Finnish mythology survived within an oral tradition of mythical poem-singing and folklore well into the 19th century.
Of the animals, the most sacred was the
bear, whose real name was never uttered out loud, which was thought to be unfavorable to the hunt. The bear ("karhu" in Finnish) was seen as the embodiment of the forefathers, and for this reason it was called by many circumlocutions: mesikämmen ("mead-paw"), otso ("browed one"), kontio ("dweller of the land"), metsän kultaomena ("the golden apple of the forest"). It was not strictly seen as a god.
History of study
The first historical mention of Finnish folk religion was by the
bishop and Lutheran reformer
Mikael Agricola (1510–1555) in the preface to his 1551
Finnish translation of the
Psalms.[1] Agricola supplied a list of purported deities of the
Häme (in Swedish, Tavastia) and
Karjala (Karelia). It detailed twelve deities in each region[1][2] with their supposed functions briefly set out in verse form.[1][3] (Some commentators state that only eleven deities were listed for Häme,[4] not counting Agricola's mention of Piru, the Devil). Due to the lists, Agricola is considered to be the father of the study of Finnish religious history and mythology.[1][5] Later scholars and students commonly quoted Agricola's lists as a historical source; only in the late eighteenth century did scholars begin to critically re-examine Agricola's work,[6] finding that most of the figures on his list were not gods, but local guardian spirits, figures from folk mythology or explanatory legends, cultural heroes, Christian saints under alternative names, and, in one case, a harvest-time festival.[4]
Cristfried Ganander's Mythologia Fennica, published in 1789, was the first truly scholarly foray into Finnish mythology.[citation needed] In the 19th century, research into
Finnish folklore intensified. Scholars like
Elias Lönnrot,
J.F. Cajan,
M.A. Castrén, and
D.E.D. Europaeus travelled around Finland writing down
folk poetry sung by runo (poem) singers, many of whom were tietäjät (traditional ritual specialists). The genres they collected included material like the synnyt, which give mythical accounts of the origins of many natural phenomena. From this material Lönnrot edited the
Kalevala as well as the
Kanteletar. The wealth of folk poetry collected in the 19th century often deals with pre-Christian
pagan themes, and has allowed scholars to study Finnish mythology in more detail.
The origins and the structure of the world
The world was believed to have been formed out of a bird's egg or eggs. The species of the bird and the number of eggs varies between traditions. In the
Kalevala the bird is a
pochard that lays seven eggs (six of gold and one of iron). Examples from other stories include a
swallow, a
loon, and a mythical giant eagle, kokko. The sky was believed to be the upper cover of the egg; alternately it was seen as a tent, which was supported by a column at the north pole, below the north star.
The movement of the stars was explained to be caused by the sky-dome's rotation around the
North Star and itself. A great whirl was caused at the north pole by the rotation of a column of sky. Through this whirl, souls could exit the world to the land of dead,
Tuonela.
Earth was believed to be flat. At the edges of Earth was
Lintukoto [
fi], "the home of the birds", a warm region in which birds lived during the winter. The
Milky Way is called Linnunrata,[7] "the path of the birds", because the birds were believed to move along it to Lintukoto and back. In Modern Finnish usage, the word lintukoto means an imaginary happy, warm, and peaceful paradise-like place.
Birds also had other significance. Birds brought a human's soul to the body at the moment of birth, and took it away at the moment of death. In some areas, it was necessary to have a wooden bird-figure nearby to prevent the soul from escaping during sleep. This
Sielulintu [
fi],[8] "the soul-bird", protected the soul from being lost in the paths of dreams.
Waterfowl are very common in tales, and also in stone paintings and carvings, indicating their great significance in the beliefs of ancient Finns.
Tuonela was the land of dead: an underground home or city for all dead people, without moral judgement. It was a dark and lifeless place, where everybody slept forever. A sufficiently brave
shaman could travel to Tuonela in
trance to ask for the forefathers' guidance. This required crossing the dark river of Tuonela. If the shaman had a proper reason, a boat would come to take him over. Many times a shaman's soul would have to trick the guards of Tuonela that he was actually actually dead.
Ukko, the God of sky and thunder
Ukko ("old man") was a god of the sky, weather, and the crops. The Finnish word for thunder, "ukkonen" (little Ukko) or "ukonilma" (Ukko's weather), is derived from his name. In the
Kalevala he is also called "ylijumala" (overgod, Supreme God). He makes all his appearances in myths solely by natural effects.
Ukko's origins are probably in
BalticPerkons and the older Finnish sky god
Ilmarinen. While Ukko took Ilmarinen's position as the Sky God, Ilmarinen's destiny was to turn into a smith-hero, or the god of the rock. In the epic poetry of the Kalevala, Ilmarinen is credited with forging the stars on the dome of the sky and the magic mill of plenty, the
Sampo.
Ukko's weapon was a
hammer,
axe or
sword, by which he struck
lightning. While Ukko and his wife Akka ("old woman") mated, there was a thunderstorm. He created thunderstorms by riding his chariot over the clouds. The original weapon of Ukko was probably the boat-shaped stone axe of
battle axe culture. Ukko's hammer
Vasara (lit. "hammer") probably originally meant the same thing as the boat-shaped stone axe. When stone tools were abandoned in the metal ages, the origins of stone weapons became a mystery. They were believed to be weapons of Ukko left behind after a lightning strike. Shamans collected and held stone axes because they were believed to hold supernatural powers.
Hiisi,
demon, originally meaning a sacred grove, later a mean
goblin.
Iku-Turso, a malevolent sea monster; probably same as Tursas.
Ilmarinen, the great
smith, maker of heaven. Designed the
Sampo mill of fortune. Originally a male spirit of air.
Ilmatar, female spirit of air; the daughter of primeval substance of creative spirit. Mother of Väinämöinen in Kalevala.
Jumala, a generic name for a major deity. Originally the name given by the Finns to the sky, the sky-god, and the supreme god. Later taivas and
Ukko were used as the names for the sky and the sky-god. The word means god and was later used for the Christian
God. The origin of the word is unknown – some possible explanations are derivation from
Jomali, the supreme deity of the
Permians and origination from the Estonian word jume.
Kalevanpoika (son/man of Kaleva), a giant hero who can cut down forests and mow down huge meadows, identical with Estonian national epic hero
Kalevipoeg.
Kave, ancient god of sky, later the deity of the lunar cycle. Father of Väinämöinen. Also
Kaleva.
Näkki, the fearsome spirit of pools, wells and bridges (A spiteful and beautiful womanlike creature with woman's body and fish's behind who flatters men into water in Estonian mythology). Same as
Nix.
Otso, the spirit of bear (one of many circumlocutory epithets).
Pekko (or Pellon Pekko), the god of crops, especially
barley and brewing.
Perkele, the
Devil. Originally a god of thunder, Perkele was demonized with the introduction of the Christian religion. Related to Baltic
Perkunas and
GermanicThor.
Pellervo (or Sampsa Pellervoinen), the god of harvest.
Tursas, the Tavastian god of war. May be the same as the Germanic
Týr.
Tuulikki, daughter of Tapio and Mielikki, goddess of animals.
Ukko ("old man") the god of the sky and thunder, related to
Thor (Estonian
Taara).
Vellamo, the wife of Ahti, goddess of the sea, lakes and storms. A current image of Vellamo can be seen on the coat of arms of
Päijät-häme.
Vedenemo ("mother of waters") the Karelian Goddess of water of the Karelia region resembles a mermaid, with the body of a fish and the torso and head of a human woman. Like a Greek siren, she sings and seduces humans into the murky depths. Fishermen used to offer their first catch to appease Vedenemo, and spotting her was regarded as an extremely bad omen.[citation needed]
Väinämöinen, the old and wise man, who possessed a potent, magical voice. Also related to Estonian
Vanemuine. The central character in Finnish folklore and he is the main character in the Kalevala.
Places
Kyöpelinvuori (Raatikko); where women who die as virgins go, and later a place where witches meet at Easter.
Tuonela; (also Manala, Pohjola) abode of the dead, Underworld.
Aarnivalkea, an eternal flame marking the spot of buried treasure
Lintukoto, a mythical place where migratory birds were believed to live in wintertime, the word is used as a metaphor for a happy place in Finnish.
Animals
Brown bear; the bear was considered the most sacred of animals in Finnish mythology, only referred to by euphemisms (see
taboo and
noa-name). The killing of a bear was followed by a great feast in honour of the bear (peijaiset), where a substantial part of the celebrations consisted of convincing the bear's spirit that it had died accidentally and hadn't been murdered. Afterwards, the bear's skull was hung high upon a pine tree so its spirit could re-enter the heavens. Kalevala on the bear.
The
Sampo, a magical
artifact that brought good fortune to its holder. According to
Lönnrot's interpretation in the
Kalevala, it was a mill that made
flour,
salt, and
gold out of thin air.
Väinämöinen's magic
kantele which he made from the jaws of a huge
pike and a young lady's hair.
Väinämöinen's great sword, which shines like the sun and is extraordinarily sharp.
Honko, Lauri, Senni Timonen, Michael Branch, and Keith Bosley. (1994). The Great Bear: A Thematic Anthology of Oral Poetry in the Finno-Ugrian Languages. New York: Oxford University Press. Originally published 1993 by the Finnish Literature Society.
Holmberg, Uno. (1964). Finno-Ugric, Siberian.
The Mythology of All Races, Vol. IV (ed. by John Arnott MacCullough). New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1964. Originally published 1927 by Marshall Jones, Boston.
Pentikäinen, Juha Y. (1999). Kalevala Mythology, expanded ed. Translated by Ritva Poom. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
Kuusi, Matti, Keith Bosley, and Michael Branch. (1977). Finnish Folk Poetry: Epic. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society.
Talve, Ilmar. (1997). Finnish Folk Culture. Studia Fennica, Ethnologica 4. Translated by Susan Sinisalo. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society.
Virtanen, Leea and Dubois, Thomas. (2000). Finnish Folklore. Studia Fennica, Folklorista 9. Translated by Thomas Dubois. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society in association with University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA.
Further reading
Stark-Arola, Laura (2002). Myth and mentality: studies in folklore and popular thought. Helsinki: Finnish Literature Society.
ISBN978-951-746-371-3.
Valk, Ülo (2000), “Ex Ovo Omnia: Where Does the Balto-Finnic Cosmogony Originate? The Etiology of an Etiology”, Oral Tradition 15: 145-158.