Finnish Neopaganism
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Finnish Neopaganism is a religion that is an attempt to revive old Finnish paganism, a pre-Christian religion of Finland. Finnish paganism has died out during the millennia-long period while Finland has been a part of the Christian world. Many of the pagan traditions however, have remained even in Christian context. Midsummer is still a very important festival for the Finns, and many do not even know its Christian meaning as the day dedicated to John the Baptist — it is still a pagan festival. Even many non-pagans make traditional midsummer magic on this day.
Finnish Neopaganism does not have a simple name like Asatru does. On the contrary, many pagans refer to their faith with unique names. Some also call their faith Ukko's faith, which is actually the name of a similar faith, but not quite the same.
The main problem in the revival of Finnish paganism is the nature of pre-Christian Finnish culture, which relied on oral tradition and was completely illiterate. The primary sources concerning Finnish native culture are written by latter-era Christians. They may be biased, tainted or unreliable.
Some 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.[1]
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[edit] Beliefs
[edit] Deities
Finnish Neopaganism is essentially polytheistic, with a pantheon of many deities worshipped:
- Ukko : the sky god, and chief deity in the Finnish pantheon
- Rauni : goddess of fertility, and wife of Ukko
- Kuu : the moon god
- Äkräs : the fertility god
- Ahti : the sea god
- Peko : god of the crops
- Nyyrikki : the hunter god
- Mielikki : goddess of forests and the hunt
- Ilmarinen :
- Tuoni : god of Tuonela, the underworld
- Kalma : goddess of death and decay
[edit] Afterlife
For Finnish Neopagans, the afterlife is a place called Tuonela, and it is a place where several different deities live, including Tuoni.
[edit] Festivals
Various folk festivals are followed:
- A festival held in May to protect the crops.
- Mittumaari, in June
- Midsummer
- Kekri
- Jul, the winter solstice.
[edit] Texts
There is no sacred text in Finnish Neopaganism, such as the Christian Bible, but the folk epic of Finland, the Kalevala is important as it is a collection of folk beliefs describing the gods and goddesses.
[edit] Animism
In Finnish neopaganism, a belief in fairies and other nature spirits is found.
[edit] Relation to Asatru
Some Finnish Neopagans consider Asatru a part of their faith, while others think it is foreign. Those who make a distinction between Asatru and Finnish Neopaganism think Asatru is based too much on beliefs of neighbouring countries and not on their own local traditions. Some even see Asatru as a kind of cultural imperialism. Still, the ancient faiths of Finland and its Scandinavian neighbours have many similarities, for example a thunder god who strikes lightning with his hammer, and rides in the clouds with his chariot making thunderstorms. (compare Thor and Ukko). Finnish folklore told about a great wizard Väinämöinen, the first and oldest human being, and maybe originally a god, who is — according to some — close to Odin.
[edit] External links
- Lehto Finnish Neopagan organization for Earth-based religions
- Taivaannaula Finnish Neopagan organization
- Hiitola Finnish Paganism Forum
- Finnish Paganism by Anssi Alhonen
[edit] Notes
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