Estonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging to the

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n folk heritage and literary mythology. Information about the pre-

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

and medieval Estonian mythology is scattered in historical chronicles, travellers' accounts and in ecclesiastical registers. Systematic recordings of Estonian folklore started in the 19th century. Pre-Christian Estonian deities may have included a god known as ''Jumal'' or ''Taevataat'' ("Old man of the sky") in

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

, corresponding to '' Jumala'' in Finnish, and ''Jumo'' in Mari.

Estonian mythology in old chronicles

According to the

Chronicle of Henry of Livonia The ''Livonian Chronicle of Henry'' () is a Latin narrative of events in Livonia (roughly corresponding to today's Estonia and Latvia) and surrounding areas from 1180 to 1227. It was written by a priest named Henry. Apart from some references ...

in 1225 the Estonians disinterred the enemy's dead and burned them. It is thought that cremation was believed to speed up the dead person's journey to the afterlife and by cremation the dead would not become earthbound spirits which were thought to be dangerous to the living. Henry of Livonia also describes in his chronicle an Estonian legend originating in Virumaa in northern Estonia – about a mountain and a forest where a god named

Tharapita Taara (variations of the name include Tooru, Tharapita and Tarapitha), also known as Uku or Jumal, is a prominent god in Estonian mythology, with a strong resemblance to the Finnish Ukko and the Germanic Thor. Etymology The Livonian place nam ...

, worshipped by

Oesel Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

ians, had been born. The solstice festival of

Midsummer Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest Daytime, day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of Eu ...

() celebrating the sun through solar symbols of bonfires, the tradition alive until the present day and numerous Estonian nature spirits: the sacred oak and linden were described by Balthasar Russow in 1578.

Mythical motifs in folklore

Some traces of the oldest authentic myths may have survived in runic songs. There is a song about the birth of the world – a bird lays three eggs and starts to lay out the nestlings – one becomes

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

, one becomes

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

and one becomes the

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. Other

Baltic Finnic peoples The Baltic Finnic peoples, often simply referred to as the Finnic peoples, are the peoples inhabiting the Baltic Sea region in Northern Europe, Northern and Eastern Europe who speak Finnic languages. They include the Finns, Estonians (including ...

also have myths according to which the world has emerged from an egg. The world of the Estonians' ancestors is believed to have turned around a pillar or a tree, to which the skies were nailed with the

North Star Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude t ...

. The

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

(''Linnutee'' or Birds' Way in Estonian) was a branch of the World tree (''Ilmapuu'') or the way by which birds moved (and took the souls of the deceased to the other world). These myths were based on

animistic Animism (from meaning 'breath, Soul, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct Spirituality, spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, Rock (geology), rocks, rivers, Weather, ...

beliefs. Changes occurred in proto-Estonian mythology as a result of the contacts with

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

and Germanic tribes, as well as the transition from hunting and gathering to

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

Personification Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ...

s of celestial bodies,

sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...

and

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

and

fertility Fertility in colloquial terms refers the ability to have offspring. In demographic contexts, fertility refers to the actual production of offspring, rather than the physical capability to reproduce, which is termed fecundity. The fertility rate ...

gods gained importance in the world of the farmers. There may have been a sky and thunder god called Uku or Ukko, also called Vanaisa (Grandfather) or Taevataat (Sky Father). Proto Estonian pre-Christian deities also may have included a sky-god by name Jumal, known also by other

Finnic peoples The Finnic peoples, or simply Finns, are the nations who speak languages traditionally classified in the Finno-Permic languages, Finnic language family, and which are thought to have originated in the region of the Volga River. Currently, the l ...

as Jumala in Finnish and Jumo in Mari. Estonian legends about giants (

Kalevipoeg ''Kalevipoeg'' (, ''Kalev's Son'') is a 19th-century epic poem by Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald which has since been considered the Estonian national epic. Origins In pre-Christian ancient Estonia there existed an oral tradition, known as ...

, Suur Tõll, Leiger) may be a reflection of Germanic (especially

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

n) influences. Giants themselves in some stories stood as protectors against such Germanic influences, such as

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

. There are numerous legends interpreting various natural objects and features as traces of Kalevipoeg's deeds. The giant has merged with Christian

Devil A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...

, giving birth to a new character – Vanapagan (a cunning demon living on his farm or manor) and his farm hand Kaval-Ants ("Crafty Hans"). Other mythical motifs from Estonian runic songs: * a mighty oak grows into the sky, is then felled and turned into various mythical objects * Sun, Moon and Star are the suitors of a young maiden, she finally accepts the Star * a crafty blacksmith forges a woman of gold but is not able to give her a soul or a mind * a holy grove starts to wither after having been desecrated by a love-making couple; only sacrificing nine brothers cleanses it * mighty heroes are not able to kill a terrible giant ox, but a little brother is * a woman is forced to kill her daughter who then goes to live in the heaven as the Air Maiden * a girl finds a fish and asks her brother to kill it – there is a woman inside the fish * young girls go out at night and young men from the holy grove (or the land of the dead) seduce them by offering them riches * a lake travels to another place when it has been desecrated by an inconsiderate woman or an incestuous couple It has been suggested by ethnologist and former president

Lennart Meri Lennart Georg Meri (; 29 March 1929 – 14 March 2006) was an Estonian writer, film director, and statesman. He was the country's foreign minister from 1990 to 1992 and President of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Early life Meri was born in Tallin ...

(among others), that a Kaali meteorite which passed dramatically over populated regions and landed on the island of

Saaremaa Saaremaa (; ) is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring , its population is 31,435 (as of January 2020). The main island of the West Estonian archipelago (Moonsund archipelago), it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hi ...

around 3,000–4,000 years ago was a cataclysmic event that may have influenced the mythology of Estonia and neighboring countries, especially those from whose vantage point a "sun" seemed to set in the east. In the Finnish national epic, 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 ...

, cantos 47, 48 and 49 can be interpreted as descriptions of the impact, the resulting tsunami and devastating forest fires. It has also been suggested that the Virumaa-born Oeselian god Tharapita is a reflection of the meteorite that entered the atmosphere somewhere near the suggested "birthplace" of the god and landed in Oesel.

Literary mythology

Friedrich Robert Faehlmann Friedrich Robert Faehlmann (Fählmann) (31 December 1798 in Ao Manor, Kreis Jerwen – 22 April 1850 in Tartu) was an Estonian writer, medical doctor and philologist active in Livonia, Russian Empire. He was a co-founder of the Learned Estonia ...

and

Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald ( – ) was an Estonians, Estonian writer and the author of the national epic ''Kalevipoeg''. Life Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald's parents were born at the Jõepere, Jömper estate, Governorate of Estonia, Russia ...

compiled the Estonian national epic

out of numerous prosaic folk legends and runic verse imitations that they themselves had written. Faehlmann also wrote eight fictional myths combining motives of Estonian folklore (from the legends and folk songs), Finnish mythology (from Ganander's " Mythologia Fennica") and classical

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

. Matthias Johann Eisen was another folklorist and writer who studied folk legends and reworked them into literary form. Many of their contemporary scholars accepted this

mythopoeia Mythopoeia (, ), or mythopoesis, is a subgenre of speculative fiction, and a theme in modern literature and film, where an artificial or fictionalized mythology is created by the writer of prose fiction, prose, poetry, or other literary forms. T ...

as authentic Estonian mythology. The Estonian literary mythology describes the following pantheon: The supreme god, the god of all living things, is Taara. He is celebrated in sacred oak forests around

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

. The god of thunder is Uku. Uku's daughters are

Linda Linda is an English feminine given name, derived from the Spanish word , meaning "pretty." Linda may also refer to: Names * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) ...

and Jutta, the queen of the birds. Uku has two sons: Kõu (Thunder) and Pikker (Lightning). Pikker possesses a powerful musical instrument, which makes demons tremble and flee. He has a naughty daughter,

Ilmatütar Estonian mythology is a complex of myths belonging to the Estonian folk heritage and literary mythology. Information about the pre-Christian and medieval Estonian mythology is scattered in historical chronicles, travellers' accounts and in eccle ...

(Weather Maiden). During the era of

Estonian national awakening The Estonian Age of Awakening () is a period in history where Estonians came to acknowledge themselves as a nation deserving the right to govern themselves. This period is considered to begin in the 1850s with greater rights being granted to com ...

the elements in the literary mythology were quickly and readily incorporated into contemporary popular culture through media and school textbooks. It can be difficult to tell how much of Estonian mythology as we know it today was actually constructed in the 19th and early 20th century. Faehlmann even noted in the beginning of his ''Esthnische Sagen'' (Estonian Legends) that:

"However, since
Pietism Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life. Although the movement is ali ...
has started to penetrate deep into the life of the people... nging folk songs and telling legends have become forbidden for the people; moreover, the last survivals of
pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...
deities are being destroyed and there is no chance for
historical research Historical method is the collection of techniques and guidelines that historians use to research and write histories of the past. Secondary sources, primary sources and material evidence such as that derived from archaeology may all be draw ...
."

Some constructed elements are loans from

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 ...

and may date back to the common Baltic-Finnic heritage.

Estonian mythological and literary mythological beings, deities and legendary heroes

* Pikker (Äike) – Thunder * Äiatar – a female demon, Devil's daughter * Alevipoeg – Alev's son, a friend of

* Ebajalg – demonic whirlwind * Ehaema – Mother Twilight, a nocturnal spirit or elf, encouraging spinning * Eksitaja – an evil spirit who makes people lose their way in a forest or a bog * Haldjas (the ruler) – elf, fairy, protector spirit of some place, person, plant or animal * Hall – personification of malaria * Hämarik – personification of dusk, a beautiful young maiden * Hännamees – a demon who stole and brought food, money and other worldly goods to its maker and owner * Hiid – a giant * Hiiela – another world, land of the dead * Hiieneitsid – maidens from the land of the dead * Hiis – holy grove * Hingeliblikas – a person's spirit in the form of a moth * Hingeloom – a person's spirit in the form of an insect or a small animal * Hoidja – protector, keeper * Härjapõlvlane – leprechaun * Ilmaneitsi, Ilmatütar – Air Maiden, Sky Maiden * Ilmarine, Ilmasepp – a mythical blacksmith who forged among other things the Sun and the Moon (cf.

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 ...

) * Ilo – Joy, the hostess of feasts * Järvevana – Old Man from the Lake * Jumal – God * Jutta – queen of the birds, daughter of Taara * Juudaline – demon * Kaevukoll – bogeyman of the well * Kaitsja – protector *

, Kalevine, Sohni, Soini, Osmi – giant hero, mythical ancient king of Estonia * Kalm – grave; spirit of a dead person; ruler of the land of the dead * Kalmuneiu – Maiden of the Grave; a girl from the land of the dead * Katk – personification of plague * Kaval-Ants (Crafty/Sly Hans) – wicked farm hand who deceives his master Vanapagan – the Devil * Kodukäija – a restless visitant ghost * Koerakoonlane – a demonic warrior with a dog snout * Koit – personification of Dawn, a young man, eternal lover of Hämarik * Koll – bogey * Kolumats – bogeyman *

Kratt Kratt (or kratid in plural; also ''pisuhänd'', ''puuk'', ''tulihänd'', ''vedaja''), is a magical creature in old Estonian mythology, a treasure-bearer. A kratt was a creature formed from hay or of old household implements by its master, who t ...

, Pisuhänd, Tulihänd, Hännamees, Puuk – a demon who stole and brought food, money and other worldly goods to its maker and owner in the form of a whirlwind or meteor-like tail of fire, but would become dangerous and kill its "owner" unless outwitted''Scandinavian Ghost Stories and Other Tales of the Supernatural'' Pennfield Press Iowa City 1995 pp. 9–16 * Kuu – Moon * Kõu – Thunder; son of Uku, brother of Pikker * Kääbas – grave, death spirit * Külmking – a spirit of an unholy dead, eats children when they bother the forest spirits * Lapi nõid – witch of Lapland * Leiger (player) – a giant living in Hiiumaa island, younger brother of "Suur Tõll" * Lendva – an illness sent by an evil witch * Libahunt, Sutekskäija – werewolf * Liiva-Annus or Surm – Death *

– mother of Kalevipoeg * Lummutis – ghost, wraith * Luupainaja – incubus, nightmare * Maa-alune – a creature living under the earth and causing illnesses * Maajumalad – Gods of Earth * Maaemä – Mother Earth * Majauss – domestic grass-snake, protector spirit * Mana – a hypothetical ruler of the dead * Manala – land of the dead * Manalane – inhabitant of the land of the dead * Marras – spirit of death, predictor of death * Mereveised – Sea cows * Metsaema – Mother of Forest * Metsavana – Old Man of the Forest * Metsik – a fertility god * Mumm – bogey, monster, ghost * Murueide Tütred – daughters of Murueit, beautiful maidens * Murueit – a female spirit of forest and earth, connected to the land of the dead * Näkk – a shapeshifting water spirit, that often appears in a human shape, male or female, but sometimes also as an animal * Nõid – witch * Olevipoeg – a friend of Kalevipoeg, city builder, related to St Olaf * Painaja – nightmare, incubus * Pakane – Frost * Pardiajaja – (from German-language ''Parteigänger'') half-demonic warrior * Peko – Seto god of fertility and brewing * Peninukk – half-demonic warrior * Penn * Peremees – Master * Pikne, Pikker – Thunder, "The Long One" * Piret – wife of Suur Tõll * Põrguneitsi – literally: virgin of Hell * Päike – Sun * Rongo * Rõugutaja – a female deity, protector of the rye crops,

women A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional u ...

in labor and the city of Narva * Rukkihunt * Salme * Sulevipoeg – Sulev's son, friend of Kalevipoeg * Suur Tõll – giant hero living in

Island * Taara Tharapita, Taarapita, Tarapita – the god of nature, sometimes considered supreme god. Mythological Osilian God of War * Taevataat (literally Sky Father), Vanaisa ("Grandfather") * Täht – Star * Tallaja – trampler * Tikutaja * Tõnn – fairy, fertility god * Tont – ghost * Toonela – land of the dead *

Tooni Tooni is a village in Tartu Parish, Tartu County in Estonia. (retrieved 10 March 2020) Tooni is one of the three villages located on the island of Piirissaar Piirissaar (earlier ''Borka'', or Желачек, romanized: Zhelachek) is an Es ...

– god of death, ruler of the dead * Toor, Tooru – a deity known in western Estonia, related to Scandinavian Thor * Tulbigas * Turis * Tuule-Emä – Mother Wind * Tuuleisa – Father Wind * Tuulispask – whirlwind * Tuuslar – a sorcerer living in Finland * Udres-Kudres – serf, called "Son of the Sun", hero of folksongs * Uku – the supreme god *

Vanemuine Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It is the first Estonian language, Estonian-language theatre. Stemming from the Vanemuine Society (1865), the theatre's first performance was Lydia Koidula's ''Saaremaa Onupoeg'' ("The cousin from S ...

– the god of songs, art and literature * Vanapagan ("The Old Heathen") Vanatühi, ("The Old Empty one"), Vanakuri ("The Old Evil One"), Vanapoiss ("The Old Boy"), Vanasarvik ("The Old Horned One") in some texts also Vanataat ("The Old Father") – The Devil * Varavedaja – loot carrier * Varjuline – shadowling * Veehaldjas – spirit of the water, the weaver of a spring Ahjualune * Veteema – Mother of Waters * Vetevana – Father of waters * Vihelik * Vilbus * Virmalised – Polar Lights * Viruskundra Christian

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s interpreted as gods: * Jüri (

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

) – god of agriculture * Laurits (

St Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence (; 31 December 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roman emperor Valerian ordered in 258. ...

) – god of fire * Mart ( St Martin) – god of fertility * Olev ( St Olaf) – mythical builder of St. Olaf's Church * Tõnn ( St Anthony) – fertility god of the crops and pigs

Estonian mythical and magical objects

* White Ship (''valge laev'') – mythical ship that brings freedom or takes people away to a better land. This myth was born around 1860 when a small sect led by Juhan Leinberg (also known as Prophet Maltsvet) gathered near Tallinn to wait for a white ship to take them away. * Hat of fingernails (''küüntest kübar'') – makes the bearer (usually Vanatühi) invisible. * Letter gloves (''kirikindad'') – were believed to have protective or magic powers, especially church letter gloves and the gloves that sailors wore. Letter gloves were (are) decorated with special geometric patterns and narrow red stripes; they have many whispers and spells in them because the crafter used to sing while making, dyeing and knitting yarn. * Letter Belt (''kirivöö'') – the belt had the most ancient and magical patterns of all the craft items, red woven belts and laces were a common item to sacrifice (they were tied to the branches of holy trees). The belt was tied around parts of body that were sick and, pulled tightly around the waist, to protect and give strength to the bearer. * Sacred stones – the last ice age has left a lot of great stones ( erratics) in Estonia. Many of them were considered sacred and people came to them to sacrifice silver, blood, red ribbons and coins and ask for welfare and prosperity. Often, the stones have little holes in them, some of them probably used to place the sacrifice in. The meaning and function of the holes is however still disputed; according to paleoastronomer Heino Eelsalu they may have had a calendary function. * Travelling forests – when people are mean, greedy and cruel, the forests will leave those places. The most stories about travelling forests are found in coastal areas of Estonia.

References

External links

collected Estonian tales, edited by W. F. Kirby
Taarapita – the great god of the Oeselians, an article by Urmas Sutrop

from the University of Toronto {{DEFAULTSORT:Estonian Mythology Uralic mythology Baltic gods