Location
State: Latvia
Region: Kurzeme
County: Saldus
Parish: Ezere
Other references to the location
On the left bank of the Rīkstrauts, in its valley, 10 m from the Pērkoņkalns, in underbrush.
Coordinates
lat=56.4132333333, lon=22.2911666667
56° 24′ 47″ N, 22° 17′ 28″ E
Description
Dimensions of the stone: length 2.00 m, width 0.85 m, height only 0.20–0.40 m, circumference 4.90 m. Light grey gneiss, heavily eroded with small crystals. There are no carvings or any other kind of cavities, including foot-print type.
Narrative
From legends it is known that the coffin-like stone is the Devil’s Grave. In the legends collection entitled “Welcome to Saldus” (“Sveicināti Saldū”), year 2010, p. 58, there is a legend which mentions the Pērkoņkalns Hill and Devil’s Grave: “In Ezere parish between Mežūbulaiši and Vilktauri homesteads at a small river there is a stone with two footprints with a pointed heel which is called the Devil’s Stone. On the other bank of the river there is a small hill – the Pērkoņkalns Hill. Under the hill there is a longish stone – the Devil’s Grave. When the Devil was running over the stone, he left footprints there and when he crossed the river there was the Thunder standing on the Pērkoņkalns Hills who threw an oak stick at him and killed him. The Devil was buried under the hill and a stone was rolled on the grave.”
Attraction
Average
Availability
Rather difficult to access. There are no information signs. The stone lies in a bushy valley of a river, in the forest.The site can be found in about 260 m W from the Gaitnieki (former Mežūbulaiši) homestead on the bank of the Rīkstrauts River, in bushes.
Infrastructure, management, facilities
There have been no facilitation and maintenance works performed within the territory, no indication signs.
Local info
There is no information stand on site. The on-site information is provided by the owner of the Gaitn
Capacity
0 – 9
Publicity
Known
Legal Status
Private
Comments
The first published data, the collection of legends about the sites of Mežūbelaiši surroundings and the photo of the Devil’s Grave stone appeared in the folklore collection “Welcome to Saldus”) “„Sveicināti Saldū” selected and compiled by Māra Vīksna, – Rīga, Zinātne, 2010.
