Aino () is a figure in the Finnish

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group wi ...

Kalevala.

Description

It relates that she was the beautiful sister of

Joukahainen Joukahainen () is a figure in Finnish mythology who appears as a rival or companion of Väinämöinen. There has been debate among scholars if he should be categorized as a god, a hero, an evil being, or something else. His name has multiple diff ...

. Her brother, having lost a singing contest to the storied

Väinämöinen () is a deity, 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, magical sing ...

, promised Aino's "hands and feet" in marriage if Väinämöinen would save him from

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

in the swamp into which Joukahainen had been thrown. Aino's mother was pleased at the idea of marrying her daughter to such a famous and well-born person, but Aino did not want to marry such an old man. Rather than submit to this fate, Aino drowned herself (or was transformed into a nixie). However, she returned to taunt the grieving Väinämöinen as a

perch Perch is a common name for freshwater fish from the genus ''Perca'', which belongs to the family Percidae of the large order Perciformes. The name comes from , meaning the type species of this genus, the European perch (''P. fluviatilis'') ...

. The name ''Aino'', meaning "the only one", was invented by Elias Lönnrot who composed the Kalevala. In the original poems she was mentioned as "the only daughter" or "the only sister" (''aino tyttönen, aino sisko'').

National romanticism

During the national romantic period at the end of the 19th century the mythological name Aino was adopted as a

Christian name A Christian name, sometimes referred to as a baptismal name, is a religious personal name given on the occasion of a Christian baptism, though now most often given by parents at birth. In English-speaking cultures, a person's Christian name ...

by Fennoman activists. Among the first to be named so were Aino Järnefelt ( Aino Sibelius), born 1871 and Aino Krohn (the later Aino Kallas), born 1878. According to the Finnish Population Register Centre, over 60,000 women have been given the name. It was especially popular in the early 20th century, and the most common first name for women in the 1920s. It has returned to favor in the 21st century; it was the most popular name for girls in Finland in 2006 and 2007.http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Aino+and+Eetu+top+list+of+most+popular+childrens+names+/1135231071996

Gallery

References

*The Kalevala, Cantos 3, 4, and 5. *Kustaa Vilkuna:Etunimet.1976.Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. (On the name Aino) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aino (Mythology) Characters in the Kalevala Triptychs Women in mythology Fictional suicides Nixies (folklore)