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A piru is a fiend or demon in Finnish mythology. It was borrowed from Slavic mythology and was the counterpart of Perun, Slavic thunder god.[1] However, piru lost its original meaning and refers to only demon in Finnish mythology.[1]

In folklore, a piru is often featured as a nasty spirit of the forest with which a smart aleck either wins or loses a battle of wits, giving or receiving a forfeit in return. In many cases, poltergeist and haunting phenomena are described as "pirus". The Devil may be referred to as (proper noun) Piru, or Pääpiru, the main piru.[citation needed]

"Piru" is also a mild swearword in Finnish.

References

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  1. ^ a b Haavio, Martti (1964). "The Oldest Source of Finnish Mythology: Birchbark Letter No. 292". Journal of the Folklore Institute. 1 (1/2): 57. doi:10.2307/3814030. JSTOR 3814030.
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