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