Metsänpeitto

Metsänpeitto is a term from Finnish mythology . Translated, it means " enveloped by the forest " and was used in connection with inexplicable cases of missing people or animals that disappeared in the forest. The Metsänpeitto is said to be caused by the Maahinen , small gnome-like beings who are said to live under the forest floor. They made sure that whoever rashly strayed into their area should be punished by the forest engulfing the intruder and not letting go. Others report that those in need of protection could be veiled by the beings in order to hide them.

In Finnish stories, people or even animals who were "enveloped by the forest" could no longer be distinguished from their surroundings. For example, they could take the form of a part of nature (e.g. a tree or stone) or become completely invisible. For those affected themselves, they lost their orientation, even if the terrain was already known, and walking or speaking could also become impossible. Sometimes no tones or noises from the forest could be perceived apart from complete silence. A fairy tale is about a man who had been looking for his cow for several days. After he turned back unsuccessfully and continued his work and sank his ax into the nearest tree, the tree stump turned back into the missing cow.

In individual cases, however, you could free yourself from the Metsänpeitto by putting on your shoes the wrong way round , turning your jacket over or looking upside down through your own legs. This was explained by the nature of the Maahinen, in whose world everything should go backwards. Pouring water on your own track or reciting magic formulas could also help. Sometimes the affected person was also released by the gnomes themselves or could be released again by a powerful shaman.

The Finnish documentary Metsänpeitto from 2012 deals with the subject by casting its gaze on a man who has alienated himself from normal life through his close connection to nature.

Web links

• Metsänpeitto (2012) at the IMDb