Väinämöinen
배이내뫼이넨
World MythologyFinnish Mythology (Kalevala)
"The Eternal Sage, Singer of Creation"
✦ Personality Traits
✦ About
Väinämöinen is the central hero of Finnish mythology and the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic. An ancient sage and powerful shaman, he was born old and already wise, having gestated in his mother's womb for 730 years before swimming to shore.
His greatest power is his singing—through magical songs, he can control nature, defeat enemies, and even create objects from thin air. He is credited with creating the kantele (Finnish harp) from the jawbone of a great pike and with numerous quests that shaped the world.
Väinämöinen represents the Finnish ideal of wisdom through age and experience. At the epic's end, he sails away in a copper boat, leaving but promising to return when Finland needs him again—an eternal archetype of the wise leader.
✦ Famous Story
When challenged to a singing contest by the young boastful Joukahainen, Väinämöinen sang him into a swamp up to his waist, then his chest, then his neck. Joukahainen offered everything—finally his sister Aino—to be freed. Such was the power of the old sage's song.
✦ If You Match
Your features carry the ancient singing wisdom of Väinämöinen. There is an eternal, magical quality to your presence—the look of one whose words shape reality itself.