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
