Ethnographica et Folkloristica Carpathica 11. [antikvár]

Nation And Its Territory As Ritualized Space: Examining The Concept Of The Sacred As A Boundary Marker In Finland Anttonen, Veikko The semantic history of the term 'pylia' (sacred) in Finnish language The Finnish word 'pyha' denoting 'sacred' was adopted from proto-Ger-manic term *wiha- (> proto-Finnic -piisa) as early as in the Bronze Age, i.e. from 1500 to 500 BCE The root for proto-Germanic '-wiha- is *vik- (PIE *ueik-) denoting 'to separate'. The term "pyha' was used in the vernacular as an adjective to mark off prominent and exceptional natural places such as lakes, rivers, rapids, ponds, larger hills, capes, bays and feUs as outer borders which separated the wilderness areas (Fi. erankayntialue) of distinct population groups from each other. There are more than 200 place names all over the Baltic Sea Culture Area where the term occurs in a compound word as an appellative designation for a place. The question is why these places were designated as pyha, i.e. sacred? Should we understand the prehistoric iQYmpyha meaning something altogether different from what it does today? Did it, perhaps, have none of the religious connotation that it has in Christian parlance and in popular discourse in today's Finland? What the 'sanctity' of the places actually entailed? According to my findings, the term was used only when all of the following conditions obtained: 1) The place was situated outside in an uninhabited area in the wilderness. 2) There were no previous names in this area. The attribute p^/^iâ is first name to be given in the place. The place or the area designated by the ievmpyha was newly occupied land; the first people ever in the area had just taken the land into their possession. 3) The place had a special function for the people whose territory it belonged to and who had the right to use its natural resources.^ "pyha-^lace" was used as boundary marking tlie limits of the occupied territory and of the right of exploitation. 4) The "p2//i«-place" as a boundary point was chosen from among the topogi-aphically exceptional or anomalous places in the region, or from places where routes intersected. Since the term pylUi appeared in similar places all