This Lithuanian folk tale about the origin of hag children belongs to the category of sakmė, narratives that explain mysterious occurrences through supernatural frameworks. The tale addresses the anxiety surrounding unexplained developmental differences in children by attributing them to mystical exchanges between humans and supernatural beings.

According to the story, a woman has her child taken by a hag, who leaves her own child in return. This substitution goes undetected because the hag's child appears human but cannot speak, growing into adulthood in silence. The narrative reaches its climax when the mother, frustrated by her child's muteness, follows a beggar's advice to perform a specific ritual involving oak logs, a bonfire, and eggs—elements that combine sympathetic and contagious magic principles.

When exposed to this ritual, the child finally speaks, revealing his true nature by referencing the oak as a century-old entity, demonstrating knowledge impossible for someone of his apparent age. Having exposed his identity, the hag's child vanishes, returning to the supernatural realm from which he came.

This tale reflects common themes in Lithuanian mythology, where the boundary between natural and supernatural worlds remains permeable, allowing for uncanny exchanges and intrusions. The narrative addresses the profound anxiety surrounding children who do not develop as expected, providing a cultural framework for understanding difference through supernatural rather than medical explanations.

Like many folk narratives across cultures, this sakmė draws on concepts of age, transformation, and the mysterious forces that control life's cycles. It demonstrates how traditional societies developed narrative explanations for developmental differences, creating cultural spaces for understanding the unexpected while reinforcing the importance of correct ritual action when confronting the supernatural.