Iku-Turso, the Monster of the Sea
In Finnish myth, a monster rose from the bottom of the sea with a thousand horns, and the old singers called on it in spells against illness.
What was reported
Iku-Turso is a sea monster of Finnish mythology, a vast, sinister being who lives in the depths and rises to cause storms and bring disease. In the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, Turso rises from the sea and is defeated by the hero-singer Väinämöinen.
In old Finnish spells, Turso is called the father of illnesses, and the singers named him to drive sickness away. Modern artists often show him with many tentacles, like an octopus.
Explanations offered
Iku-Turso belongs to old Finnish oral poetry, collected by Elias Lönnrot in the 1800s. His name may mean 'ancient Turso', and some think he was once a god of the sea or the underworld.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Gulf of Finland coast, Helsinki, Finland
- Witnesses
- Finnish myth and the Kalevala
- Status
- Legend
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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