Iku-Turso
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Iku-Turso [ˈikuˌturso] ("the eternal Turso"; also known as Iku-Tursas, Iki-Tursas, Meritursas, Tursas, Turisas among others) is a malevolent sea monster in the Finnish mythology. Like most other Finnish mythical beings, he remains poorly known.
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[edit] Description
His appearance remains unclear, but he is described with several epithets: partalainen (the one who lives on the edge, or alternatively, the bearded one), Tuonen härkä (the ox of Tuoni, Death), tuhatpää (thousand-headed), tuhatsarvi (thousand-horned). It was sometimes said that he lived in Pohjola, 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 with Loviatar, the blind daughter of Tuoni, the god of death. The Scandinavian giants thurs had the ability to shoot arrows which caused diseases in people. This and the fact that thurs 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 Väinämöinen, 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 Devil).
[edit] A god of war?
In the list of Tavastian gods by Michael Agricola, he is mentioned as the god of war: Turisas voiton antoi sodast (Turisas brought victory from war). It is possible the god in the list is same as the Scandinavian god of war Tyr. Alternatively, as early wars in the region tended to be mostly sieges around hill forts, he may have brought the victory in the form of diseases which devastated the invading enemy.
[edit] Iku-Turso in Kalevala
He is mentioned several times in the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. In the second cantos he rises from the sea and burns a stack of hays. 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.
| From the ocean rose a giant, | From the acorn, quickly sprouting, |
| Mighty Tursas, tall and hardy, | Grows the oak-tree, tall and stately, |
| Pressed compactly all the grasses, | From the ground enriched by ashes, |
| That the maidens had been raking, | Newly raked by water-maidens; |
| When a fire within them kindles, | Spread the oak-tree's many branches, |
| And the flames shot up to heaven, | Rounds itself a broad corona, |
| Till the windrows burned to ashes, | Raises it above the storm-clouds; |
| Only ashes now remaining | Far it stretches out its branches, |
| Of the grasses raked together. | Stops the white-clouds in their courses, |
| In the ashes of the windrows, | With its branches hides the sunlight, |
| Tender leaves the giant places, | With its many leaves, the moonbeams, |
| In the leaves he plants an acorn, | And the starlight dies in heaven. [1] |
Later, Iku-Turso is summoned by Louhi, the Lady of the North, to stop the theft of the magical artefact 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.
| Wainamoinen, brave and mighty, | Asked the second time the monster, | To the people of Wainola, |
| Seizes quick the water-monster, | Urgently inquired a third time: | Never while the moonlight glimmers |
| Lifts him by his ears and questions: | "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, | On the hills of Kalevala!" |
| "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, | Why art rising from the waters, | |
| Why art rising from the blue-sea? | Wherefore dost thou leave the blue-sea? | Then the singer, Wainamoinen, |
| Wherefore dost thou leave thy castle, | Iku-Turso gave this answer: | Freed the monster, Iku-Turso, |
| Show thyself to mighty heroes, | For this cause I left my castle | Sent him to his deep sea-castles, |
| To the heroes of Wainola?" | Underneath the rolling billows: | Spake these words to him departing: |
| Came I here with the intention | "Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, | |
| Iku-Turso, son of Old-age, | To destroy the Kalew-heroes, | Nevermore arise from ocean, |
| Ocean monster, manifested | And return the magic Sampo | Nevermore let Northland-heroes |
| Neither pleasure, nor displeasure, | To the people of Pohyola. | See thy face above the waters I |
| Was not in the least affrighted, | If thou wilt restore my freedom, | Nevermore has Iku-Turso |
| Did not give the hero answer. | Spare my life, from pain and sorrow, | Risen to the ocean-level; |
| I will quick retrace my journey, | Never since have Northland sailors | |
| Whereupon the ancient minstrel, | Nevermore to show my visage | Seen the head of this sea-monster. [2] |
[edit] Trivia
- Tursas means octopus in Finnish. However, it was named after Iku-Turso since the animal was unknown to the ancient Finns.
- One of the five 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 it was sold to Belgium for scrapping.[1]
- Asteroid 2828 Iku-Turso was named after him.
- Iku-Turso wreaks havoc in Helsinki in Donald Duck story The Quest for Kalevala by Don Rosa.
- A Finnish metal band Turisas named themselves after this mythical being.
- H. P. Lovecraft's famous fictional entity Cthulhu bears interesting similarities to Iku-Turso
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Kalevala, Rune II. Translated by John Martin Crawford (1888).
- ^ Kalevala, Rune XLII.
[edit] References
- Turunen, Aimo (1981). Kalevalan sanat ja niiden taustat. Karjalaisen kulttuurin edistämissäätiö. ISBN 951-9363-24-6.
