Finnish Paganism

Finnish paganism was the indigenous pagan religion of the Baltic Finnic peoples. The Finnic pagans honored a number of different deities. Most of these controlled a specific aspect of nature. Finnic pagans were also animists, worshipping local nature deities at shrines dedicated to a particular deity. These shrines were mainly tree-gods, wooden statues carved from trees or treestumps depicting human figures, so few have been preserved. Another type of shrine is a cup-stone, large rocks with cup-sized recesses drilled into them. Offerings of food or drink were placed in these cups. Despite Christianization, offerings continued to be left in cup-stones until the early 20th century. Several major deities were worshiped throughout most of Finland, Ingria, Estonia and Karelia. The chief god was Ukko, or Perkele, ruler of the sky and thunder. Äkräs was the god of fertility. Mielikki was the goddess of forests and hunting. Kuu was the goddess of the moon. Great heroes who had once been human, such as Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen, were also objects of veneration, similar to Greek worship of mythical human heroes like Herakles. Lempo was the god of the wilderness and of archery. Other important deities ruled a specific aspect of the natural world and were referred to as kings. The king of water was often called Ahti. The king of the forest was called Tapio. Local animistic deities, known as haltijas or haltias, could be male or female and assumed either human or animal form. Haltijas could be found everywhere in nature, both in living creatures and inanimate objects. Human beings possessed a haltija which was one of the three parts of a person's soul. It was beleived that the human soul is composed of three different parts: henki (life, breath, or spirit), luonto (meaning nature, a guardian spirit or protector and the haltija of a person), and itse (a spirit received at birth or a few days after which shapes one's personality). Each of these three types were independent beings. Maan haltija (meaning tutelary of land) guarded a person's property, including their house and livestock. Haltijas were grouped into types or races called väki. Väkis could become angry if people behaved in a disrespectful manner in their territory. The väki of fire was perpetually angry, which explains why every time you touch a fire it burns you, no matter how respectful of it you may be. Väkis belonged to specific environments. If they were misplaced, then problems occurred. If a misplaced väki became attached to a human being, it caused illness. Shamans cured diseases by returning väkis to their proper setting, thus restoring the cosmic balance. Finns beleived that no force of nature or higher life could exist without väkis or haltijas. A person's soul was comprised of a large grouping of these spirits. In Finnic mythology, there are two distinct theories about the creation of the universe and the earth. In the Sukeltajamyytti, god sent a Black-throated loon into the primeval sea (Alkumeri) to collect mud and sand to form the earth. Another creation theory, likely of Indian origin, states that the world was born from the egg of a waterfowl. Based on its similarity to other Uralic beliefs, it can be assumed that Finnic paganism included the concept that the world is cyclic. It will never end, but will be recreated at regular intervals.