The Vytis, strongly advocated by Jonas Basanavičius, was not chosen for three reasons: the first was that as part of the drive for national identity, the Seimas wished to distance itself somewhat from the flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which also encompassed now-distinct nations such as Belarus and Ukraine.
A Vytis, de quen Jonas Basanavičius era un forte partidario, non foi elixida por tres razoes: a primeira foi que o Seimas (o Parlamento lituano) desexaba distanciarse un pouco da bandeira do Gran Ducado de Lituania, que tamén comprendía nacións -hoxe en día independentes- como Belarús e Ucraína.