Lemminkainen's mother

Family: Kalevala · Role: mother of Lemminkainen · First appears: Runo XI · Lemminkainen and Kyllikki · Part 1

In Runo XI, Lemminkainen was raised by his mother in a noble house, where she warned him against seeking a bride above his station. When he returned safely with Kyllikki, she was there to receive him. In Runo XII, she urged him not to go to battle and taught him pathways, knowledge of countries, and songs of magic; he recalled that she had washed him when he was small and taught him at home and abroad.

In Runo XV, when the bloodied comb and brush showed that Lemminkainen had met misfortune, his mother set out to find him. She went to Pohjola and demanded of Louhi where her son had gone, then learned he had perished in Tuoni’s river. With a rake forged by Ilmarinen, she drew him from the water, restored him to his former life, and anointed his wounds. Though he could not yet speak, he journeyed home with her. In Runo XXVI, she reminded him that she had saved him from Tuoni’s falls and warned him about the dangers of a feast.

In Runo XXVIII, Lemminkainen asked her for provisions before travelling farther. In Runo XXIX, he found her alive in the forest, where she explained that she had fled and hidden when Pohjola attacked, destroyed their home, and burned it to ashes. In Runo XXX, she again warned him against going to battle with Pohjola; after wandering with Tiera, he returned to her.