The Hiisi Groves of Finland
Across Finland, places named after the hiisi were once sacred groves. After Christianity came, the word came to mean something to be feared.
What was reported
In ancient Finland, a hiisi was a sacred place, often a grove of trees or a hill, where people buried their dead and made offerings. When Christianity arrived, these places were seen as heathen, and the hiisi became the name for a goblin, troll or evil spirit of the forest.
In folk poetry, Hiisi is a demon with a horse and dogs and an army of helpers. Today, hundreds of places in Finland, hills, rocks, lakes and fields, still carry names from the word, like Hiidenkivi, 'the hiisi's stone'.
Explanations offered
The change in the word's meaning, from sacred to fearful, shows how old beliefs were reshaped as Christianity spread. Archaeologists have used hiisi place names to help find ancient cemeteries and holy sites.
- When
- Told since pre-Christian times
- Where
- Southern Finland
- Witnesses
- Finnish folklore and place names
- Status
- Folklore
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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