Nine diseases is a concept from Finnish mythology, referring to the malevolent offspring of the goddess of death and disease, Louhi (or, in the Kalevala, Loviatar, the blind daughter of Tuoni, the god of death). According to the myth, Louhi/Loviatar was impregnated by the wind (or, in some versions, by the sea giant Iku-Turso / Meri-Tursas) and gave birth to nine (or, in some accounts, ten) sons who personify various diseases and afflictions.
In the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala (compiled by Elias Lönnrot), the nine named diseases are:
- Pistos – consumption (tuberculosis)
- Ähky – colic
- Luuvalo – gout
- Riisi – rickets
- Paise – ulcer
- Rupi – scab
- Syöpä – cancer
- Rutto – plague
- Unnamed ninth – described as a witch and the worst of all, personifying envy; banished by his mother to become the scourge of mankind.
Some versions of the myth list a tenth son (a witch), and other rune variants use more esoteric names such as Nuolennoutaja ("Retriever of arrow"), Painaja ("Strainer" or "nightmare"), Kielen kantaja ("Carrier of tongue"), Ohimoiden ottaja ("Taker of temples"), and Sydämen syöjä ("Eater of heart"), which may also be interpreted as names of diseases.
In the Kalevala (Rune XLV, "Birth of the Nine Diseases"), Louhi sends these diseases to the land of Kalevala to destroy its people, but they are ultimately defeated by the hero Väinämöinen through his healing songs and incantations.
The concept also appears in Ayurvedic tradition, where "nine diseases" refers to a group of infant ailments believed to be caused by malevolent celestial bodies or demons, linked to nine deities (Grahas) that affect infant health. However, the term is most prominently established in the context of Finnish mythology.
