Peko
Encyclopedia
Peko is an ancient Estonia
n and Finnish
god of crops, especially barley and brewing. In the area of Setumaa, between Estonia and Russia
, inhabited by the seto-speaking Setos, the cult
of Peko was alive until the 20th century. Today, the Seto
people (an ethnic group of Estonians in the south-east of the country) also revere Peko as their national hero and king, the name and figure are widely used as a national symbol.
in 1551 as the god of Karelians
.
Peko is sometimes associated with Estonian Pikne
(Pitkne), Baltic Perkunas
or even Christian Saint Peter
.
festivities, before the dawn broke, young Seto men held a ritual fight until the first drop of blood was shed. The bleeding person became the host of the next year's feast. Black candles were lit to revere wooden idols
of Peko. The people chanted "Peko, Peko, come to drink the beer" and some older men called the priests of Peko made sacrifices.
The second holiday dedicated to Peko was held after the harvest. Peko was also revered during Candlemas and Midsummer
feasts. The carved idols of Peko were kept hidden in granaries around the year. The head of the idol typically had holes for candles.
has created the epic "Songs of Peko" where Peko is depicted as a Setonian hero. Peko is in eternal sleep in the cave. When someone calls his name, he brings the rain to the fields. If people of his kin remember his advice and work hard, Peko sends them abundant crops. Peko is praised as a warrior who frees the country, as a hunter who gives bear skins to villagers and as a host of wedding feasts. He ploughs the field with a wooden plough and protects the people against evil spirits who make people to drink too much. Pekos' spirit can also fly around as a butterfly.
The supposed grave of Peko is under an old oak tree near the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery.
He also appears in a song of Korpiklaani, a Finnish folk-metal group. The song is called "Pellonpekko".
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n and Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
god of crops, especially barley and brewing. In the area of Setumaa, between Estonia and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, inhabited by the seto-speaking Setos, the cult
Cult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
of Peko was alive until the 20th century. Today, the Seto
Setos
Setos are an autochthonous ethnic and linguistic minority in south-eastern Estonia and north-western Russia. Setos are mostly Seto-speaking Orthodox Christians of Estonian nationality. Their dialect, that some consider an independent language - the Seto language belongs to the Finnic group of the...
people (an ethnic group of Estonians in the south-east of the country) also revere Peko as their national hero and king, the name and figure are widely used as a national symbol.
Legend
In Finland, Peko is known as Pellon Pekko (Peko of the field). He is the protector of the fields and brewer of the beer, first mentioned by bishop AgricolaMikael Agricola
Mikael Agricola was a clergyman who became the de facto founder of written Finnish and a prominent proponent of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden . He is often called the "father of the Finnish written language". Agricola was consecrated as the bishop of Turku in 1554, without papal approval...
in 1551 as the god of Karelians
Karelians
The Karelians are a Baltic-Finnic ethnic group living mostly in the Republic of Karelia and in other north-western parts of the Russian Federation. The historic homeland of Karelians includes also parts of present-day Eastern Finland and the formerly Finnish territory of Ladoga Karelia...
.
Peko is sometimes associated with Estonian Pikne
Pikne
Pikne is the god of lightning in Estonian mythology.-Legend:In the Middle Ages, the pagan priests made animal sacrifices to Pikne...
(Pitkne), Baltic Perkunas
Perkunas
Perkūnas was the common Baltic god of thunder, one of the most important deities in the Baltic pantheon. In both Lithuanian and Latvian mythology, he is documented as the god of thunder, rain, mountains, oak trees and the sky.-Etymology:...
or even Christian Saint Peter
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
.
Traditions
Before PentecostPentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
festivities, before the dawn broke, young Seto men held a ritual fight until the first drop of blood was shed. The bleeding person became the host of the next year's feast. Black candles were lit to revere wooden idols
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
of Peko. The people chanted "Peko, Peko, come to drink the beer" and some older men called the priests of Peko made sacrifices.
The second holiday dedicated to Peko was held after the harvest. Peko was also revered during Candlemas and Midsummer
Midsummer
Midsummer may simply refer to the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, but more often refers to specific European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different...
feasts. The carved idols of Peko were kept hidden in granaries around the year. The head of the idol typically had holes for candles.
Modern Appearances
Setonian folksinger Anne VabarnaAnne Vabarna
Anne Vabarna is considered to be the greatest Setu Singer and regarded one of the greatest and most important singers of Finno-Ugric peoples. In her lifetime over 140,000 verses were recorded from the singer. She is mainly known for her composition of the Setu national epic 'Peko', depicting the...
has created the epic "Songs of Peko" where Peko is depicted as a Setonian hero. Peko is in eternal sleep in the cave. When someone calls his name, he brings the rain to the fields. If people of his kin remember his advice and work hard, Peko sends them abundant crops. Peko is praised as a warrior who frees the country, as a hunter who gives bear skins to villagers and as a host of wedding feasts. He ploughs the field with a wooden plough and protects the people against evil spirits who make people to drink too much. Pekos' spirit can also fly around as a butterfly.
The supposed grave of Peko is under an old oak tree near the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery.
He also appears in a song of Korpiklaani, a Finnish folk-metal group. The song is called "Pellonpekko".
See also
- Estonian mythologyEstonian mythologyEstonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging the Estonian folk heritage and literary mythology.Information about the pre-Christian and medieval Estonian mythology is scattered in historical chronicles, travellers' accounts and in ecclesiastical registers...
- Finnish mythologyFinnish mythologyFinnish mythology is the mythology that went with Finnish paganism which was practised by the Finnish people prior to Christianisation. It has many features shared with fellow Finnic Estonian mythology and its non-Finnic neighbours, the Balts and the Scandinavians...
- The second part of the Song of Peko by Anne Vabarna (in the Seto language, with a foreword in Estonian)
- Article on Peko from the web of the Seto Kingdom (in Estonian)
- Reports on the cult of Peko from the Estonian Folklore Archives (via the LEPP database; in Estonian)