Elk came to Finland following the melting glacial edge of the previous ice age, followed shortly by humans. The boats that first sailed our ancient wild lakes had elks carved on the stern, and elks appear in many rock paintings, and as the mythical companion animal of many shamans. Elk and deer who shed their…
Joutsen | Whooper Swan | Cygnus cygnus
The Whooper Swan—Finland’s national bird—represents purity and beauty. It is central to Baltic Finnish mythology, representing the cosmos as it dives underwater through the realm of the dead, travels through our earthly realm, and flies up into the realm of gods and light. In the Kalevala, the world was born from a cosmic swan’s egg,…
Karhu | Bear | Ursus arctos
The great power animal of northern peoples, the Bear is the symbol for many clans. In Finnish mythology, Bear is the king of the forest, a god who descended from the constellation Ursa Major, from the shoulders of Otava. Bear is a holy brother, an ancestor. After Bear’s funeral feast, it’s bones were buried as…
Kettu | Fox | Vulpes vulpes
Red, bushy-tailed Fox meanders seamlessly between the wild and the urban, leaving glistening tracks in the winter snow. In Finnish folk poetry, Fox is the witch’s clever familiar, and gathered the magical ingredients for Osmotar, the first brewer, to ferment the first beer. Punaturkkinen ja tuuheahäntäinen kettu jolkottelee sujuvasti villin erämaan ja kaupunkiasutuksen välillä jättäen…
Korppi | Raven | Corvus corax
A bearer of bad omens, or companion in worry and sorrow? Raven, who lives in the deep primeval forests, has an ambiguous nature in Finnish mythology. Raven brings death, but can also help bear your sorrows and sadness. Raven is the helper-spirit of the shaman, and with its human traits and intelligence, acts alongside humans…
Pöllö | Owl | Strigidae
In Finnish folklore, the owl is a frightening bird of the night, whose image is intended to keep evil spirits away. In many cultures however, the owl reflects wisdom and its wide, rotating gaze is said to see both the past and the future. The owl’s gorgeous feather costume has also been a model for…