Large archaeological excavations where medieval soil layers are
studied have lately been conducted almost yearly in the city of Turku.
This fieldwork has sometimes unearthed curios finds, such as an
upside-down buried goat skull by a boundary marker between building
plots. Such finds offer previously unknown evidence of the medieval
worldview in south-western Finland, especially since local written
sources on medieval everyday lived religion are rare.

This paper introduces three cases of material signs of folk religion
that archaeologists have discovered in the medieval soil layers of
Turku. Moreover, it is discussed how we can interpret these signs and
what they reveal of everyday religion. The striking proximity of the
centre of institutionalized religion manifested as the Cathedral of
Turku offer an intriguing viewpoint to the discussion. The fourth case
study reveals the complicated entanglement of different religious
practices. It is argued that dealing with the “otherworld” was more than
a question of theology versus superstition.