Finns have the power of darkness, finns are wizards. Haltija haltia is a spirit or creature in finnish mythology, that guards, helps or protects something or somebody. Az index list of deity names from finnish mythology finnish mythology finnish. There are many gods and demigods that rule the planet, and each one of them has an interesting backstory and a fascinating role in this world. Finns have the power of darkness, finns are wizards this was the cry of the viking warriors who feared nothing. Finnish mythology is a commonly applied description of the folklore of finnish paganism, of which a modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the finnish people. Along the way, countless lavish illustrations help to bring the stories and characters to life. They are personifications of evil associated with woods, streams, and hills. They are principally known for pulling young children into the depths, if they lean over bridge railings, docks or.
He may also be an evil triad, with demons hiisi and paha closely associated with him. There is a chief hiisi who is aided by a number of lesser demons called hiiet within the kalevala. Finnish mythology dog names popular male and female names. She was becoming bored of being alone in the void of emptiness, so she let herself fall into the primal ocean where she floated aimlessly. World view of the ancient finnougric tribes was animistic and they believed that every single tree, stream, river, stone, person, animal, lake and flower had a spirit inside them. Hiisi, the finnish devil, bearing also the epithets, juntas, piru, and lempo, is the chief of the forestdemons, and is inconceivably wicked. A short history of finland traces the historical development of the country from its settlement by the finns in the first millennium ad to the present time, exploring finlands earlier connection with sweden, the complex relationship with russia that has dominated finnish history in the past two centuries, and. Tapio the god of forest in finnish mythology, also a male given name. Finnish mythical creatures still lurk thisisfinland. Finns have been telling each other stories of their gods and guardians for centuries. See more ideas about mythology, gods and goddesses and art. This is a second edition of the successful study of finland in the english language.
Lempo was possibly connected to death and the underworld. These figures are often guardians of natural elements such as mountains, forests, and. The chapters discuss how folklore has been collect and researched, regional distinctions within the countrys traditions, and how traditions have changed in the process of modernization of an agrarian society to an industrialized society. Finnish mythology and folklore mythical creatures from. The holy animal of finnish mythology is the bear, the world is structured as the upper half of the egg, kind of like a dome, and the earth is flat.
The kalevala is the national epic of finland and karelia. Goddess of healing finnish ugric spirit name hiisi finnish. Also featured in the picture is the close cousin of kalevala called the kalevipoeg which is the estonian equivalent of kalevala. Group of evil spirit that worked with lempo and paha. This book is divided into sections of different creature types. One of the ancient finnish legends tells that the devil in finnish. Finnish mythology wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Mythologia fennica finnish mythology is a book written by cristfried ganander. The book contains extensive explanations regarding finnish mythology and is often seen as a dictionary. In finnish mythology vainamoinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess ilmatar. Finnish mythology, like that of many other cultures, tells the stories of gods and legendary heroes.
Finland is no exception, and mythical creatures remained very much part of finnish folklore until the countrys rapid urbanisation during the 20th century. Hiisi could have been a troll or a giant like creature but in the earliest mythical layers hiisi was a sacred place, a grove in nature where people went to worship old pagan gods. He was brought into the world consentaneously with suoyatar, from whose spittle, as sung in the kalevala, he formed the serpent. Jan 16, 2017 one of the ancient finnish legends tells that the devil in finnish. Finnish mythical creatures finnish culture through children. This book contains both an examination of and an anthology of finnish folklore from the nineteenth century to the present. Also featured in the picture is the close cousin of kalevala called the kalevipoeg which is. The finnish epic kalevala has been translated into hungarian. The kummakivi balancing rock and its unlikely explanation in. In the kalevala, we encounter many complex and intriguing personalities such as for example lemminkainen, a war hero who is a prominent figure in finnish mythology. For instance, a hiisi hiidet in plural is a type of giant in finnish mythology said to dwell in rocky landscapes. Most of the myths date from prechristian times and were passed from generation to generation by storytellers. See more ideas about mythology, gods and goddesses and deities. Ukko, ahto, and tuoni in finnish mythology correspond roughly with zeus, poseidon.
The book is as comprehensive as you could wish for in a book of this sort, and gives accounts of the personalities of the gods and most of the heroes, as well as retellings of most of the major myths themselves. In the beginning, there was only the goddess luonnotar, whose name means daughter of nature. It has many features shared with fellow finnic estonian mythology and its nonfinnic neighbours, the balts and the scandinavians. Through these creatures people explained, how the world was created and why the different phenomena appeared. Finnish bear names from juha pentikainens book karhun kannoilla etnika 2005 via yles aristoteleen kantapaa and from the bear cabal karhuseura. Vainamoinen m finnish mythology derived from finnish vaina meaning wide and slowflowing river. Haltijas are the main and most common mythological creatures in finnish mythology. The blade cut deep into vainamoinens knee, shattering it.
Finnish mythology is the mythology that went with finnish paganism which was practised by the finnish people prior to christianisation. In bishop mikael agricolas list of finnish pagan gods, hiisi is given as a god of forest game or fur. Nature has its own haltijas, for example the haltijas of water and haltijas of the forest. Hiisi plural hiidet is a term in finnic mythologies, originally denoting sacred localities and later on various types of mythological entities in later, christianinfluenced folklore, they are depicted as demonic or tricksterlike entities, often the autochthonous, pagan inhabitants of the land, similar in this respect to mythological giants. Every countrys mythology has its own cast of strange creatures, monsters and legendary human figures. Obviously the finnish mythology has much more in common with the russians and the other baltic countries, particularly estonia. Finnish mythology the following 73 pages are in this category, out of 73 total. They were skilled sorcerers and necromancers who enjoyed banging sacred drums and chanting.
The book features a number of folk poetry and stories regarding finnish folklore. Many fabulous finnish figures appear in the runic poems of the kalevala the. Nov 23, 2017 the finnish folklore has a sprite for everything in nature. It has many features shared with estonian and other finnic mythologies, but also shares some similarities with neighbouring baltic, slavic and, to a lesser extent, norse. Do we sell hiisi graphic novels, books, video or roleplaying games. The word is possibly derived from the compound maanala, the space or area under the earth. Finnish mythology and folk tales include countless amount of elementals, nature spirits and deities. Wikimedia commons has media related to mythology of finland pages in category finnish mythology the following 12 pages are in this category, out of 12 total. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for. The kummakivi balancing rock and its unlikely explanation.
The book was published in 1789, and it contains a total of 430 entries. Manala, in finnish mythology, the realm of the dead. Ancient origins articles related to hiisi in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Under the heading of forest deities also comes hiisi, the. Hiisi could have been a troll or a giant like creature but in the earliest mythical. Most of the myths date from prechristian times and were passed from. Having a special interest in the subject matter helps in following many of the detailed explanations of sources and history.
The finnish folklore has a sprite for everything in nature. Finnish mythology and folklore mythical creatures from old. Compiled from finnish and karelian folklore in the 19th century, the book made a deep impact on the young j. The quest for kalevala is a 1999 uncle scrooge comic book story written and drawn by don rosa.
Godchecker guide to hiisi also known as hisi, the finnish demon from finnish mythology. The 10 best greek mythology books norse mythology for smart. It was compiled between 18351849 by elias lonnrot and it is the greatest single written piece of finnish mythology and oral folklore. This demon is described as cruel, horrible, hideous, and bloodthirsty, and. As he fell to the ground, the gods flew out of the shadows and began to attack him. Hiisi made the handle of the axe shake, lempo turned the cutting edge towards him, and paha misdirected the blow. Finnish mythology is known for having many natural spirits and creatures. Finnish mythology myth encyclopedia god, story, tree. Once you leave petrozavodsk the capital city of karelia and head off to western karelia, closer to finland, you start noticing finnish names of. Finnish godsgoddesses from the story witches grimoire by wolfbit1232 with 191 reads. Mar 16, 2020 finnish mythology is a commonly applied description of the folklore of finnish paganism, of which a modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the finnish people. The mythology of the kalevala, with notes on bearworship.
Hiisi plural hiidet is a term in finnic mythologies, originally denoting sacred localities and later on various types of mythological entities. When he heard about a swedish bishop coming to convert the locals into christianity, hiisi collected stones, rocks, and arrows, and dug out a deep hole in the bare rock to sit there in ambush. Finnish mythical creatures finnish culture through. This hiisi is so infamous that the finnish translations of tolkiens books renamed the goblins hiisi. Jun 12, 2016 images from the finnsh national epic and other myths. The aim of this book is to locate these hungarian texts in the hungarian. It is also called tuonela, the realm of tuoni, and pohjola, derived from the word pohja, meaning bottom and also north. Az index list of deity names from finnish mythology finnish mythology finnish pantheon. The finnish underworld and related concepts among other finnougric peoples, such as the yabmeaimo of the sami. Like most civilizations, they had a story for how the earth was created, and they believed.
For me as a writer seeking inspiration from and a deeper understanding of the kalevala, professor juha pentikainens book, kalevala mythology, translated and edited by ritva poom was worth the read. Hiisi is another controversial character in finnish mythology. Raven in finnish mythology and folklore niina niskanen. Have you ever wondered what mythical creatures might exist in finlands vast. It has many features shared with estonian and other finnic mythologies, but also shares some similarities with neighbouring baltic, slavic and, to a lesser extent, norse mythologies. Myths, culture and feelings from the ancient finland. Sep 21, 2017 compiled from finnish and karelian folklore in the 19th century, the book made a deep impact on the young j. First come the giants, then the dwarfs such as gnomes, elves, fairies and leprechauns.