“It all comes from the ancient, mythological way of thinking. Folk were certain that every part and phenomenon of nature has a soul and everything is alive: a forest has a soul, as does water, the sky, wood, stone, fire, or the wind. From these a soul could evolve and manifest in the form of a haltija [m.] or haltijatar [f.] spirit [a custodian of a particular domain].”
— Maria Kundozerova, researcher in the Folklore and Literature Section in the Institute of Linguistics, Literature and History of the Karelian Research Centre.
Translated from the original Karelian by:
[ Wäinölä 🇫🇮 ]