#tuonela

Finland’s approach to the supernatural is different. In the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, magic isn't about wand-waving; it's about singing. It’s about knowing the true origin words of a thing to control it.

The underworld, Tuonela, is the dark realm of the dead where heroes face their ultimate demise and are sometimes resurrected through ancient, magical laments (Moine, 2017). And then there's Louhi, a powerful witch-queen and Mistress of the Northland, whose immense magical powers rival the greatest male heroes of the epic (Luthy, n.d.).

Finnish lore treats death and the supernatural not as an infection, but as a primal force of nature that can be commanded if your voice is strong enough.

Lemminkainen's mother collects his dismembered body and sings to Suonetar, a deity of healing, blood and veins, to beseech her aid in resurrecting her son:

Come and give us thine assistance, Harness thou thy fleetest racer, Call to aid thy strongest courser, In thy scarlet sledge come swiftly, Drive through all the bones and channels, Drive throughout these lifeless tissues, Drive thy courser through each vessel, Bind the flesh and bones securely, In the joints put finest silver, Purest gold in all the fissures.

(Kalevala, Rune XV)

Lemminkäinen's Mother, by Akseli Gallen-Kallela - Finnish National Gallery / Hannu Pakarinen, Public Domain.

The concept of "singing the true name of a thing" to bend reality is essentially audio necromancy. Whether you're locked in a digital audio workstation at 2 AM, tweaking a darkwave synth patch to find the exact resonant frequency that makes your chest vibrate, or singing along with Def Leppard at the top of your lungs, you are channeling a bit of that Kalevala magic. Sound is power.

Lönnrot, E. (1849). Kalevala: The Epic Poem of Finland. Translated by John Martin Crawford (Project Gutenberg).

Tuonela - Underworld (Wikipedia)

Louhi & The Kalevala (Wikipedia)

Moine, A. (2017). Des mots et des corps.

Tuonela, joutsenia ja Emäntä.

Made a bunch of sketches a while back for February 28th's Kalevala Day, which is dedicated to Finnish culture and the country's national epic; Kalevala. 🇫🇮 The poems and stories themselves are much much older, full of mythology and folklore and were carried word of mouth for generations until compiled into literary form in the early 1800s.

The poems begin with the creation of the World. Ilmatar, the Maiden of the Air, descends to the first ocean where she keeps floating for a long time, eventually becoming pregnant from the ocean winds. While expecting, she lifts a knee on top of the water surface where a Goldeneye makes its nest and lays seven eggs; six golden ones and a single iron egg.

Ilmatar then moves her knee and the eggs fall and crack, and from each of the seven eggs the land, the heavens, the stars, the sun, the moon and so on are shaped.

The poems are full of different creatures and animals, one iconic one being the kokko, the great eagle. Sometimes depicted as being entirely made of iron, sometimes described as being engulfed in flames, but most often described as being so large its one wing could reach the sea and the other touch the top of the heavens.

One of the major narratives in the poems is the creation of Sampo, the miracle contraption that could bring its owner great wealth and fortune. The great smith Ilmarinen is tasked to create what is considered impossible to make - but after days and numerous failed attempts, he finally crafts the machine no man has ever seen!

The great sage and singer Väinämöinen, born from Ilmatar in the beginning of time, ends up making the first kantele harp from the jaw of a large pike. Every living being stops to listen as he plays the first tunes by the beach. Väinämöinen himself is so touched by the music that he starts to weep, his tears turning into small pearls.

One of the memorable and tragic side stories is the story of Kullervo, his entire life being a journey from one tragedy to another, right to the very end when he's discussing with his sword and asking its advice.

Kalevala also includes stories about Tuonela, the Underworld. A dead, barren wasteland that stretches for miles and miles with nothing but a single river with pitch-black waters. No living should have any business there.

I will make you out of the finest gold, From the finest silver

From the prettiest apple leaves From white shungite

From wood pike