Lemminkäinen () or Lemminki () is a prominent figure in

Finnish mythology Finnish mythology commonly refers of the folklore of Finnish paganism, of which a Finnish Neopaganism, modern revival is practiced by a small percentage of the Finnish people. It has many shared features with Estonian mythology, Estonian and othe ...

. He is one of the

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

es of the ''

Kalevala The ''Kalevala'' () is a 19th-century compilation of epic poetry, compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish oral folklore and mythology, telling a story about the Creation of the Earth, describing the controversies and retaliatory ...

'', where his character is a composite of several separate heroes of oral poetry. He is usually depicted as young and good-looking, with wavy red hair.

Description

The original, mythological Lemminkäinen is a

shamanistic Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

figure. In the Kalevala, he has been blended together with epic war-heroes Kaukomieli/Kaukamoinen and Ahti Saarelainen. In one myth, he drowns in the river of Tuonela (the underworld) in trying to capture or kill the black swan that lives there as part of an attempt, as

Ilmarinen Ilmarinen () is a god and archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. He is immortal and capable of creating practically anything. In addition, he is described as working the known metals of the time, including brass, copper, iron, gold, and sil ...

once made, to win a daughter of Louhi as his wife. In a tale somewhat reminiscent of

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

' search for

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wikt:wsjr, wsjr'') was the ancient Egyptian deities, god of fertility, agriculture, the Ancient Egyptian religion#Afterlife, afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...

, Lemminkäinen's mother searches heaven and earth to find her son. Finally, she learns of his fate and asks

to fashion her a rake of copper with which to dredge her son's body from the river of Tuonela. Thus equipped, she descends into the underworld in search of her son. On the banks of the river of the underworld, she rakes up first Lemminkäinen's tunic and shoes, and then, his maimed and broken body. Unrelenting, she continues her work until every piece of Lemminkäinen's body is recovered. Sewing the parts together and offering prayers to the gods, the mother tries to restore Lemminkäinen to life, but while she succeeds in remaking his body, his life is still absent. Then, she entreats a bee to ascend to the halls of the over-god

Ukko (), or ( Finnish for 'male grandparent', 'grandfather', 'old man'), parallel to Uku in Estonian mythology, is the god of the sky, weather, harvest, and thunder across Finnic paganism. , the Finnish word for thunder, is the diminutive ...

and fetch from there a drop of honey as ointment that would bring Lemminkäinen back to life. Only with such a potent remedy is the hero finally restored. One of the challenges Lemminkäinen faced was a character named Surma. Surma was a terrible beast which embodied sudden, violent death and guarded the gates of the Tuonela to prevent escape. Surma is often described as being a large dog with a snake-tail that can turn people into stone (with a stare). An often-used Finnish metaphor is ''surman suuhun'' "into Surma's mouth", as if the victim was mauled to death by Surma.Pulakka, Raisa; Tuikka, Raili. ''Eläimet saattavat kuoleman maahan.'' Yle Kulttuuri 15.01.2016

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Lemminkäinen in arts

Lemminkäinen is the subject of the four-part " Lemminkäinen Suite" by

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

, and of an overture by , both of them Finnish composers. Parts of the story of Lemminkäinen and Kullervo are used by Elizabeth Goudge (1900-1984) in her 1938 play ''Suomi'', one of her ''Three Plays: Suomi; The Brontës of Haworth; Fanny Burney'' (Gerald Duckworth, 1939). Goudge's modern play, set in 1899, 1917 and 1918, has modern characters, fighting for Finnish independence from Tsarist Russia. These include "Suomi", the mother, nicknamed after the Finnish word for "Finland", and her sons, Olof and Kyosti. Olof, a version of Lemminkäinen, marries a Russian woman, and is killed by his enemies, but seemingly resurrected in his son, Sigurd. Kyosti, a version of Kullervo, kills Sigurd, and then commits suicide. Goudge's play includes quotes from the ''

'' and Sibelius's ''

Finlandia ''Finlandia'', Op. 26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. The piece was composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against increasing censorship from the R ...

''. The 2007 album ('' Silent Waters'') of Finnish

metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

band Amorphis is about the story of Lemminkäinen. The 2008 song ('' River of Tuoni'') by Finnish

band Amberian Dawn is about Lemminkäinen's mother's search for him in the river of Tuoni. Lemminkäinen appears as Lemminkal Heikkinen the Warrior-Mage in

Mercedes Lackey Mercedes Ritchie Lackey (born June 24, 1950) is an American writer of Fantasy literature, fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar (fictional co ...

's 500 Kingdoms Series' homage to Sámi, among other Scandinavian and northern European myths and legends, ''

The Snow Queen "The Snow Queen" () is an 1844 original fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It was first published 21 December 1844 in ''New Fairy Tales. First Volume#New Fairy Tales. First Volume. Second Collection, New Fairy Tales. First Vo ...

'' (2008). The 2018 song The Bee by Finnish

band Amorphis also references the story of Lemminkäinen and of the bee entrusted by his mother to retrieve honey from the halls of the over-god Ukko. Lemminkäinen is the protagonist of the 1959 Soviet–Finnish film ''

Sampo In Finnish mythology, the ''Sampo'' () is a magical device or object described in many different ways, constructed by the blacksmith and inventor Ilmarinen and which brings riches and good fortune to its holder, akin to the horn of plenty (corn ...

'' and its American adaptation, ''The Day the Earth Froze''. The ''Dungeons & Dragons'' character Mordenkainen is partially named after him.

Lemminkäinen in films

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"Back to Lemminkäinen"
– (Documentary Series, 2020)

Gallery

References

Books