A žaltys (ʒɐlʲˈtʲǐːs, literally: grass snake) is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. As a sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė,[1] the grass snake was considered a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility.[2] 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.[2] 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.[3]
See also
- Eglė the Queen of Serpents
- Proto-Indo-European mythology
- Indo-European cosmogony
- Baltic mythology
- Prussian mythology
References
- ^ Doniger, Wendy (2006). "Žaltys". Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 1160. ISBN 1-59339-491-8.
- ^ Kiškienė, Elena (2008-05-09). "Uteniškių keiksmai" (in Lithuanian). Šiaurės Atėnai. ' (892)
- ^ Conway, D. J. (2001). Magickal, Mystical Creatures. 2nd ed. Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 128. ISBN 1-56718-149-X.
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". Indo-european Ecologies: Cattle and Milk – Snakes and Water. Jenny Larsson; Thomas Olander; Anders Jørgensen (eds.). Stockholm: Stockholm University Press. pp. 191–212. doi:10.16993/bcu.h