FINNISH HEATHENISM

In the desolate northern edge of the world there dwells a race of people strong and solitary, their origins pre-date history. They speak a language unlike any other. They were skilled warriors and woodsmen All of these things were rivaled only by their reputation as sorcerers. These are the people of ancient Finland.

Because it is one of the oldest indigent forms of Pagan religion, their ways were lost in the shadows of pre-history. In modern times, a new interest has surfaced in this unique and ancient Pagan belief system.

Finnish Paganism died out during the period while Finland has been a part of the Christian world. However, many of the Pagan traditions have remained even under a Christian context.

Too often, Finnish Paganism is considered part of the Nordic Heathenism – this is incorrect. Finnish Heathenism pre-dates Nordic Heathenism and the two forms of Paganism are observed very differently. Finnish Heathenism is a Shamanic belief system – the Native Americans fashioned their belief system on that of the Ancient Finns. A study of both systems will reveal the great many similarities. On the other hand, the Nordic Heathenism, whilst Nature-based, is not predominantly Shamanic. Modern Finnish Pagans tend to view Asatru as a kind of cultural imperialism that is based too much on beliefs of neighbouring countries and not on their own local traditions. On a personal note, I found Asatru to be too akin to Christianity for me. No surprise really, since all historical records were destroyed by the Christians and the Eddas were written by a Christian man.

Due to the geographical proximity of Finland to Siberia and the nomadic way of life which prevailed until relatively recent times, Finnish Paganism has its roots in Shamanism, sharing many similar concepts - such as the honouring of ancestors, spirits of the land, and the elements of earth, air, fire and water - with Siberian and Arctic peoples.

Finnish Paganism holds no absolute rules, but instead each pagan has to make their own decisions on how to practice Paganism. The way pagans view their Gods is one example of this. For some pagans Gods are personifications of natural forces, others perceive them as higher ideals and some see them as concrete living beings. It should be noted, that pre-Christian religion wasn't just one isolated aspect of living, as is often the case in universal religions such as Christianity. Instead, for the ancient people their tribe, myths, rites and everyday customs were all interconnected into one cohesive sense being a human being. Asking luck for harvest from the Gods was just as commonplace as sowing the seeds was.

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COSMOLOGY

In the Finnish cosmology there are three realms - the upper world where spirits and gods resided, called Ylinen, the middle world, Keskinen, which was the world of living and the under world, Alinen, where the dead dwelled with the earth spirits - found on a World Tree. Finnish Pagans believe that people's destinies are written in the leaves of this tree, and that when a leaf falls, a person dies.

In recent years, some Finnish pagans have merged their traditions with those of Wicca, choosing to honour the Goddess Mielikki (Spirit of the Forest) and the God Tapio (Lord of the Forest) as their principle deities.

DEITIES

Finnish Paganism is pantheistic/polytheistic with a pantheon of many deities worshipped, the ultimate representation of divinity being Ukko.

Ukko : the sky god, and chief deity in the Finnish pantheon

Rauni : goddess of fertility, and wife of Ukko; rejected by others as historically dubious
Ahti : the sea god
Tapio : the forest god
Pekko : god of the crops
Nyyrikki : the hunter god
Mielikki : goddess of forests and the hunt
Ilmarinen : the sky god
Louhi : mythical matriarch; rather an ideal to follow than a god to worship
Turisas : the war god; rejected by others as historically dubious
Haltijas : elven-like creatures, spirits, gnomes
Lemminkäinen : mythical hero
Hiisi: holy place and creature
Jumi

The afterlife is a place called Tuonela, and it is a place where several different deities live, including Tuoni.

FESTIVALS/SACRED DAYS

Hela, (Spring Equinoxe) - a festival celebrating the coming of spring and the new growing season
Ukon Vakat (Ukko’s Day) – 4 April - the end of Spring ploughing. Similar to Imbolc
Juhannus (Summer Solstice) - Celebratory fires are burned all over Finland. Spells to predict who your future spouse will be are cast.
Kekri, (Samhain) - celebration of harvest and the ancestors
Joulu, (Winter Solstice)
Midwinter – 13 January

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OBSERVATION

Family was held in high regard. Ancestor cults with sacrificial trees became more important as did fertility rites and ensuring a good crop. Sacrificial stones and other sacred places started to appear near fields. In the spring in Eastern Finland, toasts were made to ensure the growth of wheat. The most important feast in the fall, Kekri, was celebrated when harvest season ended. On Kekri, cattle were slaughtered for the winter and the beginning of a new year was celebrated. Poetry regarding the birth of beer and barley has survived from this time.

The worldview in the shamanistic hunting culture focused on nature. Humans were dependent on nature and game. The Shaman was the force that brought people together during these times. He was a spiritual leader. He conveyed messages between the worlds and explained to others how the cosmos worked. The Shaman was also responsible for keeping the order in the cosmos, which enabled humans to live side by side with the forces of nature and the spirit world.

Religious rituals that utilized the spirit world were performed to make every day life easier and more secure. Stones called seita were used as sacrificial and ceremonial places where hunting rituals and celebrations took place. People believed that nature and animals were under the protection of spirits. The strongest of these were the bear and the elk. Because of their strength, these two animals were strong totem animals as well. They were believed to be the protectors and the progenitors of particular families or clans. Totem animals were greatly revered

In modern times, Finnish Neopagans visit sacred forests, where wooden god-images or sacred stones can sometimes be found. Some celebrate the circling of the year at certain dates, for example by burning bonfires, dancing, sacrificing, or making other kinds of rituals. One ritual, which is also an authentic practice of the ancestors, is to drink a toast for the thunder god Ukko at the midsummer festival and also to plant birch branches outside of your front door for protection (from any malicious elemental spirits).

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SACRED TEXTS

There is no ancient sacred text in Finnish Paganism. The ancient Finns were illiterate and so everything was passed down the generations orally. In 1833, a Finnish physician named Elias Lönnröt travelled around Karelia (now part of Russia – they stole it from the Finns in the Winter War in 1938 – bastards!) on foot to the elders of the indigent tribes and they told the saga to him and he wrote it into a book – The Kaelvala. The Kalevala is many things and even to this day it is a required part of the curriculum in Finnish schools. It can be interpreted on levels ranging from classic literature to sacred text although it is taught as historical literature in the schools. Kalevala is an account – in poetic form (this made it easier to remember and pass on) – of the methods of practice of the ancient Finnish Heathens. The importance of the Kalevala to the Finnish people is apparent as Kalevala Day (28th February) is a Finnish national holiday.

You can read the kalevala in its entirety online at the link given below.

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ELEMENTAL BEINGS

Elves and sprites were greatly respected. They were grouped to different peoples by where they lived. There were earth people, water sprites and so on. They had many powers. Each of these groups could curse people with different ailments, which meant that people wanted to keep them content. Angry sprites and elves were very mischievous. They could also bless humans, if asked correctly. Farmers sacrificed to them in order to keep up good relations. If angry, the sprites could move the stones that marked a farms area, thus decreasing the land owned by the farmer. All humans were thought to have their very own elf or sprite that guarded them. Some thought these creatures were their own ancestors. Elves and spirits reflected the divide between the familiar and the unknown, as well as the divine and the everyday.

Haltija is a spirit and often gnome or elf-like creature in Finnish mythology, that guards, helps or protects.

Haltijas are divided into folks, which are called väki (magickal folk) and can be seen as (luck bringing) magical force. Magickal powers are caused by groups of haltijas. For example, if someone gets sick while swimming, this can be caused by väki of water that is attached to a person. In this sense väki is more like magical power of water that can make people ill, however, if someone goes fishing, they can ask for väki of water to bring fish.

• Väki of forest (metsän väki) Their leader is Tapio, the king of forest. It also means magical powers of forest.

• Väki of water (veden väki) Their leader is Ahti, the king of the sea. Veden väki is also magical power of water that can make people sick or heal them.

• Väki of woman (naisen väki) special magical powers of women

• Väki of death (kalman väki) means ghosts and spirits, but also magical power that can be found from graveyard. This power can make people ill, and it can also be used against other people.

• Väki of fire: (tulen väki) the destructive forces of fire and healing power of warm air of sauna

• Väki of mountain (vuoren väki) evil haltijas of hills and big stones

• Väki of wood (puun väki) power of wood material, which can cause for example pain if you are hit by wooden object

• Väki of iron (raudan väki) can hurt people which are hit by bladed weapons. Väki of steel can also be commanded to heal the wounds they have done.

Haltija väkis of different environments and materials were thought to be in conflicts with each other. For example, when wood is burned, it is an assault in which väki of fire is beating väki of wood.

TRANCE & RITUAL WORK

Finnish magick is pragmatic. The magician is not bound by any traditionally established ritual or method of practise. It is believed that the most powerful magick is born of spontaneity and creativity. The most important aspect of ritual for the Finns is the induction of altered states of consciousness through trance..

The ancient Finns were of the mindset that life is your preparation for ritual. The ritual itself is merely the projection of the magician’s personality to effect change, thus the magician should live a magickal life, the characteristics which should include attention, compassion, courage, intuition, spontaneity, imagination and of course sisu. Sisu is summed up in an old Finnish proverb – "Strong will takes a person even through stone.". The Finns have through history been noted for their resilience. Sisu is not just a positive attitude or bravery – it is a philosophy that what must be done will be done, regardless of the cost. It is a philosophy of integrity. Sisu has allowed the Finns to survive 42 wars with Russia – losing all of them. Sisu allowed the Finns to repay their war debts even when wealthier countries chose not to. Sisu sums up to an indomitable will and this is the secret not only of their survival but to their magick as well. Finns, unlike the Nords, were peaceful and benevolent people.. In fact, theirs is the only national epic whose central theme is not based around conflict, but when conflict becomes inevitable, the warrior enters into it with his or her entire being..

Finns were also Shapeshifters – and this is more attainable than one would imagine.. Amanita Muscaria was sacred to the ancient Finns as this assisted with shapeshifting and vision questing. Finnish Magick does not rely on spells and charms so much as it requires the magician to hone and use his/her own powers to effect change. As it should be.

LVX - Allison

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