A žaltys (Lithuanian pronunciation: [ʒɐlʲˈtʲǐːs], literally: grass snake) is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. As a sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė,[1] grass snakes were 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 žaltys was said to bring great misfortunes upon the household.[1] If 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
[edit]- Eglė the Queen of Serpents
- Proto-Indo-European mythology
- Indo-European cosmogony
- Baltic mythology
- Prussian mythology
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Doniger, Wendy (2006). "Žaltys". Britannica Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopædia Britannica. p. 1160. ISBN 1-59339-491-8.
- ^ a b 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.
Further reading
[edit]- 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.
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