Väinämöinen
Väinämöinen is a hero from Finnish mythology and the main character in the Finnish national epic Kalevala . He grew up for 730 years in the womb of his mother, Ilmatar's daughter from the air , and has had wisdom since he was born. He is also in possession of the magic voice. Among other things, he showed this by letting the boisterous Joukahainen sink into a swamp through his singing . He begged Väinämöinen to let him live and in return promised his sister Aino . But Aino rejected Väinämöinen because of his old age and preferred to go into the water to end her life.
In the Kalevala it is reported that Väinämöinen killed a large pike and made a kantele out of its jawbone . He also tried, together with Lemminkäinen and Ilmarinen , to steal the Sampo from Louhi . However, it was destroyed in the attempt.
The story of Väinämöinen ends in the last song of Kalevala . The virgin Marjatta becomes pregnant by eating a lingonberry . She gives birth to a son and shows him to Väinämöinen. He decides that the fatherless child must be killed. But the two-week-old child proves that he too has the wisdom and is even more powerful than Väinämöinen. Therefore Väinämöinen appoints him King of Karelia .
Väinämöinen then goes to the shore of the sea, sings a boat made of copper with his magical voice and leaves the realm of mortals. In his last words, he says that he will be needed again at some point and then return.
Estonian parallel
In the Estonian national epic Kalevipoeg , Väinämöinen corresponds to the god Vanemuine .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kalevala. The Finnish epic by Elias Lönnrot. Taken from the original Finnish text by Lore Fromm and Hans Fromm. With an afterword by Hans Fromm. Marix Verlag, Wiesbaden 2005, ISBN 3-86539-013-7 .
- ↑ Peter Petersen (Ed.): Kalevipoeg. The Estonian national epic. Reprint in the translation by Ferdinand Löwe. Mayer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-932386-74-4 .
