Metsaema is the mother spirit of the forest in

Estonian mythology Estonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging to the Estonian folk heritage and literary mythology. Information about the pre-Christian and medieval Estonian mythology is scattered in historical chronicles, travellers' accounts and in eccles ...

Etymology

The name Metsaema translates to "forest mother" in Estonian (from ''metsa'' "forest" and ''ema'' "mother"). For this reason, the word ''metsaema'' can also be used as a descriptor of other similar deities in Eastern European mythology, for example Vir'ava.

Mythology

The mother of the forest acts as ruler and guardian. She is sometimes also connected with fertility, acting as a midwife in some texts. Forest spirits are said to be found in each forest, ruling over the animals, birds, trees, and berries. Wild animals such as bears, snakes and wolves are commonly connected with them across European mythologies. The shared elements of Finnic, Slavic,

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages * Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originati ...

and Turkic mythology can be seen in similarities between forest mother spirits. Metsaema has strong similarities with the forest mother spirits Vir'ava, from Mordven mythology, and ''Meža mate'', from

Latvian mythology Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myth ...

. Other related deities are the Lithuanian goddess of the forest and animals,

Medeina Medeina or Medeinė (from lt, medis – "tree" or ''medė'' – "forest"), often treated as synonymous to Žvorūnė or Žvorūna (derived from ''žvėris'' – "beast"), is one of the main deities in the Lithuanian mythology, and is similar to ...

, and the

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

goddess of the forest,

Mielikki Mielikki () is the Finnish goddess of forests and the hunt. She is referred to in various tales as either the wife or the daughter-in-law of Tapio, and the mother of Nyyrikki and Tuulikki. She is said to have played a central role in the creatio ...

. Mother deities are prevalent in early Estonian and Latvian mythology (called Mātes in Latvian). Forest spirits in Estonian mythology are most often female, as can be seen with the similar ''metsaneitsi'', ''metsapiiga'' and ''metsapreili'', all translating to "forest maiden". This is in some contrast with

Slavic mythology Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...

, where male forest spirits have the equivalent roles of protector of the forest. Estonian mythology, however, does have both male and female forest spirits, for example Metsavana, the old man of the forest and forest father. These kinds of deities are normally seen as solitary but are linked in some Russian and Kerelian texts as husband and wife. According to

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonian writer who is considered to be the father of the national literature for the country. He is the author of Estonian national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's pare ...

, straw puppets dressed alternately as Metsaema (forest mother) and Metsaisa (forest father) were used in ''metsiku tegemine'' festivals in the 17th and 18th centuries. This however, may be his extrapolation due to the ''metsa'' etymological link, as there is no other written evidence of these names being used to describe the puppets. The Metsaema mänd (Forest Mother Pine) is an historic protected pine tree in

Viljandi Parish Viljandi Parish ( et, Viljandi vald) is a rural municipality of Viljandi County, Estonia. It is located around the town of Viljandi, but does not include it. Viljandi Parish was established by merging four municipalities: Paistu, Pärsti, Saa ...

Viljandi County Viljandi County ( et, Viljandi maakond or ''Viljandimaa''; german: Kreis Fellin) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties. History Viljandimaa, under the ...

, Estonia.

References

{{Reflist Estonian mythology Forest spirits Estonian goddesses