lithuanians call death "giltinė", from the word "gelti" (to sting). giltinė was shown as an old, ugly, woman with a long blue nose and a poisonous tongue. the legend tells that giltinė was young, pretty and communicative until she was trapped in a coffin for seven years. the goddess of death was a sister of the goddess of life and destiny, "laima", symbolizing the relationship between beginning and end.