Kummakivi (Strange Stone), Ruokolahti, Finland

Kummakivi is a large balancing rock found in a scenic forest region of Ruokolahti, a municipality in the region of South Karelia, in the southeastern part of Finland. The 7-metre long boulder lies on a convex bedrock surface with a very small footprint but so firmly that it cannot be rocked with human force. Kummakivi has been protected since 1962. A pine tree originating from the 1980s grows on top of the boulder. The boulder is located in a forest in the western part of the Ruokolahti municipality, near the border of Puumala.

The Kummakivi Balancing Rock is This feature consists of two boulders, one perched precariously on the top of the other. Although the upper rock looks as though it would roll off at any given moment, this has not happened. Additionally, if a human being were to apply force to the rock, it would not budge even the slightest bit.The name of this Finnish balancing rock, ‘Kummakivi’, has been translated to mean ‘strange rock’. Two rocks make up this unusual geological formation. The rock on the bottom has the shape of a curved mound. It is lodged in the earth, and has a smooth, convex surface. Resting on the top of this bedrock is another huge rock. The contact point between these two rocks is rather small, and it looks as though the upper rock is performing an impossible balancing act.

It is likely that this group of people tried to move the Kummakivi Balancing Rock with their own hands. Realising, however, that the physical force that they applied to it failed to move it, they speculated that a supernatural force must have moved the boulder to the site. The mythology of Finland is filled with supernatural creatures such as trolls and giants. Such creatures are believed to possess physical strength beyond that of any mere mortal. Moreover, some of these creatures have also been associated with rocky landscapes. For instance, a hiisi (‘hiidet’ in plural) is a type of giant in Finnish mythology said to dwell in rocky landscapes. Finnish folklore also states that such creatures have the habit of throwing boulders around, creating cairns, and carving out strange holes in rocky outcrops (which are believed to have been used by these giants to churn milk). Thus, the explanation provided by local folklore for the Kummakivi Balancing Rock is that it was brought / rolled / thrown there by a giant / troll.

Geologists however have provided an alternate explanation for the formation of the Kummakivi Balancing Rock. It has been speculated that the huge rock had been brought there by glaciers during the last glacial period. When the glaciers retreated from the area to the north, about 12000 years ago, this rock was left behind, and hence became the Kummakivi Balancing Rock.