Gods and deities
Finlands deity system, as I see it, was based on a form of spirits called haltija. Everything around you had it's own haltija, the trees, forests, seas, animals, humans, houses and rooms. Some haltija that lived in specific places were called other names, such as Saunatonttu, who lived in the sauna or Kotitonttu, who was your houses own haltija.
The most powerful haltija were the gods or jumala. They all had their own names and were rulers of a specific thing. The most famous list of Finnish gods was written by Mikael Agricola, a Lutheran priest who is also often called ”the father of literary Finnish”.
The most powerful haltija were the gods or jumala. They all had their own names and were rulers of a specific thing. The most famous list of Finnish gods was written by Mikael Agricola, a Lutheran priest who is also often called ”the father of literary Finnish”.
This list includes many of the more powerful and well known gods such as
- Ahti: God of the sea, together with his wife Vellamo. They give you fish and luck in the sea.
- Tursas/Turisas: God of war, but also depicted as a sea monster called Iku Turso
- Tapio: God of the forest. He gives you luck in hunting and protects you in the forest.
- Pellonpekko: God of barley and beer.
- Rongoteus: God and protector of rye.
- Ukko: The most powerful god of them all. He is the king of the skies. God of thunder, crops, harvest and weather. He creates thunder when he hits his hammer on the skydome, or has sex with his wife Akka. Many feasts were held to honor Ukko and to get a good harvest, some of them still existing today such as Juhannus.
