Finnish folklore claimed the Vironsusi werewolf massacred 100 Soviet troops stationed in the Khibiny Mountains during the Winter War. Pic credit: via Forgotten History/YouTube
An episode of Forgotten History examined a bizarre theory paranormal researchers proposed to explain the mystery surrounding the destruction of a Soviet reconnaissance company consisting of 100 men during the Winter War (see video below).
According to paranormal researchers, a werewolf attacked and destroyed the entire force. The incident left the Soviet authorities deeply shaken. It weakened their resolve to continue the war.
The Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland started on November 30, 1939, and ended on March 13, 1940, with the signing of a peace treaty in Moscow.
Mystery surrounding destruction of Soviet unit
Speculation among paranormal investigators about the possible involvement of supernatural forces in the Winter War has deep roots in Finnish folklore and pre-Christian religious legends.
Reports of unexplained mass deaths among invading Soviet forces when Finnish troops were nowhere near sparked theories of supernatural intervention in the war.
An unexplained incident involved the destruction of a reconnaissance company of about 100 Soviet troops in January 1940 when no Finnish formations fired at them.
Paranormal researchers noted that the Finns never took credit for the destruction of the force, and no Finnish casualties were ever associated with the incident.
The strange circumstances raised questions about who or what was responsible.
Ancient beliefs of Finnish tribes
Although Finland in the early twentieth century was predominantly Christian, the country had non-Christian minority groups that continued to follow the pre-Christian religious traditions of their ancestors.
Such groups, including the Sami Laplanders and Karelians, followed ancient shamanistic and polytheistic belief systems. Many were members of the Finish military. They fought the Soviets and took their beliefs to the battlefronts.
The beliefs proved influential amid the stress of war.
The religions recognized certain places, such as the Vottovaara Mountains and the Khibiny Mountains, as sacred precincts or supernatural places humans should avoid.
The Sami believed the Vironsusi werewolf lived in the mountains
Many strange events happened during the war that Finnish troops interpreted in the context of their polytheistic ancient traditions. One of the strangest occurred during the Battle of Kollaa, which raged from December 1939 to March 1940.
The Soviets decided to occupy strategic positions in the 3000-ft-high Khibiny Mountains. The Sami warned them not to go to the mountain because malevolent entities lived there.
According to Sami tradition, the most fearsome of the resident spirits was Vironsusi, a Sami werewolf demon.
Vironsusi werewolf massacred Soviet troops
The atheistic communists laughed at the stories about a werewolf demon living in the mountains. They dismissed it as the imagination of superstitious people.
The commanders sent a reconnaissance force of 100 men up the mountains. Finnish troops watched without intervening.
The Soviet troops took positions and waited for the main force to arrive. But soon after, the Finns heard the din of battle in the mountains. Finnish commanders were baffled because they did not order their units to attack. They heard fighting but had no idea who the Soviets were fighting.
The battle raged for two days. On the third day, the Finns sent scouts to see what happened. The men returned with the shocking report that Soviet dead littered the mountaintop. No one had any clue who attacked and killed the entire Soviet unit.
They also reported that the corpses seemed ripped apart by predatory creatures instead of by an army firing bullets, shells, grenades, and bombs.
What attacked the Soviet forces remains a mystery to this day, but the Finnish locals ascribed the slaughter to the werewolf Vironsusi.