Nyyrikki

Nyyrikki is transmitted in oral and early printed sources as a member of the Tapio household: described in collected tradition as a son of Tapio and Mielikki and as a named actor within the forest divinity family who supplies small prey to hunters. He is first attested in later summaries as appearing in print sources from the 16th century (noted in modern accounts as 'Nyrckes' in a 1551 mention who gave squirrels), and thereafter appears in regional runic songs and spells under variant names and genders.

Surviving runic songs, spells, and early mentions invoke Nyyrikki by name but do not supply a descriptive, consistent physical depiction in the cited materials. The available sources record his name-forms and roles in verbal tradition rather than detailed bodily appearance or costume.

In the tradition Nyyrikki is invoked in songs and spells to give or release small animals to hunters — primarily squirrels, and in some regional formulas rabbits, birds or other small game. Regional runic-song variants address him (or related name-forms) to 'give prey instead of holding onto them', indicating his role within a cosmology where named forest beings control distribution of animals to human hunters. Name-forms with similar functions appear across regions and may be gendered differently in different formulas.