Tursaansydän
Tursaansydän (Finnish, literary "Heart of Tursas ") or Mursunsydän (Finnish, literary "Heart of the walrus") is a historical symbol from Northern Europe. It was especially popular in Lapland and some believe that it was used in rites by shamans. The symbol comes from prehistoric times and contains the swastika .
The Tursaansydän was seen as a good luck charm and a protector from diseases. Another function in Finland was the use of the Tursaansydän as an ornament on wooden furniture. During the 18th century, the simpler swastika became more popular as a decoration than the more complicated Tusaansydän.
It is believed that the Tursaansydän could be the image of a flying and rotating hammer of the lightning god ( Ukko in Finland or Thor in Scandinavia). Another theory is that it is the image of the heart of a being like the tursas or walrus. However, the Tursaansydän probably had many different meanings throughout the time.
Bibliography
- Ilmar Talve : Suomen kansankulttuuri (= Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seuran toimituksia. 514). 3., tarkistettu ja taydennetty painos. Seura, Helsinki 1990, ISBN 951-717-553-1 .
- Pieni tietosanakirja: Hakaristi
