Aitvaras

This article is about the spirit. For the military unit, see Lithuanian Special Operations Force.

Aitvaras is a nature spirit^[1] in Lithuanian mythology.^[2] It is also known by other names, such as Atvaras, Damavykas, Pūkis, Sparyžius, Koklikas, Gausinėlis, Žaltvikšas, and Spirukas, and is identical to the Latvian Pūķis. An Aitvaras looks like a white or black rooster with a fiery tail like a meteor. An Aitvaras is said to hatch from an egg of a 9- to 15-year-old rooster. If an Aitvaras dies, it becomes a spark.

Aitvaras costume in the Parade of Dragons in Kraków in 2012

In many cases, this Lithuanian creature is described as a bird^[3] with the appearance of a dragon outdoors.^[4] An Aitvaras will lodge itself in a house and most often refuse to leave. It brings both good and bad luck to the inhabitants of the house, providing its adopted home with stolen gold and grain, often getting the household into trouble.

See also

• Ajatar
• Cockatrice

References

1. Stepas Zobarskas (1959). Lithuanian Folk Tales. G. J. Rickard. pp. 240–.
2. Evans Lansing Smith, Ph.D.; Nathan Robert Brown (1 July 2008). The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology. DK Publishing. pp. 255–. ISBN 978-1-101-04716-3.
3. Joe Nigg (1984). A Guide to the Imaginary Birds of the World. Apple-wood Books. ISBN 978-0-918222-55-8.
4. Brian Froud (15 October 1998). Good Faeries Bad Faeries. Simon and Schuster. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-684-84781-8.

• Algirdas Julius Greimas, "Of Gods and Men: Studies in Lithuanian Mythology", Indiana Univ. Pr. (November 1992)