Töppönen boulder field

Eevinpisto Halsua

The Töppösen luolikko boulder field is an ancient shore comprising 7.5 square kilometres in Halsua. In addition to groves and bogs, the field encompasses vast areas of boulders. About 7000–8000 years ago, after the continental glacier had melted, enormous waves washed away the finest soil and left only the rocks that had been torn and rounded by storms. “One can only imagine how high these waves were if they could move boulders that sometimes weighed several tonnes,” as Hans-Peter Schulz (2004, 15) has noted. As a result of land uplift, the seashore gradually shifted westward and the large boulder field remained on dry land. This gave birth to an unusual mosaic landscape, which can also be called “a rocky sea”. The area has been preserved mainly in a natural state.

There is no scientific explanation for the place name Töppönen, but we can rely on old legends saying that a giant’s footprints (töppönen = e.g. felt boot) have been found on the rocks. A slightly more ordinary explanation is that a squirrel hunter’s footwear would have been stuck between the rocks. It has also been suggested that the name Töppönen comes from the old Swedish word döppa, which at least in Västerbotten in the Swedish Lapland has meant “someone hiding underground” and “boulder-field elf”.