Beyond the Seas

The Kalevala: Väki and Finnish Paganism

• Kieran Danaan • Season 2 • Episode 55

Share episode

There is a force known by many names--and many names are inherent within the various practices of our Ancestors. As we harken back into the past, and turn our gaze to the Northeastern parts of our world, we may learn--from the tales and legends of old--that there is a profound amount of wisdom yet to be discovered...


WE ARE GOING TO SALEM!
Instagram: @beyondtheseaspodcast
EMAIL ME: beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com
Tarot Collaboration: @thefeatherwitchnyc
Podcast website: https://beyondtheseas.buzzsprout.com/
More info: https://www.kierandanaan.com/beyond-the-seas



WINE COLLAB!!!  🍷
Make sure to follow Iruai Winery on Insta, and order your wine from their website:
@iruaiwine
iruaiwine.com


Author Interview Collaboration 📚
Crossed Crow Books (@crossedcrowbooks)



Join us on Patreon! 🎬
Patreon.com/BeyondtheSeas


Sources 🌎

-"Finnish Paganism." Imprimis Systems, https://www.judgementiscome.com/home/ethnic-religions/finnish-paganism

-Lönnrot, Elias. The Kalevala. Translated by John Martin Crawford, E-Book, Project Gutenberg, gutenberg.org/files/5186/5186-h/5186-h.htm.

-Pekantytär, Niina. Väki: The Power in Finnish Folklore. Medium, 14 May 2020. littlewomen.medium.com/v%C3%A4ki-the-power-in-finnish-folklore-abeb0a9d3c04.


Music 🎵

"Come Away" by We Dream of Eden

"Intimacy" by Ben Winwood

"Aurora" by Adi Goldstein

"Distant Horizon" by We Dream of Eden

Cheers Magick Makers

Kieran

Sit down with me, and hear the stories. 

The tales of old, the tales of wonder.

From the depths of the mountains, to the freedom of the forest,

And the wide-ranging air and tumultuous oceans. 

The spirits are with us, the time is now,

To harken back to a past of wisdom, and venture forth into a future of power. 

Sit, listen, be present with me, 

As I invoke the old ways, here by the fire. 

Close your eyes, breathe strong and fast, 

And know our Ancestors watch o’er us now. 

Relax and be still, clear your mind of all thoughts, 

As we dive deeply into the words…

And begin.

(transition music)

 

            Grand tidings and welcome to you on this, the Fifty-Fifth Episode, of Beyond the Seas. My name is Kieran and here we are again, back at it for another week. Ya know, to kick things off for the start of Season Two, I thought it would be beyond fun—and well overdue—for all of you to have two episodes back-to-back. Because, we have been gone for so long and this knowledge and information is long overdue for all of you to listen to. But before we get to the juicy stuff, the plugs time: @beyondtheseaspodcast, over on Insta, and Claudia’s account, @thefeatherwitchnyc, to follow along with our weekly tarot collaboration—wherein Claudia teaches the tarot one card at a time, one week at a time. Also, our collaborations with Crossed Crow Books, @crossedcrowbooks, and Iruai Winery, @iruaiwine. Finally, consider signing up for one of the tiers over on our Patreon, patreon.com/BeyondtheSeas. We are constantly coming up with new material to drop over there for all of you to enjoy, once you sign up: an interview with GennaRose Nethercott, guided meditations, rituals for the seasons and moons, and so many more. Finally, please leave a five-star rating and review, on your platform of choice, so the show may course its way through the interwebs and find new Magick Makers the world over. I am so, so, so happy you are all here, sharing some time with me on the show, today.

            And now, artistic and literary updates! 

            And now, the Wine of the Week! So funnily enough, here I was, picture it: Whole Foods Wine Shop, Manhattan, Saturday afternoon last. And this awesome guy, of whom I do not know his name, stopped me as I walked in and said, “Hey! Do you want a free sample of wine?” And I tried playing it off, I didn’t really want it, I was tired and on a mission. But of course, as Nature would have it, he cajoled me. And this man introduced to me a wine I have heretofore been completely unaware of: the Pét-Nat wine. Now, correct me if I am wrong, but: this wine is literally adjacent to Champagne…minus one step: refinement. It is a cloudy wine, when shaken, because the wine yeast settles at the bottom and creates the opaque atmosphere when the wine is agitated. Thus, the carbonation on this one is out of this world: this man described the wine he handed me as parallel to a Yellow Fanta. Which…I do not drink soda, so I had no idea what he was talking about. BUT. This wine was sour, sweet, fruity, pineapple-y, fizzy, and perfect for the summer months ahead. So. Head out to your local wine shop, find the prosecco/champagne section, and look for a Pét-Nat. Apparently, out of all the wines in the world, it is the wild card wine: there are absolutely no rules when it comes to the making of it. So give it a shot and see what happens, Magick Makers!

            And, finally, this week’s topic. If you recall, from the last episode, the novel I am almost finished with: Emily Rath’s North is the Night. Within, many gods and characters populate the narrative and its conclusion after beginning and climax. However, there are brief mentioning-s of other creatures within the mythology of the Finnish people: the Väki. And, given last week’s episode with the Welsh Fair Folk, Y Tylwyth Teg, I thought we should turn our attention East and Northward: to Finland, the Baltic Lands, and discover—through uncovering—the stories and mythology of these supernatural, immortal beings. What is Finnish Paganism? Who are the Väki? What roles do they serve and uphold within the suprasystem of Baltic belief? And how might we honor—and work with—them today?

            For now, grab your favorite bottle of red, find a comfy chair, and close your eyes as I tell you the tale of The Kalevala: Väki and Finnish Paganism—and take you…

            Beyond the Seas.

            (transition music)

 

            Finland. A place that is Northern, magical, and beautiful. A place… I have never been to before. Hahaha! But! Whilst preparing to write this episode for the podcast, I took a moment to look at the locations where the show has been downloaded; and lo and behold, we have had several listeners hail from this magnificent land. Thus, in honor of them and the Pagan Ancestors of old, let us take a look at what Finnish Paganism is itself. 

            From the Imprimis Systems website, “Finnish paganism was the indigenous pagan religion of the Baltic Finnic peoples. The Finnic pagans honored a number of different deities. Most of these controlled a specific aspect of nature. Finnic pagans were also animists, worshipping local nature deities at shrines dedicated to a particular deity. These shrines were mainly tree-gods, wooden statues carved from trees or treestumps depicting human figures, so few have been preserved. Another type of shrine is a cup-stone, large rocks with cup-sized recesses drilled into them. Offerings of food or drink were placed in these cups. Despite Christianization, offerings continued to be left in cup-stones until the early 20th century. Several major deities were worshiped throughout most of Finland, Ingria, Estonia and Karelia. The chief god was Ukko, or Perkele, ruler of the sky and thunder. Äkräs was the god of fertility. Mielikki was the goddess of forests and hunting. Kuu was the goddess of the moon. Great heroes who had once been human, such as Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen, were also objects of veneration, similar to Greek worship of mythical human heroes like Herakles. Lempo was the god of the wilderness and of archery. Other important deities ruled a specific aspect of the natural world and were referred to as kings. The king of water was often called Ahti. The king of the forest was called Tapio. Local animistic deities, known as haltijas or haltias, could be male or female and assumed either human or animal form. Haltijas could be found everywhere in nature, both in living creatures and inanimate objects. Human beings possessed a haltija which was one of the three parts of a person's soul. It was beleived that the human soul is composed of three different parts: henki (life, breath, or spirit), luonto (meaning nature, a guardian spirit or protector and the haltija of a person), and itse (a spirit received at birth or a few days after which shapes one's personality). Each of these three types were independent beings. Maan haltija (meaning tutelary of land) guarded a person's property, including their house and livestock. Haltijas were grouped into types or races called väki. Väkis could become angry if people behaved in a disrespectful manner in their territory. The väki of fire was perpetually angry, which explains why every time you touch a fire it burns you, no matter how respectful of it you may be. Väkis belonged to specific environments. If they were misplaced, then problems occurred. If a misplaced väki became attached to a human being, it caused illness. Shamans cured diseases by returning väkis to their proper setting, thus restoring the cosmic balance. Finns beleived that no force of nature or higher life could exist without väkis or haltijas. A person's soul was comprised of a large grouping of these spirits. In Finnic mythology, there are two distinct theories about the creation of the universe and the earth. In the Sukeltajamyytti, god sent a Black-throated loon into the primeval sea (Alkumeri) to collect mud and sand to form the earth. Another creation theory, likely of Indian origin, states that the world was born from the egg of a waterfowl. Based on its similarity to other Uralic beliefs, it can be assumed that Finnic paganism included the concept that the world is cyclic. It will never end, but will be recreated at regular intervals.”

            That is a BROAD, broad overview of what Finnish Paganism is. I’m going to now dive into the particulars of the path that stand out to me, starting with the Väki. From Niina Pekantytär over on the Medium website, “In Finnish folklore, Väki is the life force that flows in every single living creature and being. It is similar to the concept of mana in Hinduism, life force chi in Chinese culture or the Force in Star Wars. Väki literally means a group. It describes the power / group or spirits that reside in a certain idea/concept/element or being.

            “When a person was a practitioner of witchcraft (in Finnish context) what they essentially were doing was to work with väki. Everything has their own väki; nature, trees, animals and all the elements. The idea of elements is very common in Finnish myths and all the elements possessed their own väki. Ilmanväki (väki of the air), tulenväki (väki of the fire), maanväki (väki of the earth) and vedenväki (väki of the water). From the elements, väki of the water was considered to be the most powerful because of the healing powers of water but also because the water was seen as something eternal. The woman grew children in the waters of their womb. The earth was born from waters and water always returned in some form, was it then rain or snow.

            “Väki of the animals was always connected to their element. For example, väki of the bear was connected to the earth and the power of the forest. Birds possessed väki of the air. Fish and frogs were part of the väki of the water. In spellcraft, if a person wanted to perform a ritual that needed elements from certain väki they used animal parts from an animal that belonged to that väki. Some animals possess extremely strong väki. One of those animals was a wild deer. If a person ate brains of a wild deer they would sleep very restlessly and see nightmares of dark figures, which were shadow beings of the forest. ​

            “Even the smallest animals like ants and spiders possess their own väki. Väki was always connected to the myths and stories told about the animals.

            “People also had their own väki. Woman’s väki was considered the strongest because women were the creators of life. Women had an important role in ancient Finno-Baltic societies. If a man wanted to marry a woman they had to ask permission from the mother of the bride and when the father of the household died the oldest son did not inherit the house-stead but the widow did. Väki of the women was also feared by the men occasionally. If the man cheated the woman the woman could raise their väki and hurt the man as revenge. A woman´s status was connected to her marriage and later on her becoming a mother and a grandmother. This idea is directly based on the mother earth cult and ancestral worship where the passed away grandmother became a worshipped figure.”

            The Väki is such an interesting concept to me because it reminds me of the spirits of nature. It is the breathing, living, life-giving force that permeates absolutely everything—and perhaps expresses itself in a variety of ways, namely spirits. And when we honor and work with them, we may experience the level of reciprocity and respect that our Ancestors knew long, long ago. 

            There is also a correlation here between the Väki and YTylwyth Teg—and the Sidhe. They are the forces that live within the land, are of and without it, while also living inside you—and me. They are not only our kin, in a variety of ways, but also completely separate and apart from us. When we honor the different names for the same force, across oceans and cultural phenomena, we begin to understand the power our Ancestors worked with. 

            How, then, might we honor and work with this force, regardless of the name and origin, today? After the break, we are going to traverse through the epic Finnish Poem, The Kalevala, to uncover how we might do exactly that. 

            Refill your drinking horns, your goblets, your chalices, for the second half of The Kalevala: Väki and Finnish Paganism, after this brief break. 

            (transition music)

 

            So. The Kalevala. Wheretofore completely unbeknownst to me! Until: my friend Amanda and I were out and about on Saturday, not too long ago; and we happened into one of the New York Public Library branches…to renew my library card. And then we browsed the books, to see what was new. And Amanda handed me this beautiful blue book, and envision it: the pages, when the book is closed, showcase blue on all three sides, swirling snow, spirals, and snowflakes. Instantly, I was in love. And THEN, come to find out, it is all about Finnish Paganism? I was HOOKED. 

            It was in the first few pages that I read how the author, Emily Rath, was influenced by The Kalevala in her research and writing. And I thought to myself, “what the hell is that?” Ergo, let me now answer that question: The Kalevala is the national Finnish epic, written by Elias Lönnrot and published in 1835. Here is a note that is of particular interest: the meter of the lines themselves. The entirety of the epic poem is written as trochaic tetrameter: stressed and unstressed—DUH dum—feet, of which there are four of them. All the Shakespeare folks out there are going, “I knowwww what Kieran is talking about right now!” But let me translate overall: there are eight syllables in a line, divided equally into four different sections—feet. These pairs begin with a stressed syllable, followed by an unstressed syllable. Now, according to my research, there are variances in the meter: sometimes, the pattern is broken, and an unstressed syllable will follow an unstressed syllable. The question then becomes…why? For now, let us take a look at what trochaic tetrameter signifies. DUH-dum, DUH-dum, DUH-dum, DUH-dum. Rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall, and so on. It evokes an image of a wave rising, cresting, and falling. Or, of a circle flowing into and around itself—creating…a spiral. The story goes ever on and on, both in and out of itself. 

            This moment is where my grad school text analysis skills come out, and right now…I am missing them so much!! I love this amount of analysis. Thus, for we magick practitioners today, we notice that this rhythm goes against the natural pattern of a heartbeat: duh-DUM, duh-DUM, duh-DUM; the question is…why?

            From what I have gathered, The Kalevala traces the life and events of its main character, Väinäimöinen, as he meets with Ilmarinen, a smith who plays a pivotal role in the epic saga; Ukko, the God of Thunder and the Sky; Ilmatar, his mother—the Mother Goddess figure in the saga; and so many others. By the end of the epic tale, Väinäimöinen sails away—leaving only his songs and kantele, a stringed instrument, behind—but promising that, 

                        “‘Suns may rise and set in Suomi,

                        Rise and set for generations,

                        When the North will learn my teachings,

                        Will recall my wisdom-sayings,

                        Hungry for the true religion.

                        Then will Suomi need my coming,

                        Watch for me at dawn of morning,

                        That I may bring back the Sampo,

                        Bring anew the harp of joyance,

                        Bring again the golden moonlight,

                        Bring again the silver sunshine,

                        Peace and plenty to the Northland.”

 

                        Thus the ancient Wainamoinen,

                        In his copper-banded vessel,

                        Left his tribe in Kalevala,

                        Sailing o’er the rolling billows,

                        Sailing through the azure vapors,

                        Sailing through the dusk of evening,

                        Sailing to the fiery sunset,

                        To the higher-landed regions,

                        To the lower verge of heaven;

                        Quickly gained the far horizon,

                        Gained the purple-colored harbor.

                        There his bark he firmly anchored,

                        Rested in his boat of copper;

                        But he left his harp of magic,

                        Left his songs and wisdom-sayings,

                        To the lasting joy of Suomi.’”

 

            So, already, we see a resemblance to the King Arthur figure: as he lays dying, the maids of Avalon carry him away, westward, to return once again when the Isle of Britain is in its direst need. Väinäimöinen too recounts that he will return when the peoples of the North are hungry and yearning for the True Religion, the Old Ways, once more. I find this particular line of interest, because this epic tale was originally published well after the onset of Christianity in Finland, and the North. To include such a maxim from the main character belies a sense of not only a cliff-hanger, but also foreshadowing. The arising of modern Finnish Paganism, known as suomenusko, supports and reveals the magick of Väinäimöinen’s prophecy. 

            Here is something to consider, as a powerful means of connecting Past to Present—and Future. While I was reading through The Kalevala, I came across the first Rune and its writings. Therein, Väinäimöinen utters a prayer of release, as he is about to be born from the All-Mother. Now, herein is where we may use said language as a powerful Prayer for Shadow Work and the Uncrossing of the Self. Thus, here is the excerpt from the First Rune of The Kalevala. 

                        “‘Take, O Moon, I pray thee, take me,

                        Take me, thou, O Sun above me,

                        Take me, thou, O Bear of heaven,

                        From this dark and dreary prison,

                        From these unbefitting portals,

                        From this narrow place of resting,

                        From this dark and gloomy dwelling,

                        Hence to wander from the ocean,

                        Hence to walk upon the islands,

                        On the dry land walk and wander,

                        Like an ancient hero wander,

                        Walk in open air and breathe it,

                        Thus to see the moon at evening,

                        Thus to see the silver sunlight,

                        Thus to see the Bear in heaven,

                        That the stars I may consider.’”

            

            While this is his prayer to release himself from the womb of the Great Mother, Ilmatar, we today may use his words as a vehicle to release ourselves from the prisons we create, and the prisons imposed upon us. It is both a spell of shadow work and a spell of liberation, of protection, of freedom. Of uncrossing. As you create your sacred space, utter his words while visualizing the pains and travails that inhibit you from within. See the bonds—whether self-imposed or not—slowly vanishing from you and liberating your spirit. Cry, scream, rage, laugh, smile—do whatever comes naturally; and repeat his words as often as are needed. 

            For when we free the self from within, there is a wonderful power that is released: confidence. And a belief in oneself. To fear the unknown is natural and healthy, at times; but is the ultimate killer for everything creative and wonderful. Thus, our confidence in ourselves will guide us along the way, and open space for endless possibilities to flood in. 

            And as a result, your magick, my magick—our magick—will always be made stronger…because of it. 

            (transition music)

 

            The stories, research, and production elements were done and edited, respectively, by me, Kieran, with sources attached in the description. If you want to be a guest on the show, or have a topic you wish me to explore and discuss, send me an email at beyondtheseaspodcast@gmail.com. And be sure to hit the follow button, on whichever platform you enjoy the podcast, and look forward to more content next week. Until then, seek the veil between the worlds, and allow yourself to travel…Beyond the Seas.