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Description
Hiisi is a Finnish forest spirit who is often confrontational towards people. His appearance is described extremely vaguely and in various sources he appears in different images - a humanoid forest creature, a giant, an elk and even a hornet or a mouse. There is also an opinion that the name Hiisi is applicable to a group of mythological creatures that have different appearances and shapes, but are united by their dislike for people. However, in karelian legends, Hiisi is more neutral and serves as the Master of the Forest (which is attributed to Tapio in Finnish mythology). Hiisi is also often associated with Lempo (originally an archaic spirit of fertility), so that in some sources their names may be used interchangeably. In Kalevala, Hiisi and Lempo sometimes appear as separate beings from each other, sometimes as one spirit with two names. For example, in the scene of the creation of the Hiisi Elk, they appear as separate spirits who together create this beast from rotten branches, lichens and other similar things. However, in the scene of Väinämöinen's wounding, the name Hiisi is used synonymously with Lempo and vice versa, that is, in this passage they appear as one spirit.

Description
Hiisi is a Finnish forest spirit who is often confrontational towards people. His appearance is described extremely vaguely and in various sources he appears in different images - a humanoid forest creature, a giant, an elk and even a hornet or a mouse. There is also an opinion that the name Hiisi is applicable to a group of mythological creatures that have different appearances and shapes, but are united by their dislike for people. However, in karelian legends, Hiisi is more neutral and serves as the Master of the Forest (which is attributed to Tapio in Finnish mythology). Hiisi is also often associated with Lempo (originally an archaic spirit of fertility), so that in some sources their names may be used interchangeably. In Kalevala, Hiisi and Lempo sometimes appear as separate beings from each other, sometimes as one spirit with two names. For example, in the scene of the creation of the Hiisi Elk, they appear as separate spirits who together create this beast from rotten branches, lichens and other similar things. However, in the scene of Väinämöinen's wounding, the name Hiisi is used synonymously with Lempo and vice versa, that is, in this passage they appear as one spirit.