The folk tale explaining why lightning strikes trees is a Lithuanian sakmė, a type of fantastical folk tale that seeks to explain natural phenomena.

In this story, Perkūnas, the thunder god, had a pile of stones. When a devil stole one of the stones to use as part of his shed's foundation, Perkūnas became enraged. To punish the thief, he began striking wherever he could. Sometimes, Perkūnas would strike the devil while he hid on a stone, in a tree, or even while swimming. The devil, attempting to escape Perkūnas' wrath, would climb higher onto stones or into taller trees. This is why people were warned not to stand under high trees, as the devil might be hiding there, and Perkūnas would strike it to punish him. The taller the tree, the better the devil could see Perkūnas coming, which explains the connection between lightning and tall trees in this tale.

This narrative, like others in Lithuanian folklore, is part of the tradition of etiological legends, which aim to explain the origins of natural phenomena and celestial events. The tale is adapted and translated from How the Earth Came to Be: Lithuanian Etiological Legends (Kaip atsirado žemė: lietuvių etiologinės sakmės), compiled and edited by Norbertas Vėlius.