Lāčplēsis’ Stone

Before rising the water level in the Daugava River for building Ķegums Hydropower Station the Lāčplēsis Stone lied in a shallow water at an island opposite Lielvārde. A part of the stone had split off already in ancient times and lied next to the stone. The biggest stone was called Lāčplēsis’ Bed (also Thunder Arrow), the smaller one – Laimdota’s stone or Lāčplēsis’ Blanket. Lāčplēsis Stone was about to be flooded in the water reservoir of the newly-built hydropower station, however, it was not allowed to happen. On both sides of the stone barges came along each with a lifting capacity of 40 t, beams were thrown across the barges, then holes were drilled in the stone and iron pins were driven into the holes and the stone was tied to the beams with wire ropes. Along with the rise in the water level the big stone was torn off the Daugava bed. Then the stone was under the water (thus losing a part of its weight) taken to Ķegums and pulled out. Later the stone was moved to the place where it could not be reached by the risen water level of the Daugava River. On 11 August, 1976 with the help of specialized trucks the stone was taken to and placed in Andrejs Pumpurs’ Lielvārde Museum where the stone lies now. The stone consists of two parts: the volume of the biggest is 20 m3, circumference 15 m, height 2.1 m, length and width 4.8 x 3.5 m. The biggest part of the stone weighted around 75 tonnes, the smallest – around 15 tonnes. It seems that the wreath of Devil’s legends around the Lielvārde Lāčplēsis Stone is rather old because the legends about the slightly further located Koknese Pastamuiža Devil’s Stone which also dwell upon the Devil’s activities on the Daugava banks and mythological transportation of the stone, according to written records, date back to at least the middle of the 15th century. All these sites fit into a wider set of the Daugava Devil’s places and Devil’s legends and are to be considered mythological places. Next to the Lāčplēsis Stone there is an oak trunk associated with the latest folklore – Spīdola’s log (after Urtāns, 2007).