- Genre
- Mythological legend
- Source status
- folkloric
- Motifs
- horsefly disguise, deception, snuffbox, unexpected wealth
The story
During the time of serfdom, a man travelled to Latvia to buy an aitvaras. His neighbour gave him money to buy another. The traveller bought one for himself but decided to keep the neighbour’s money.
On the way home he caught a large horsefly attacking his horse and shut it in a snuffbox. He gave the box to his neighbour, pretending that it contained the promised spirit. He warned him not to open it, or the aitvaras would be lost.
Later he called to ask how things were going. The neighbour thanked him: his aitvaras served him well and brought plenty. The traveller’s own purchase did nothing. It turned out that the real aitvaras had taken the shape of the horsefly. The cheat had given it away and kept only a purchased piece of charcoal.
Reading the story
The spirit’s actions reveal its identity; price and appearance do not. The trick reverses itself, and the man who pockets another person’s money loses what he wanted.
The edition identifies Grasilė Kvedarienė of Šalinėnai as the narrator; A. Urbonas recorded the story in 1937, LTR 1508(44).
Source and retelling
Lietuvių tautosaka, IV (1967), Nr. 511, p. 530: „Gyliu pasivertęs aitvaras“. An original retelling of the recorded traditional narrative cited here. The sequence of events and ending are retained in modern language.