Finnish mythology, like that of many other cultures, tells the stories of gods and legendary heroes. In finnish epic kalevala kullervo kalervonpoika son of kalervo was a beautiful man with hair of golden colour and tragic life. Jan 24, 2003 obviously the finnish mythology has much more in common with the russians and the other baltic countries, particularly estonia. Sutherland lemminkainen is a prominent figure in finnish mythology. Norse and viking themed books for children, original viking inspired merchandise in art prints, modern viking drinking glasses, and jewelry. Known as the blind daughter in finnish mythology, loviatar is the goddess of death and disease. It is closer to estonian, hungarian and turkish languages than the germanic languages of scandinavia.
But in order to understand norse magic, it is essential to become familiar with norse mythology and norse paganism, the prechristian spiritual tradition of the northern europeans. Vainamoinen, in finnish folklore, a central figure of many ancient mythological songs and a culture hero to whom everything miraculous and wonderful is attributed. The norse gods go on adventures and engage in great contests. The 10 best norse mythology books odin riding sleipnir detail from the tjangvide runestone there are so many books on norse mythology out there, especially at the beginner level, that if you were to make a pile with one copy of each it would probably reach all the way up to asgard itself. Finnish gods and goddesses pantheons the white goddess. The world of finnish mythology is filled with wonder and enchantment. The greek myths by robert graves 1956 gods and heroes of ancient greece by gustav schwab 1837 gods, heroes and men of ancient greece by w. Oct 14, 2016 lemminkainen is one of the heroes of the kalevala, a 19thcentury national epic compiled by elias lonnrot, a finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional finnish oral poetry. Finns have the power of darkness, finns are wizards this was the cry of the viking warriors who feared nothing. He is a handsome young man, a hero, but also a frivolous, ostentatious character with liking for women and battles. Sharing my knowledge and artworks about finnish forest gods and goddesses. Religion has always been the mirror of a society, and the finnish ancient religion perfectly reflects the needs and the daily life of such a magic people. 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.
Hades and persephone, greek mythology, ya mythology series, best of the ya greek mythology books, ya books with greek mythology, books with. Finnic mythologies are the various mythologies of the baltic finns. The shamans did magick, conjuration, incantations and spells to control men, animals, divine or demonic entities and inanimate beings. Latest and breaking news on surma finnish mythology. Unlike the tales of the norse and the celts, the tales of the finns seldom take centre stage in discussions of myth and folklore. Rouse 1934 bulfinchs mythology originally published as three volumes by thomas bulfinch 1855. Scandinavian mythology library of the worlds myths and. She also writes historical fiction as kit marlowe and crime as graham wynd. Rustic mythology the finnish countryfolk used to consider the flow of time to be a continuum without a beginning or an ending.
The songlines by bruce chatwin 1987 greek mythology. 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. Her bibliography is chock full of short stories, humor, plays and essays, both scholarly and. Explore surma finnish mythology profile at times of india for photos, videos and latest news of surma finnish. I am sure that at one point, the peoples of sweden and norway also shared the same mythos, but it seemed to have become usurped by the germanic mythos. The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for. I think the swan is a symbol of death in finnish mythology too, like they. Apr 06, 2012 ive read a little bit about the finnish myths, i think in the kalevala, doesnt the main character fall in love with his sister, and then they both end up killing themselves. Laity is the awardwinning author of white rabbit, dream book, owl stretching, unquiet dreams, the chastity flame trilogy, and pelzmantel, as well as editor of respectable horror, weird noir, noir carnival and drag noir.
In the village karkku in the salmi parish, i met mrs. Compiled from finnish and karelian folklore in the 19th century, the book made a deep impact on the young j. Finnish mythical creatures still lurk thisisfinland. Media in category mythology of finland the following 27 files are in this category, out of 27 total. Discover the best childrens norse literature in best sellers.
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. Some editions are out of print or were published before 1923 and therefore in the public domain. She had two names, as two were the faces of her obscure existence. This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total. If you want to start a main finnishmythology page, just click the edit button above. They are principally known for pulling young children into the depths, if they lean over bridge railings, docks or. To purchase such goodies we suggest you try amazon, ebay or other reputable online stores. She is a coldhearted bully, calculating and despotic. Sep 2, 2015 the kalevala, epic of the finnish people.
The library of alexandria is an independent small business publisher. Minnesota, michigan, and by finnishamerican communities across the united states and canada symbols and customs. Be careful, though, the only things that go in the main namespace are tropes and should be created through the ykttw system. She was impregnated by wind and gave birth to nine sons, the nine diseases. Oct 20, 2015 sharing my knowledge and artworks about finnish forest gods and goddesses.
It is also called tuonela, the realm of tuoni, and pohjola, derived from the word pohja, meaning bottom and also north. Loviatar other names loveatar, lovetar, lovehetar, louhetar, louhiatar, louhi is the blind daughter of tuoni and tuonetar. Virgin of air was the first, mother of waters the second. He is the rival of the main character, vainamoinen. Loviatar is regarded as the goddess of death and disease. She was said to be the worst one of them all, and a goddess of plagues and diseases. Finnish mythology myth encyclopedia god, story, tree. Finnish religious leaders were usually called shamans. Imbolc feb 2nd ostara mar 21st22nd beltane april 30thmay 1st lithia june 21st22nd lammas july 31staug 1st mabon sept 21st22nd. Bringing pain and suffering is the aim of all loviatans, either through physical torture or sometimes. However, before giving a name to the daughter loviatar.
Its been a while so i may have just gotten all that wrong. Purple, the color of grapes, and nile green, the color of grapevines and grasshoppers. The concise list can be found on our pantheon page of finnish gods and spirits this list is frequently updated we are constantly discovering more. Vainamoinen is variously described as a deity who existed in the mythic past before the worlds creation in which he took part, as an extraordinary shaman who was a master of magic songs and incantations, and as the. The work and rest, weekdays and festivities were in rythm with the movement of nature, the rising and setting of the sun, the phases of the moon and the changes of the seasons. Kullervo m finnish, finnish mythology derived from finnish word kulta gold. The norse mythology books listed below are free to read online or download as ebooks. Our holy database currently contains 105 finnish deity names and 50 unique articles.
In the old days, many of these potentially dangerous creatures were very useful to parents of overactive children. Do we sell loviatar graphic novels, books, video or roleplaying games rpg. In finnish mythology vainamoinen was a wise old magician, the son of the primal goddess ilmatar. Based around the concept of the world tree, which is cut down by hero of the kalevala vainamoinen, the finnish world view and mythology was of a old, shamanic tradition, fairly removed from what became the norse myth cycle, and far older. Finnish paganism fragments of lappish mythology gonagas heiniiki hiisi horagalles ikuturso ilmarinen ilmatar ipmil jelpingjaoyka joukahainen jumala kalevala kalevala synopses kalma goddess kaltesekwa karhun kansa komi mythology kullervo kuu kyopelinvuori lalli leibolmai lemminkainen lempo lieaibolmmai list of minor planets. Loviatar the finnish goddess of illness and disease.
Ellis davidson scandinavian mythology, is what i would call a good look at the, viking era, the short form. The norse gods are only part of the story in gaimans brilliantly imagined universe, in which belief manifests the gods and then imbues them with power that dissipates when the world moves on to new godsleaving the norse gods waning and weak, while new american deities like the. Finnish mythology is known for having many natural spirits and creatures. The story of how the world was created according to the people of finland. 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. Finnish mythology article about finnish mythology by the. Discover with us the magic belief of ancient finns. The oldest source of finnish mythology birchbark letter no.
There are many versions of the original lemminkainen story because his complex character, is a mix of traits originating from several other. In finnish mythology nakki is shapeshifting water spirit who usually appears in human form, that resides in murky pools, wells, docks, piers and under bridges that cross rivers. The finnish mother of waters an old finnish singer mentioned her as a young goddess who lived in the times before the time. Herman hofberg, lapparnas hednatro uno holmberg, lapparnas religion.
These figures are often guardians of natural elements such as mountains, forests, and. See more ideas about mythology, gods and goddesses and art. Mention the word norse and it is sure to conjure up images of vikings, dragon ships, and trolls. After losing a singing contest, he pledges his sister aino to vainamoinen, but she drowns herself rather than marry him. The book is set from the birth of the universe to ragnarok, the twilight of the gods. The word is possibly derived from the compound maanala, the space or area under the earth. Finnish mythology symbols scandinavian art, lapland. 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. Manala, in finnish mythology, the realm of the dead. Finnish mythology and folklore mythical creatures from. Norse mythology this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book.
Nastja rantsi, from whom i recorded approximately sixty myths and legends. Connections between norse, saami, and finnish mythology. The book is set up for the popular audience, not unlike many of the time life publications but done much better. We specialize in bringing back to live rare, historical and ancient books. In finnish mythology a mysterious virgin by the name of iro is said to have given birth to the three divine brothers at the beginning of times.
Myths, culture and feelings from the ancient finland. Tapio, god of hunt, animals, trees and forest mielikki, goddess of forest. Jul 07, 2012 finnish mythology however predates nordic it is 3,000 years or more old before nordic myths or language existed. This is a story of loviatar, the finnish goddess of shamanism, witchcraft, and the sacred feminine the first inhabitants of the area now known as finland were the saami tribes, and the origins of loviatar. Generally, the spirit of the bear was referred to as friend, brother, uncle, or forestcousin, or ways were thought up that would bypass the need to refer to the spirit at all. She was impregnated by wind or ikuturso and has nine sons, the nine diseases. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Finns have been telling each other stories of their gods and guardians for centuries. Like most civilizations, they had a story for how the earth was created, and they believed. Jan 25, 2017 american gods, by neil gaiman gaimans classic novel is coming to television this year, and color us excited.
The 10 best norse mythology books norse mythology for smart. Godcheckers az names list of finnish gods and spirits. Ive been doing a little bit of research into elements of norse influence on saami and finnish culture and vice versa and i d like to briefly share some of interesting things ive discovered. Parents need to know that norse mythology is a novelistic account of ancient scandinavian myths, retold by neil gaiman, author of the graveyard book and many other awardwinning titles. Most of the myths date from prechristian times and were passed from. The original finnish language is baltic of the uralian family of languages. Louhi witch goddess of the north and the magical artifact. Norse mythology, by neil gaiman gaimans no stranger to norse gods see. The kalevala by elias lonnrot, il figlio del dio del tuono by arto paasilinna, pakanuuden aikakausi by julius krohn. Only the highest grade of sorcerer was allowed to use a drum and raise spirits. 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. Most of the myths date from prechristian times and were passed from generation to generation by storytellers. Gaiman somehow manages to faithfully recreate these ancient tales while weaving the various narratives into. See more ideas about mythology, gods and goddesses and deities.
American gods, highlighted below, but in his new book, hes not simply picking apart old myths and using the parts to build new storieshes actually recasting them and retelling them with a modern approach. Adams only mentions the term finnic mythology, but while speaking about the details of mythologies and what he considers is common with them, he uses the term fennougric mythology or distinct terms for mythologies for distinct groups, like finnish mythology, sami mythology, hungarian mythology. See finnish mythology for the article on this topic wikimedia commons has media related to mythology of finland subcategories. In finnish folk religion, the divine mother is the virgin mary or maaria in finnish and she is remembered in songs and spells as a spiritual mother, healer, helper and protector of motherhood. Others have been posted online by academic institutions, authors, publishers or scholarly societies. An introduction to norse mythology and religion 20. The finnish underworld and related concepts among other finnougric peoples, such as the yabmeaimo of the sami. In the beginning, there was only the goddess luonnotar, whose name means daughter of nature. Finns have the power of darkness, finns are wizards. The traditional view of finns as taciturn introverts probably doesnt help raise the profile of these tales typical joke. Finnish mythology however predates nordic it is 3,000 years or more old before nordic myths or language existed. Born from the union of tuoni, the god of death, and his underworld queen tuonetar, loviatar is discussed in numerous finnish. Our alphabetical list of finnish gods and goddesses names.