All language subtitles for Ukonvaaja.2016.Finland.DVDRiP_Subtítulos01.ENG

The Finns live between two
very different worlds.

Factory chimneys push fog over
thousands of glimmering lakes -

and silent forests.

The endless roar of lengthy
highways -

interrupts the deep silence of
wilderness.

Fiber-optic cables full of
urgent data -

squirm under the farthest,
loneliest of tree stumps.

How does living between these
two worlds, modern and eternal-

affect us modern day Finns?

Compared to many
other peoples -

we feel privileged to live so
close to nature.

But what happens to our
relationship with nature -

in this ever expanding and
proudly digital world?

How far apart have we grown
from nature -

and our ancestors who, only a
few generations ago -

lived by nature and observed
the passing of time -

in the phases of the moon?

THE HAMMER OF UKKO

CHAPTER 1
Henki

My name is A.W. Yrjänä.

I am a musician, author and
songwriter.

In my work I have often studied
the roots of the Finns -

and dealt with Finnish mythology.

Now I am starting a quest
in Finland -

to find my ancestors'
way of thinking -

and especially their relationship
with nature.

I want to find that inner
connection to nature.

The connection that so many
generations before me-

considered an obvious
fundamental part of life.

I want to find my ancestors'
footprints -

and follow them into the heart
of Finnish nature.

Maybe there I'll find what
I'm looking for.

Before Christianity the Finns
practised -

an animistic nature religion -

that has roots that lie
deep in the past.

People lived in nature and
by nature -

and they had to control and
understand it.

Over thousands of years an
extremely vast, complex-

tapestry of myths and tales
was formed.

It's partly consistent with myths
from all over the world -

but clearly has its own
Finnish feel-

and relationship with nature.

I want to get to know my own
relationship with nature -

and our ancestors' way of
living and thinking.

I want to find signs of mythology
in modern day Finland -

and find out whether these tales
and traditions are disappearing,

or if they have completely
vanished in time.

And I want to find out if in our
modern age,

we've become more estranged
from nature than ever before?

My quest begins with finding out
where the Finns originated.

Understanding both mythology and
nature religion is easier -

when one makes his way to the
roots of the people.

I'm going to talk to Antti Lahelma,
Senior lecturer in archaeology,

to shed light on the first steps
of our ancestors.

He is specialised particularly on
the prehistoric period.

Where did the modern inhabitants
of Finland originate from?

One could say that the Finns
were born in Finland -

little by little, as a result of
a long process but -

the origin of the very first
people that came to Finland

is somewhere in Central
Europe, where -

rock paintings were made
and mammoths were hunted.

Little by little, after
the Ice Age was over -

and these northern areas
were once again habitable -

population started to migrate
towards the north.

When speaking of the
prehistoric time in Finland,

how are these periods
of history divided?

We use a three-age system which
segments the prehistoric time.

There's Stone Age, Bronze Age
and Iron Age -

which are named after the
best available -

raw material that was used to
make the essential tools.

And the word "pre" indicates
that we're talking about -

the time before writing
developed?

Yes, a period which is not
documented in writing.

How are these periods
studied in Finland?

Mostly by excavations and
field survey.

By excavations I mean
systematic digging -

and observation of traces
of civilization.

And field survey means that
one compares the findings?

It means going in the bush
looking for possible sites.

Oh, where you might find
an excavation site.

Yes, you must first find
the possible site.

If we were for example in the
Anatolia peninsula,

you'd think you could start
digging anywhere and find -

something since it has been
inhabited for millenniums.

In Finland the conditions
must be harsh?

The conditions in Finland are
quite harsh, yes,

at least when it comes to
organic matter.

On the other hand, Finland
can be advantageous -

because land usage has been
rather minimal in historic times.

Let's say a lake shore was
inhabited in the Stone Age -

it's possible that it's the only time
it was ever used by people.

So the place has been
in use only once.

Exactly, it's possible to find
Stone Age Pompeiis.

People left millenniums ago
and no one ever returned.

Therefore the ground
hasn't been disturbed.

How have the conditions
changed during the time -

that Finland has
been inhabitated?

Very dramatically. When the
first inhabitants arrived

the scenery resembled
modern day Greenland.

Icebergs were floating - though
it's hard to imagine.

Pretty soon the temperature
started rising -

In the Middle of the Stone Age
there was a period called -

the eternal stone age summer.

5000-7000 years ago the weather
conditions were very favorable.

The temperature was about two
degrees celsius warmer than now,

and the climate was
also more humid.

The landscape probably looked
like modern Central Europe.

From there on the conditions
started to get worse.

At the end of the Bronze Age,
at the beginning of Iron Age -

the weather conditions were so poor
that the population was very small.

And people either left or
more likely starved to death.

This is why we
speak of a genetic bottleneck.

That's the origin of Finnish
hereditary diseases.

We have these odd ---

Yes, we're jealous and never
talk in the elevator and ---

Well, maybe these illnesses
are a bit more recent.

Do you have an opinion on if
the modern Finnish language -

arrived with the people that
came here first?

Or has it been born through
some kind of an osmosis?

It probably moved here
with some group.

Actually the genetic inheritance
changes through osmosis,

little by little the gene pool changes
through marriages and immigration.

But language usually---

One creak of a barn door
at a time.

Yes, exactly, but language
doesn't act like that,

language gets introduced and
spreads very suddenly.

Widespread agriculture brought
a new language to Finland -

which was then run over by the
Finno-Ugric languages -

but some of its loanwords still
remain in our language.

We have words in Finnish that are
the same in Sanskrit.

They originate from the ancient
Indo-European original language.

What was it - "kekrä" means
"pyörä" (wheel).

Yes, "pyörä" (wheel) is one of
these words.

"Vaaja" (hammer) is also of
that origin.

It does sound like Sanskrit.

Yes, "vaaja" and "vasara" (synonyms
for hammer) are of the same origin.

In Sanskrit the word is "vajra",
similar to the Finnish "vasara".

Vajra is the weapon
of Hindu god Indra -

The Finnish mythological weapon
Ukonvaaja (The Hammer of Ukko) -

is of the same origin as the
weapon of Indra.

It is a part of the shared
Indo-European tradition.

What was our ancestors'
relationship with nature like?

Anthropologist Matti Sarmela
has described -

the change in relationship
with nature well-

through the change in attitude
towards the bear.

The bear had a divine origin
in the hunter-gatherer society.

It descends from the stars on a
golden lift to the face of the Earth.

It's the ancestor of men,
a respected creature.

In the early agrarian society the
bear started to be seen as harmful.

The bear is scary and needs to
be killed and get rid of.

In the period of peasantry people
started to actively kill bears.

The relationship evolved from a
companionship into exploitation.

In the beginning nature is the
bare necessity of life-

and then man starts to utilize
it actively.

We often call early cultures'
philosophy of life myths.

How do you think these
myths are born?

Some researchers have spoken
about a cognitive big bang,

which is speculated to have
happened about 50 000 years ago.

Something in the human evolution
made us act irrationally.

Myths are, in my opinion,
based on combining things -

that are unlikely to occur
in nature.

The birth of myths is not possible
before this cognitive big bang -

when people started to think about
thinking or something like that.

Something like that, it's when the
modern human mind is born -

and it leads to metaphorical
thinking and symbolism.

Things that contradict common
sense start happening -

trees can talk or men can fly and
things like that.

About 50 000 years ago,
suddenly and unpredictably

signs of this kind of thinking appear
and that's when myths are born.

Lahelma's take on the birth of myths
is very interesting regarding my quest.

Is the cognitive big bang the key
to our ancestors' way of life?

The birth of metaphorical
thinking explains in part -

the evolution of man's
relationship with nature.

Inspired, I continue my journey into
an ancient Finnish landscape-

where you can feel the history
with your own senses.

I'm here in Retulansaari,
by lake Vanaja,

which is a very well-preserved
ancient landscape.

There's evidence of human
settlements from the Iron Age,

so people have lived here for
at least 1500 years.

There are also about 15 ancient
sacrificial stones ("kuppikivi") -

and a multitude of
centuries-old tombs.

Other Iron Age objects have also
been found in excavations.

The atmosphere here is very peculiar
and in a way very serene -

but you can also hear a constant
roll of thunder from beyond the lake.

And just a moment ago I saw the
biggest eagle that I've ever seen,

flying just above our heads.

There's a certain eternal feel
about this place.

People have grown livestock here
for millenniums now.

Even an urban person can get
lost in very deep thoughts.

Transitions are important in
mythological thinking -

and the most important transitions
are of course birth and death.

There's a vast number of versions
of the creation myth -

and researchers haven't quite
reached an understanding -

on which of the versions is the
original one.

All versions have some elements in
common: a water bird and its egg.

In other words the world came into
existence from a water bird's egg.

Maid Iro, ancestress, conceived
three sons while a virgin -

Väinämöinen,
Ilmarinen and Joukahainen.

These primordial gods created
the world and its elements.

Before creation, only primal
waters existed.

Väinämöinen floated in the sea
and lifted his knee.

A bird nested on his knee, laid a
golden egg and started to hatch.

Then Väinämöinen's knee got hot
and as he moved his leg -

the egg rolled into the water and
shattered to pieces.

He woke up, recited a poem and
the fragments of the egg -

turned into the elements
of the world.

The cosmos was born, a layered
world with -

a disk-like earth and an arched sky
above it.

A world column forged by Ilmarinen
upheld the firmament.

The lights of the sky were born from
the fragments of the egg -

the sun, the moon
and the stars.

Up in the skies lies Ylinen, ruled
by Päivätär, the mother of life.

At the root of the column lies
Alinen - the land of the dead.

Alinen, ruled by a crone called
Louhi, is in a freezing sea.

The river of life flows down from
the skies, all the way to Manala,

where it continues flowing as the
river of death.

The river flows back to Ylinen, thus
connecting the levels of the world.

Water makes it possible to move
between life and death.

Myths aren't born in a void. They're
like a tree with enormous roots.

Baltic-Finnic myths are a part of
the vast tapestry of mythologies -

that has grown during millenniums
and is shared with all cultures.

But Finnish myths have their own,
distinctive features.

Whereas Germanic myths are
very masculine and warlike-

in Finnish myths feminine powers
often play a great role.

For instance, when Väinämöinen
goes to Pohjola to find a bride -

he doesn't ask for the bride's hand
from her father, but from her mother.

The creation myth is a blend of
multiple tales that have been told -

differently in different places.
This is typical of Finnish mythology.

It's time to move on and find out
if landscapes such as this one -

here in Retulansaari have stayed
unchanged elsewhere in Finland.

I want to get a better grip on
the ancient Finns' way of life.

The spiritual journey
has just begun.

The National board of antiquities
holds a record of old relics.

I'm in Hämeenkoski
and there should be -

prehistoric remains here - some
sort of sacrificial place.

But it's surrounded by an electric
fence and guarded by cows so -

maybe I'll follow the registry to
another location.

I'm in Rautvuori, Heinola.
According to the registry -

there should be Stone Age
rock paintings here.

If you look carefully you can see
two unclear markings on the rock -

and an obituary that someone has
painted over them in the 70's.

Although the lists and records are
full of prehistoric remains,

it would seem that in practise -

they are either under something,
vanished or destroyed.

It's good to sit down
by a fire to calm down.

The creator of fire in Finnish myths
is Ukko, the chief of all other gods.

One that lives high in the center
of the skies.

The name "Ukko" still describes
thunder in the Finnish language.

Ukko is the god of thunder, ruler
of the strongest forces of nature.

Ukko should be feared because
he is a very ill-tempered god.

Lightning Ukko struck in darkness,
From the edges of his fire-sword;

Into heaven's upper spaces,
Into Ether's starry pastures.

Downward drops the wayward Firechild
Downward quick the red-ball rushes,

Shoots across the arch of heaven,
Hisses through the startled cloudlets.

Ukko struck a lightning with his
hammer and gave a little spark -

for cradling to a maiden.

But the spark falls from the cradle,

from a golden purse a small hole
in the dome of the skies.

Falling from the skies towards the
ground, all the way to lake Alue.

And in the water it gets
swallowed by a fish.

It is swallowed by a bigger fish
and that one by one even bigger.

Brothers Ilmarinen and Väinämöinen
finally catch the big fish.

But as they get the spark
from the fish's belly,

the spark ignites a fire that
burns forests.

That is how man got
his first fire.

Ukko has many equivalents in
world mythologies.

Perhaps most well known is the
Scandinavian god Thor.

Both gods use a hammer
as their weapon.

The Hammer of Ukko is
called Ukonvaaja.

Lightning strikes when he
hammers the dome of the skies.

I'm in Astuvansalmi, Mikkeli.
I've heard that you can find -

some well-preserved prehistoric
rock paintings here.

It's a couple of kilometres of
hiking to get there - let's go.

You can also travel to the
paintings by boat -

but I guess hiking is more
appropriate considering my quest.

It feels good to know that I'm
walking the same paths that-

the painters of the rock paintings
walked thousands of years ago.

I've arrived at my destination.

The Astuvansalmi rock paintings
are some 4000 years old -

and it's quite a miracle how well
they have been preserved.

The paintings portray elk,
men, boats -

hybrids of men and animals.
Some images are symbolic-

and there's a hand print which can
often be found in rock paintings.

I personally don't think that people
made these paintings just for fun.

According to studies this has been a
sacrificial place for a long time.

This rockface resembles a human
head if you look at it from afar.

I imagine these boats, elk and
men represent shamanistic culture.

This may be a shamanistic rite
where a man rows a spirit boat -

between the worlds of the
living and the dead and -

turns into an animal.

This place is astonishing
and incredible.

No one can say what the
world view behind the paintings -

done during the Pit-Comb
Ware cultural period was.

But it's clear that they represent
man's need to leave a mark and -

primarily the thing that separates
man from other species -

the ability to turn observations
into symbols -

and to bring those symbols to
life in pictures.

At the end of this visit, I feel like
I've taken a giant leap towards -

my ancient cultural roots and
I'm ready to continue my quest.

Pre-historic era Finns believed that
humans have three distinct souls.

The first one of these souls is
called Henki (spirit).

It represents the vitality of the
body and manifests itself in -

things like breathing and
blood flow. In death -

Henki escapes the human body
as a bird flying to heaven.

On this quest I've
encountered some obstacles.

Seeing the rock paintings, I felt
like I cought a glimpse of Henki.

I felt awed by the fact that
people had been there -

thousands of years ago and
for thousands of years.

The place was like a cathedral
painted on rocks.

I'm intrigued to continue my quest
and see what else I'll find.

In Finnish animism stars, trees,
animals and nature have souls -

just like men. Nature and its
forces were very prominent.

Bear, the king of the forest, was
worshipped as a holy creature.

The forests were full of
gods and spirits.

Fields and waters also had
their own spirits. I move on -

to understand my ancestors'
relationship with nature.

What was their expression of
respect towards nature like?

How did they live and survive?

I'm going to have a chat with
folklorist John Björkman -

about the significance of nature
and community to my ancestors.

Let's go and see what
we can find out.

Folkloristics is an academic
study of folklore. The roots -

of folkloristics in Finland
are in the prologue of Psalms -

written by Mikael Agricola,
in which he lists -

and describes pagan gods.
John Björkman is an expert of

history and peasant culture
and its folklore.

Where can we find knowledge
of old Finnish beliefs?

There are many different sources
and they're often hard to interpret.

Knowledge of prehistoric religion
comes from archeological sources -

which are hard to decipher.

Written documents are easier to
understand and they appear -

from the beginning
of the Middle Age.

But about peasants and the
common people's life we can -

find documents only in the 17th
and 18th century and onwards.

You could say peasant culture
means agriculture in Finland.

It's a whole era when people
lived in together and -

the main livelihood was in
agriculture. It has probably-

been the biggest change in
Finnish history when people-

stopped hunting and gathering
and started cultivating.

Reformation had both a
destructive and a favorable -

effect on the preservation of
folklore because before that -

the Catholic church had no interest
in people's actual habits -

whether they sacrificed to spirits
of the forest or not.

But when there suddenly were
two competing churches -

the church started to take interest
in suppressing paganism.

The church couldn't offer anything
to better the chances -

of yielding a good crop or a way
to protect a house.

Christian rituals don't include
rites for this.

Even as late as the 20th century
we have records of -

these old rituals -sacrificing to
a tree on the yard, for example.

How did the old animistic religion
affect peasant society?

People were dependent
on nature, and even today -

we get almost everything
we need from nature.

But it's a very distant thought.
At that time it was very evident.

For a farmer it was dependency
on weather and fertility-

whether they yielded a good
crop and so on.

And before that, when people
hunted and gathered, they were -

dependant on wild animals
and many unpredictable things.

Will you find game, are there
dangerous wild animals nearby?

It's presumed that people have
asked the spirits of the forests-

and waters for a permission
to enter their kingdoms.

Nowadays it's called a
Fishing License.

Yes! You have to ask permission
from those spirits now.

How would you compare man's
relationship with nature -

before and now?

It's very different. Even though
a lot of people nowadays -

respect nature and think
that it is sacred -

for our ancestors nature
wasn't that revered,

it was important because people
got something from it.

Therefore people tried to make
peace with nature and spirits -

so the crops would be plenty
and so there would be game.

However, the creatures and spirits
of nature were pretty capricious.

Known tales of forest and water
spirits show us -

that you never knew whether they
had good or bad intentions.

And often they were also erotic
beings, mostly feminine.

The spirit comes in the form
of a beautiful woman -

but a closer look reveals that
it's only a tree stump.

What kind of old customs
and beliefs have survived?

The most obvious things are
the big annual celebrations.

Many Christmas traditions in
Finland are rooted in old customs.

The predecessor of Christmas is
harvest festival Kekri. There's an -

old saying "Peasants have Kekri
and lords have Christmas"

The upper class celebrated
Christmas in the winter and -

commoners had their own
festival in autumn.

The upper class is always into
imported goods and customs.

Yes, the lords have been the
first ones adapted to new things -

and after that - little by little-
the peasants have adjusted.

What was the community of
peasant culture like?

The cornerstone of the community
was the house.

Everyone was tied to a house,
whether they were family or not.

They could also be workers
or farm-hands.

There were a lot of people
living in one house -

easily 20 people under
one roof.

The culture was very communal
back in those days.

And also the individual houses
in villages worked together -

you had to work together to
maintain a living.

If somebody had a bad crop,
someone from the village helped.

Some tasks required a lot of man-
power so co-operation was vital.

But then again there was a clear
hierarchy in the society of that time.

The master and the mistress of the
house were the ones to give orders.

But still, people lived
very tightly together.

It's not that long ago, but we would
have a lot of adapting to do to fit in.

And then adapting to the game
console with 20 controllers.

Yes, and to sound of the someone
playing when you're trying to sleep.

That's right.

How do you think these old customs
still remain in our lives today?

The Finns are pretty appreciative
towards traditions and roots.

Many customs remain, but the
meaning of them has changed.

They are a part of our identity,
The sauna for example -

We're very proud of it, but the
customs have changed a lot.

In the olden days going to the sauna
was a ritual transition before a feast.

On Christmas for instance, people
went to the sauna before dinner -

to be cleansed in body and mind
for the celebration.

People acted very respectfully in
the sauna - it was sacred.

Drinking and singing would not
have been tolerated like today.

The sauna was a place for
a cleansing ritual.

The Finnish society has changed
during the past two generations.

Most Finns no longer have any
connection to agriculture.

Kids nowadays might not know
where flour comes from -

so the meaning behind these
customs is pretty much lost.

For instance - my grandparents
worked their whole lives -

in factories, but my father was
born in the sauna.

That's typical. The radical change
happened in the 20th century.

The connection to earth has
been lost in many ways.

We don't identify ourselves as
children of a certain house -

who have always worked
on certain fields.

I must admit that when I was a
student living in a city,

I didn't necessarily even know
what time of year it was.

People say that there's a huge
flow of information nowadays -

but I think that there's always been
as much information as there is now.

Only it was different kind of
information - people have known -

a great deal of things we don't
need to know anymore.

Then again - we know a lot of
things that would be -

utterly useless in an
agricultural society.

Björkman made an interesting
argument - that our connection -

with earth and nature has
been cut off. He gave me -

a spark to have a closer contact
with Mother Nature.

The best way to do that is
to leave the city and -

walk the paths our ancestors
wandered with their spears and bows.

I've lived in cities all my life and my
head is filled with books -

movies and popular culture.

I don't hunt or fish.

Our ancestors had their minds
full of information, too -

knowledge of plants, winds,
trees and animals.

When people of the olden days
went hunting they often turned -

to Tapio.Tapio reigned over his
forest kingdom Tapiola where he -

had a golden house, and a family
of forest dwellers.

Tapio's wife Tapiotar was the
mistress of Mehtola.

She was also called the Mother
of the Bear and Hongatar.

Tapio's daughter, Annikki, was the
keeper of the golden keys -

to the storehouses of game.
The maiden who was called -

by name when hunting rabbits,
bears and birds. People pleaded -

to Tapio for good luck in hunting,
as his family ruled all game.

The hunter ate the first prey of the
day off Tapio's table - a treestump.

Tapio had a wooden beard and his
eyes were like a bottomless lake.

If a forest spirit showed himself in
simple clothing and looking sulky

the hunter shouldn't expect much
from the hunting trip.

But if the spirit showed itself in
decorative clothing -

gazing the hunter gently and
speaking in a woman's voice -

the hunter could expect
a great bounty.

Sacrifice was a central element
in old nature religion. In order -

to get something from the spirits
one had to give back-

something of value. Giving sacrifice
often happened in sacred groves.

In Finland a sacred grove was
called "Hiisi". When Christianity-

arrived in Finland, the meaning of
the word turned upside down and -

the word Hiisi's began to mean
a bad place or an evil creature.

There's even a saying "Go to Hiisi"
for wishing someone bad fortune.

The nature was full of magical
creatures and spirits. If the -

spirits wanted to, they could be
helpful to humans. People -

protected themselves from ill
spirits through sacrificial offerings -

and prayers in sacred places,
by stones and springs and -

on mountains.
Trees were sacred.

Old, big and peculiar trees
especially so. Wishes needed -

to be directed at these powerful
trees on the yards and -

in the forests so they
would protect

and bring good luck.
On the other hand -

cutting down a sacred tree
brought great misfortune.

If there were three trees evenly
lined up, you could tell the spirits -

were present. Hunters buried their
first preys as offerings -

under a tree for forest spirits
who stayed there. This way -

the hunters made sure that their
good luck in hunting continued.

A sacred grove is a place where
the veil between worlds is -

thinner than elsewhere. A place
where one could communicate -

with spirits. Hiisi was often found
in a grove with a peculiar stone -

or huge tree or a spring.
Sacrificial stones are Stones or-

rocks with round depressions
carved into them. They were -

made before or during the Iron
Age. The way people -

created these depressions is
not known but sacrificial-

stones are usually located
near grave sites and they-

have obviously been sacrificial
places. People believed -

that rain collected in the
depressions had healing powers.

There were spells to banish
pain to the cracks of these rocks.

To honor my ancestors, I'll leave
moonshine here in Hiisi -

and wish for a good
mushroom season.

One of my childhood dreams is to
visit an archeological excavation.

On this quest I have an opportunity
to fulfill my dream and I seize it.

We're in Ristimäki, Ravattula.
I've heard this has -

been a sacred place in the past.
- Yes, we're at the place where -

the oldest church in Finland was
located. This religious -

center was built in the 12th
century and it might've been -

used as a sacred place before
that, too.

There are remains from the Iron
Age in the surrounding -

area even from the 11th century.
There are grave fields -

sacrificial stones-so the whole
area has been sacred.

50 meters that way, there is an old
grave field where bodies were burnt -

that was used in the Iron Age.
And there's another -

grave field here, where bodies
were buried. So you can -

really see the change of beliefs
at the end of the Iron Age and -

the change from burning the bodies
to burying them.

What kind of items have you
found here? - For instance -

near the altar of the church
we've found a significant -

amount of silver coins and
from the graves -

we've found belt buckles,
bronze spirals... So people -

were buried here or closeby
when the church was in use -

and possibly even before that.

So you have found items from a
time before the church was built?

Yes, that's what makes this
place so interesting. There's -

a hypothesis that churches were
built on paganistic sacred places.

But it's possible that a Christian
church had to be built on -

clean ground. My own hypothesis
is that this grave field -

has been in use for over 100 years
before the church was built.

What have you found out about the
spiritual life based on -

this excavation? -The graves are
the closest we can get to our -

ancestors, as they give us a
glimpse to their thoughts and -

ideas. At this point people didn't
sacrifice food or weapons, and -

the bodies were buried in
festive clothes. So we can -

find nails of a coffin and
their best clothes -

which indicates that the decease
was highly appreciated.

There are also indications that the
dead were given items -

to take with them to the other side.

For instance, in one of the graves
we found a headband,

a hair decoration, a highly
decorative bronze spiral.

which was placed on
the body's chest. She was -

a young unmarried woman
who got the spiral with her-

so that she could get married
in the afterlife.

So tiny reflections like this...

The beliefs are intertwined and
changing.

Yes, you can see syncretism
clearly here. According to -

the laws of the church,
the dead shouldn't be buried -

in coffins or with items,
but here -

you can still find coffins and
items. It's probable -

that the reason for this are the
deep-rooted customs of the people.

Those obstinate Finns!

Yes, here in the northern perifery...

Would it be possible for me to
fulfill my childhood dream?

Could I participate in the
excavation a little?

Yes, we can make that happen.

I'll try not to destroy anything.

Let's go to that corner of
the church.

So I'll put this soil on this
spade here.

Yes, with the help of this trowel.

Let's see if we can find something.

Yes, it's pretty easy to detect
items if there are some.

Yes, the spade is full of silver
coins here.

Yes, then you can put them
in the bucket -

and we'll sift the soil and see
if we can find burned clay.

If these roots are on the
way you can cut them.

[obscure Finnish-language based pun]

Let's see what we have here...

It's burned clay.

You have a little bag for
findings there.

This here? So this clay here is
the most common finding here?

Yes, that bag is full of
burned clay.

It has a structure to it.

Yes there's an imprint, it was used
as excluder in a wall.

This is hard work you guys do here.
I found a piece of burned -

clay but let's see what the
archaeologists have found.

Although the excavations here in
Ristimäki started in 2010 -

only a under ten percent of the
ground here has been inspected.

Throughout the excavation,
archaeologists have made -

interesting findings. I found only
burned clay which Juha Ruohonen -

had by heaps. Other items found
in Ristimäki include grinding -

stones, pieces of clay pots,
glass beads, burned pieces -

of human bone and decorative items.
I got to fulfill a childhood dream -

which was also an important step
on this quest.

Water has its own spirits in
Finnish mythology.

The springs, the lakes and the seas
have their own guardians.

The highest rulers of the waters are
Ahti and his spouse Vellamo.

Water had healing properties,
and special water purchased -

from the waterfolk
had a power to heal.

Ahti was an old man with
a beard of weeds -

and he wore the foam
of the seas.

Ahti and his wife Vellamo lived
in Ahtola, in the bottom

of the sea on the head of a
misty cape. Deep under -

the sea, on black mud they had
a little cabin from where-

they also visited the inland
waters they ruled. Ahti gave

fish and he was the one to call
for help when shipwrecked.

Vellamo had a chest of reed also
wearing the foam of the seas.

She was asked for success in fishing
but she also raised waves.

Fishermen placated the spirits
and gave sacrificial offerings.

In return they got good fishing
luck and a great catch. They-

thanked the spirits by giving
them the first catch of the day.

The spirits could also show
themselves by a fire and -

one could predict the next catch
by their appearances.

In old poems Ahti is also called
the god of forest, winds and -

earth. The word "ahti" could
originally have meant "ruler".

But even today Finnish waters are
known as the kingdom of Ahti.

The second individual human soul
in the old Finnish beliefs -

is called Luonto. Luonto is the
supernatural guardian of man.

Luonto may appear in
animal form, but it can also -

be something completely
immaterial deep within a man.

At this point in my quest I've
gotten to touch nature a little.

I've swam among the elements
and I've sweated.

I've gotten in touch with our
wilds, forests and waters.

The same touch that our
ancestors had. The ancestors -

who still live inside our
hearts and minds.

Although Finnish mythology is
much more than just our national-

epic The Kalevala, it's not possible
to talk about it without-

dealing with the subject.

I'm going to have my next chat with
professor emeritus Juha Pentikäinen.

Pentikäinen is a world-renowned
expert on folklore and mythology-

and the hugely wide world that
The Kalevala belongs to.

What connects Baltic-Finnic
mythology and The Kalevala?

There are features that are a part
of Baltic-Finnic mythology-

but then again, The Kalevala is
written by Elias Lönnrot - and in -

that sense the Kalevala is also
his own view on the subject.

Most modern day Finns only
know the New Kalevala, but -

there's also the Old Kalevala.

How do these differ from
one another? - Actually-

there's many kalevalas. Lönnrot got
the spark to gather up his work-

in 1835 from the pre-works of
the Kalevala.

In 1849 there was a social demand
from Central Europe when -

Jacob Grimm stated that a great
northern people, the Finns -

had been found, and they
have their own national epic.

Some people in Finland gathered
together and decided -

that a new more diverse saga
should be created.

One that met the requirements
of a heroic epic.

And therefore Lönnrot starts working
hard on the new epic and -

a second kalevala is born.
Actually this new saga -

is the Kalevala which the Finns
call the only Kalevala -

The Kalevala written with
a capital K. - Although from -

that perspective, it served
more political than literary goals.

The old and the new Kalevala
are two different books and -

the new Kalevala is almost twice
as thick as the old one.

The world view between the
versions is very different.

As an epic of a civilized
people, the new one -

had to be monotheistic.

What influenced the Kalevala and
the Baltic-Finnic mythology?

Many epics that inspired the
Kalevala and the demand -

for a heroic epic came from
Central Europe.

An Epic is not an epic if there's
no hero in it. And in this -

sense the Baltic Finnic
tradition can be seen -

in the way of singing. The metre,
the so called Kalevala metre.

It's bound to the semantics
of Baltic-Finnic languages.

Even older than the languages
is the rhythm.

Since the rhythm is the same
from Amur Oblast to the -

Atlantic Ocean, it's clear that the
rhythm is older than language.

The Kalevala alliteration is called
the Kalevala metre.

"Wainamoinen, ancient minstrel,
The eternal wisdom-singer"

Those features are the base of
the Kalevala and -

also common to all
Baltic-Finnic tradition.

What connects the Kalevala
and Finnish nature religion?

The nordic starry sky is
present in the songs -

For instance in the Lemminkainen's
second wooing -

where Lemminkainen catches the
Hiisi-reindeer. The rune goes:

"Distant woods are yet untraveled,
Far away a woodland corner -

Stands unsearched by Kaukomieli,
In the North's extensive borders."

I think this represents a shaman's
quest to the other side.

A northern mentality lives in our
world view. It lives inside us.

Fortunately so,

and the further up north we go,
the stronger it gets.

There you can see the clear skies
and the aurora borealis.

But then Christianity arrived and
changed the nature religion.

Fortunately Christianity spread to
Finland from the East first -

so an eastern mentality also
lives in us -

and we're not like the
Swedish people.

And then lastly the Roman Catholic
and protestant religions -

spread to Finland from the West.
In the nature religion -

there's a deep interaction with
the forest spirits, the powers -

of the water and springs and
this kind of nature mystique.

When it comes to Finnish nature
religion we have to note -

that the area of Finnish
people here in Finland was -

very small in the olden days.

It was in Finland Proper, which is
a boring name for a place -

but that's where the small
group of Finns lived.

The Balts settled down next
to this area. That's where -

Väinämöinen, Perkele and
and many other things originated -

so this wasn't originally the
culture of the Finns.

In the North of these areas there
were many little groups-

which we could call
"lappalainen" -

and their world view was the one
most people had in Finland.

Finns are a mixture of all the
groups that moved here in the past.

A nice cocktail.

Yes, and it's evolving
continuously.

When speaking of the
world view here-

we can find all these layers and
features in it. Fortunately.

One of my goals was to
find signs of nature religion -

and mythology in modern
day Finland.

I came across an organization
called Taivaannaula -

which continues these traditions
and shares information about it.

I'm going to participate in a Kekri
feast hosted by Taivaannaula.

It's interesting to see what the
feast is going to be like.

Good afternoon!

Thanks for the invitation.

Welcome!

Tuula Muukka from Taivaannaula
sits down with me for a chat.

What is Kekri?

Kekri is an old Finnish
harvest festival.

It was preparation for the
harsh winter-

and it also ended the calendar year -

so in a way it was the beginning
of the New Year.

Also the dead were remembered
on Kekri.

How did people celebrate Kekri?

For instance the dead
were remembered -

by setting a place for the
ancestors at the table -

and they also got to visit the sauna
first before the living.

In the meantime the people could
eat and after that the living -

went to the sauna so the
dead could enjoy their meal.

People also cast New Year's charms
trying to predict the future.

Okay, so this...

The tradition moved from Kekri
to the New Year's Eve.

A typical Kekri day started early
at 4 or 5 am.

In the morning all the food was
put on the table,

a lot of food was prepared
for Kekri.

Also home-brewed beer was made
and liquor was acquired.

So the first drinks were drank
for breakfast.

The swaying of the grain
was assured -

when the master of the house
was drunk enough.

Oh, there's a correlation.

Then again he shouldn't be too
drunk so the grain wouldn't fall.

So it was a delicate balance.

Apparently some Kekri customs
are Christmas customs nowadays?

Yes and New Year's customs too,
for instance the Charms.

There were Kekripukkis, which
are Santa's predecessors.

Groups of young men went on
rounds from house to house -

asking for food and liquor.

So probably in the evening these
men were pretty wasted.

But what's important is that the
master didn't get too drunk.

Yes, that's important.

Kekri was the biggest
annual celebration.

It was the last day of harvest and
first day of the new year.

On Kekri the spirits of the dead
came for a visit.

People prepared a bath and
the sauna for them.

Animal sacrifice was also
typical of Kekri.

It's now my turn for
kekrisauna.

As I'm washing away the dust
of the past year, a festive meal-

is being prepared. The table is set
with traditional food.

Honoring traditions the dead have
their own place in the table.

After the dead have feasted,
we sit by the table.

After the meal it's time
to have a chat -

with Taivaannaula's Anssi Alhonen
and Mirka Turpeinen.

We collect knowledge of old
traditions and upkeep them.

So the most important things we
do are sharing information,

organizing festivals, learning
and teaching traditional skills -

and we have different kinds of
ventures, like the Hiisi-venture.

In this venture we investigate
sacred Finnish places.

If somebody should ask you what is
"Suomenusko" (Finnish native faith) -

how would you answer in a nutshell?
Can you answer in a nutshell?

Suomenusko is a word that was
invented to mean the Finnish -

native faith, because this faith
didn't have a name.

Yes, because it was the religion that
was practised.

Yes, the customs and traditions.

And this word was born recently out
of necessity.

Earlier they were customs and
beliefs that people continued -

and nowadays there's a certain need
to explain what you're doing.

And that's why the name
was given.

When did people still practise
nature religion?

Often when speaking of history we
are fixated on the dates -

and not the lives people lived.

Finland has been a Christian country
on paper since the 12th century-

but how people actually lived
is a different question.

People lived by nature, hunted,
fished and cultivated land -

and there were a lot of old
pagan customs related -

to this way of life that
were in use for a long time.

As long as agriculture was
the main livelihood -

these traditions have lived on
in some form or another.

But there's also been inquisitions
and revivalist movements -

and in the end modernization that
made some of the customs -

old-fashioned and unwanted.

But it is known that in the time
between the wars in Finland -

there were still known sacrificial
trees and -

even in the 50's some people took
offerings to old sacred places.

How is Suomenusko present in
your everyday life?

Nature religion for me is about
the experience of traditions.

It's knowledge of our country
and the world.

In everyday life I know how to
respect the spirits of my house -

and how my ancestor's heritage
is a part of my life.

A rational Finn might think
that things like that are nonsense.

But then again all Finns act
according old beliefs.

Most of us have a sauna gnome.

Yes, that's not unusual at all.

Many of us throw water on the
stones for the sauna gnome-

or we acknowledge the presence
of a spirit of the house or when -

there's a little bird on the yard,
people believe it's a visiting spirit.

These things are not
uncommon at all.

I'm sure these customs have
very deep roots in our culture.

What does nature religion
mean to you?

It's my tribe's native religion
and way of life.

It's the connection with nature,
tradition, language.

I acknowledge the influence of
my ancestors in my life.

Can we still see parts of nature
religion in present day Finland?

There are old customs concerning
birth and death -

and annual celebrations that
are still in use.

They are very old customs that
have remained unchanged.

For instance you should not
speak ill of the dead and -

you shouldn't tell anyone the
name of your child -

before baptism, which is an
old soul belief.

There are a lot of old Christmas
and Midsummer fest customs too.

How have tradition and folklore
been preserved in Finland?

The preservation is pretty
much institutionalized.

We have great institutions like the
National Board of Antiquities -

and the Finnish Literature Society,

museums and such that preserve
this tradition.

But I'd wish for more action on
the grass-root level. I wish -

that this tradition would be more
present in common people's lives.

I wish we got this tradition back
to the common people.

Why do you think that
is important?

You can see the lives lived in
the tradition.

The joys and sorrows and creativity
and persistency-

you can find all that
in the folklore.

If we lose all that -

part of our self-awareness
is also lost.

The way I see it is that -

to go onwards in our lives,
the only way-

is to reflect on the past,
what has been and -

what we have gotten from the
earlier generations.

It's dangerous to move
forward blindfolded -

and we might start to strive
for utopies -

and destroy something that's
old and valuable.

It's time to light the Kekri fire.

This has been an
incredible journey.

As I'm staring at the flames,
I understand that -

the ancient powers and
knowledge are still present -

all around us.

You just have to have a right
perspective to notice that.

I feel that I've found a part
of that perspective.

There's one creature above all
others in Finnish nature.

Therefore I still have one big
mission on my quest.

The bear is the national animal
of Finland.

It's also the largest land
predator in Europe.

To ancient Finns the significance
of the bear was immense.

It was the most mythical creature
in Finnish forests.

In an old poem the birthplace
of the bear is cosmic.

"Otso was not born a beggar,
Was not born among the rushes,

Was not cradled in a manger;
Honey-paw was born in ether,

In the regions of the Moon-land,
On the shoulders of Otava,

With the daughters of creation."

The bear was worshipped. There
was a feast called Peijaiset -

to honor a bear that died
or was hunted down.

The bear was a guest of honor,
and in the end of this feast

men hanged the skull of
the bear high -

on the top of an old pine tree -

so the bear could return to its
cosmic origin.

The cycle of the bear
is eternal.

I'm now in Kuhmo, eastern Finland
near the Russian border.

My quest is not complete untill
see a bear in its natural habitat -

and feel the same mythical awe
that my ancestors felt -

towards the bear.

Hopefullyl'll see a bear here.

Let's go in and wait.

Now I'm in a cabin waiting, waiting
and waiting to see a bear.

There's time to think about
all kinds of things.

The mythical relationship between
bear and man is -

one of the oldest known
ritual things. Arrangements -

of bear skulls have been found
in the caves of the neanderthals.

They were made 200 000 years
ago so this relationship is ancient.

And we wait, and wait.

What a huge creature.

It feels so different to see a bear
from nearby than in a zoo -

although I'm hiding
here in a cabin.

I must say that seeing a bear in
nature is quite an experience.

It's a huge, intensely powerful,
bestial and brutal creature -

but at the same time it's very
humane, playful and funny.

After seeing the bear from so close
it's easy to see and feel-

why it has been such a spiritual
creature to our ancestors.

It has humane and bestial features
and also something divine.

The third individual human soul in
Finnish native religion is called Itse,

which means Self.

Itse is the soul that gives man his
psyche and personality.

Itse exists on its own outside
of the body, too.

Itse gives a newborn his form,
life and personality.

The Itse-soul was always reborn
in the same bloodline -

and it might have appeared to
relatives after a person died.

I've reached the end
of my quest.

I've visited the places where my
ancestors lived and -

got in touch with their lifestyle,
how they thought and felt.

I feel like I've gotten closer to
my own past and cultural roots.

There's a lot of profoundness in
our ancestors' way of thinking.

Our myths are a part of the
international family of myths-

and sagas, but they still have their
own feel and ring to them.

They are filled with the depths of
forests and glimmer of waters.

These stories must not be forgotten.
They are our own treasures.

The only way to get closer
to nature is to walk towards it.

Finnish forest can be sensed by
touching, seeing -

tasting and breathing.

You don't need to
understand everything.

In nature we are present in an
eternal moment and for a -

fleeting second you can feel how
big and small everything is.

THE HAMMER OF UKKO

In memoriam Pentti Ruisaho,
Veli-Pekka Viitanen and Heli Horma