ascending

In Finnish folklore, a person was thought to not just possess a single soul, but several different spiritual forces. All of which had unique roles in the whole being.

Henki was the literal life force that kept the body alive, as it was responsible for vital bodily functions and consciousness. This ancient word still appears in the modern Finnish expressions such as "henki pois" and "menettää henkensä" , both of which mean that someone has died. Traditionally, when a person passed away, it was important to open the windows of the house so their Henki could leave to the Underworld. Otherwise, the deceased would remain behind as a restless ghost that haunted the home.

Itse represented a person's identity; the self. It encompassed one's personality, temperament, and all the traits that made someone who they were. This belief was connected to the tradition of passing names down through generations. It was thought that the soul of a deceased relative could be reborn within a newborn child, if the child received that relative's name. Parents might therefore choose the name of a particularly brave, wise, or respected ancestor in the hopes that the child would inherit those same qualities.

Luonto or Haltija, was the part of the soul responsible for a person's health and well-being, sometimes thought to be an actual "guardian spirit". Illness, addiction, or psychological distress were thought to be signs that a person's Luonto had weakened or been lost. Some people were believed to be born with a particularly strong Luonto (vahvaluontoinen), enabling them to endure great hardships. While others were considered born "weak-minded" (heikkoluontoinen), making them more vulnerable to life's challenges.

Finally, Finns spoke of Etiäinen; the part of the person's soul that moved ahead in another timeline or layer of the universe. Etiäinen could appear as a premonition, omen, or the uncanny feeling of having already experienced a moment before it actually happened. People might hear someone's footsteps or voice before the person actually arrived, believing their Etiäinen arrived first. Even today, Finns sometimes say they get "etiäinen" which is the ominous feeling that something is about to happen.