V is for .....Vainamoinen
Vainamoinen is a god in Finnish mythology. His mother is
Ilmatar and she was pregnant with Vainamoinen for 730 years.
Ilmatar was the maiden of the air and she had been
impregnated by the waters. This is the creation myth of the Finns.
This time of pregnancy seems to have been mostly spent
floating in the water, so at least her feet didn't hurt.
When Vainamoinen (at last!) was born, he went to
the land, but found it barren. It is interesting that
he then asks the Great Bear in the sky for help, and
a boy is sent down with seeds from which grow
all the flora of the earth.
Vainamoinen is a shaman, a wizard.
He is the wise old man, the sage, and the bard.
He possesses a magical singing voice.
Vainamoinen is the main character in the Kalevala,
the Finnish national epic although he predates Lonnrot's
Kalevala by centuries. Agricola lists him in 1551 among the
Tavastian gods. Although with the arrival of Christianity, Vainamoinen
has gone away, he will return when he is needed.
Gandalf in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings may
have been influenced by the immortal god
Vainamoinen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A4in%C3%A4m%C3%B6inen
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/finnish-mythology.php?deity=VAINAMOINEN
http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/v/vainamoinen.htm
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/V%C3%A4in%C3%A4m%C3%B6inen
Pregnant for 730 years?! GULP! :)
ReplyDeleteYes....imagine the waiting! Wonder where they got that specific number of years from? thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSomebody had one crazy imagination. Too much time on their hands?
ReplyDeleteI've added myself to your followers. Hope you can get a few more before the end of the Challenge. Don't forget the Reflections Post on May 7th.
Lee
Please help me reach 100 followers at:
A Few Words
An A to Z Co-host blog
My Main blog is Tossing It Out
I suppose a Finnish winter would leave a long time to imagine and dream and tell stories. Okay...reflections...May 7th. Thanks for stopping by!
DeletePregnant for 730 years, blimey! Well I defo don't want to be immortal any more lol. Have become your newest follower :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I want to explore this story further (well, I'm Finnish) Thanks for stopping by!
Deletethats a loooong time to be preggers:( enjoyed this - your posts are very good - was looking for a tweet button or some such for sharing - help to draw people here. anyway well done and thanks for visiting:)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will try to figure out how to put a button on for tweeting or sharing...this is my first blog and it was enough for me just to get it set up and get the A to Z logo on it!
DeleteBy the way all your comments came through - there is a wait for moderation before they show up, but all loud and clear - thanks
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! The computer was being slow and difficult, so I wondered
DeleteVery interesting. I thought nine months was a long time to be pregnant! However, it may have helped a little to be floating in water. I am intrigued as to whether Gandalf actually was influenced by him.
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
Tolkien had read the folklore of the northern peoples...I love Gandalf...used to have a Gandalf t shirt. Thanks for stopping by
DeleteOk, SERIOUSLY??? 730 YEARS? I think I'd send him for a snip if that's how long it took! Oh geez honey, not tonight, I have a 730-year-old headache!
ReplyDeleteAnd you're so good, always looking at the bright side - "at least her feet didn't hurt."
The water was his father...can't snip water. Hmmm...I think I need to clarify this in my mind. There was Sky and there was water. Sky was the mother of Ilmatar....but who was her father? Because water was Vainamoinen's father....ah! more research! Thanks for stopping by
Delete