"Lithuanian knight
(photo from twcenter.net website)
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Palemonas is supposed to be a somewhat corrupted version of the name of a Roman navy commander who got himself into trouble with Nero. To escape Nero's wrath he brought his family and his retinue of Roman nobles to Lithuanian territory and settled there. This is the legendary genesis of Lithuanian noble families.
This legend came about because of the need of Lithuanian noble families to prove their noble roots. Lacking adequate written records, Lithuanian nobility was susceptable to plausible theories of their ancestral beginnings. (Click here to read more legends.)
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