Jatuli

Jatulis, jatunis, metelis or metelinväki are giants from Finnish folklore. They had powerful magic powers and were antagonistic towards humans. They lived in cellars and pits dug into the mud of riverbanks. According to stories, different kinds of structures like stone walls or iron cutleries had been discovered from these places. Jatulis built stone labyrinths called jatulintarha (jatuli's garden). It was not wise for humans to approach them because the labyrinths had been bewitched so that it was difficult or even impossible to get out. Eventually, jatulis disappeared as human settlements increased. However, on their way out, they had cast spells on different places. In the 14th century, bishop Hemming arrived to bless those locations, which is possibly the reason why there is an island in the Kemijoki river called Messusaari ("Mass Island").

The names jatuli and jatuni originated from the Norse giants jotun. Meteli means noise or racket. In the 20th century, it was still told in Southern Lapland that jatulis had inhabited Lapland before the Sámi. It is possible that there is a connection to the Sámi giants jiehtanas. Jatulintarhas still remain, as do many place names referring to these giants, such as Jatuninselkä (Jatuni's Back), Jatulinsaari (Jatuli's Island) and Metelinniemi (Meteli's Cape).

Local stories
Close to Metelinniemi, in Paltamo, is a lake called Kivesjärvi. According to an old story, it was a meteli or a piru who had created this lake by taking a piece of land and throwing it into the nearby Oulujärvi lake. This also resulted in the emergence of the Manamansalo island in Oulujärvi. The locals believed that Manamansalo and Kivesjärvi were of the same shape and had the equal amount of islands and lakes within them, 67 (“seihtemän seitentä lampie, seihtemän seitentä soarta”).