A haltija (haltia) is a spirit, gnome, or

elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

-like creature in

Finnish mythology Finnish mythology is a commonly applied description of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many features shared with Estonian and other Finnic mythologies, ...

that guards, helps, or protects something or somebody. The word is possibly derived from the Gothic ''haltijar'', which referred to the original settler of a homestead—although this is not the only possible etymology. It can also be derived from the Finnish verb ''hallita'', which means 'to rule', 'to command', 'to master'. The word is also used in modern Finnish to mean, depending on the context, holder, occupant, lord, master,

owner-occupier Owner-occupancy or home-ownership is a form of housing tenure in which a person, called the owner-occupier, owner-occupant, or home owner, owns the home in which they live. The home can be a house, such as a single-family house, an apartment, c ...

, occupier, possessor, bearer, or owner. There are many different kinds of haltijas. There are, for example water haltijas and forest haltijas. Even graveyards have their own haltijas (''kalman väki'', "death folk"). Human settlements also have haltijas. One type is the tonttu or maan haltija (land haltija). The tonttu is the Finnish version of the Swedish

tomte A (, ), tomte (), , or () is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a co ...

. The Finnish tonttu and the Swedish tomte are related to the words ''tontti'' (Finnish) and ''tomt'' (Swedish), which both mean building lot and building site. (Later, such local spirits are also referred to as a ''tomtegubbe'' old man of the homestead"in Swedish). The kotihaltija (home elf, home gnome) is the tonttu who lives in every home. He takes care of the house, and it is important to treat him with respect. The saunatonttu lives in the

sauna A sauna (, ), or sudatory, is a small room or building designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these facilities. The steam and high heat make the bathers perspire. A thermometer in a ...

and protects it but also makes sure that people do not behave improperly in it. ''Joulutonttu'' is Finnish for Christmas elf. Unlike the Christmas elves in some countries, the Finnish joulutonttu doesn't have pointy ears. There are even personal haltijas, which are protective spirits that are part of the plural human soul in Finno-Ugric animism. Haltijas are not like Christian angels, but have some resemblances to other spirit guide type forces found in indigenous folklore worldwide. In

Estonian mythology 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 ...

a similar being is called ''haldjas'', whereas the term used in Estonian for a holder, master, or owner-occupier is ''haldaja''. Haltija is sometimes written as ''haltia''. Nowadays this more old-fashioned spelling often refers to the

elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes " ...

Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works '' The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawl ...

's books or other fantasy literature.

Folk and power

Some haltijas are divided into races or folks, which are called väki. ''Väki'' is a polysemic term, and has been used in multiple conflicting meanings, and assigning only one definition to it is not consistent with the source material. ''Väki'' means either "strength/power" or "group/corps (of people)" (e.g. ''väkiviina'' "strong liquor" vs. ''sotaväki'' "the military"), of which the meaning of "power" is etymologically older. The meaning of ''väki'' meaning "folk" is the result of the anthropomorphication of abstract concepts like "kalman väki", ''the power of dead spirits''. It does not constitute a separate supernatural force like

mana According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being ...

, but is a generic concept for "potency" or "power", including and not separately distinguishing magical potency. There are different kind of väkis of haltijas, like ''veden väki'' (water folk) or ''metsän väki'' (forest folk). In this context, the word ''väki'' can refer to them as a folk, their magical powers, or usually both at the same time. For example, if someone gets sick while swimming, this could be caused by ''väki'' of water that become attached to a person. In this sense ''väki'' is more like a magical power emanating from water that can make people ill, but it can also mean that ''haltijas'' (spirits) are attached to a person. In comparison, if someone goes fishing, they can ask for ''väki'' of water to bring fish by calling individual ''haltijas'' belonging to that ''väki'' by their names, wherein ''väki'' is understood more as a folk. Some väkis of haltijas: *Väki of

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

(metsän väki) means haltijas of forest. Their leader is Tapio, the king of the forest. It also means magical powers of the forest. *Väki of

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

(veden väki) means haltijas of water. Their leader is Ahti, the king of the sea. Veden väki is also the magical power of water that can make people sick or heal them. *Väki of woman (naisen väki) is usually understood as special magical powers of women. *Väki of

death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

(kalman väki) means ghosts and spirits, but also the magical power that can be found in a graveyard. This power can make people ill and it can also be used against other people. *Väki of

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...

: (tulen väki) means spirits of fire, but also the destructive forces of fire and healing power of warm air, for example in a

. *Väki of mountain (vuoren väki) usually means the haltijas of hills and big stones. *Väki of

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin ...

(puun väki) means the race of haltijas of trees, and also the power of wooden material, which can cause pain if you are hit by a wooden object. *Väki of

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

(raudan väki) means haltijas of iron. They can hurt people who are hit by bladed weapons. Väki of iron can also be commanded to heal the wounds they have given. Haltija väkis of different environments and materials were thought to be in conflict with each other. For example, when wood is burned, it is an assault in which väki of fire is beating väki of wood. Väki of fire can be used to scare other väki away. For example, if you were made ill by väki of water, that attached to you while you were swimming, this väki and the illness could be removed in sauna, which had many väki of fire.

References

{{Fairies Elves Fairies Finnish legendary creatures Tutelary deities Estonian legendary creatures Nature spirits

Folk and power

See also

References