The characters that inhabit these tales do not have proper names or possess ones that only exist in stories. If you know someone named Sigute or Zilvinas, you can be sure that their names come from popular Lithuanian tales. Mystical tales are most common and are often the most artistic. In them, heroes battle dragons or free people who have been turned into swans, grass snakes or other animals. The unique and tragic story of Zilvinas, the king of the grass snakes, his wife Egle, and their family remains as a relict of the ancient cult of the grass snake.
Many stories involve orphans and evil stepmothers.
Heroes are often aided by magical objects and heavenly or earthly helpers. Short stories without endings and tales about animals are especially popular among children. Domestic and forest animals who behave like human beings, as well as exotic lions inhabit such pieces. Often grandmothers, while narrating certain stories, embellish them with short, simple sung pieces which are attributed to the stories' characters. More modern stories about the adventures of clever hired hands, gullible lords and matchmakers have no connection with ancient mythology and beliefs.