“One of the most widely-spread of popular superstitions is that relating to stones having a natural perforation. These are everywhere believed to be inimical to all kinds of witchcraft, but more especially are they reckoned as protectors against the much-dreaded yet ever-present Evil Eye.” The above citation is how Frederick Thomas Elworthy started his short… Continue reading The “Holiness” of Holed Stones
The Sprain String
”Jesus rides to church With a horse coloured as a pike, Shaped as a black salmon. The horse sprained its leg. Mary stepped down from the cart To look at the sprain; Bound with blue strings, Thread with red strings, Joined flesh, matched bones, Knotted veins together.” (Hako, M. Kansanomainen lääkintätietous, SKS. Page 45.) This… Continue reading The Sprain String
The Needle of Death
Of the many types of magical power that were utilized in Finnish folk magic practices, the power of death may seem the grimmest one. This power could be accessed through any object that had come into contact with a dead body. One very typical way to invoke the power was by retrieving soil or even… Continue reading The Needle of Death
The Unique Witch’s Stone
Most of the magic objects that occur in the Finnish museum collections are common in the sense that either there are similar objects in the collections or at least they are mentioned in folklore accounts. As to every rule, there are a few exceptions. One of these exceptions is a so-called witch’s stone (Fi. noitakivi).… Continue reading The Unique Witch’s Stone
What’s special about the badger?
The European badger (Meles meles) is a nocturnal animal. (Photo by BadgerHero - CC BY-SA 3.0) One of the magic objects in the collection of the National Museum of Finland is the foot of a badger (Meles meles; Fin. mäyrä). It belonged to the cunning man Juho Sarkkinen in Tohmajärvi and came to the museum… Continue reading What’s special about the badger?
Cross-Cultural Cross Stones
This cross stone (staurolite crystal) belonged to a cunning man from Iisalmi before 1894 when it was bought by the museum. National Museum of Finland (KM F1249). Photo by S. Hukantaival. There are nine so-called cross stones (ristikivi) in the magic objects collection of the National Museum of Finland. One of these is a smooth,… Continue reading Cross-Cultural Cross Stones
Snake-medicine and Envious Eyes
"When building a cowshed, or also when it is already built, a hole is drilled into the threshold and the head cut off of a living snake is put inside; the hole is then plugged with a rowan wood plug. Then envious eyes cannot harm the cattle and luck is ensured" (SKMT IV, 1: I… Continue reading Snake-medicine and Envious Eyes
The Strange Imatra Stones
There are seven strange limestone formations among the magic objects in the National Museum of Finland. Two of these are called “Imatra stones” (Imatrankivi) in the catalogue. Imatra stones are chalk coagulates that were formed in clay deposits of the River Vuoksi area during the melting phase of the Ice Age. They are often curiously… Continue reading The Strange Imatra Stones
The Burdensome Journey of Collecting Magic Objects
How did the magic objects end up in the museum collections? Most of these objects were collected in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this period, there was a huge effort to collect the “folk culture” of Finland to be preserved in archives and museums. Thus, researchers, students, schoolteachers, and other interested individuals… Continue reading The Burdensome Journey of Collecting Magic Objects
The Stoat – A “Furry Venomous Snake”
Among other animal remains, the magic object collections include a few heads or dried carcasses of stoats (Mustela erminea, Fin. kärppä). Where it is quite easy to understand the powerfulness of big predators, such as the bear, it may be a bit more puzzling why a stoat could be seen as useful in folk magic… Continue reading The Stoat – A “Furry Venomous Snake”
Archaeology of Folk Religion 