Ukko - Finnish Folklore

Finnish Folklore

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 emblematic 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).