Thread by @PeopleOfFinland

i’ll go ahead and start our first mythology thread.

our first focus shall be on water spirits!

so settle in, grab a cup of tea (i’m having some of that apple bake from yesterday) and why not tune into this playlist i’ve made to really get in the mood
open.spotify.com/user/114648651…

first of all it shall be made known that my sources are these two brilliant books, and i warmly recommend all my Finns to find and read them!

i will also use google if there are gaps that require filling.

and i’ll try and share as many personal stories as i possibly can.

Näkki — a mischievous, dangerous spirit of waters

Näkki was a shapeshifter, who could appear as anything from a young maiden to a log of driftwood.

Näkki would habit places like rivers, ponds, fountains, lakes or even wells. it could only walk on earth that water had touched.

when people were to enter a natural body of water, it was considered necessary to conjure the Näkki out before entering. that would happen by sticking a knife to the shoreline and saying “Näkki out, I go in.”

Näkki would pull the drowned to the depths with it.

unlike it’s swedish cousin, the finnish Näkki didn’t lure people into water by playing instruments or singing. the finnish Näkki only relied on appearance.

Näkki was a good way (still is) to keep children away from playing around deep, dangerous waters.
Näkki might pull you in.

Vetehinen — a rather scary dude

another creature, who lurked under water, waiting to pull down the unfortunate traveller.

Vetehinen was not necessarily bad, or evil, he was also someone people turned towards when they wanted to ask about their future.

Vetehinen was considered the underwater cattle herder and sometimes a cow or two of his would be seen close to shorelines.

if caught, they would prove to be way better than cows living on land. but they would of course escape back into the water as soon as they could. slippery.

Iku-Turso — sea monster

he would roam the deepest depths of the sea and...well, be a sea monster. the job description is mostly just: sleep in the bottom of the ocean, drown a ship or two, sleep again, eat some sailors, repeat

there’s no records of how the Iku-Turso came to be, he’s too old to have an origin story.

Iku-Turso made his latest appearance in the very popular Kalevala, when Louhi summoned him to drown Väinämöinen and his crew. but Väinämöinen got him to return to the bottom of the ocean.

Veden väki — the water spirits

according to Kalevala, water serves a a home to many spirits and the deities Ahti and Vellamo.

water spirits might appear to people to offer help or to drown them, like Näkki. water spirits were very powerful, they could heal or bring disease.

one who would get scared or behave badly around water might very well be cursed with disease by the water spirits.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊