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Pre-Christian pendants associated with gods of thunder. A) "Finnish type", B) "Swedish type", C) "Wolf's cross".

Ukko, sometimes also Äijä or Äijö (Finnish: male grandparent, old man, also thunder), parallel in Estonian mythology to Uku, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest and thunder in Finnish mythology. The Finnish word for thunder, Ukkonen, is the diminutive form of the name Ukko. Ukko is often equated with Perkele, and some hold Perkele to be the original personal name of Ukko with the name Ukko being an euphemism. Ukko is held 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 Ylijumala (English: Overgod), probably in reference to his status as the most highly regarded god and and on the other hand his traditional domain in the heavens. Other names for Ukko include Pitkänen (pitkä, "long"), Isäinen (isä, "father"), Isoinen (iso, archaic form of the above, modern meaning "great"). Although portrayed active in myth, Ukko makes all his appearances in legend solely by natural phenomena when appealed to.

According to Haavio, 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 possible that the figure of Ukko is mostly Indo-European, possibly Baltic, in origin. Ukko is held by researchers of religion to be largely parallel to the Indo-European patriarchal sky deities, including but not limited to Zeus and Juppiter of the Classical Greco-Roman pantheon and the Norse god Thor (albeit with properties of Odin.) Tuuri, a Germanic loan and cognate of Thor, was possibly an alternate name for Ukko. Tuuri is rarely encountered in the Finnish pantheon, and had been relegated to the mere role of deity of harvest and success.

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

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

Finnish folklore

Simplified drawing of a stone carving type found in Karelia, which is believed to have characteristics of both snake and thunder.

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

Thunderbolts were sometimes called Ukon vaaja (English: bolt of Ukko) or Ukon nuoli (English: 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. The name Ukon vaaja was also used of Neolithic stone tools, which were often taken into use as magical objects for use in ritual upon discovery.

In Finnish folklore, thunderstorms were sometimes interpreted as result of Ukko copulating with his wife Akka ("old woman" in modern Finnish, whereas ukko carries the meaning of "old man"). He also was believed to cause thunderstorms by driving with his chariot through the skies.

A viper with a serrated line on its back was considered a symbol of thunder. 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 Ukko. Evidence for worship of snakes is found among different cultures around the Baltic, amongst them Estonians and Finns.

There is evidence that the rowan tree was held sacred to Ukko. Rauni, a vaguely defined being has been hypothesised to be etymologically connected to Germanic words for the rowan tree through Old Norse *raunir.

The ladybird was also considered sacred to Ukko and called ukonlehmä (English: Ukko's cow).

Festivals dedicated to Ukko

See also: Vakkajuhlat

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

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

It appears that the vakka tradition was rather lively. The last uncontested reports of vakkas 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 Mikael Agricola in his account of what from his point of view was Finnish idolatry.

Eponymy

Ukonkivi (English: Ukko's rock) in the lake Inari, Lapland. Ukonkivi was a holy site to the local Sami. Archeological finds, apparently offerings, have been found at site.

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

Finland

• Ukko-Koli, Lieksa, Northern Karelia
• Ukonkivi, Lake Inari, Finnish Lapland
• Ukonvuori, Enonkoski, Southern Savonia

Ukko and the Christian God

It is possible that during and after the christianisation of Finland, the figure of Ukko became conflated with that of the Christian deity. It has been suggested that this was in part because of the relative similarity between the deities.

See also

• Jumala
• Perkele
• Taara
• Finnish paganism
• Ukonusko (Finnish: Faith of Ukko) or Suomenusko (Finnish: Finnish faith), the Finnish polytheistic reconstructionist movement
• Animism
• Sky deity
• Ukonkivi