Now Viewing: tonttuTag type: General Haltija (haltia) is a spirit, gnome or elf-like creature in Finnish mythology, that guards, helps or protects something or somebody. The word is possibly derived from the Gothic *haltijar, and referred to the original settler of a homestead — although this is not the only possible etymology. In common Finnish, depending on the context, "haltija" means holder, occupant, lord, master, owner-occupier, occupier, possessor, bearer, or owner. There are lots of different haltijas. Nature has its own haltijas, for example the haltijas of water and haltijas of the forest. The graveyard has its own haltijas, Kalman väki, ("folk of death"). Human settlements have haltijas. One type is Tonttu or Maan haltija (Haltija of land). Tonttu is a Finnish version of the Swedish Tomte. Both tonttu and tomte are related to the words tontti (Finnish) and tomt (Swedish). They mean a lot and building site, and later protected by a local spirit, a tonttu (tomte is also known as tomtegubbe, "lot old man" in Swedish) . Kotihaltija (home elf, home gnome) is the word for the tonttu who lives in every home. He takes care of the house, but it is important to treat him with respect. The saunatonttu lives in the sauna and protects it, but also makes sure that people will not behave improperly in it. Joulutonttu is Finnish for Christmas elf. Unlike some Christmas elves, the Finnish Joulutonttu is thought not to have pointy ears. Excerpted from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonttu Other Wiki Information Last updated: 10/18/12 7:49 AM by HockeyKamen This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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