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 ...

, Ahti () is a heroic character in folk poetry who is sometimes given the

epithet An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...

Saarelainen (, "Islander"). Ahto is a Finnish sea god. The connection between the hero Ahti and the god Ahto, if any, is unclear.

Description

Ahti

In the

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

the compiler Elias Lönnrot conflated several mythological persons into the main characters in an attempt to create a consistent narrative from several songs. The heroic figures '' Kaukomiele'' and ''Ahti'' were condensed into '' Lemminkäinen'' in the work. Ahti's story is of a man so eager to fight that he abandons his young wife and sets out on an adventure with his friend '' Teuri''. The original songs in the Ahti cycle have been tentatively dated to the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period The ...

because of their references to sea voyages, but Oinas also sees an adventurous element in both Ahti and Kaukamoinen's tales. ''Ahti Saarelainen'' is described as a fierce seagoing warrior. He makes a double vow with his wife ''Kyllikki'', binding him to stay at home and not to engage in raiding, and binding her to stay faithful. However, Kyllikki breaks her oath and Ahti goes on a voyage with his old war companions. In the Kalevala, Ahti is mentioned (as a synonym of Lemminkäinen) in Rune IX, where his close association with the sea is made clear; in this verse his marriage to Kyllikki, and their vows, are described. Rune XII describes Kyllikki's breaking of her vow. In Rune XX Ahti is briefly mentioned, and the conflation with Lemminkainen and Kaukomiele is made explicit. Ahti is also mentioned in Rune XXVI, in Rune XXVIII he is called "Ahti, hero of the Islands", and in Rune XXX he is again identified with Lemminkainen. A pattern of association of the name "Ahti" with islands and seafaring is found in Runes XX, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, and other runes.

Ahto

''Ahto'' is the name of the king or god of the sea, and ''Ahtola'' is his sea-castle. His wife is '' Wellamo'', and they live together at the bottom of the sea. The '' Sampo'' comes into his possession and he is unwilling to return it. In the

, ''Ahto'' appears in Rune XLI; in Rune XLII, where ''

Väinämöinen Väinämöinen () is a demigod, hero and the central character in Finnish folklore and the main character in the national epic ''Kalevala'' by Elias Lönnrot. Väinämöinen was described as an old and wise man, and he possessed a potent, ma ...

'' charms him with his magic harp playing; in Rune XLIII, where the '' Sampo'' is lost in the sea; and in Rune XLVIII, where he is briefly mentioned. In a fable similar to Mercury and the Woodman, Ahto dives to return the lost knife of a shepherd, out of pity. He first finds a gold knife, and then a silver knife, but the shepherd does not claim them as his. The third knife Ahto retrieves is the correct one; as a reward for his honesty, Ahto gives the shepherd all three.

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* * * Finnish gods Sea and river gods {{deity-stub

Description

Ahti

Ahto

See also

References

Sources