Other Names: Iki-Turso, Turisas, Turras

Tursas (giant) In the Finnish epic poem The Kalevala (rune 2), a water spirit who aided the culture hero Vainamoinen in sowing the earth. At one time Vainamoinen found that although all of the seeds he planted made a rich forest, there was no oak, the “tree of heaven.” The reason was that the oak was asleep inside the acorn. The culture hero wondered how he could magically conjure it out of its hiding place. After Vainamoinen consulted five water maidens, the water spirit Tursas arose out of the waves. He burned hay that the water maidens had raked together and planted the acorn in the ashes of the hay. Quickly a tree arose that was so large it blotted out the sun. Terrified at what had happened, Vainamoinen wanted to destroy the oak. He called on his mother, Luonnotar, who sent a pygmy, armed with copper, who transformed himself into a giant and cut down the tree, scattering its trunk to the east, its top to the west, its leaves to the south, and its branches to the north. The chips from the fallen oak were later used to make magic arrows.

SOURCE:

Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante