Vellamo (), also spelled Wellamo, is the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

of water, lakes and seas in

Finnish mythology Finnish mythology is a commonly applied description of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many features shared with Estonian and other Finnic mythologies, ...

. Vellamo is said to be tall and beautiful, and is much respected by fishermen, who pray to her for good fishing luck. Vellamo can also control the winds to help sailors, and she controls the storms and waves. Vellamo has magical cows that live on underwater fields. Sometimes, during the morning mist, she brings her cows above the surface to eat water hay. Vellamo wears a blue dress that is made from

sea foam Sea foam, ocean foam, beach foam, or spume is a type of foam created by the agitation of seawater, particularly when it contains higher concentrations of dissolved organic matter (including proteins, lignins, and lipids) derived from sources ...

. The name "Vellamo" comes from 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 ...

word 'velloa', which means 'movement of water and waves'. Vellamo's husband is the Finnish sea god

Ahti In Finnish mythology, Ahti () is a heroic character in folk poetry who is sometimes given the epithet Saarelainen (, "Islander"). Ahto is a Finnish sea god. The connection between the hero Ahti and the god Ahto, if any, is unclear. Descript ...

. The , which is located in the city of

Kotka Kotka (; ; la, Aquilopolis) is a city in the southern part of the Kymenlaakso province on the Gulf of Finland. Kotka is a major port and industrial city and also a diverse school and cultural city, which was formerly part of the old Kymi parish ...

, Finland, is named after Vellamo.

In popular culture

Ambient Folk artist Archaic Earth has a track "Vellamo's Song" on the EP ''Hiraeth''

References

Finnish goddesses Sea and river goddesses {{deity-stub

In popular culture

Further reading

References