In fairy tales about the selection of a king among birds, the wren plays an important role. Tale types ATU 221, 221A, and B tell a story in which birds decide to choose as king the one who can fly the highest. In Ukrainian and Polish variants, the eagle wins; in the West Ukrainian, the crane; and in the Lusatian, the stork. However, a small bird, having hidden in the plumage of a large bird, flies out at the last moment and ends up higher than all the others. It is thanks to this feat that it gains the right to become the tsar (king) of birds. Hence, the wren is also known by names such as "little king", "little tsar", and "bird king".

Gura. Symbolism of Animals in Slavic Folk Tradition, p. 710

Illustration: Arthur Rackham — The Wren and the Bear — 1902