Tattarisuo case
The Tattarisuo case was a Finnish criminal case that took place in the 1930s in Tattarisuo, then part of Helsinki Rural Municipality. After about a year of difficult investigations, it became clear that behind the deed was a small group practicing black magic, who had robbed human body parts from the so-called line graves left open in the Malmi Cemetery and used them in their rituals at the Tattarisuo spring and its immediate vicinity. The case has remained one of the most notorious events in Finnish criminal history.[1][2]
Initial investigation
[edit]
A 14-year-old student found a severed woman's hand on 19 August 1930, in the spring of Tattarisuo. It alarmed the police, but then was forgotten until 18 September 1931, when more mutilated human body parts—several hands, feet, fingers, hair, and a head—were found in the same spring.[2][3] The discoveries caused an uproar in the Finnish media.[4]
Suspects
[edit]Finnish Freemasons, Oddfellows and the members of the Ruusu-Risti organization were suspected owing to a local belief that they allegedly used human body parts in rituals.[5][2] Although these organizations were ultimately found to be innocent, the controversy stirred by the case led to the Freemasons being excluded from the Finnish Officers' Union.[6] A small head cheese factory in Sörnäinen was another suspect.[2][7] The information supposedly connecting the factory to the case was proven false and the newspaper that reported it had to pay fines, but the Finnish saying "traces lead to the head cheese factory (jäljet johtavat sylttytehtaaseen)" remained in use.[7]
Perpetrators
[edit]The main perpetrators behind the mutilations were the well-known driver Vilho Kallio, also known as "Noita-Kallio" ("Kallio the Witch"), who lived at Hämeentie 72 in Helsinki, port worker Ville Saari and Johan Ilmari Hedman, and a couple of women were also involved. The perpetrators had cut the body parts with a knife at night in the light of an electric lamp from the line graves in the Malmi Cemetery and then taken them to custody either at the spring of Tattarinsuo or in a hiding place located in the Malmi Cemetery.[2] Their purpose was to practice black magic, with the help of the body parts, and get in touch with the spirit world. In doing so, they would get information and powers from there to cure diseases, recover stolen property and other similar purposes.[2] Among other things, they were supposed to get success for Hedman's mother in the lawsuit she had filed to have her son declared an illegitimate child of the late Dr. Walter Parviainen, and then get a share of the 20 million Finnish marks Parviainen left behind. Kallio had already practiced healing the sick for several years,[2] and he had used water from the Tattarisuo spring, which she believed had healing power from the body parts kept in the spring.[8]
The perpetrators were instructed to carry out the mutilations based on the visions of seamstress Ida Viden. Viden had read mysterious letters and sentences on the wall that told how the mutilation was to be done. Viden and Kallio also went to pray at the Malmi cemetery according to the instructions given by The Black Bible.[2] They had already visited the Lapinlahti Cemetery 10 years earlier to pray in order to find out about a case of missing money.[9]
Arrest and trial
[edit]On 28 September 1932, the main perpetrators of the case were sentenced to imprisonment for mutilation of the body by the court of Helsinki, and the sentences were upheld by the Supreme Court of Finland. Kallio received a two-year and four-month prison sentence, Saari received a three-year prison sentence, and Viden received a three-year sentence for incitement to mutilation and false reporting.[10][2]
In popular culture
[edit]Thriller writer Aarne Haapakoski's debut work Mustalais-suon arvoitus (1931) and Aki Ollikainen's novel Musta satu (2015) are based on the Tattarisuo case.[11]
Sources
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Rikkonen, Vilho (1931). Vainajainpalvontataikoja tunnettujen kauhutapausten johdosta [The Rites of Dead Worshipers Due to Known Horror Cases] (in Finnish). Kirjapaino Tarmo.
- Häkkinen, Perttu; Iitti, Vesa (2015). Valonkantajat, Välähdyksiä suomalaisesta salatieteestä (in Finnish). Like kustannus Oy. ISBN 978-952-01-1158-8.
- Ylikotila, Jaakko (2013). Ruumiinsilpomista, vapaamuurareita ja politiikkaa (in Finnish). Tampere University.
- Waltari, Pyry (2011). Kun kansa itse ratkaisee arvoituksen : Tattarisuon tapauksen määrittely käytännöllisessä diskurssissa (in Finnish). Helsinki University.
References
[edit]- ^ Aapro, Wesa (9 December 2019). "The Dead Are Speaking - A Feature-length Audio Drama for Smart Speakers". Yle. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Palmén, Tiia (11 August 2024). "Tattarisuon mysteeri: Lähteestä löytyi kymmenien ruumiiden osia – tekijäksi paljastui kuusihenkinen noitapiiri". MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Häkkinen & Iitti, 2015, p. 51–52.
- ^ Häkkinen & Iitti, 2015, p. 55–59.
- ^ Häkkinen & Iitti, 2015, p. 58.
- ^ Forsgård, Nils Erik (2001). "Katsaus vapaamuurareiden historiaan". Historiallisia Arvosteluja (in Finnish). Historiallinen Yhdistys. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ a b Virkkunen, Sakari (1981). Suomen kielen sanakirjat 2: Suomalainen fraasisanakirja (in Finnish). Helsinki: Otava. p. 104. ISBN 951-1-06223-9.
- ^ "Tattarinsuon arvoitus selvitetty". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 13 August 1932.
- ^ "Silpominen pantiin toimeen näkymättömissä kirjoituksissa annettujen määräysten mukaan". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 13 August 1932.
- ^ "Tattarisuon juttu pois päiväjärjestyksestä. Noita-Kallion y.m. tuomiot vahvistettu". Laatokka (in Finnish). 13 October 1934.
- ^ Majander, Antti (7 May 2015). "Tällainen on kevään kirjatapaus: Suvun miesten kohtalo kiertyy ruumiinpalasilla täytettyyn lähteeseen". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 14 May 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Elävä Arkisto: Tattarisuon mysteeri tihkui mustaa magiaa, Yle, 30 April 2015. (in Finnish)
- Tattarisuon arvoitus ratkaistu, Kansan kuvalehti, 19 August 1932. (in Finnish)
- Tattarinsuon salaisuus paljastettu, Suomen Kuvalehti, 20 August 1932. (in Finnish)
