Original subtitles

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