Dukurnonys Mound with a settlement
Also called Hill of Wives (or Women), Vilkai, Dukurnonys and Steponiskiai Mound
Dukurnonys village, Jieznas eldership, Prienai district
A beautiful Mound of Birds, which is also called Dukurnonys or Steponiskiai mound, is situated on a picturesque shore of Lake Surmius. The local old men know a lot of stories about the mound… According to some old people, there was a church on the mound that was brought up on the hill and a palace stood here. Others remember a treasure chest sunken inside the mound, and briefly mention about the kings who lived inside the hill. And there are also people who only remember a statue of Perkunas, the ancient Baltic god of thunder, in whose honour sacrifices were made.
This castle hill is one of the hills of our country having the biggest number of names. The name Mound of Birds is probably the most definite of all names. It is derived from the name of Paukstiskiai village (“paukstis” means bird in Lithuanian). The old men also remember that several families formerly lived in this damp area. The birds nested around these families. They used to land in very large groups on the said mound. But why it is often called Hill of Wives (or Women)? It appears that as long as the mound was not overgrown with trees, it was possible to see, when looking from afar, some elements of the woman‘s body. The mound has also a Polish name Babia góra. But some people have a different opinion. According to them, some mounds served as a hideout in later times. Hills of Wives (of Women) are the places where women with children took shelter during dangerous times. Some ancestors still call the hill Vilkai Mound. But no one will be able to give a clear answer to the question why it is called so. Maybe they will only remember about Vilkai families that once lived here and that the mound was named in the memory of these families.
People remember that a beautiful castle stood on this hill in the 2nd century. According to some of them, the castle was a patrimony of the nobleman Surminas. Soon an ancient settlement has developed in the foothill of the mound. Who knows, maybe the people who lived here knew the language of birds or wolves…