Metsanpeitto

Metsanpeitto, literally ‘forest’s cover,’ is a term in Finnish folklore. This refers to the belief that the forest could hide, or imprison, people or domestic animals, such as cows or horses, so that they couldn’t escape & would be invisible to people who went in search of them. Another term for the same phenomenon is metsankatko, literally “the forest’s secret place for hiding things.” Swedes in Finland called this: skogen haller (“the forest keeps”).

People “covered by forest” were recounted as not being able to recognize the landscape around them, even if they were on familiar grounds. In other cases, they might’ve walked endlessly through unfamiliar landscapes, or were rendered completely paralyzed, unable to move or speak. Unnatural silence barren of the sounds of nature was also common.

People, or animals, under the influence of the phenomenon were described as becoming either completely invisible to other people, or looking like part of the nature around them, like a rock. In 1 story, a man had been looking for a missing cow for days. When he finally gave up & returned to his work, the 1st tree stump he struck with his axe transformed back into his cow.

The cause of metsanpeitto was sometimes credited to maahiset (maahinsen, singular) who were supernatural small human-like beings imagined to live underground. It’s literally earthlings or earth-dwellers, often translated as “gnomes.”

A lost person could sometimes free oneself by reversing one’s garments, turning their jacket inside out, by switching their shoes to the wrong feet. Or by watching world upside down through their own legs.

This was because of the idea that everything was topsy-turvy in the lands of the maahiset. Some were released without reason. Others only after being sought after by a shaman. Some were never seen again.

Metsanpeitto greatly looks like “Kamikakushi” or “spirited away,” found in Japanese folklore.

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#Finland #FinnishFolklore #Forest #Gnomes #Japan #JapaneseFolklore #Kamikakushi #Maahinsen #Maahiset #Metsankatko #Metsanpeitto #Shaman #SkogenHaller #Swedes

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Ukko is the god of the sky, weather (especially thunder), and the harvest in Finnish paganism. Though often invoked in myths, he rarely appears. Modern sources often call Ukko the king of the gods, though that may be a mistake caused by comparing him to the Greek god Zeus.
🎨 Robert Ekman

#FairyTaleTuesday #31DaysofHaunting #Mythology #FinnishMythology #Folklore #FinnishFolklore #Finland

#finnishfolklore Stories are known from Finland, according to which the devil (piru) has come to wedding dances in the form of an unknown man. He may have danced a bride who was sickened or disgraced by this delivery. The devil can also pretend to be a woman and corrupt a man.

The devil could kidnap children. That's when the child and Piru ended up as invisible wanderers. The only food that ended up being the child's food was food that had been cursed. It could happen, for example, if a child or Piru caused the cow to spill the milk jug and the milking maid cursed. Then Piru allowed the child to lick the milk on the ground. If, on the other hand, the maid blessed, then the child was punished or he was left without food.

In the Finnish folk tales of the Christian era, Piru is seen as the punisher of injustices. In that action, we may also end up in a situation where Piru corrects the wrong. For example, the owner who cheated in the shop ends up in Piru's hands, but at the same time the ring gets information from Piru where the money is hidden. The story then continues with the ring redistributing the property to those who have been cheated.

It is also said that if you stay in the sauna overnight, the devil can get angry and kill a person.

Looking to connect with some Finnish witches and folklorists if possible! 🇫🇮

My great grandparents moved from Finland to the US in 1904, but I never got to meet them. (They were also very Lutheran.) I have always been drawn to and loved my Finnish roots. And I want to expand my knowledge of traditional Finnish practices and beliefs beyond the Kalevala.

So if you’re a fellow Finnish witch or into Finnish folklore, say Terve/hei!

#finland #finnish #noita #finnishwitch #finnishfolklore

#finnishfolklore According to one tradition, spring water was needed to cure a madman. Water had to be taken from the spring with complicated rituals and spells:

Rise up maiden from the water
A fine hem from the heat,
For this job, for a hard worker
For this effort difficult
For the hour of this pain
To cure this evil!

Then the sauna was heated with thunder-shattering trees and the madman was bathed in water taken from the spring, reciting spells and doing magic tricks. When the madman was taken out of the sauna, he was further frightened by shooting a gun over his head. Intimidation has been a common form of treatment in Finnish folk healing.