Peikko art by Loneanimator on DeviantArt
Peikko are large grotesque ape creatures from Finnish folklore, similar to Trolls. Some Finnish–English dictionaries gloss peikko as 'troll'. They are very common in Finnish fairy tales, living in forests.
Description[]
They are rather obscure creatures, but extremely similar to Trolls, Ogres, Fomorians, and Hiisi. They are highly aggressive and may steal or even eat children. They are slow and hairy, with large ears and noses. Peikko can range in size from small to enormous.
Types of Peikko in Folklore[]
- Vuoripeikko: Mountain Peikko (the largest subspecies)
- Hammaspeikko: An invisible subspecies that makes holes in children's teeth.
- Känkkäränkkä: An invisible subspecies that makes children fight, sulk, or do other things that displease their parents.
- Menninkainen: Little people like leprechauns that avoid contact with humans.
Pirunkirkko[]
Located in Finland's Koli National Park is a famous 34-meter long cave known as Pirunkirkko or the Devil's Church Cave. The caves were believed to be inhabited by dangerous troll like spirits and/or witches in local folklore. Locals believed the cave was a place where shamans and wise men could access the spirit world through sound-based rituals. Recent research suggests the cave's special acoustics, with natural resonance frequencies, could explain the supernatural beliefs associated with it. Over time, people began to associate the site with supernatural beings and a place for communication with the spirit world; essentially, the cave's special sound properties were interpreted as a way to interact with spirits by those who used it for rituals in the past.
Finnish Legend of the "Birth of the Mountain Troll"[]
The book Finnish Folklore, tells the story of the birth of a Vuoripeikko (mountain troll).
| “ | Suska Nimelä was a folk midwife (paarmuska) in the village of Alavusi, Sydänmaa. A mountain troll (vuoripeikko) came to ask Suska to help his wife in labor. Suska didn't want to go but when the troll promised her as a payment a shirt which would last as long as her husband lived, she agree to go. The mountain troll's wife was already in labor. Suska assisted in the birth and everything went well.
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Sources[]
- Virtanen, Leea, and Thomas A. DuBois. Finnish Folklore. Finnish Literature Society ; University of Washington Press, 2000.