Hiisi, depicted by artist TeroPorthan
The hiisi are type of goblin from Finnish mythology.
Overview[]
They are malign beings that used to live in all possible biomes around Finland, and could be considered a more evil counterpart to the vaki. They are believed by some to be ancient forest gods that dwell in deep woods, inside mountains, and in waters. In a list of ancient Finnish gods from year 1551, the bishop Mikael Agricola mentioned the Hiisi as forest gods who helped hunters find food.
Description[]
The Hiisi has referred both to giants, who have moved giant rocks into formations, and to small creatures living in caves and crevasses. Giant’s kettles are in Finnish called Hiisi’s churn (Hiidenkirnu). The different Hiisi mentioned in spells are forest hiisi, water hiisi, mountain hiisi, and earth hiisi.