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Vætt

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Tradition / Region: Icelandic Mythology
Alternative Name: –
Category: Spirit

The Myth

A Vætt is the guardian spirit of a particular place, such as a hill, waterfall, burial mound, or settlement. Most are believed to be female, although they can take many different forms. According to tradition, sailors removed the carved dragon heads from their ships before approaching land so they would not frighten the local landvættir (land spirits).

Over time, Vættir came to be seen as spirits of nature and the household. They can be helpful or troublesome depending on how people treat them. When offended, they may play pranks such as tangling hair, spoiling food, stealing milk or cream, making pigs grunt, or causing general disorder. When treated with respect, they care for children, watch over livestock, feed animals, keep the house tidy, and even bring water.

They are described as having long gray beards, deep-set eyes, round bodies, thin legs, rough voices, and wearing old-fashioned peasant clothing or red jackets with red stockings while carrying birch staffs.

In a broader sense, the Old Norse word vætt can refer to almost any supernatural being, including elves, dwarfs, trolls, jötnar, and even the Æsir and Vanir.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Vette. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/vette

Zhiburinis

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative name: –
Category: Skeleton

The Myth

Zhiburinis is a terrifying forest spirit in Lithuanian folklore. It appears as a glowing human figure, a phosphorescent skeleton, or a human-shaped shell with a burning candle where its heart should be.

Anyone who sees Zhiburinis is believed to die almost instantly from overwhelming terror or suffer a fatal heart attack. A small flame is said to appear on the victim’s body near the heart.

The spirit is also known for taking revenge on those who offend it. According to one well-known legend, a man once shot at the glowing silhouette of Zhiburinis in the forest. The following night, the spirit returned disguised as a woman. While the man slept, she embraced him from head to toe, and by morning he was found dead.

Zhiburinis is therefore feared as a deadly forest apparition whose supernatural glow brings terror, sudden death, and vengeance upon those who dare attack or disrespect it.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Zhiburinis. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/zhiburinis

Elnias Devyniaragis

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative name: Nine-Horned Deer
Category: Deer

The Myth

Elnias Devyniaragis, the Nine-Horned Deer, is an ancient Lithuanian mythological deer that carries the celestial bodies—most often the Moon, but sometimes the Sun—upon its antlers.

Its name refers to the nine days between the new moon and the full moon, and it frequently appears in archaic Lithuanian songs as a symbol of the movements of the heavens.

According to tradition, a white deer disappears at the winter solstice and returns at Christmas. The winter solstice festival itself was sometimes known as the Festival of the Nine-Horned Deer. In some songs, the deer carries the Sun upon its antlers, while in others it bears new antlers that are forged by divine blacksmiths.

The Nine-Horned Deer was likely revered as a sacred totem. Lithuanians believed deer were servants of God, capable of warding off disease and protecting people from floods, and that they were guarded in the mountains. In older Eurasian hunting mythology, the deer symbolized the Universe, the sky, and the Moon, making Elnias Devyniaragis a powerful embodiment of the cosmic order.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Elnias devyniaragis. In Vikipedija. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elnias_devyniaragis

Aitvaras

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative names: Aitvar, Ajtwaros, Aitvaros
Category: Dragon

The Myth

The Aitvaras is a supernatural flying spirit that most often appears as a fiery serpent or dragon, though it may also take the form of a black rooster, crow, heron, cat, or a streak of fire crossing the night sky. It is believed to bring wealth to its master by stealing grain, money, milk, honey, butter, sausages, and other goods from neighboring households.

According to older traditions, the Aitvaras was also viewed as an incubus-like spirit that visited women at night. It was said to press upon sleeping people, seduce young women, and could even enter locked houses through the keyhole. Medieval Prussian chronicles describe these spirits as punishments sent by the old gods after the Christianization of Prussia. Appearing in human form, they tempted people into sin, drove some to madness, and lured others to drown themselves or commit terrible crimes until frightened villagers returned to the pagan priests for protection.

The Aitvaras delighted in braiding horses’ manes and sending nightmares. At night it appeared as a blazing fireball racing across the sky. One legend tells of villagers who trapped one by sticking a knife into the ground between their feet. The fiery creature landed on an alder tree, causing even its highest leaves to tremble, but the terrified men quickly released it.

Many stories tell how people deliberately obtained an Aitvaras to gain riches. One common method was to keep a black rooster for seven years. In the eighth year the rooster laid an egg, from which the Aitvaras hatched. Others claimed one could buy an Aitvaras at the market in Riga, or receive one from the Devil in exchange for a human soul.

Once acquired, the spirit secretly filled its master’s home with stolen goods. In one tale, glowing embers mysteriously appeared inside a poor couple’s house. Had the woman picked them up, they would have turned into money, but she threw them away, and the miracles ceased. In another story, a man unknowingly carried an Aitvaras home hidden inside a pin. From that day his horses flourished, his cattle multiplied, and prosperity came to his farm. When another person accidentally removed the enchanted pin, the wealth vanished overnight.

Although the Aitvaras could make its owner enormously wealthy, it remained a dangerous and unpredictable being. Folklore warns that getting rid of one was extremely difficult, for simply driving it away or killing it could cause a destructive fire.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Ajtvaras. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/ajtvaras

Vilkatis

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology, Latvian Mythology
Alternative names: —
Category: Wolf

The Myth

The Vilkatis is the werewolf of Lithuanian and Latvian mythology. It is a human capable of transforming into a wolf.

Sources

Baigutov, K. (2023). Kazachų ir lietuvių mitologijos lyginamoji analizė mene [Comparative Analysis of Kazakh and Lithuanian Mythology in Art]. Logos, 2023(15). https://doi.org/10.24101/logos.2023.15

Marcopoli

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative names: Markopols, Marcopets
Category: Gnome

The Myth

The Marcopoli are subterranean earth spirits in Prussian and Lithuanian mythology. They belong to a higher class of underground gnomes and serve Puškaitis, the god of the earth. Living beneath trees and inside the earth, they receive offerings of bread, beer, cheese, butter, and grain, which help them protect the harvest and ensure abundance.

According to one Prussian legend, the Marcopoli dwell in burrows beneath cliffs. They are described as squealing humanoid creatures with snouts like pigs or monkeys, and are said to possess a single evil eye. People were warned never to catch or steal one of their eyes.

Another legend tells that people cursed by the gods became different underground beings. Those whose inner fire was taken away became the wild, hairy Marcopoli, wandering forests and hiding in the earth, while others shrank into the smaller Barzduki, living beneath stones and underground.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Markopoli. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/markopoli

Barzduki

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative names: Barzdukai
Category: Gnome

The Myth

The Barzduki are small, gnome-like beings who dwell beneath the earth. Their hidden homes lie beneath the roots of trees, where they keep stores of bread and beer in underground chambers.

These mysterious little earth spirits live unseen below the surface, guarding their underground provisions and remaining closely connected to the hidden world beneath the forests.

Sources

Baigutov, K. (2023). Kazachų ir lietuvių mitologijos lyginamoji analizė mene [Comparative Analysis of Kazakh and Lithuanian Mythology in Art]. Logos, 2023(15). https://doi.org/10.24101/logos.2023.15

Šungalvis

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Tradition / Region: Lithuanian Mythology
Alternative names: Šungalviai (plural), Dog-Headed One
Category: Dog

The Myth

The Šungalvis is a fearsome dog-headed creature of Lithuanian folklore, half man and half dog. In ancient times, before Death existed, these monsters were said to serve as living weapons, hunting and devouring people.

The Šungalvis possesses an extraordinary sense of smell. It can track any person by scent, but there is one way to escape: quickly put your shoes on backwards. The creature follows footprints, and reversed shoes confuse its tracking, causing it to lose its prey.

One folktale tells of a Šungalvis that entered a house and sat in the doorway, trapping a woman inside. Unable to escape, she tipped a cauldron of boiling water over the creature’s head. The scalding water burst its eyes, killing the monster.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Shungalvis. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/shungalvis

Ahjualune

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Tradition / Region: Estonian Mythology
Alternative names: Hearth Gnome, Under-the-Stove Spirit
Category: Household dweller, Gnome

The Myth

The Ahjualune is a household spirit that lives beneath the hearth or stove. It appears as a small man with an unusually large head.

According to folklore, the Ahjualune emerges when food is being prepared and asks for a small taste. If it is welcomed and given a share, it remains content. If ignored or refused, it can leap upon the meal and, with a single motion, swallow an entire pot of food, leaving the household hungry before vanishing beneath the stove once more.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Akhyualune. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/akhyualune

Kolju-taat

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Tradition / Region: Estonian Mythology
Alternative names: Skull Grandfather
Category: Cow, Demon

The Myth

Kolju-taat is a guardian spirit of the sea from the coast of northern Estonia. He is especially associated with the waters near Keila-Joa and appears either as a huge bull rising from the sea or as a tall old man with a strangely shaped skull, traveling in a silver-white boat.

Although generally feared, Kolju-taat was not always hostile. He could both harm and help fishermen. It was believed that anyone who failed to offer him a sacrifice would be punished. Fish, alcohol, salt, and bread were commonly offered, often by throwing them directly into the sea. After returning home, fishermen also shared part of their catch with the poor, believing this would ensure a rich catch in the future.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Kolyu-taat. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/kolyu-taat