Vanapagan
The Vanapagan ( Estonian Old Heath ) or Vanatühi ( The Old Void ) is a figure from Estonian mythology .
Occurrence and interpretation of Vanapagan are very different, without a uniform system being shown so far. In numerous folk tales recorded from the 19th century, the Vanapagan represents the devil of Christian dogmatics or simply the god of the underworld as a figure with negative connotations. In others he is a gigantic farmer with a simple disposition who is regularly tricked by his subordinate, the mischievous Kaval-Ants ("Smart Hans") . The Vanapagan is the greatest enemy of the giant Suur Tõll , the hero of Saaremaa Island . He also stole a magic pipe from the Estonian god of thunder, Pikne , with which he brought the rain. The Vanapagan's attribute is sometimes a “hat made of nails”, which makes it invisible.
In other stories Vanapaganad occur (in the plural) who live in moors, in the forest or in caves and occasionally visit the villages (especially at important celebrations such as weddings or baptisms). Every now and then a woman is said to have become pregnant through this. Furthermore, the Vanapagan appears as a designer of the earth, who created mountains and lakes or moves large stones. Often he tries to build cities or bridges; however, his work always remains unfinished. He fears wolves and thunderstorms .
The text editions of the folklorist Matthias Johann Eisen (1857–1934) popularized the Vanapagan in Estonia again. There is only speculation about the written meaning and its position in the original Estonian mythology. It seems likely that various very different figures and ideas have been personified under the name Vanapagan in recent times.