Perkele

Perkele is a god in Finnish mythology, whose identity was that of a God of Thunder. Perkele was referred to with a variety of names, including Ukko, meaning "an old man", "Lars", meaning shortness, and Ylijumala, meaning "the supreme god." The name is of Indo-European origin. Related gods are known in Latvia (Pērkons), Lithuania (Perkunas), Prussia (Percunis), Poland (Perkun, Perun, or Perkwunos), Russia (Perun) and Slovenia (Parkelj).

Perkele is also a common swearword in Finnish, meaning Satan. This meaning is younger and brought by the Christian church, with the goal of demonizing Finnish gods.

See also

• Perkwunos
• "Management by perkele"
• Finnish profanity