Finnish Mythology

The Finnish Mythologie has many common points with the Estonian Mythologie but also borrowed elements from the Scandinavian Mythologie and Lapp. Poems of this mythology, transmitted in an oral way were still well-known in Finland at the 18th century. Finnish mythology refers to “Finnish space” or Finnish i.e. to the populations of Finnish Langue including/understanding mainly today the Finland and the Karelia.

Cosmogony

The world would have been creates by the explosion of an egg of bird. The sky is consisted the top of the shell of this egg and is supported by a column uniting the ground with the pole star. The movement of stars is explained by the rotation of the sky and the column. This rotation creates an immense swirl on the level of the ground. This swirl represents the access to the world of deaths, Tuonela.

The ground is regarded as punt and circular. In extreme cases of the ground Lintukoto is (“the house of the birds”). This area is supposed being a hot area where the birds will spend the winter. The birds are very important in Finnish mythology since they bring the heart of human at the time of the birth and carry it at the time of death. In certain areas, it was of habit to carry an amulet in the shape of bird to protect itself from the loss of its heart in the dreams.

Tuonela

All deaths went in Tuonela, there are no distinctions between the “goods” and the “bad ones”. Tuonela is to some extent a dark city and without life where deaths sleep for eternity. Some Shaman S were supposed capacity to travel until Tuonela when they fell in fright. Thus they could communicate with deaths. To arrive in this world, the hearts of late were to cross a dark river.

Ukko

Ukko is the most important god of the Finnish Pantheon.

Gods and hero

Ahti (or Ahto ), god of fishing
Ajattara (or Ajatar ), a spirit malefic of the forests.
Akka (" hurdy-gurdy femme"), goddess
Äkräs, god of the fertility and the plants
Antero Vipunen, giant associated with the magic
Hiisi
Iku-Turso, marine monster malefic
Ilmarinen
Ilmatar, female spirit of the air
Jumala
Kalevanpoika
Kave, at the origin god of the sky then associated with the lunar cycle. Father of Väinämöinen
Kotitonttu, god of the hearth.
Kullervo
Lemminkäinen
Lempo, the spirit related to the fertility
Lalli
Louhi
Loviatar
Luonnotar, spirit of nature.
Menninkäinen, beneficial spirit, gnome
Mielikki, woman of Tapio, goddess of the forest.
Nyyrikki, god of hunting, wire of Tapio
Näkki
Otso, spirit of the bear
Pekko (or Founder's shovel Pekko ), god of harvests and in particular of the barley.
Perkele, equivalent of the Devil. It was in the beginning associated with the thunder and it can thus be seen like the ancestor of Ukko
Pellervo (or Sampsa Pellervoinen ), god of the harvests
Pihatonttu
Piru
Päivätär goddess of the day
Rahko, god carélien of time
Surma, personification of a violent death
Saunatonttu
Tapio, god of the forest
Tellervo, goddess of the forest, girl of Tapio and Mielikki
Tonttu
Tuonetar
Tuoni, personification of died
Tursas, god of the war, equivalent of Tyr in Scandinavian mythology
Tuulikki, girl of Tapio and Mielikki, goddess of the animals
Ukko
Vellamo, woman of Ahti, goddess of the sea, the lakes, the storm
Vedenemo, (“mother of water”) goddess carélienne of water.
Väinämöinen .

Places

Kyöpelinvuori ( Raatikko ); where the women who die virgin go
Tuonela; (also Manala, Pohjola ) world of dead the
Kalevala
Pohjola
Aarnivalkea, an eternal flame marking the site of a treasure buried

Notes and references of the article

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