Jumaluudet

Jumaluudet is the plural form of jumala, a Finnish word for a god or deity. In Finnish, jumala denotes a single divine being, while jumaluudet refers to multiple gods or types of divine power. The term is used in discussions of Finnish myth, folklore and religious history, as well as in contemporary neopagan and scholarly contexts.

Historically, Finnic spirituality was characterized by a diverse set of deities associated with nature, crafts and kinship to places rather than a fixed canonical pantheon. There was often no single ruler of the gods; instead, a range of beings could be invoked depending on location and ritual. Widely cited figures include Ukko, the god of the sky and thunder; Tapio, the forest deity; Ahti, the sea god; and Ilmarinen, the smith. Some spirits or personified forces, such as Luonnotar, functioned as nature powers rather than as fully autonomous gods. The concept of a supreme creator emerges in later Christian-influenced Finnish thought, but traditional belief tends toward a multiform cosmos in which many jumaluudet coexist.

In modern Finland, jumaluudet appears in academic writing on Finnic religion and in neopagan movements such as Suomenusko, which seek to reconstruct or reinterpret older beliefs. The plural form also helps distinguish deities from the Christian concept of God, Jumala, used in Finnish-language Christian discourse.