maa-alused

maa-alused
In Estonian folk religion, mysterious elves living under the earth.

These small folk had suitably tiny possessions, and their world was differently oriented from the mortal world above them (up was down and right was left). People came in contact with them either by chance or at the elves' wish. Legends tell of distraught elves seeking help from humans in cases of difficult childbirth or illness. A human could marry an elf, but such marriages eventually dissolved. In Finland, such elves were called maahiset.

* * *

▪ Estonian folk character
      in Estonian folk religion, mysterious elflike small folk living under the earth. Corresponding to these are the Finnish maahiset and Lude muahiset, which refer both to the spirits and to an illness caused by them.

      These terms refer to beings living under the earth with an existence quite parallel to that of people living on earth. The main differences are in the opposite orientation of life, in which up becomes down and right becomes left, and in the diminution of all things possessed by the elflike creatures. In Finland the subterranean abode of the maahiset was believed to be a source of many kinds of skin disease, which were called by the same term. People came in contact with the maa-alused or maahiset either by chance or at the wish of the elves themselves. Legends tell of distraught elves seeking help from humans in difficult cases of childbirth or illness. A human could marry an elf, but such a marriage eventually dissolved as the spouse returned to his or her former home.

      The elf tradition is by no means homogeneous, carrying with it many often distinct concepts. Some scholars have considered the maa-alused to be spirits of the dead. Others place them in the realm of nature spirits. Often humans are forced to purchase the land on which they wish to build their homes from the previous spirit owners of the area. An equation of the elves with the former human inhabitants of the land has been offered as another explanation of their origin. The elves are also thought of as overseers of certain localities, and in this sense they blend with the haltia, the household spirit, and function as supernatural guardians of moral order among the humans dwelling on their territory.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Maa-alused — are, in Estonian folk religion, mysterious elf like creatures which live beneath the ground. They were believed to have a parallel existence to that of humans, the principle differences being that all orientations are reversed, such that up… …   Wikipedia

  • maa-alused — En la religión tradicional estonia, elfos misteriosos que vivían bajo tierra. Estos duendecillos tenían posesiones tan diminutas como ellos y su mundo estaba orientado en forma diferente del mundo mortal de la superficie (arriba era abajo y… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Nikolai Baturin — (* 5. August 1936 im Dorf Suislepa, heute Landgemeinde Tarvastu, Kreis Viljandi, Estland) ist ein estnischer Schriftsteller. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben und Werk 2 Romane 3 Gedichtanthologien …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Nikolai Baturin — (born August 5, 1936) is an award winning novelist and playwright in Estonia. Contents 1 Biography and career 2 Bibliography 2.1 Collections of poetry 2.2 …   Wikipedia

  • Riho Päts — (* 26. Juni 1899 in Tartu; † 15. Januar 1977 in Tallinn) war ein estnischer Komponist, Chorleiter und Musikpädagoge. Inhaltsverzeichnis …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Эстонская мифология — Эстонская мифология  комплекс мифов, легенд и верований эстонского народа. Древние эстонские верования могут быть восстановлены на основе фольклорного материала, собранного главным образом в XIX веке, а также старинных летописей и хроник.… …   Википедия

  • haltia — Among the Balto Finnic peoples, a guardian spirit of the household. In Finland it was the spirit of the first person to claim a site as property. Identical in appearance to this original owner, the haltia presided over the household and served as …   Universalium

  • Мазинг, Уку — В Википедии есть статьи о других людях с такой фамилией, см. Мазинг. Уку Мазинг эст. Uku Masing Имя при рождении: Hugo Albert Masing Род деятельности …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”