Hiisi, Master of the Sacred Grove
Karelian · numen · mythic · Recorded classification
Hiisi is one of the oldest attested figures of Finnic religion: the word first denoted the sacred grove or cult site itself, and place-names in hiisi- mark old worship sites across Karelia. In the runic poetry and charms the word is personified as the grove's master, increasingly demonized after Christianization into a devil-like lord dwelling in Hiitola. In the Karelian epic runes he fashions the demon elk that Lemminkäinen must catch on skis, and healing charms banish diseases and iron-wounds back to Hiisi's realm.
Domains
- sacred groves
- wild menace
Powers
- to fashion uncanny animals such as the demon elk and the fiery-maned horse of Hiisi
- to send sickness, injury and misfortune, which healing charms banish back to Hiisi's abode
Epithets
- Hiien ukkoAnna-Leena Siikala, Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia, 2012 (secondary)
Sources
- Hiisi is the personified master of the old sacred grove, demonized under Christian influence into the malevolent lord of Hiitola who fashions demon beasts and sends afflictions in the Karelian runes and charms.: Uno Harva, Suomalaisten muinaisusko, WSOY, 1948 (secondary); Felix J. Oinas, Studies in Finnic Folklore, Finnish Literature Society / Indiana University, 1985 (secondary)