Iku Turso

 


Iku Turso is a war god, a giant and a sea monster from Finnish Mythology. He is a character who I’ve occasionally heard referred to as the Finnish Cthulhu. He’s almost certainly a composite character, with similarly named gods and monsters being condensed into one character over time. He has many epithets. The name Iku Turso means the eternal giant. He’s also known as The Bearded One, The One Who Stands on the Brink, the Ox of Death, The Thousand Headed, The Thousand Horned. One of his alternate names, Meritursas, is today one of the Finnish names for the common octopus.


Iku Turso is able to take on multiple forms, one being that of a giant dressed in warrior’s armour, another that of a sea monster. In sea monster form his appearance is variable and unclear. He’s described as having a slimy beard of tentacles, walrus tusks, and horns or antlers. However it’s unclear if this form is bestial or humanoid.


Iku Turso was fathered by the god of old age. He burst out of his mother’s womb as an adult, fully dressed in warrior’s gear. Iku Turso also fathered several children of his own. He fathered all disease spirit with the goddess of winter Louhi, who he met when she rested on the shores of the ocean to heal her wounds. He also fathered the bard hero Väinämöinen with the goddess of the winds, Ilmatar. In both these cases it’s sometimes said that these goddesses were impregnated by the ocean itself, with Iku Turso being more a force of nature rather than a personified being.


Iku Turso was also responsible for creating the Great Oak, which blocked out the sun and threatened the world with darkness. He emerged from the ocean as a fiery giant, and burns the hay harvested by the three iron goddesses. He then planted the acorn of the oak.


In the story of the Sampo Raid, Louhi sends Iku Turso to take back the sampo which Väinämöinen had stolen. While travelling back home across the ocean from Pohjola, Väinämöinen captures Iku Turso, humiliates him and sends him back to the depths with a magic spell.


While Iku Turso is often characterized as a destructive force and an enemy of various heroes, he’s not all bad. He was worshipped as a war god and aid to warriors. He also empowers a symbol, called the Heart Of Tursas, which looks like four arrows, which brings good luck to the bearer.


Sources


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ4OPGIJSds

https://the-demonic-paradise.fandom.com/wiki/Iku-Turso

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iku-Turso_(creature)



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