#finland folklore

[zoyazoy]

I doodle me and my boyfriend in his country’s folk costume!

[amatesura]

Kekri is an ancient Finnish and Karelian celebration at the end of the harvest season and the cycle of the year. Today, it is celebrated in some places by the burning of the giant, so-called Kekri goat (Kekripukki).

[niilasnordenswan]

© Niilas Nordenswan Photography – Pine Away

[tuherrus]

i wanted to compile my finnish folklore/mythology inspired art in one post again! i have a tag for all of these where i describe each of them in more detail if you’re curious ✨

[torillatavataan]

Finnish Holidays - Day of All Saint's Day / All Hallows Day - pyhäinpäivä

[merbear25]

Heehee, I'm sending you another immortal reader request, could you do it with 3 of the Nordics (your choice for which ones). Reading the immortal reader x hetalia is really tickling my brain! -🪽

Hello, lovely 🪽 anon! Glad to see you again :) I'm glad I'm helping tickle your brain. We all need that sometimes tbh. I tried so hard not to use elves in these because hot damn they're everywhere in Norse mythology. I hope you like what I've written for you 💜💜

a/n: I read a few slightly conflicting stories on the physical appearance of a Keiju (one being tiny, the other being a slightly smaller human) so please forgive me if it's a bit off.

pt 1, pt 2, pt 3

CW: fluff, headcanons, slight angst in Denmark's, these creatures are typically depicted as women in folklore but no pronouns are used for reader.

Meeting an immortal (Norway, Denmark, Finland)

Norway: Huldra Reader

Wandering the forests, you found a lot of solitude amongst the trees. With so many settlements popping up on the outskirts, your curiosity was piqued.

Observing the new people, you caught glimpses of a light-haired man who looked to be rather young in comparison to the others. It seemed they were organizing the layout of the soon to be village. Watching from afar, you thought of ways to work your magic on your unsuspecting prey.

He was scouting the area for good places to fish when you stealthily stalked him behind the trees. The lack of fortune he had fishing was beginning to wear on his patience. Coming out from behind the trees, he responded to you like all the others had—awe-struck.

His silence was telling, indicating that your charm was working. Eyeing his expression intently, you revealed your tail. Though glancing at it, he appeared unphased. Instead of being repulsed like the others, he surprised you; pointing out that your skirt was hiked up and you may catch a cold. A bit taken aback by his gentlemanly concern, you stepped a bit closer, taking more notice of where he was fishing.

“You may want to try fishing at that end over there.” You pointed at a spot at the opposite end of the lake. Giving you a blank stare, he nodded and thanked you for your advice. Every day he returned to that area, looking for something, fishing, or just enjoying the peaceful nature. You couldn’t help gaining interest in him. He seemed so much unlike the others, and naturally, you wanted to learn more about him.

You began exchanging pleasantries which eventually led to forming a friendship. He had so much knowledge of the world beyond yours, and you offered the same. His knowledge of your world and the creatures in it surprised you, but you felt even more intrigued. Who exactly was he?

Among one of your many meetings, you finally asked him why he didn’t age like the others. Informing you about the duties and existence of personifications, you felt a sense of relief blanket you.

Knowing he wasn’t going anywhere for a very long time brought you comfort. It brought the same to him, as well. Even though you would live for hundreds of years and him possibly outliving you, you were happy to know your dear friend would be around for many years. You got the feeling he was glad too.

Denmark: Mermaid Reader

The summer sun felt nice on your face. You were relaxing in your favorite cove away from the growing hustle and bustle of the towns lining the coast.

Every now and then, a straggler would appear—typically a man either exploring the area or rowing along the calm waters admiring the natural beauty of the cliff side. Sometimes you’d practice your singing on them. Most of the time you did so out of boredom or to get them out of your hair when they became a bit too interested.

On your way to your favored spot one day, you spotted a man walking along the beach. He was wearing a carefree smile as he soaked in that day’s rays, leisurely strolling down the unpaved path. Trying not to get too close in fear of him spotting you, you lurked behind, watching him.

You decided to take cover behind a rock, patiently waiting for him to do something. He appeared unremarkable, boring and a bit ditsy even. “Hey, there!” You jumped out of your skin at the overly familiar, flirtatious call coming from behind you. These men snatched the attention of the man you were observing, as well.

He came running, shouting at them to leave you alone. Feeling cornered, you thrashed about in the water, calling attention to your scaly form. Unfortunately, this only caused your distasteful suitors’ desire for you to increase—scheming to auction you off, no doubt. Just as one of the men threw a net over you, a large rock was hurled at his face, making full contact and knocking him back.

Focusing on trying to get out of the net, the sounds of the other men’s yelps of pain and eventual retreat were already fading off in the distance when you heard someone splashing in the shallow waters towards you. Panicking, you warned them to stay back.

“Let me help you!” His caring tone soothed you enough to stop thrashing. He untangled the net from around you, immediately in awe at what he was seeing—a mermaid. His face lit up with a type of childlike wonder, wanting so badly to talk to you, to get to know you. Despite being shy, especially around humans, you humored him. After all, he just saved your life.

With nearly daily conversations, you learned all about his experience as a personification: the good and the bad. When he mentioned how hard it was to get close to anyone who wasn’t also a country, you felt a twinge of sympathy. Even though you weren’t immortal, you’d be around for hundreds of years. You offered to stay with him for as long as this world would have you, which earned you the most sincere smile of gratitude you ever received.

Finland: Keiju Reader

As the mist kissed your skin, you wandered happily amongst the flowers blooming in the meadow. You adored taking the time to care for them, smelling their sweet petals.

Such serenity was becoming more and more difficult to come by in the modern world. The reality of it made a tightness in your chest appear, hoping that the inevitable would have been further in the future.

Unfortunately, you felt forced to frequent that meadow less and less, seeing as many humans were venturing out of towns and cities to explore more of nature. Generally speaking, you didn’t mind humans. However, you could feel a part of you die when you saw one of them disrespecting this lovely world.

Being painfully shy, you regrettably slinked away when an opportunity to confront them presented itself. Eventually, you retreated into the deep forest, finding peace next to a pond. You dipped your feet in it, your wings fluttering in response to the sensation of the cool water.

Closing your eyes for a moment to soak in the peaceful moment, you were jolted awake by a small tongue licking your arm. Letting out a startled shriek, the surprising greeting had come from a small dog. “Oh, hello there. Are you all alone?”  Your tone was soft, helping the dog regain its confidence after the sudden yelp you made.

“Don’t bother the nice lady, Hanatamago!” As the man came closer, it was apparent that he noticed you were no ordinary woman. Stood there with his eyes wide, he quickly apologized if his dog was bothering you and reassured you that he was very friendly.

You responded politely, saying you didn’t mind since you didn’t have the chance to see many dogs. Commenting on how much of a sweetheart his pet was, he used that as a segue of continuing the conversation. In spite of your bashfulness, there was something calming about him. You were starting to enjoy your conversation, even hoping it wouldn’t end. Learning more about each other, you shared stories and opened up to each other.

Learning about the other’s identity, taking the time to understand each other: you couldn’t have asked for a better first impression. You were comforted by the fact that he wouldn’t age. Even though you would, you’d be around for many more centuries; he was more than willing to let you know how glad he was that he’d have plenty of time to spend with you.

[postcard-from-the-past]

Folklore garments from Finland

Finnish vintage postcard

[randomtimes-com]

Kekri: Finland's answer to day of the dead

Kekri is a unique and lively celebration in Finland that marks the end of the harvest season, a vital time for a society historically reliant on agriculture. The ancient European farming communities lived and died by the success of their crops. A good year meant a bountiful yield, easing the pressure on the coming winter, while a poor harvest meant hard times lay ahead, with the punishing colder…

[ninevehsage]

Noiduin - Uni (A Dream)

[dougielombax]

Ahti would know the answer!

For SURE!

Ahti would know what a Sampo is!

Yes!

He knows everything!

[sixminutestoriesblog]

molybdomancy

Probably about as far back as humanity has been able to think beyond the immediate, there have been different ways to try to predict what's coming in the future. Sometimes this is possible by paying attention to patterns.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

Red sky in the morning, sailor, take warning.

These days we know its atmospheric pressure that tints the skies and the science behind the old mariner's rhyme. Back then, they just knew that seeing it meant a pattern was in place and should be heeded. Just because you don't understand why a pattern happens, doesn't mean recognizing the pattern is foolish.

Unfortunately for humanity, there are a lot of things that happen over the course of a year that have no pattern, or even warning, to recognize. That doesn't mean humans don't still want to be warned about them.

Enter molybdomancy.

Molybdomancy is one of many attempts at foretelling the future.

The way it goes is like this. A piece of lead is put into the bowl of a spoon and melted over a candle. Once the lead is entirely liquid, its quickly dropped into a bowl of cool water. The lead quickly re-hardens and the shape it takes, and sometimes the shadow that shape casts on the wall, predict the future.

The practice itself dates at least as far back as the Romans and Greeks. It was a part of older Jewish folk-medicine that was used when an illness was attributed to fright as well. The shape the lead took would resemble the creature that had caused the scare.

Fast forward to modern New Year's Eve traditions.

In Finland, the tradition is called uudenvuodentina. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland its called bleigießen. In any of these countries, just before the new year, you can buy kits that will provide you with little ingots of lead, the spoon to melt it in and a list of explanations of what the shapes could be predicting. Well - not the lead anymore. That, it turns out, can be pretty dangerous to your health. Instead, these days, the kits come with either tin or wax. It's not the material, its the shape the water reveals that matters. So, somewhere in the midst of all the celebrations, people can take a little time out of their party to try to see if they can catch a glimpse of their future on new year's eve.

Here are a few of the meanings the shapes could take:

Ball, Kugel (ball) = Glück rollt auf dich/luck will roll your way

Degen (epee, sword) = Mut zum Risiko/risk-taking courage

Frosch (frog) = Lottogwinn/lottery win

Gitarre (guitar) = Wunsch/wish

Fuchs (fox) = schlau, Eigenengagement/smart, self-initiative

Kelch (chalice) = glückliche Zukunft/happy future

Maske (mask) = überall gern gesehen/welcome everywhere

Not enough?

Try here and here. No. Of course, they don't agree. That's part of the fun of fortunate telling.

Today's post is sponsored by @damatris who commented on the new year's traditions around the world post with a couple traditions I hadn't heard of before. They were delightful and I had to make a full post for at least one of them.

Kiitos, @damatris!

[vattenkokare]

ive mentioned on my twitter how i think every artist should draw their fav characters/ocs in traditional clothing of artists country because that is cool as fuck and id love to see that so i made mine and the details gave me mental ilness

[amatesura]

leppä, leppäkerttu ja leppälintu

[niuniente]

Before Santa Claus became the gift giver, kids in Finland received gifts from Nuuttipukki horned goat-man monster. His legacy lives in Finland as Santa Claus in Finnish is called Joulupukki - Christmas Goat - and straw goats are traditional Christmas decorations. Traditional straw decorations and a horned Nuuttipukki Christmas monsters in Kuopion Korttelimuseo Museum, Kuopio, Finland.

[korppuhiiri]

in finnish tradition we have an easter rooster instead of a bunny, and i've been thinking about how disappointed i am that i've never seen finnish furries draw any art relating to this during easter

[victusinveritas]

Art inspired by various Finnish myths and epics by Akseli Gallen-Kallela