Ukko

(), or ( Finnish for 'male grandparent', 'grandfather', 'old man'), parallel to Uku in Estonian mythology, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest, and thunder across Finnic paganism.

, the Finnish word for thunder, is the diminutive form of the name .
believes that , another Finnic sky god, is the origin of , but that as experienced very significant, although far from total, influence from the Indo-European sky god especially in the form of Thor. Some believe that 's original name was Baltic Perkūnas.

is considered to be the most significant god of Finnish mythology, although it is disputed by scholars whether this is accountable to later Christian influence. In the folk poems and prayers, he is also given the epithet ('Supreme God'), probably in reference to his status as the most highly regarded god and on the other hand his traditional domain in the heavens. Other names for include (, 'long'), (, 'father'), (, archaic form of the above, modern meaning 'great', 'big' or 'large'). Although portrayed active in myth, when appealed to makes all his appearances in legend solely by natural phenomena. According to , the name Ukko was sometimes used as a common noun or generalised epithet for multiple deities instead of denoting a specific god.

Origins

It is likely that the figure of is mostly Indo-European, possibly Baltic, in origin. is held by researchers of religion to be parallel to Indo-European patriarchal sky deities, for example to Zeus and Jupiter of the Classical Greco-Roman pantheon, the Indian Hindu god Indra, the Balto- Slavic god Perun- Perkūnas and the Norse god Thor. , a Germanic loan and cognate of Thor, was possibly an alternate name for . is rarely encountered in Finnish mythology, and had been relegated to the mere role of deity of harvest and success.

It is possible that when took the position of the preceding sky god , 's destiny was to become a mortal smith-hero. Stories tell about vaulting the sky-dome. Whether was an earlier, assumably Uralic sky deity is regardless highly questionable. Some researchers hold and equivalent.

The Sámi worshipped a similar deity, called Aijeke, probably as result of cultural cross-contamination or common origin. The god was equated with Horagalles.

Finnish folklore

possessed a weapon, often a hammer called (Ukko's hammer), sometimes also an axe () or a sword, by which he struck lightning (see thunderbolt). 's weapon was largely comparable to the Norse Mjölnir, and Iron Age emblematic pendants depicting hammers and axes similar or identical to Scandinavian specimens have been unearthed in Finland. Like Mjölnir, 's weapon has been linked by some to the boat-shaped battle axes of the Corded Ware culture.

Thunderbolts were sometimes called (bolt of Ukko) or (arrow of Ukko). It is possible that the Birch bark letter no. 292, written in a Baltic-Finnic language and unearthed in Novgorod, makes use of the metaphor, also referring to as ''doom-god'' according to one interpretation translated by Yuri Yeliseyev in modern English and interpreted in modern Finnish: ''God's arrow, ten syour name. This arrow is God's own. The Doom-God leads.'' The name was also used of Neolithic stone tools such as battle axes, which were employed as thunderstones to be buried at the corners of dwellings

Thunderstorms were sometimes interpreted as result of copulating with his wife Maaemä (; also called Akka ). However, according to Martti Haavio, the text written by Mikael Agricola which has been used to justify this interpretation is a misunderstanding. He argued that Agricola's text mentioned two completely different gods, a fertility god Rauni-ukko and his wife, whose copulation would result in fertile fields. Ukko also was believed to cause thunderstorms by driving his chariot through the skies.

Neolithic stone carvings have been found in Russian Karelia which have features of both snakes and lightning. It is, however, uncertain whether these are directly connected to the figure of . Evidence for worship of snakes is found among different cultures around the Baltic, including the Estonians and Finns.

There is evidence that the rowan tree was held sacred to . , a vaguely defined being has been hypothesised to be cognate to Germanic words for the rowan tree through .

The ladybird was also considered sacred to and called (Ukko's cow). The Finnish name of the great mullein (''Verbascum thapsus'') is (Ukko's fire flower), also linked to worship of .

Festivals dedicated to Ukko

Before the advent of Christianity, the Midsummer festival in Finland, today known as after John the Baptist (), was held in honor of and called (Festival of Ukko). This tradition carried to the 19th century.

Also dedicated to were the ( festival) also known as (Ukko's ) or simply (s). s were commonly held in May coinciding with the spring sowing. During s it was customary to consume or otherwise offer a container or some other vessel () of an alcoholic beverage or food as sacrifice. It appears that often the festival was held in the community's sacred grove or where an animal sacrifice was sometimes also performed as part of the same festival. This ceremony was believed to guarantee good weather for the coming year and thus a good harvest.

It appears that the tradition was rather lively. The last uncontested reports of s being held originate in the 19th century, although sporadic reports also surface in the 20th century. The festival is also mentioned by the Finnish reformer in his account of what from his point of view was Finnish idolatry.

Eponymy

A number of toponyms in Finland and surrounding regions contain some form of the name Ukko.

Finland

*, , Northern Karelia
*, Lake Inari, Finnish Lapland
*, , Southern Savonia
*, , Central Finland

Modern influence

The Weather Channel list of winter storms for 2012 list as one of the alphabetic names they used.

Footnotes

See also

* Animism
* Finnish paganism
*
*
* Sky deity
*
* 2020 Ukko (asteroid)

* (Finnish Faith) or (Faith of Ukko), the Finnish polytheistic reconstructionist movement

References

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Estonian gods
Finnish gods
Baltic gods
Sky and weather gods
Agricultural gods
Thunder gods
Characters in the Kalevala