Kultapyörä

Mettänneitty

Names:	Haapaneitty Metsänneito Metsänpiika Metänneito Mettänneiti Mettänneitty Mettänneittyt Mettänpiika Mettäpiika Mätneite Mätneity

Mettänneitty is a forest maiden in Western Finnish folklore. (The sole Kainuian runosong reference to them is from the 20th century and was thus likely born out of Western Finnish influence). Mettänneitty is like the Swedish skogsrå; a beautiful forest maiden dressed in blue (or white) silk and jewellery from the front, but an ugly trunk (or a pitchfork or a dugout) from the back. This is why, when she's leaving, she walks backwards not to show her back. She is described as having blonde, curly hair.

Typically, one or multiple forest maidens could arrive at a huntsman's campfire to dance; there are multiple references to them dancing. A forest maiden also tried to seduce a huntsman for sexual intercourse. It's better if you don't even touch her, as in that case, seeing her can actually give you good hunting luck. Some sources say the forest maidens only appear in birch forests, and do tricks on huntsmen and shepherds.

The forest maidens, while popular in fairytales, were never worshipped in Finland. In Rear Bothnia, a similar figure is called metsänemäntä, originally an epithet of Mielikki's.

Etymology

Mettänneitty, variants	Literally "forest maiden".
Haapaneitty	Literally "aspen maiden". It comes from the word haapio "a dugout made of aspen", as her back is said to have been empty like a dugout.