Hiiden Hirvi

 


The hiiden hirvi is a monster from Finland. It was an artificial moose created in the underworld to test the hero Lemminkäinen.

It was created from bones, hide, soil, tree roots, moss and creeping vines, anything associated with the soil and underground. The hiiden hirvi was also considered unnatural because it didn't have a mother. Overall the beast is supposed to be eerie and unsettling. As well the hiiden hirvi is supposed to be a moose. Moose are called elk in Europe, but I didn't realize this until after I drew the picture, so you got a wapiti instead.

Often it's said the hiiden hirvi was created by goblins, which is a miss-translation of hiisi. Hiisi actually means a spring, cave, graveyard or any other sacred space relating to the underworld. So underworld spirits is more accurate. Although they would be considered corporeal living beings, not ethereal like spirit implies in English.

The hiiden hirvi's creation was ordered by the goddess of winter and night, Louhi. The hiiden hirvi was only one of several tests for Lemminkäinen when he asked for Louhi's daughter's hand in marriage. After the hiiden hirvi was created it was released onto the surface world, where it ran rampant. It destroyed villages, trampling houses, knocking over candles and setting things on fire. The hiiden hirvi caused earthquakes as it ran, and brought chaos everywhere it visited.

Lemminkäinen couldn't just kill the moose with an arrow, he had to capture it alive to succeed. The hiiden hirvi was far faster than any natural animal, so it superhuman strength and speed, as well as a good measure of luck to finally capture it. Lemminkäinen tracked the hiiden hirvi down on cross country skis, then lassoed the hiiden hirvi and fought against its strength until he finally subdued the beast, and brought it back to Louhi.

Tietäjas, Finnish magic practitioners, translated to “someone who has knowledge” can call on the hiiden hirvi as a mount in spiritual travels, or when they're confronting harmful spirits. 


Sources

https://finnmyth.wordpress.com/2018/03/08/goblins-elk/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnthropology/comments/p5n9rc/folklore_research_hiiden_hirvi/

https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiiden_hirvi


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