Iku-Turso (, "the eternal Turso"; also known as Iku-Tursas, Iki-Tursas, Meritursas, Tursas, Turisas among others) is a malevolent

sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...

Finnish mythology Finnish mythology commonly refers of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a Finnish Neopaganism, modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many shared features with Estonian mythology, Estonian and othe ...

, best known for appearing in the ''

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

''. Nowadays ''Meritursas'' means

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

in Finnish, named after Iku-Turso, but originally ''tursas'' is an old name for

walrus The walrus (''Odobenus rosmarus'') is a large pinniped marine mammal with discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only extant species in the family Odobeni ...

while the more common term is ''mursu''. However, it is more common to see the word ' (lit. "ink fish"), the name of its Subclass

Coleoidea Coleoidea or Dibranchiata is one of the two subclasses of cephalopod molluscs containing all the various taxa popularly thought of as "soft-bodied" or "shell-less" (i.e. octopus, squid and cuttlefish). Unlike its extant sister group Nauti ...

in Finnish, for the octopus. The name ''Turisas'' is probably an early loanword from the

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic languages, Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from ...

''*Þurisaz'' ("giant"). According to

Anna-Leena Siikala Arja Anna-Leena Siikala (formerly Kuusi, née Aarnisalo, born Helsinki, 1 January 1943, died Espoo, 27 February 2016) was a professor emeritus at the University of Helsinki, specialising in folk-belief, mythology, and shamanism, along with oral stor ...

, it is likely that Turisas and Tursas were originally two different beings who got mixed with each other in

runic song Runic song, also referred to as ''Rune'' song, ''Runo'' song, or ''Kalevala'' song, is a form of oral poetry and national epic historically practiced among the Baltic Finnic peoples. It includes the Finnish epic poems ''Kalevala'' and '' Kantele ...

s. One song mentions "Iku-Turilas" as a great warrior and

Väinämöinen () is a deity, demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic ''Kalevala'' by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, magical sing ...

's father, while others speak of "Meri-Tursas" and "Turilas" as malevolent giants. Siikala drew a connection between Kaleva, Iku-Turso/Tursas, and the Norse giants such as

Ymir In Norse mythology, Ymir (), also called Aurgelmir, Brimir, or Bláinn, is the ancestor of all jötnar. Ymir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional material, in the ''Prose Edda'', writte ...

In runic songs

A runic song speaks of the birth of "Old man Kave, Lord of the North, / Ancient eternal giant" (or "ancient iku-Turilas"). 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 Finn Forest Finns (, Bokmål, Norwegian bokmål: ''skogfinner'', Nynorsk, Norwegian nynorsk: ''skogfinnar'', ) were Finns, Finnish migrants from Savonia (historical province), Savonia and Northern Tavastia (historical province), Tavastia in Finland w ...

ish song also calls iku-Turilas the one who freed the Sun and the Moon. Another song mentions Meri-Tursas ("Sea Tursas") who impregnates

Loviatar Loviatar (, alternative names Loveatar, Lovetar, Lovehetar, Louhetar, Louhiatar, Louhi) is the ruler of Pohjola in Finnish mythology.Frog; Siikala; Stepanova (2012:179). Loviatar is regarded as a goddess of death and disease. She is also the mot ...

with waves when she is seeking relief for her pain in water. As a result, Loviatar gives birth to the diseases of the world. 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.

Description

His appearance remains unclear, but he is described with several epithets: ''partalainen'' (the one who lives on the brink, or alternatively, the bearded one), ''Tuonen härkä'' (the ox of

Tuoni In Finnish mythology, Tuoni () was the god of Tuonela (the underworld), and darkness personified. He was the husband of Tuonetar. Their children included Kipu-Tyttö, Tuonenpoika, and Loviatar, who were divinities of suffering. When in human form, ...

, Death), ''tuhatpää'' (thousand-headed), ''tuhatsarvi'' (thousand-horned). It was sometimes said that he lived in

Pohjola Pohjola (; from 'base, bottom', but used in derived forms like ''pohjois-'' to mean 'north' + ''-'' 'place'), sometimes just Pohja (), is a location in Finnish mythology. It is one of the two main polarities in the Finnish national epic, the ''K ...

, but that may be because Pohjola was often perceived as the home of all evil. In some versions of the spell ''The Birth of Nine Diseases'' Iku-Turso is mentioned as the father of

diseases A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that are asso ...

with

, the blind daughter of

, the god of death. The

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n giants ('' þursar'', sg. ''þurs'') had the ability to shoot arrows which caused diseases in people. This and the fact that ''þurs'' resembles ''Tursas'' gives credence to the idea that they may be related. Some runes tell that ''Meritursas partalainen'' makes pregnant the Maiden of Air (Ilman impi, Ilmatar). She later gave birth to

, which would make him a truly primeval creature. On the other hand, he is also mentioned as the son of Äijö (a name usually assigned to the

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

of sky).

As a god of war

In the list of Tavastian gods by

Mikael Agricola Mikael Agricola (; c. 1510 – 9 April 1557) was a Finnish Lutheran clergyman who became the de facto founder of literary Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden, including Finland, which was a Swedish territo ...

, 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 Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

in his book ''

Lapponia Lapponia ('Lapland') may refer to: * Lapland (disambiguation), various regions in northern Scandinavia * Lapponia (book), ''Lapponia'' (book), a 1673 ethnographic account of Lapland by Johannes Schefferus * Lapponia (train), a Finnish express passen ...

'' (1673). Ostrobothnian descriptions of the giant ("Turilas") 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 (as Turilas itself is a Norse loan word). Christfried Ganander and Christian Erici Lencqvist specified the war god ("Turri-Turras") and sea giant ("Tursas" or "Meri-Tursas") 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 Eemil Nestor Setälä (; 27 February 1864 – 8 February 1935) was a Finnish politician who served as Chairman of the Senate of Finland from September 1917 to November 1917, when he was author of the Finnish Declaration of Independence. Setäl� ...

and Uno Harva even changing their minds about the matter during their careers—to the opposite directions. In addition to the Proto-Germanic ''*Þurisaz'' "giant" explanation, Janne Saarikivi pointed out the possibility of a connection to an early name of Thor (*''þunra-z''), 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 Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

Martti Haavio Martti Henrikki Haavio (22 January 1899 – 4 February 1973) was a Finnish poet, folklorist and mythologist, writing poetry under the pen name P. Mustapää. He was born on 22 January 1899 in Temmes, and died on 4 February 1973 in Helsinki. He ...

, on the other hand, connected him to

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

. 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 Arngrímur Jónsson the Learned (; 1568 – 27 June 1648) was an Icelandic scholar and a Christian apologist. His father was Jón Jónsson, who died in 1591. Arngrímur studied in Copenhagen, completing his studies in 1589 and taking up a posit ...

meant when claming someone named Torro had once ruled over Finland.

In the Kalevala

He is mentioned several times in the Finnish

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group wi ...

, the ''

''. In the second

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from th ...

s he rises from the sea and burns a stack of

hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticate ...

. 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 Louhi (; alternate names include Loviatar (), Loveatar, Lovetar, Lovehetar, Louhetar and Louhiatar) is the ruler of Pohjola in Finnish mythology.Frog; Siikala; Stepanova (2012:179). She is regarded as a goddess of death and disease. She is also t ...

, the Lady of the North, to stop the theft of the magical artifact

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways, constructed by the blacksmith and inventor Ilmarinen and which brings riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (corn ...

. 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

One of the three Vetehinen class submarines used by

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

was named after Iku-Turso. After the war the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

denied

the use of submarines, and she was sold to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

for scrapping.
/sup> Other things named after the mythical being are the

Asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

2828 Iku-Turso and the Finnish

metal band Heavy metal (or simply metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the United Kingdom and United States. With roots in blues rock, psychedelic rock and acid rock, heavy metal bands developed a ...

Turisas Turisas is a Finnish metal band from Hämeenlinna. They were founded in 1997 by Mathias Nygård and Jussi Wickström, and named after an ancient Finnish god of war. Turisas plays folk metal, incorporating elements of power metal and symphonic ...

In popular culture

*The Finnish

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for example ...

band

is named after the war god. *Iku-Turso is featured as a monster in ''

Final Fantasy XI also known as ''Final Fantasy XI Online'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Square (video game company), Square and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installme ...

. *In late 2009 the professional wrestling promotion CHIKARA introduced a character named Tursas, based on the mythological being. * Iku-Turso wreaks havoc in

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

in the

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

story '' The Quest for Kalevala'' by

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...

. *The Ikitursa heavy assault cruiser is a class of spaceship in EVE Online. * In Fear And Hunger 2 Termina, a similar entity can be briefly interacted with. Its name is spelled slightly differently, as “Iki Turso”, but shares many of its characteristics. *In the video game Noita, there's an enemy called the Turso, which is inspired by the Iku-Turso's name and sea creature appearance.

Footnotes

Bibliography

* * {{Kalevala Characters in the Kalevala Destroyer gods Finnish gods Finnish legendary creatures Sea monsters War gods giants