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Finnish Mythology and Folklore: Gods, Spirits, Creatures

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All art on this site © Tero Porthan. Text © Tiina Porthan. instagram.com/teroporthan & deviantart.com/teroporthan

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  • More Finnish Mythology in Tero Porthan DeviantArt Online Art Gallery!
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Loviatar and the tenth child © Tero Porthan

Loviatar Lapp Witch, and the Tenth Child

Art © Tero Porthan. Loviatar or Louhi is a great Lapp witch, hostess of Pohjola Northland, and the origin of…

birthmyths, diseases, finnishfolklore, finnishmythology, Kalevala, Louhi, Loviatar, pakkanen, Syöjätär, Tuonela, Tuoni
Vellamo © Tero Porthan

Vellamo Water Goddess

Art © Tero Porthan. Vellamo is the water goddess in Finnish mythology. She is summoned for protection with her mermaids.…

Finnish Myths, Finnish Nature Spirits, Finnish Water Goddess, Kalevala, Vellamo
Bear and Mielikki © Tero Porthan

Bear Gets Claws from Mielikki

Art © Tero Porthan. In Finnish origin myths, the bear was born in the sky, near the Sun and the…

Finnish Bear, Finnish Forest Spirit, Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures, Mythology, myths, poems, Supernatural Animals
Hiiden hirvi © Tero Porthan

Goblin’s Elk, Hiiden hirvi

Art © Tero Porthan. The saga of Hiiden hirvi, Goblin’s Elk, is about a wild elk created by goblins (hiisi)…

elk, Finnish Art, Finnish Goblins (Hiisi), Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Moose, Finnish Mythology, Hiiden hirvi, Kalevala, Lapland, Mythical Creatures, Mythology, Supernatural Animals
Syöjätär © Tero Porthan.

Syöjätär

Syöjätär, the Devouress, is a creature living in the water. She is said to have a mouth in the middle…

Creatures in Finnish Folklore, Finnish Folklore, Finnish Horror Art, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Myths, Syöjätär
Vuorenhaltija © Tero Porthan. https://www.deviantart.com/teroporthan & https://www.instagram.com/teroporthan

Finnish Mountain Spirit (vuorenhaltija)

Guardians of mountains are among the strongest spirits in Finnish mythology. They live inside mountains, under rocks, in caves. Mountains…

Creatures in Finnish Folklore, Finland Folklore, Finnish Mountains, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Mythical Monsters, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Nature Guardians, Finnish Nature Spirits
Kalma from Tuonela © Tero Porthan.

Kalma, Spirit of Tuonela Graveyards

Art © Tero Porthan. Kalma (corpse, death) is the ruler of the graveyard, also called Kalma’s manor or mansion. The…

Creatures in Finnish Folklore, Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Graveyards Spirits, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Spirit, Kalma, Kalman väki, Tuonela, Tuoni Finnish God of Death
Ukko ylijumala © Tero Porthan.

Ukko ylijumala, God of Thunder

Ukko is the God of Thunder and the most powerful god. He controls thunders and the weather. He has struck…

Finnish Art, Finnish Folklore, Finnish Gods, Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Myths

Maiden of the Pond

Maiden of the Ponds and Springs (Lähteen neito) provides pure water for healing, strengthening, and also to excite love. The…

Finnish Folklore, Finnish Gods, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Nature Spirits, Finnish Water Goddess

Forest Spirit (metsänhaltija)

Art © Tero Porthan. There is a myriad of forest spirits in Finnish mythology. The main spirit is Tapio, King…

Finnish Forest Spirits, Finnish Gods, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Myths

Tuonela, Land of the Dead

Tuonela Deathland is a far-away realm of the dead on an island surrounded by the Tuonela river. The living are…

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Horror Art, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Shamanism, Kalevala, Tuonela, Tuoni, Väinämöinen

Earth Guardian

Earth guardians are spirits of land and soil as well as fields and meadows. They are summoned in various difficult…

Finnish Mountains, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Nature Guardians, Finnish Nature Spirits, Finnish Spirits

Goblin’s Ox (Hiiden härkä)

Goblin’s ox (Hiiden härkä) appears in healing spells of ancient Finnish shamans. The Goblin’s ox brings pains to the top…

Finnish Healing Rituals, Finnish Mythical Animals, Hiisi, Hiisi, Finnish Goblins, Mythical Creatures, ox, pains
Kokko, Lapp Eagle © Tero Porthan.

Kokko, Lapp Eagle

Art © Tero Porthan. Kokko, eagle, is a giant bird from Lapland. It has an iron jaw, an iron beak,…

Creatures in Finnish Folklore, Finnish Eagles, Finnish Mythical Animals, Finnish Mythical Birds, Kalevala

Shaman Väinämöinen with Army of Dead

Väinämöinen is a shaman-god who has created the world. He is summoned in spells as a god. Old Väinämöinen, arise!…

Finnish Art, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Shamanism, Finnish Shamans, Kalevala, Väinämöinen

Poisoned Arrow of Lapp Witch

Arrows poisoned with snake venom were shot by witches, causing severe pain. Still to this day, a sudden stinging pain…

Arrows in Mythology, Finnish Disease Creatures, Finnish Healing Rituals, Finnish Shamans, Kalevala

Death Bride from Tuonela

In old poems a man travels to Tuonela, land of the dead, to ask Tuoni (Death) for the hand of…

Finnish Folklore, Finnish Mythology, Tuonela, Tuoni, Tuoni Finnish God of Death

Disease Creatures: Seizure (Kohtaus)

Seizure, Nightmare, Tooth Worm are disease creatures.

Finnish Disease Creatures, Finnish Horror Art, Finnish Mythical Creatures
Tuonelan joutsen, the Swan of Tuonela, © Tero Porthan.

The Swan of Tuonela, Tuonelan joutsen

Art © Tero Porthan. Tuonelan joutsen, The Swan of the Tuonela Deathland, is an iconic figure in Finnish folklore. In…

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Art, Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythical Birds, Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures, myths, poems, Supernatural Animals, swans

Goblin (Hiisi)

Goblins (hiisi, plural: hiidet) were originally forest gods, but later came to signify evil beings. They live in the woods,…

Finnish Art, Finnish Goblins (Hiisi), Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythology, Hiisi, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures, Mythology

Iron-haired Dog

A black dog from the underworlds has iron hair, iron teeth, an iron heart, copper intestins. It breaths fire and…

Finnish Art, Finnish Folklore, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Mythical Dogs, Finnish Shamanism, Finnish Shamans, Kalevala, poems, Väinämöinen

Goblin’s Horse, Hiiden hevonen

Goblins (hiisi) have built a giant horse inside a mountain out of iron, rock and steel. The horse is so…

Finnish Art, Finnish Goblins (Hiisi), Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Mythical Horses, Finnish Mythology, Hiiden Hevonen, Hiisi, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures

Iron Bear

Quite lately, only yesterday, I was at bruin’s home, at the house of an iron bear; I bitted by my…

Finnish Art, Finnish Bear, Finnish Disease Creatures, Finnish Folklore, Finnish Goblins (Hiisi), Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Shamans, Finnish Stories, Kalevala
Surma © Tero Porthan.

Surma – Killer

Surma (Killer or Death) is a personification of death that is called in magic poems to come and kill a…

Finnish Poems, Finnish Poetry, Kalevala, Kalma, kansanperinne, muinaisusko, myytit, taide, Tuonela, Tuoni

Kalma’s Chambers of the Dead

Kalma’s chambers are underground graves where Kalma (corpse or death) welcomes the diseases and other evildoers to feast on bones…

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Graveyards Spirits, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Poetry, Kalevala, Kalma, Kalman väki, kansanrunot, mytologia, myytit, The Living Dead, Tuonela

Lempo

Lempo is an evil flying creature associated with goblins (hiisi). It is seldom mentioned alone, always together with goblins. Together…

Finnish Art, Finnish Horror Art, Finnish Illustrations, Finnish Mythical Creatures, Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures, myths, poems, Supernatural Animals
Tuoni Ruler of Tuonela © Tero Porthan.

Tuoni, Ruler of Tuonela

Tuoni, Death, is the ruler of Tuonela, the Land of the Dead. Tuonela is situated on a far-away island and…

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, Kalma, Mythical Creatures, Mythology, myths, The Living Dead, Tuonela, Tuoni, Tuoni Finnish God of Death
Tuonen tytti, Daughter of Death © Tero Porthan

Daughter of Death, Tuonen tytti

The Daughter of Tuoni (Death) acts as a gatekeeper between the world of the living and the world of the…

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Art, Finnish Mythology, Mythology, myths, poems, Tuonela, Tuoni

Pain Girl (Kiputyttö)

Pain Girl (Kiputyttö or Kivutar) collects pains on Pain Mountain, and pours them deep inside the pain rock. A kettle…

Finnish Disease Creatures, Finnish Folklore, Finnish Magic, Finnish Mythology, Finnish Shamans, Kalevala, Mythical Creatures, Mythology, myths, pains, poems, Tuonela

Son of Death (Tuonen poika)

Son of Death puts iron nets into the river of death.

Death in Finnish Mythology, Finnish Art, Finnish Horror Art, Finnish Mythology, Kalevala, Mythology, myths, poems, Tuonela, underworld

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Older posts

Hiiden hirvi, Goblin’s Elk Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZGPHGYphV4

More pictures at Tero Porthan’s Online Art Gallery

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Finnish Mythology in Music Videos

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Recent Posts

  • Loviatar Lapp Witch, and the Tenth Child
  • Syöjätär
  • Finnish Mountain Spirit (vuorenhaltija)
  • Kalma, Spirit of Tuonela Graveyards
  • Ukko ylijumala, God of Thunder
  • Maiden of the Pond
  • Forest Spirit (metsänhaltija)
  • Tuonela, Land of the Dead
  • Earth Guardian
  • Vellamo Water Goddess
  • Goblin’s Ox (Hiiden härkä)
  • Kokko, Lapp Eagle
  • Shaman Väinämöinen with Army of Dead
  • Poisoned Arrow of Lapp Witch
  • Death Bride from Tuonela
  • Disease Creatures: Seizure (Kohtaus)
  • The Swan of Tuonela, Tuonelan joutsen
  • Bear Gets Claws from Mielikki
  • Goblin (Hiisi)
  • Iron-haired Dog
  • Goblin’s Horse, Hiiden hevonen
  • Iron Bear
  • Goblin’s Elk, Hiiden hirvi
  • Surma – Killer
  • Kalma’s Chambers of the Dead
  • Lempo
  • Tuoni, Ruler of Tuonela
  • Daughter of Death, Tuonen tytti
  • Pain Girl (Kiputyttö)
  • Son of Death (Tuonen poika)
  • Lapp Witch Louhi, Lapin noita

Tags

Arrows in Mythology birthmyths Creatures in Finnish Folklore Death in Finnish Mythology diseases elk Finland Folklore Finnish Art Finnish Bear Finnish Disease Creatures Finnish Eagles Finnish Folklore finnishfolklore Finnish Forest Spirit Finnish Forest Spirits Finnish Goblins (Hiisi) Finnish Gods Finnish Graveyards Spirits Finnish Healing Rituals Finnish Horror Art Finnish Illustrations Finnish Magic Finnish Moose Finnish Mountains Finnish Mythical Animals Finnish Mythical Birds Finnish Mythical Creatures Finnish Mythical Dogs Finnish Mythical Horses Finnish Mythology Finnish Myths Finnish Nature Guardians Finnish Nature Spirits Finnish Poems Finnish Poetry Finnish Shamanism Finnish Shamans Finnish Spirit Finnish Stories Finnish Water Goddess Hiiden Hevonen Hiiden hirvi Hiisi Hiisi, Finnish Goblins Kalevala Kalma Kalman väki kansanperinne kansanrunot Lapland Louhi Loviatar muinaisusko Mythical Creatures Mythology myths mytologia myytit noidat ox pains pakkanen poems Pohjola Supernatural Animals swans Syöjätär taide The Living Dead Tuonela Tuoni Tuoni Finnish God of Death underworld Vellamo Väinämöinen

Category Cloud

Finnish Bear Finnish Folklore Finnish Goblins (Hiisi) Finnish Gods Finnish Mythical Animals Finnish Mythical Creatures Finnish Mythology Finnish Nature Spirits Finnish Paganism Finnish Shamanism Finnish Underworld Finnish Witches Finnish Wizards Hiitola, Land of Goblins Kalevala Lapp Witches Nordic mythology Northern Mythology Suomalainen mytologia Supernatural Animals The Living Dead Tuonela Tuonela, Finnish Land of Death
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