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Finnish Tradition (Kalevala)

Finnish and Karelian (Baltic Finnic) peoples

Name Date

1. Who's who

Write the letter of each figure's role next to their name.

  1. 1.Väinämöinen
  2. 2.Ilmarinen
  3. 3.Ilmatar
  4. 4.Louhi
  5. 5.Ukko
  6. 6.Ahti
  7. 7.Lemminkäinen
  8. 8.Tapio
  • A.smithcraft, the weather, the forging of the sky
  • B.the North (Pohjola), sorcery, the Sampo
  • C.the air, creation, the primeval sea
  • D.adventure, love and seduction, war
  • E.the sea and waters, fish and fishing
  • F.the forest, game and hunting
  • G.the sky, thunder, rain
  • H.song and poetry, wisdom and magic, the kantele

2. Family and relationships

Fill in each blank with a name from the word bank.

Word bank: Ahti · Ilmatar · Tapio

  1. 1. is the spouse of Vellamo.
  2. 2. is a parent of Väinämöinen.
  3. 3. is the spouse of Mielikki.

3. Short answers

  1. 1. What was Väinämöinen associated with, and which symbols help you recognise Väinämöinen?

  2. 2. What was Ilmarinen associated with, and which symbols help you recognise Ilmarinen?

  3. 3. Retell “Ilmatar and the World Egg” in two or three sentences. Who is involved, and what changes by the end?

  4. 4. Retell “Aino” in two or three sentences. Who is involved, and what changes by the end?

Answer key: Finnish Tradition (Kalevala)

1. Who's who

  1. 1. Väinämöinen: H
  2. 2. Ilmarinen: A
  3. 3. Ilmatar: C
  4. 4. Louhi: B
  5. 5. Ukko: G
  6. 6. Ahti: E
  7. 7. Lemminkäinen: D
  8. 8. Tapio: F

2. Family and relationships

  1. 1. Ahti
  2. 2. Ilmatar
  3. 3. Tapio

3. Short answers (guidance)

  1. 1. song and poetry, wisdom and magic, the kantele. Symbols: the kantele, the boat, the Sampo. (mythosatlas.com/deities/vainamoinen)
  2. 2. smithcraft, the weather, the forging of the sky. Symbols: the hammer and forge, the Sampo, the vault of heaven. (mythosatlas.com/deities/ilmarinen)
  3. 3. The air-maiden drifts for centuries on the primeval sea until a duck nests on her knee; when the eggs break, their pieces become earth, sky, sun, moon, stars, and clouds, and at last the aged singer Väinämöinen is born. (mythosatlas.com/stories/ilmatar-and-the-world-egg)
  4. 4. Defeated in a singing duel, young Joukahainen pledges his sister Aino to old Väinämöinen; unwilling to marry him, she drowns herself in the sea, and when Väinämöinen later hooks a strange fish, it is Aino, who mocks him and slips away forever. (mythosatlas.com/stories/aino)

Generated from the Mythos Atlas catalog. Traditions vary between sources; accept well-supported alternatives.