"Queen of Serpents"

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The story of Egle comes from Lithuanian folklore and, while it may be well-known in Europe, it is not often told to American audiences. Through its more than 100 different versions, It tells the tale of a young girl who discovers a grass snake in her blouse while bathing with her sisters. The snake refuses to leave her clothes unless she agrees to marry him. Unaware of the consequences of her actions, she finally relents. Days later, an army of grass snakes arrives to collect her and take her off to their kingdom under the sea. Attempting to thwart the serpent king, the family tricks the serpents into taking away geese, sheep, and even a cow. But eventually, the serpent people wise up and force them to surrender Egle. She is taken to the serpent king’s palace where she is surprised to find that he is no longer a snake but a handsome man. They marry and she bears him children. But she still longs for home. In this retelling, the author is most interested in what happens to the adult Egle, the anger that over the years transforms into a love of her captor husband and how that love has had a transformative power over the serpent king as well. It’s also a story about choices and consequences and the guilt and resentment that can arise when one makes a choice that harms others.