Where does “metsänhaltia” come from?

metsänhaltia (Finnish) comes from Finnish metsä, from Proto-Finnic *meccä, from Proto-Baltic medjas.

metsänhaltia (Finnish): forest spirit

Definitions

  1. forest spirit

Ancestry of “metsänhaltia”, step by step

metsänhaltia traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish metsä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishmetsäforest, woods; bush; hunting
2Proto-Finnic*meccä—
3Proto-Balticmedjas—

via Finnish haltia

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishhaltiaelf
2Finnishhaltijaholder, occupant; possessor, occupant; elf
3Proto-Norseᚺᚨᛚᛞᛁᛃᚨᛉholder
Every word from Proto-Baltic medjas →Every word from Proto-Finnic *meccä →Every word from Finnish metsä →