Väinämöinen

Also known as: Osmoinen / Suvantolainen / Uvanto's swain / Uvantolainen / Väinö · Family: Kalevala · Role: bard · First appears: Runo I · Birth of Väinämöinen · Part 1

Born of Ilmatar, Väinämöinen spent his first years in the sea before planting his knees on land and rising to see the moon and sunlight. In Runo II he established a dwelling on a barren island, planted an acorn that became an oak, and cleared the forest for sowing, leaving a birch for the birds. Ukko sent rain and honey for the corn to grow.

In Runo III, after his sledge collided with Joukahainen’s at Väinölä, Väinämöinen defeated him in a singing contest and sank him into a swamp. Joukahainen pledged his sister Aino to him to save himself, but in Runo IV she refused Väinämöinen’s suit. In Runo V he learned of her death and grieved; when he later caught a fish that revealed itself as Aino, she escaped beneath the water. In Runo VI Joukahainen shot him, and he fell into the sea. Carried to Pohjola, he was found by Louhi, who fed him and restored his strength before offering to send him home if he arranged for a Sampo to be forged.

In Runo VIII, Maid of Pohja refused to join him unless he fulfilled her demand, and a wound inflicted through the workings of Hiisi and Lempo left him bleeding until it was healed in Runo IX. In Runo XVIII he set out to woo Maid of Pohja, but she refused him; he had agreed with Ilmarinen that neither would take her by force. Later, in Runo XXXVII, he rejected Ilmarinen’s offer of a golden maiden as his wife. In Runo XVI he journeyed to Tuonela seeking spells, escaped through Tuoni’s nets, and returned home; in Runo XVII he sought the charms of Antero Vipunen, who taught him spells before he left his body and finished building his boat.

In Runo XXXIX, Väinämöinen set out to seize the Sampo with Ilmarinen and Lemminkainen, whom he accepted as a comrade. In Runo XLII the three carried the Sampo from Pohjola, though Louhi opposed them; Maid of Clouds detained him on the lake, and he captured Iku-Turso before casting him back into the water. In Runo XLIII, Louhi attacked as an eagle and broke the Sampo in the lake. Väinämöinen searched for his lost kantele in Runo XLIV, then made another with help from a maiden on the heath. In Runo XLV he fought disease alongside his people; in Runo XLVI he brought Otso from the forest, and in Runo XLVIII he found the escaped fire and carried it back to the dwellings. In Runo XLIX he searched for the hidden sun and moon in Pohjola and fought the sons of Pohja.