The devil on Mount Kakon

The devil on Mount Kakon

On Mount Kakon (FI:Kakonvuori) is a deep hollow inhabited by a devil. This is what the ancient inhabitants of Savonranta said. The devil jumped on church boats, knocked down boats and robbed churchgoers’ lunch. The devil also had a treasure cache somewhere near Mount Kakon (FI: Kakonvuori) and is closely guarded.

The devil on Mount Kakon

The devil on Mount Kakon.

Kakonsalo in Savonranta used to be well known for its devil stories. People’s imagination was fuelled by the gloomy Mount Kakon, where the devil was believed, even known, to live and play his game with Tölkki-Tanninen, who lived near the mountain. Women still fear the gloomy Mount Kakon, and the area is not popular with lonely berry pickers. Especially the cawing of a crow on Mount Kakon evokes fearful feelings.

More devil stories were associated with the Tölkki-Tanninen house than with any other dwelling on Savonranta. The house is still standing. The occupants have changed, the devils have long since left. But the stories have remained.

Near the house is the large Lake Vuokalanjärvi, which used to be a generous fishing lake. Hordes of tadpoles worked on the lake until late at night. One party, after finishing their work, left for Tannis for the night. The house’s reputation was, of course, well known. But the fishermen were tired and perhaps curious. They found a place to put their backs to the beach.

The men had hardly closed their eyes when the rushing and banging began. The doors were banged so hard the hinges jangled. The rooms were overturned with a crash of stools and tables. The angry blower threw things against the walls and the whole house shook. The frightened people did not sleep a wink. The fishermen’s experiences spread along Savonranta. The secret of the devil on Mount Kakoni began to unravel. 

The devil often appeared to his servant in the form of a crow. When the devil was really angry, he would rush into the house in a whirl, the doors would slam and the benches and tables would fly.

The power of the old woman

One of the stories of Kakonvuori tells of an old woman who lived on the mountain and was believed to have mysterious powers. She was able to cure many diseases with her medicines, which she prepared from plants she gathered from the wild. She also performed spells and witchcraft tricks.
Once, the old woman put her neighbour’s cow in the woods.

They searched everywhere for her, but to no avail. The old woman had hidden the cow so that no one could see it, even if you walked right by. But this time she was wrong in her calculations. The animal should have been let out the next day. When she didn’t remember, a fierce wind blew up and took her over the horn into a mountain trap.

When a miserable moaning began to be heard from the mountain, the men went to see. And there the woman was found naked in the hollow of the mountain, her clothes in tatters. The cow was found the same day at the home slaughterhouse.

Coordinates: 6905450 N 604523 E

text: Aini Rössi

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