Lausks

Lausks, Lauskis or Granfather Lausks is a spirit of nature in Latvian mythology, although he doesn't appear in the native songs or fairy tales, so noone is really sure, from where he comes and who was the first to talk about Lausks making him a mythological creature. There is no adequate name for him in Englišh, translation for Lausks's name would mean something like The Shatterer, but that is still under great doubt. If you want an adequate in the mythologies of other folks, Lausks would stand close to Jack Frost, but they are not the same.

Appearance

Usually being described as an old man dressed up for winter in warm coat made of animal fur and holding small silver or crystal ax in his hand, Lausks is only mentioned in connection with winter and freezing tempetratures.

Functions

People might wonder, why are the walls, corners or roofs of their houses cracking in winter, when snow covers them and icicles hang from roofs. Well, this is the job of Lausks. This old man walks around with the little ax in his hand and hits the walls, corners or roofs with it to test their strenght. Lausks is also the one, who pinches in peoples cheeks, nose and ears, when they go out in winter.

Origins

However, we can only speculate on what origins Lausks has, because of his absence in fairy tales or native songs. One speculation might be the Russian Djed Moroz (much lika Santa Claus).