Žaltys
 Monument to Žaltys in Vyžuonos | |
| Creature information | |
|---|---|
| Grouping | House spirit |
| Origin | |
| Country | Lithuania |
A žaltys (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ʒɐlʲˈtʲǐːs], literally: grass snake) is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. It is a sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė,[1][2] and was considered a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility.[2][3] People used to keep it as a pet by the stove or other special area of the house,[1] believing that it would bring good harvest and wealth.[3] Killing the žaltys was said to bring great misfortunes upon the household.[1] If a žaltys was found in the field, people gave it milk attempting to befriend the creature and make it a sacred household pet.[4][2]
Legends
There is a story of a young women named Eglė who found a žaltys in her clothes after she bathed in a lake. He spoke to her and said he would give her back her clothes if she married him. She eventually agreed, and later the žaltys, who was King of the Grass Snakes Žilvinas, would take the form of a handsome young man to become her husband. He took her to his undersea home where she became immortal as Queen of the Grass Snakes.[2]
Popular culture
Polish guitarist Raphael Rogiński named his 2024 album Žaltys after the folkloric creature.[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Doniger, Wendy (2006). "Žaltys". Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 1160. ISBN 1-59339-491-8.
- 1 2 3 4 Johnson, Kenneth (26 March 2024). Dance of the Sun Goddess: Pagan Folkways of the Baltic Coast. Red Wheel/Weiser. ISBN 978-1-964537-99-3. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- 1 2 Kiškienė, Elena (2008-05-09). "Uteniškių keiksmai". Šiaurės Atėnai (in Lithuanian) (892).
- ↑ Conway, D. J. (2001). Magickal, Mystical Creatures (2nd ed.). Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 128. ISBN 1-56718-149-X.
- ↑ Rogers, Jude (26 July 2024). "Raphael Rogiński: Žaltys review – hypnotic eastern European folk". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
Further reading
- Trumpa, Anta (2020). "Names of Snakes in Latvian Texts of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries". Acta Baltico-Slavica. 44: 124–141. doi:10.11649/abs.2020.003.
- Larsson, Jenny (2025). "The Baltic House Snakes in an Indo-european Context". In Jenny Larsson; Thomas Olander; Anders Jørgensen (eds.). Indo-european Ecologies: Cattle and Milk – Snakes and Water. Stockholm: Stockholm University Press. pp. 191–212. doi:10.16993/bcu.h.