Modern Finnish paganism

Finnish Neopaganism (Template:Lang-fi or suomenuskoinen pakanuus; also formerly ukonusko) is a Neopagan religious system that attempts to revive old Finnish paganism, a pre-Christian ethnic religion of Finland. Finnish paganism 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 under a Christian context.

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.

Finnish Neopaganism is polytheistic; believing in a number of deities.

Beliefs

Deities

Finnish Neopaganism is polytheistic, with a pantheon of many deities worshipped:

• Ukko: the sky god, and chief deity in the Finnish pantheon. Actually most Finnish neopagans consider Ukko just a god of sky rather than "chief of gods". Imagination of Ukko Ylijumala (Ukko Overgod) has born at Christian era. Some think he is the same as Ilmarinen.
• Akka: goddess of fertility, and wife of Ukko; rejected by some as historically dubious {{citation needed}
• Ahti: the sea god
• Tapio: the forest god
• Pekko: god of the crops
• Nyyrikki: the hunter god
• Mielikki: goddess of forests and the hunt
• Ilmarinen: the god of sky and weather. Some consider him to be the same as Ukko.
• Louhi: God that gives birth to many diseases. Matriarch of the Pohjola ("Northern"), evil place
• Turisas: the war god; rejected by some as historically dubious
• Haltijas: elven-like creatures, spirits, gnomes. Other nominations: Pitäjäs/Pitäväs, also ukko (old man) akka (old woman)-of something
• Lemminkäinen: mythical hero
• Väinämöinen: mythical hero, creator god and god of poetry and music and magic
• Hiisi: holy place and creature
• Jumi: fertility god or statue that gives fertility (without being a personal god)

Finnish Neopaganism also includes an element of ancestor worship.

Afterlife

For Finnish Neopagans, the afterlife is a place called Tuonela, and it is a place where several different deities live, including Tuoni.

Festivals

Various folk festivals are followed:

• Hela, a festival celebrating the coming of spring and the new growing season
• Juhannus or Ukon juhla, midsummer festival.
• Kekri, celebration of harvest and the ancestors
• Joulu, the winter solstice.

Texts

There is no sacred text in Finnish Neopaganism, such as the Christian Bible, but the folk epic of Finland, the Kalevala is sometimes used as it is a collection of folk beliefs describing the gods and goddesses. Still, Kalevala was heavily edited by its writer, Elias Lönnroth, so most Finnish neopagans prefer SKVR. Suomen Kansan Vanhat Runot or SKVR (The old poems of Finnish people) is a massive collection of all collected Finnish poetic folklore and mythology, with 100 000 different poems. SKVR is probably even more important than Kalevala, because it is fully authentic raw material, that has not been altered. SKVR is today available on internet [1] making the exploration of Finnish mythology a lot easier than earlier.

Worship

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 (Ukon juhla).

Relation to Asatru

Some Finnish Neopagan circles in Finland are Asatruars, considering Asatru a part of Finnish culture and tradition. Others think it is foreign, and prefer Finnish religion over Asatru. Those who oppose the spread of Asatru in Finland think it 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.

External links

• Lehto - Finnish organization for Earth-based religions
• Taivaannaula - Finnish Neopagan organization
• Hiitola - Finnish Paganism Forum
• Finnish Paganism by Anssi Alhonen