam, he struggled, until he drowned to the bottom of the sea, where he saw something shiny. He crawled towards it: a grand palace made of pure amber and other treasures. He wonders, should he go in or not? In that moment the doors open and a beautiful maiden walks out with a grand head crown on top of her head and said:

“What are you afraid of? Come in! This is the Sea mothers palace, nothing bad will happen to you”

He goes in and to his wonder! Everything was shining and glistening and The Sea mother herself so great and gallant that he has to blink his eyes. Finnaly The Sea mother notices his kokle in his hands. May he play it for a bit! Agreed. As soon as he wanted to play, one of the The Sea mothers daughter came to him and  whispered to him:

“Don’t play, don’t play, boy, otherwise The Sea mother will start to dance and rejoice. But then the sea waters won’t stay calm, rise across the shore and drown the world. But if mother doesn’t let you free, pull your string so tight that they will break on the first swing.”

The kokletajs listened and pulled his strings tight and once started to play, they all broke. Nothing to do, he had to let it go. Later in the evening The Sea mother goes to sleep, the player has to go to sleep as well in one of Sea mothers daughters rooms. The kokletajs likes all of them but the whisperer, the most. And she said:

“My name is Black river. When sleeping don’t turn your mouth and eyes to my direction or you will die!”

Good, kokletajs listens to her and falls asleep. In the morning, what is this?, he is at the shore of Black river in green grass along with his kokle.