Pyhä-Luosto fell chain was born over 2 billion years ago. It is a remnant of one of the oldest mountains in the world. The Luosto fell chain is bordered in the north by the River Kitinen.

The Sámi called the fell chain ‘pyhä', which means ‘holy' or ‘sacred'. Pyhätunturi was a seita, the home of  supernatural powers.

According to some inter-pretations, the Finnish word luosto originates from luostâg (Inari Sámi) or luosttat (North Sámi), which both mean a reindeer that has light-coloured stripes.