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Deities
Äijö
Äijö was most likely the supreme god. He also was an Estonian god of sleep.- Ambiguous Gender: Sometimes he switches genders, but Äijö is generally male, however.
- I Have Many Names: He has numerous names in various Baltic-Finnic mythologies. In Estonia he's called Äiö, while in southern Finland he is called Pitkänen.
Tapio
Tapio is a forest spirit or deity, who figured prominently in the Kalevala. Hunters prayed to him before a hunt. His wife is the goddess of the forest, Mielikki. He was the father of Annikki, Tellervo, Nyyrikki (the god of hunting), and Tuulikki. Fitting the Green Man archetype, Tapio has a beard of lichen and eyebrows of moss.- Angel Unaware: He can visit forest bonfires in humanoid form at night.
- Nature Spirit: He's a god of the forest.
- Plant Person: He has a beard of lichen and eyebrows made of moss.
- The Trickster: He's often rather passive, and shows himself rarely to humans, but when does can be unpredictable.
- When Trees Attack: He often appears as a tree. When angered he can suffocate people.
Mielikki
Mielikki is the Goddess of Forests and Hunting. She is referred to in various tales as the wife of Tapio. She is said to have played a central role in the creation of the bear.- Angel Unaware: She sometimes wondered in the woods as an old man or woman.
- Healing Hands: She has healing powers.
- In Harmony with Nature: One of her duties is to take care of forest animals.
- Mother Nature: She the mother of other nature goddesses.
- Nature Spirit: She's a goddess of the forest.
Ahti
Ahti was a god of the sea and of fishing, portrayed as a man with a handlebar moustache and a beard of moss. He's the consort of Vellamo, and they dwell in the undersea palace of Ahtola.- Birds of a Feather: He and Vellamo are the stoic couple.
- The Stoic: He's described as aloof.
- Weird Beard: He has a bear made out of moss.
Vellamo
Vellamo is the goddess of the sea, the wife of Ahti. The name is derived from the verb velloa, "to rock oneself." She is sometimes described as "cold hearted". Along with Ahti, she dwells in the undersea palace of Ahtola. She is often pictured as a mermaid.- Aroused by Their Voice: She's sometimes portrayed singing and seducing men.
- Healing Hands: She's a capable healer.
- Ice Queen: She's sometimes described as a cold-hearted and distant character.
Kalma
Kalma is a goddess of death and decay. She lives in Tuonela, the Finnish Underworld, and is accompanied by monster dog Surma.- The Grim Reaper: She normally lived in the realm of Tuonela but occasionally came into the realms of the living to seize the dead.
- Psychopomp: She's most often depicted guiding the dead to the gates of Tuonela where from Tuonen Tytti takes them to Tuonela proper.
- The Quiet One: Passive and unwilling to take any part on duties that don't belong to her.
Loviatar
She is a blind daughter of Tuoni, the god of death. She was impregnated by wind and gave birth to nine sons, the nine diseases. In some poems, she also gives birth to a tenth child who is a girl.- Disabled Deity: She's blind.
- Diseased Name: Loviatar's nine sons, fathered by either the wind or the sea-monster Iku-Turso, are named Colic, Pleurisy, Fever, Ulcer, Plague, Consumption, Gout, Sterility, and Cancer.
- God of Evil: She was possibly the only solely evil deity in Finnish pantheon. In addition to that, she is actually titled as the goddess of evil.
- Plague Master: She's the mother of the diseases of the world.
Tuoni
God of Tuonela, the Underworld.- Birds of a Feather: He and Tuonetar are the polite but stoic couple.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite being the lord of the dead, he's described as a hospitable and polite host.
- Egopolis: He rules an underworld called Tuonela.
- Everybody Hates Hades: He's the ruler of the underworld, and so therefore not very popular.
- The Sacred Darkness: Tuonela is generally cold and dark but peaceful place, and no living person is allowed to enter.
Tuonetar
Tuonetar is the queen of the underworld.- Birds of a Feather: She and Tuoni are the polite but stoic couple.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite being the queen of the dead, she's described as a hospitable and polite host.
- Proper Lady: Virgin of death, kind, polite yet calm Queen of Underworld.
Tuulikki
Tuulikki (pronounced TOO-le-kee) is the goddess of forest creatures, daughter of Mielikki and Tapio. Her name means "little wind", and she plays a role very similar to that of her mother. Both Tuulikki and Mielikki were asked to help hunters in finding game, and Tuulikki also protected breeding animals, ensuring a continuing supply.- Friend to All Living Things: Her duties include protecting forests and their animals, especially smaller ones, and protecting breeding animals. She is also otherwise described as being very benevolent and kind.
- Innocent Flower Girl: Nature goddess, nicest one around.
Nyyrikki
Nyyrikki is the God of Hunting, and a son of Tapio. He has been tenuously associated with Nimrod.- Magical Guide: He helps hunters to navigate in the forest:
Tellervo
Tellervo is the Goddess of Forests. She was the daughter of Tapio and looks after cattle.Ainikki
Sometimes called Annikki, she's a daughter of Tapio.- Lightem Up: She's sometimes described as a goddess of light.
- Time Master: She's sometimes associated with eternity.
Lempo
God of love.- Ambiguous Gender: He's described as a man and as a woman without roughly equal frequency.
- The Beastmaster: Mooses are their followers, and they can summon them as well.
Peko
Peko is an ancient Estonian and Finnish god of crops, especially barley and brewing.- Animorphism: He can transform into a butterfly.
- Spell My Name With An S: He's sometimes called Pekko or Pekka.
Mythical Creatures
Luonnotars
Luonnotars are female nature spirits. Some are old women, but most are young and beautiful.- Our Fairies Are Different: They're often described as fairy-like spirits or mythical creatures.
- Our Spirits Are Different: They're usually described spirits or at least spirit-like forest creatures.
- Spirit Advisor: Luonnotars often give advice to characters in the Kalevala.
Haltijat
Haltija (haltia) is a spirit or creature that guards, helps or protects something or somebody. Haltijas are the main and most common mythological creatures in Finnish mythology. There are lots of different haltijas. Nature has its own haltijas, for example the haltijas of water and haltijas of the forest. The graveyard has its own haltijas, Kalman väki, ("folk of death"). The ancestor spirit association is also present with haltia. For long it was believed that the first person to set a fire in the stove of a newly built house would become its haltia after death, looking after and protecting its occupants. Later on these spirits became mixed with the Scandinavian tomte, and became invisible, gnome-like servants of the household with no history as deceased humans, similar to the house elves of Anglo-Saxon lore.- Elemental Powers: Everything has a haltija, including the elements.
