Finnish mythology

250px|thumb|"Travels one day, then a second, So the third from morn till evening, When appear the gates of Pohya, With her snow-clad hills and mountains." Pohjola (; from 'base, bottom', but used in derived forms like pohjois- to mean 'north' + - 'place'), sometimes just Pohja (), is a location in Finnish mythology. It is one of the two main polarities in the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, along with Kalevala or Väinölä.

Nordic mythology

thumb|The Theft of the Sampo, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1897 In Finnish mythology, the Sampo () or Sammas () is a magical device or object described in many different ways, constructed by the blacksmith, inventor and originally the sky god Ilmarinen, and which brings riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (cornucopia) of Greek mythology. A central myth in Finnish mythology is the idea that the sampo was once in Pohjola but a group of heroes attempt to steal it. Sammas, as something at the center of the world, also exists in Estonian mythology.

Estonian mythological king

thumb|200px|By the river of Tuonela (Tuonelan joella) by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1903 thumb|200px|''Lemminkäinen's Mother|Lemminkäisen äiti'' by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. The mother of young [[Lemminkäinen has gone to the river of Tuoni to find the corpse of her dead son. One of the myths told in Kalevala.]]

thumb|180px|Kanteletar compiled by Elias Lönnrot, 1840

thumb|right|''Lemminkäinen's Mother, an 1897 painting by [[Akseli Gallen-Kallela: She is shown having just gathered the broken body of her son from the dark river of Tuonela.]] Lemminkäinen () or Lemminki () is a prominent figure in Finnish mythology. He also appears in Karelian and Estonian folk poetry. He is one of the heroes of the Kalevala'', where his character is a composite of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good-looking, with wavy red hair.

ancient song genre

Hiisi (; plural hiidet ) is a term in Finnic mythologies, originally denoting sacred localities and later on various types of mythological entities.

thumb|''Joukahainen's Revenge'' by Akseli Gallen-Kallela in 1897, where Joukahainen is preparing to shoot [[Väinämöinen]] Joukahainen () is a figure in Finnish mythology who appears as a rival or companion of Väinämöinen. There has been debate among scholars if he should be categorized as a god, a hero, an evil being, or something else.

thumb|right|Joulupukki and his wife. '''' () is a Finnish Christmas figure. The name literally means or in Finnish; the word comes from the Old Swedish word bukker'', a cognate of English "buck", meaning . An old Nordic folk tradition, the figure is now often conflated with Santa Claus.

thumb|The murder of Henry (bishop of Finland)|St. Henry by Lalli, painting by [[C. A. Ekman (1854)]]

250px|right|thumb|Variations of the symbol The ' or (), also called ' (), is an ancient swastika-like symbol used in Northern Europe. The symbol originates from prehistoric times. The was believed to bring good luck and protect from curses, and was used as a decorative motif on wooden furniture and buildings in Finland. A brick dating to the 14th or 15th century bearing a tursaansydän motif was found during restorations of the Häme Castle.

Deceased, wise giant in Finnish mythology

thumb|upright=0.9|Hammer-shaped pendants were carried as protection from the thunder god. A=Finnish Ukonvasara B=Scandinavian Thor's hammer C=Icelandic Thor's hammer thumb|upright=0.9|Boat-shaped stone axe/hammer of the Corded Ware culture

Finnish eccentric (1942–2010)

characters from Finnish Mythology

Väki is a supernatural power in Finnish mythology. It was believed by Baltic Finns that väki resided in natural sites, objects, and animals. Väki has been compared to mana. However, according to Laura Stark, väki is about an impersonal power rather than a universal force. Väki has also been compared to orenda.