Pikne (also ''Piken'' or ''Pikker'': the long one) is the god of lightning in Estonian mythology. In Finnish, lightning is sometimes called ''Pitkäinen'', which is similar in meaning. It is likely that both are taboo

euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

s. There was an Estonian satire and humor magazine called ''

Pikker Pikne (also ''Piken'' or ''Pikker'': the long one) is the god of lightning in Estonian mythology. In Finnish language, Finnish, lightning is sometimes called ''Pitkäinen'', which is similar in meaning. It is likely that both are taboo euphemis ...

''.

Legend

In the Middle Ages, the

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

priests made

animal sacrifice Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...

s to Pikne. The most famous priest of Pikne (literally: thunder priest) was the seventeenth-century Jürgen of Wihtla (), who uttered the following prayer: :''Take it Pikne,'' :the bull we are offering :with two horns :and four hooves :for ploughing and harvesting'' Pikne was protector of the

holy river Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, springs, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric. T ...

Võhandu Võhandu ( et, Võhandu) is a river in Estonia. Võhandu is the longest Estonian river fully in Estonian territory.http://entsyklopeedia.ee/artikkel/v%C3%B5handu_j%C3%B5gi3 In 1963 was founded protected area Protected areas or conserva ...

in Võru County, and punished people who built mills there by sending them no rain. The incident along with the prayer was recorded by the pastor Johann Gutslaff in his work ''Kurtzer Bericht und Unterricht Von der Falsch-heilig genandten Bäche in Lieffland Wöhhanda'' (published in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

, 1644). This prayer has been used by the Estonian composer

Veljo Tormis Veljo Tormis (7 August 1930 – 21 January 2017) was an Estonian composer, regarded as one of the great contemporary choral composers and one of the most important composers of the 20th century in Estonia.Daitz, Mimi. Ancient Song Recovered: The ...

in his 1974 choral work ''Litany to Thunder'' (text rendered into the Võro dialect of contemporary Southern Estonian and developed by the writer Ain Kaalep). According to the myths collected by

Matthias Johann Eisen Matthias Johann Eisen (28 September 1857 – 6 August 1934) was an Estonian folklorist and in 1920–1927 served as the Professor of Folk Poetry at University of Tartu. Eisen is most known for his very thorough collection and a systematic typolo ...

, Pikne is the brother of

Kõu Estonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging to the Estonian folk heritage and literary mythology. Information about the pre-Christian and medieval Estonian mythology is scattered in historical chronicles, travellers' accounts and in eccles ...

and the son of Uku. The evil underworld god

Vanatühi In Estonian mythology, Vanatühi ("Old empty one", or alternatively, Vanapagan, "Old devil") is a/the devil or god of the underworld, a giant farmer who is more stupid than malevolent. Vanapagan is the ogre character in Estonian versions of t ...

stole his whistle or bagpipes. Without blowing it, the gods couldn't help the farmers who were praying for rain. Uku was angered and sent Pikne back to Earth, where he worked as a farmhand. He visited a wedding, where he pretended to be a musician and regained his magic instrument (compare the Eddaic myth of '' Trymskvida'').

References

Thunder gods Estonian gods {{deity-stub