A Lithuanian Fairy Tale for Grief

Summary

The Nightly – "A Lithuanian Fairy Tale for Grief"

Host: Hatch Podcasts
Date: July 27, 2026
Guest: Sophia from Northfield, Massachusetts

---

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt episode of The Nightly, the host invites listener Sophia to share her late-night reflections centered around journaling as a pathway for processing grief. The conversation delves into folklore, creative expression, and the ways personal history and imagination can ease heavy emotions. Using Lithuanian fairy tales—specifically the myth of the laumė—Sophia navigates infertility, loss, and the search for creative sanctuary before sleep.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Host’s Opening Reflections: Pets, Comparison, and Acceptance

• Timestamps: [00:24] – [05:05]
• The episode opens as the host reflects on his pet pug Maggie's behavior, its quirks, and the relief in not having a "perfect" pet.
• He shares a relatable moment: feeling better when other dogs in his apartment building are even more chaotic, finding “relief of not having to just cross my fingers and hope that my dog is miraculously well behaved for the first time.” ([02:36])
• Sets a welcoming, judgment-free tone for the show.

2. Sophia’s Creative Journaling Practice

• Timestamps: [07:06] – [13:07]
• Sophia describes journaling before bed as a tool to process difficult emotions tied to her (and her husband’s) infertility journey.
• She blends traditional diary entries with creative, fantastical writing: “It’s given me a chance to kind of explore creative writing without the pressure of having to finish a project, which is always hard for me.” ([07:13])
• Some days, entries turn into poems or stories. These creative re-imaginings serve as metaphors—particularly a recurring tale involving a Lithuanian fairy baby.

3. The Tale of the Laumė – Lithuanian Fairy Folklore

• Timestamps: [08:11] – [10:10]
• Sophia introduces the laumė, a Lithuanian fairy/nymph, explaining its ambiguous, chaotic, and transformative nature.
• “They can be very good or they can be very bad. They get very angry when laundry is done poorly. Or they can actually take care of orphans.” ([08:47] – Sophia)
• Laumės are deeply embedded in Lithuanian (and her family’s) traditions: “My mom’s parents are from Lithuania, and my mom grew up in a Lithuanian community.” ([14:56])

4. Folklore as a Vessel for Processing Grief and Identity

• Timestamps: [10:20] – [16:17]
• Sophia uses folk tales as both inspiration and metaphor for her own journey—interweaving longing, hope, and the uncontrollable chaos of life.
• She emphasizes the detachment and safety afforded by mythological frameworks: “I’m still exploring my grief and my longing and my hopes and my fears, but a little bit more detached and creatively…” ([12:18])
• The host and Sophia discuss the lack of nurturing folkloric figures in American mythology compared to European traditions—“You never hear about… Sasquatch babysat my kids for a couple hours.” ([10:33] – Host)

5. Women-Centered Folklore & Global Fascination

• Timestamps: [15:09] – [16:33]
• Sophia shares she has a particular fascination with mythologies that center strong female characters, citing Native American and Celtic stories.
• Folklore’s “chaos” and the allure/danger of magical worlds is discussed: “Sometimes you go to Fairycore and get stuck there, and sometimes you come back. I guess it’s a secret mystery longing…” ([15:36] – Sophia)

6. Magic Realism & Contemporary Storytelling

• Timestamps: [16:17] – [17:42]
• Sophia enjoys works that merge magical elements with everyday experience, citing Karen Russell and magical realism.
• Host observes the value of “grounded human stories” touched by magic, and how folklore offers a way to communicate emotions without direct language.

7. The Evolving Practice of Journaling

• Timestamps: [17:44] – [21:15]
• Sophia reflects on her sustained journaling practice—the longest she’s kept up. She started with a childhood journal (“age nine: a boy named Pat and our pets” [18:11]).
• The ritual’s structure—“just a five minute timer every night because it felt like not too long, you know, one page, one timer.” ([20:47])
• Her creativity “creeps in” when she provides herself the space before bed.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On artistic pressure and kindness to oneself:
  “It’s just like such a nice reminder that you don’t have to set these rigid expectations on yourself.” ([21:44] – Host)

• On creative journaling as catharsis:
  “Because, like, I’m still exploring my grief and my longing and my hopes and my fears, but a little bit more detached and creatively…” ([12:18] – Sophia)

• On laumės’ ambiguous role:
  “They’re almost like really intense neighbors that you can’t always see because they’ll either, like, give the good working daughter gold for doing her laundry and weaving well, or they’ll accidentally kill your baby because they’ve tried to copy you and don’t actually know how to care for a baby.” ([09:15] – Sophia)

• On artistic cross-training:
  “You’re like artistically cross-training. It sounds like.” ([19:27] – Host)

• On life philosophy:
  “I’m trying to lighten the pressures of life where I can as much as I can.” ([19:32] – Sophia)
  Host suggests this could be stitched onto a pillow.

---

Important Timestamps

• [00:24] – Host’s dog anecdote: comparison, embarrassment, and acceptance
• [07:06] – Sophia introduces her creative journaling practice
• [08:11] – Introduction of the laumė and discussion of Lithuanian folklore
• [12:18] – Journaling as an act of processing grief
• [15:09] – Sophia’s background and cultural heritage
• [16:17] – Magic realism and modern folklore adaptations
• [18:06] – The childhood journal and early entries
• [20:47] – Journaling ritual: use of a timer and “one page, one timer”
• [21:44] – Host’s closing reflections on the value of artistic practices before sleep

---

Episode Tone & Atmosphere

Gentle, reflective, supportive, and whimsical. The host and Sophia maintain an open and compassionate dialogue, exemplifying vulnerability, humor, and an appreciation for wonder and mythology as tools for navigating late-night emotions.

---

Final Takeaway

This Nightly episode beautifully illustrates the medicinal qualities of stories, folklore, and self-made rituals in confronting grief and longing. Through the lens of ancient Lithuanian fairies and bedtime creativity, Sophia and the host remind us that personal myth-making and gentle self-expression can provide much-needed solace in the quietest hours.

Transcript

[A]

Audio for sleep by hatch.

[B]

Hello and good evening everyone. Welcome to the nightly from Hatch where your late night thoughts go to rest. I want to tell you about a little experience that I had recently. That is, it really put me at ease in a time where I was like a little on edge. My wife Maris and I have a sweet little pug named Maggie who I've mentioned on the show before. Maggie loves every person. She's so gentle with babies. She just wants to make friends with everybody. When we're out in the town and our new apartment is like a big, big building and there's lots of other dogs and other dogs are like the one thing Maggie doesn't like, she gets a little. Yeah. Or when we leave the house. Those are the two things she doesn't like when we leave the apartment. And she doesn't like other dogs. And so we try to like be very understanding. We, you know, we don't leave her alone for too long. We try to have people hang out with her if we have to go out for the evening. And when we're with other dogs, we try to introduce her gently but not force her to be friends, but give other dogs plenty wide berth. And so what I've started realizing recently is like when people's dogs are angels, like when other people's dogs are like, oh, she's so friendly and she knows how to behave and they play and she knows commands and to sit and I have my scrappy little pug who just is like jumping around being wild in the face of another dog, I feel like a little embarrassed and like, oh, I should have a better handle on this. But kind of the ideal thing to experience is when other dogs are also like a little bit bad because they'll be like, I'm sorry, the people. Not that the dog doesn't say that. The other people will be like, I'm sorry, he just gets this way. And I'll be like, no, I'm sorry, she just gets this way. And it's this kind of extreme relief of not having to just cross my fingers and hope that my dog is miraculously well behaved for the first time. And again, she's good. She doesn't rip stuff up. She is house trained. She's so sweet with people of all sizes and ages and just a great little buddy. But she gets so yappy around other dogs. And when other people's dogs are good, it like stresses me out. So last night I was out walking Maggie in my neighborhood and there were, there was a couple and they had three teeny tiny dogs that were all nine months old. I don't know if it was like, if they were Yorkies, like, little, tiny, so cute. These yappy little dogs. And they all three were like a little rambunctious and a little loud and like, one of them or more of them. When we. We got back into the building, there was a little bit of an accident. Not a, you know, not an injury accident, A like, tummy accident that one of the dogs had in the lobby of the hotel. And I was not mad at them at all. I was like, these things happen. Of course I came in behind them, but I was like, oh, my dog isn't the most chaotic dog in the building. And this is what a great feeling to just, like, have my dog look a little bit more restrained and responsible by contrast. Thank goodness. I'm glad all that I'm asking is that she's not the most hectic. You know, it's like when you get in the back of a long line and you're like, ugh. And then five people get in line behind you and you haven't moved forward, but you're like, well, at least I'm not in the back. That's how I feel about my beloved pug, Maggie. So I'm, like, really starting to settle into this new building, especially knowing that all the dogs aren't, like, impeccably well behaved, well trained, you know, perfect angels. So that is. That's what's making me feel good tonight as we ease towards bedtime. And I'm so excited to bring in our caller tonight. Sophia, thanks for being here with me on the nightly.

[A]

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

[B]

Oh, thank you. Where are you calling in from, Sophia?

[A]

Yeah, I'm calling in from Northfield, Massachusetts, west side of the state.

[B]

Are you from there originally?

[A]

I'm originally from Stratford, New Hampshire area. And I moved about here like six years ago.

[B]

Cool. Is it for. I hope I'm not praying. Are you there for, like, academic reasons or other?

[A]

I had moved out. Cause I was in Brooklyn before, and I wanted to go back to the trees in an artsy and academic area. Yeah, it's a good fit.

[B]

It's so lovely out there. And there are so many, like, great music venues in, like, Amherst and Northampton.

[A]

There are.

[B]

Even when I lived in Boston, where, like, most bands would come through, I would still find myself, like once a year or so, driving out to like, Northampton or Amherst to see a show or something. It's always so lovely, you know, it's nice.

[A]

The colleges bring a lot in, and I love children's illustrations and picture books, and there's a lot of history of that here, like with Eric Carle Museum, for example, so.

[B]

Oh, cool. Eric Carle wrote the Very Hungry Caterpillar, right?

[A]

Among others. Correct.

[B]

Yeah. Classic. One of the. One of the great caterpillars of literature.

[A]

Yes, of course. And it's a great museum, and there's a lot of that around. Different critique groups, different children's galleries and things. So that's always really exciting for me.

[B]

How did you get really into children's illustration and literature? And I really slurred that literature. Do you have children or are you an illustrator or both or neither?

[A]

I do not have children, but I have an arts background. And when I had left grad school, I moved to Brooklyn. And as we all know, we share apartments and tiny rooms, so I had to give up the oil paint, and I got really into children's illustration at that point.

[B]

Cool. Oh, that's awesome. Well, excellent. What is it that's on your mind that you wanted to call and talk about this evening? Sophia?

[A]

Yeah, so lately, before bed, I have been journaling, and that's kind of a newer practice for me. And I've been having a little bit of a hard time, you know, always just diving into traditional journals, but has given me a chance to kind of explore creative writing without the pressure of having to, like, finish a project, which is always hard for me.

[B]

Oh, that sounds great. So you. So instead of, like, writing about your day, you'll do some, like, creative free writing, and there's no pressure of, like, well, I have to finish this so I can submit it to a literary magazine.

[A]

Yeah. Or finish the storyline or. A lot of the time, you know, sometimes they're traditional entries about my day, and then sometimes it'll, like, I've been going back to the same storyline that is clearly a metaphor for myself, but a little more detached.

[B]

When you say creative writing, like, how far. You know, you don't have to reveal anything to you too intimate, but, like, how far outside of normal life are you getting? You're like, well, I was at work this morning and vampires showed up.

[A]

Yeah, well, lately I've been actually working on a story because my husband and I have been going through infertility, and I've created this story where this woman digs up a laome, which is like a Lithuanian fairy baby. And like, the chaos that comes with that.

[B]

What I don't know about this kind of Lithuanian fairy baby. Can you tell me a little more about it.

[A]

Yeah. So they're a little bit different than, like, some of the more Western European fairies. They don't have wings. They're kind of closer to almost nymphs, and they're almost always women.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But they're very chaotic.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

So they can either be very good or they can be very bad. They get very angry when laundry is done poorly. Or they can actually take care of orphans, you know.

[B]

Wow. Oh, that's so interesting. And what's it called again? Can you tell me? Say the name one more time.

[A]

It's called Laumas.

[B]

Laumus.

[A]

Yep. Cool. They're kind of. You know, they have a history with protecting women and children. And, you know, there's some also. Sometimes they're changelings. Sometimes they'll. They're almost like really intense neighbors that you can't always see because they'll either, like, give the good working daughter gold for doing her laundry and weaving well, or they'll accidentally kill your baby because they've tried to copy you and don't actually know how to care for a baby.

[B]

Oh, sure, sure, sure. They're like, a little, like, there's a little impishness and, like, kind of not quite a full humanity to them.

[A]

Correct. They're fascinated by it, and they're really into their own rule structure, but we don't always know what that rule is.

[B]

That's so interesting. I feel like so many European countries have, and probably beyond that, too, have like, a kind of fairy, elf, sprite culture in their mythology. And I feel like in the United States, the mythology is all just, like, weird monsters that live in the woods. No.

[A]

And this one definitely has, like, a much more. You know, there can be that monster side, but it can also just be as. Just as much grace and beauty and luck as well.

[B]

That's really sweet. I feel like we need more of those kind of mythical creatures, like, in US Lore, because I. You know, the ones you always hear about are, like, the Jersey Devil who doesn't seem especially friendly, or, like, Sasquatch. And you never hear about. Or maybe you do, but you never hear, like, oh, yeah, Sasquatch babysat my kids for a couple hours.

[A]

No, you don't. And the lab mates might do that while you're off, you know, doing your farming.

[B]

Yeah. Although, on the other hand, I've never heard of a Sasquatch that complains that the laundry isn't done.

[A]

Well, not that you know of.

[B]

Oh, that's really fun. So what prompted you to start journaling and, like, how did you how did you make the transition to the creative writing? Because that sounds like such a brilliant way to use your time for, like, spiritually, the right purpose, even when you're not doing exactly what you intended to.

[A]

Yeah, I started rejournaling just at the beginning of this year because this whole, you know, family life journey has been really hard, and I want to try and, like, get it out more so I could stop ruminating before bed. And then on some days when they were particularly bad days, actually, they kind of turn into weird little poems or how I imagined life would be. And it kind of turned into that fairy baby. And then eventually, somehow that just stopped being poetry and started being a story. And then that story kept coming back, and I realized it was a bit of a release to, like, separate but still explore the same themes in a little bit of a lighter way.

[B]

Yeah. And it feels good. Like, it feels like you're accomplishing the goal of kind of emptying the kind of stressful thoughts from your head and pouring them out so that they're somewhere safe, even when it's in the realm of fiction.

[A]

Yeah. Because, like, I'm still exploring my grief and my longing and my hopes and my fears, but a little bit more detached and creatively, which is something that I've always loved with my arts background. But I do, like many of us, put a little bit of a pressure on finishing it or completing it. And because in this journal that's barely legible to myself the next day and interrupted by normal entries, it just forces it to feel very low pressure.

[B]

That's really wonderful. I think that idea of doing something creative for the sake of, like, the experience of it is really special and, like, increasingly rare as people are more encouraged to, like, make every kind of creative endeavor a side hustle.

[A]

Very much so. It's much more how it was when I was a little kid. You know, that's just like that fun creative part. And, you know, there's still that little side sweeping part that sneaks in. It's like, oh, I should finish it. And then it's so choppy. Like, I just do the scenes that I'm thinking of in that moment that I can step back and be like, no, no, just enjoy it.

[B]

Just, you know, I really like hearing about that as I process, though, of, like, just kind of doing the thing that feels right in that moment, and then it's there, and it's never going to be not there. But there's no imperative of, oh, I have to go back and read last night's Journal entry. So there's continuity, which is like, not what a journal is for.

[A]

Not at all. The baby has changed genders, the names. Like, the characters have shifted. Like, there's absolutely no. I mean, there is continuity in, like, the overall themes and plot, but, like, sure. It's like, I did six different start drafts, right.

[B]

And there's no. Like, you don't sit down and go, like, start the entry with Last night on Monster Baby.

[A]

Yeah. No. And like, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it starts with a real journal entry and then pivots into just a paragraph, depending on how it feels or, like, it's very nonlinear in that sense. Or. I will. I have, like, this book on different folktales, Lithuanian folktales I've been reading, and I'll maybe read one about one of those just chaotic things and something will change. Like, oh, you know, this world should change a little.

[B]

Oh, that's really cool. Do you have. Does your family have, like, a Lithuanian background or are you specifically just fascinated as, like, a cultural immersion project in the Lithuanian folklore?

[A]

So my mom's parents are from Lithuania and my mom grew up in a Lithuanian community, so half Lithuanian. So that has a particular interest. And then I just love folklore in general. So that does kind of just creep back into my life.

[B]

Totally. Do you have other favorite, like, folklore elements or characters from other parts of the world?

[A]

I do, actually. I really love a lot of Native American indigenous cultures because they tend to put a strength on women characters, which I've been more interested in lately.

[B]

Yeah. Cool.

[A]

And of course, Celtic. I have a soft spot for a lot of the chaos, actually, the Celtic, you know, Fae and such there too.

[B]

Chaos in what way?

[A]

They have a similar vibe too. Like they'll have their own communities and their own lives that people sneak in and out of. And it's not always, you know, sometimes you go to Fairycore and get stuck there, and sometimes you come back and I guess it's a secret mystery longing that you want to join those worlds. But if you actually join the world, it's very dangerous.

[B]

Wow. Okay. So are you. And like, how deep or like, I guess how contemporary is your kind of folklore fascination? So, like, I guess what I'm asking specifically is, is, are you like, a romantasy person or are you like. Just the classics for me. Thanks.

[A]

I definitely have the roots in more of the classics and different cultures. I've been branching out more. I have recently been reading this one about that's taking the classics, but putting an intentional spin on them from a female Character's point of view.

[B]

Oh, fun.

[A]

But I would, you know, I'm absolutely all for the novels I read. Like, I love Karen Russell, for example, or magic realism would be the more contemporary versions that, like, speak to folklore but are not necessarily folklore stories

[B]

completely understood. My wife is a big Karen Russell fan as well. Yeah, I love. I love, like, a well done magical realism element. I think that's, like, so exciting. It's, like, really cool to see the different ways that, like, magic and kind of folklore tradition can be applied to a grounded human story, even a contemporary story, and what that can tease out about the human experience.

[A]

No, definitely. And I mean, that in many ways was the whole point of folk stories. They were to connect people. There were lessons. They were talking about things that we didn't always have the language for. And that's one of the great parts about stories. And if you can't connect to it, you know, I think coming up with it yourself, even. Even if it's derivative is still a great way to do it.

[B]

Yeah, that's really amazing.

[A]

I've always been a little jealous. My sister has been an avid journaler, like, almost her whole life, and I can never keep with it. So this has been, I think, one of the longest sessions I've actually kept with a form for myself.

[B]

We're pretty deep into the year. And you said you started near the top of the year?

[A]

Yeah, this one is. This is the longest I've ever done, I think. And I'm actually working from a journal from when I was nine and only had four entries.

[B]

Whoa.

[A]

I know.

[B]

Can I ask what you were writing about, age 9? So it does sound like you had.

[A]

Yeah, I didn't make it very far. I was nine. I was talking about this boy I had a crush on named Pat, and I was talking about our pets, and that was like, the entirety of it.

[B]

Okay, that's so funny. Okay. Is Pat still a known figure in your life, or do you read that as an adult and go.

[A]

No, I know. He stayed around, I guess, kind of vaguely through high school. And I wish him well. He had a lot of. Lot of joy in nature. And we would play outside a lot.

[B]

That's really wonderful. Well, excellent. This is so. What a wonderful practice you're cultivating now, now that you're up in the woods and no longer, you know, closer to the woods at least, and no longer in Brooklyn. Have you been painting again? Or has that kind of taken a back burner to the creative writing practice I started?

[A]

I've done some children. I Did a children's illustration book last year where for a writer named Bong Yim. And that was like big. To just finish that project. Speaking of means finish. And for fun now I'm just doing a replica painting that my mother requested. So lighter. Like it's definitely more of a. Keeping it lighter, but it's there a little.

[B]

That's great. You're like artistically cross training. It sounds like.

[A]

Yes. Yeah, actually that's probably a bit more. I'm trying to lighten the pressures of life where I can as much as I can.

[B]

What a. That's such like a beautiful ethos. Somebody should. Should stitch that onto a pillow of Lighten the pressures of life as much as where you can. As much as you can. I think that's just like the perfect or it is one of many perfect reasons to like create art and journal and paint. That's so cool. Wow, this is really excellent. Is there anything like. Is there anything else that you wanted to express about this? Because I really loved hearing about this, but I just wanted to make sure that you got everything you had to get off your chest. Off your chest.

[A]

No, I really appreciate that. And yeah, it's just. It's been. It's been really cool this year just returning to journaling, seeing how it evolved because it definitely started as entries and it started to creep into pre verse and now, you know, it's been creeping into the stories for a while and it's. It's interesting, I guess, just like giving myself space and I set a. Like I started with just a five minute timer every night because it felt like not too long, you know, one page, one timer.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And it's been interesting to learn where my mind goes and that it does gravitate back to stories and creativity if I give it the space to relax.

[B]

Yeah. How long have you been writing for now? Like how many pages and how much

[A]

time in the evenings now when I'm really into it. I think, you know, we probably don't go past 25. I think 30 minutes was my longest. Probably 10 is closer to the average. I'm still kind of. This is just like a bedtime ritual. Aim well.

[B]

That's great. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I really appreciate your being so open and thoughtful about it and it's been wonderful to talk to you tonight and I'm going to let you go and get back to your journal. Thanks for calling in, Sophia.

[A]

Good night. Thanks so much. Take care.

[B]

Wow, that was so sweet and personal of Sophia to share and I'M so glad that she did. I like love her kind of openness and like artistic permeability of I'm Writing, I'm Journaling. It's a fantastical, magical, realist story. It's poetry. It's just like such a nice reminder that you don't have to set these rigid expectations on yourself. It was really great to hear from Sophia. If you want to come on the show to talk about anything that's on your mind, please feel free anytime to email or send a voice Memo to thenightlyach co. That's thenightlyatched coat. Or leave a voicemail at 904-nightly. That's 904-644-4859. Let us know what's been on your mind. What's the last thing you think about before you drift off to sleep? What's the first thing you think about when you're starting to unwind for the evening? This has been so fun to hear from listeners, and I'm always excited when people want to call in and chat. I am going to Before I go, I'm going to say goodnight to the three yappy little dogs in my building, but also to any Lithuanian Elf Fairy Goblin babies that might be listening if you're out there. Lithuanian Elf Babies, Good night to you. Sleep tight. Don't get too cranky about the laundry being done not to your specifications. Good night everyone. Talk to you soon.

[A]

Sa.

[B]

To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch Co. You can also follow us at Hatch Podcasts.