The snake was not demonic intruder requiring destruction but sacred guardian deserving honor. This was not metaphor requiring interpretation but literal practice observable in Baltic households through centuries of pre-Christian tradition and surviving folk custom: the grass snake—žaltys—dwelling beneath threshold or in barn corners was family protector, fed milk from household bowls, shielded from harm, its killing being grave offense that broke protective barrier separating domestic space from wilderness chaos threatening constant intrusion.
