Ukko facts for kids

Different images (pendants) of weapons of sky god. These were common in Finland.

Ukko was a very important god in ancient Finnish paganism. This was a religion in Finland before Christianity became common. Ukko was known as the god of the sky and thunder. People believed he was an old man who lived high up in the sky. He had a special weapon, a hammer or an axe called Ukonvasara. People thought that lightning came from this powerful weapon.

Ancient Finns often wore small metal images of Ukko's weapon around their necks. They believed these pendants would protect them. They thought lightning would not strike people who wore these special images.

At Midsummer, which is a celebration around the longest day of the year, Finns would gather together. They would drink beer to honor Ukko. This special event was called the "toast of Ukko."

Ukko is similar to other sky gods from different cultures. For example, he is like Thor, who was a sky god for many people in Scandinavia. He is also similar to Perun, a sky god from the Baltic region.

Images for kids

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  Painting by Robert Ekman from 1867. It is called Lemminkäinen tulisella järvellä. In the painting, Lemminkäinen asks Ukko ylijumala for help. He needs to cross a lake of fire on his way to the wedding at Pohjola.

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  A boat-shaped battle axe from the Corded Ware culture. This axe was found in Närke, Sweden.

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  A simple drawing of a stone carving found in Karelia. People believe it shows features of both a snake and thunder.

See also

In Spanish: Ukko para niños