Iron Age Cemeteries and Hiisi Sites: Is There a Connection?

This article discusses the Finnish hiisi sites which were listed in the 1967 doctoral thesis of the linguist Mauno Koski. Based on place names, Koski associated 14 Iron Age cemeteries with hiisi sites. Cup-marked stones, sacred trees and springs which have been found in the vicinity of these hiisi sites also seem to imply a connection between cemeteries and cult locations or sacred places. This connection, however, is debatable because there is nothing in these cemeteries that distinguishes these from other cemeteries of the period. Even the grave objects are by no means unique. The questions thus remain: What does the word ‘hiisi’ mean? Is it always possible to associate the hiisi sites with death and ancestor worship or could there be other explanations regarding their function?