Iku-Turso (creature)


Iku-Turso refers to one or multiple giants in Finnish mythology. In the Kalevala, Iku-Turso is a malevolent sea monster.
The name Turisas is probably an early loanword from the Proto-Germanic *þurisaz 'giant'. In 1551, Mikael Agricola mentioned Turisas as the god of war: Turisas voiton antoi sodast 'Turisas brought victory in war'. There is no consensus among scholars if the multiple Tursas mentions in runic songs refer to one being or multiple different ones.

In runic songs

A runic song speaks of the birth of "Old man Kave, Lord of the North, / Ancient eternal giant". He is called the old father of Väinämöinen, and he grew tired of being in the womb and released himself with just a lift of his finger. He was born in full warrior gear with a sword and a saddled horse. In other sources, Väinämöinen is called a son of a giant named Kaleva, who has also been interpreted by researchers as a kind of primordial giant. A Forest Finnish song also calls iku-Turilas the one who freed the Sun and the Moon.
Another song mentions Meri-Tursas 'Sea Tursas' who impregnates Maiden of North Loviatar with waves when she is seeking relief for her pain in water. As a result, Loviatar gives birth to the diseases of the world. Another song is similar, but says that Meren Ukko Parkka Äijä made the Maiden of North pregnant, and Väinämöinen was born out of this and released himself from the womb in the same way as his father did in the aforementioned song.
In the Great Oak story, a trio of luonnottaret reap a meadow. A "fiery Tursas" comes from Pohjola and steals the hays, burning them and sowing the ashes at the gates of Pohjola. As a result, the Great Oak emerges, so big it blocks the Sun and the Moon from shining, and a hero must be found to cut it down.

Interpretations

Tursas or multiple tursaat are connected to multiple epithets: partalainen 'the one who lives on the brink', or alternatively, 'the bearded one', Tuonen härkä 'the ox of Tuoni', tuhatpää 'thousand-headed', tuhatsarvi 'thousand-horned'. Fiery Turisas was sometimes said that he lived in Pohjola, but that may be because Pohjola was often perceived as the home of all evil. Sea Tursas is also mentioned as the "son of Äijö", a name which often refers to a demon or even the Devil.
According to Anna-Leena Siikala, it is likely that Turisas and Tursas were originally two different beings who got mixed with each other in runic songs. One song mentions "Iku-Turilas" as a great warrior and Väinämöinen's father, while others speak of "Meri-Tursas" and "Turilas" as malevolent giants. Siikala drew a connection between Kaleva, Iku-Turso/Tursas, and the [Old Old Norse religion|Norse religion|Norse] giants such as Ymir. Kaarle Krohn connected Ikiturso to Hymir and Ymir as well.
In the list of Tavastian gods by Mikael Agricola in 1551, Turisas is mentioned as the god of war: Turisas voiton antoi sodast 'Turisas brought victory in war'. It has been suggested that the god in the list is same as the Scandinavian god of war Tyr; however, this theory is not widely supported today.
Johannes Schefferus compared Turisas with Thor in his book Lapponia. Ostrobothnian descriptions of the giant that is Väinämöinen's father have been seen as references to a war chief. Scandinavian influence would also be stronger in Western Finland and Ostrobothnia as opposed to the more eastern areas. Christfried Ganander and Christian Erici Lencqvist specified the war god and sea giant as two separate beings, and Henrik Gabriel Porthan likely agreed. Later researchers have argued about whether the names refer to the same being or two different ones: Eemil Nestor Setälä and Uno Harva even changing their minds about the matter during their careers—to the opposite directions. Setälä saw Tursas as a water haltija.
In addition to the Proto-Germanic *þurisaz 'giant' explanation, Janne Saarikivi pointed out the possibility of a connection to an early name of Thor, especially in the form of the name Turras, mentioned by Ganander. He did also say that this explanation wasn't without its problems, and the names could also be a contamination of both words.
In addition to Norse comparisons, 17th and 18th century researchers connected him to Mars. Martti Haavio, on the other hand, connected him to Apollo. In 1748, Christian Limnell in his thesis Schediasma historicum de Tavastia claimed that Turrisas had been a real life Finnish hero and successful leader who had been deified after his death. He also thought that Turrisas is the one the Icelandic Arngrímur Jónsson meant when claiming someone named Torro had once ruled over Finland.
In Nurmes, it's been recorded that Tursas meant a scary haltija which lives in a nest of red ants.

In the Kalevala

He is mentioned several times in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. In the second cantos he rises from the sea and burns a stack of hay. Later, a giant oak grows from the ashes. The tree grows so large that it hides the sun and the moon and is cut down.
Later, Iku-Turso is summoned by Louhi, the Lady of the North, to stop the theft of the magical artifact Sampo. Väinämöinen, the leader of the plunderers, grabs Iku-Turso from his ears and using magical words makes him promise to never return from the bottom of the sea.

Legacy

A Northern European, Pre-Christian good luck symbol has been called tursaansydän 'heart of Tursas' at least in Kainuu.
Nowadays meritursas means the common octopus in Finnish, but it is more common to see the word mustekala, the name of its Subclass Coleoidea in Finnish, for the octopus. Tursas has been presented as a synonym for mursu 'walrus', but this is uncertain.
One of the three Vetehinen class submarines used by Finland in the Second World War was named after Iku-Turso. After the war the Soviet Union denied Finland the use of submarines, and she was sold to Belgium for scrapping. The Asteroid 2828 Iku-Turso was named after Iku-Turso.

In popular culture