"White Death" has been suggested to originate entirely in Finnish propaganda. During the war, the "White Death" was one of the leading themes of Finnish propaganda. Finnish newspapers frequently featured the invisible Finnish soldier, thus creating a hero of mythical proportions. Among Finns, Simo was nicknamed, Taika-Ampuja = "The Magic Shooter", which is also close to the Finnish word for "sniper" = Tarkka-Ampuja. Häyhä having the nickname, "White Death", first appeared in Finnish literature about the Winter War in the late 1980s. According to interviews with Russian POW's, "White Death" referred to the severe killing frost of the deep forest in Finland.