Ancient BEAR worship in Finland | Finnish Myth

#bear #ancienthistory #pagan
My favourite animal, And an animal very highly regarded in Finland, The Bear.
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irishinfinland

[@edwardreot6031]

You should visit the Beast Center in Kuusamo. There you can find Juuso the Artist Bear, his mother and others :)

[@mikkos8636]

Thank you. I may actually do this. And I am also from Finland. Suomi

[@henriikkak2091]

I'm actually headed for peijaiset tomorrow. There has been a moose hunt in my village of origin. I live in a city but land-owners and their families are invited to enjoy live music and a roast dinner. It's an annual tradition. Also, sahti is served there (Medieval Tavastian beer).

[@IrishinFinland]

Enjoy! Sounds like a great time

[@pystykorva7114]

Imagine living somewhere 1000 years ago, these kind of mystical things were 100% true for the people back then. Mindblowing :)

[@kailyjamessokame.6028]

Still are

[@pyromorph6540]

They are

[@ProtoIndoEuropean88]

Imagine not believing these mystical beings are real

[@francisfischer7620]

Really oh my!

[@ortti8397]

Karhunkansa here in Finland, is official religion.

[@francisfischer7620]

Oh my!!

[@francisfischer7620]

That just gives me goose bumps!

[@MalkWilliams]

Fascinating video once again, thanks! One small observation to add, about Ursa Major (the Great Bear). Obviously it's a northern constellation, and very prominent in the Finnish sky - although I'd be surprised if Finns called it that before the Roman name reached them! But in the opening runo of Kalevala, before Väinömöinen is born, he prays to (or at least calls for help from) the Sun, the Moon and the Great Bear. Exactly how significant that is in mythic terms I couldn't say, but it feels significant to me, putting the Great Bear on a par with the most prominent celestial bodies.

[@Silveirias]

In Finnish, the constellation is called Otava. Otava is a type of fishing net.

[@harpazohope]

I'm really glad I found your channel! Be sure I've shared it. In one of your videos you said something about how Irish and Finnish are similar in how they are proud of their heritage. Here in North America that seems so true! Every person I've met with Irish or Finnish ancestors are proud/pleased about and curious of their roots in a way that stands out.

[@heliraitovuo503]

I've also heard that in some of the karhunpeijaiset, the bear was symbolically married to a young woman. I don't know exactly why, but I always imagined it could be because the bear was considered a relative of humans and people wanted to tie the spirit of the bear to the tribe. I love that you picked the subject of bear, it has always been somehow significant animal to me. One side of my family is from the lost Karelia, and there is a story that some of our ancestors were bear hunters. The possible proof of course has been left behind, but it always stuck with me. However, in modern times it would rather be my preference to let the bears live 👍

[@osk9013]

Ah, YES!!! It is also called "Couvon häät" (the marriage of the bear). It comes from the word *kouko* = ancestor (With this one, do not believe Wikipedia because it gives you only one meaning for the word.) In the celebration, there was a girl and a boy playing the role of the couple to be married. The celebration was serious one, it needed to be performed perfectly so that on the next hunt, Forest God would not take revenge. PS. I bet some of your family members were also using fearless Karelian bear dog :)

[@heliraitovuo503]

@@osk9013 Thank you! This is really interesting to learn. I feel like information about this type of things is scattered.

[@osk9013]

@@heliraitovuo503 I thank you reminded me of the wedding thing :) - I started to think about the word kouvo. In fact, it makes sense that Wikipedia tells it to mean also a ghost. The ancestors are already ghosts... Funny, now we are taught and reminded by an Irish! I just love these clips: every time there is something new and something forgotten.

[@heliraitovuo503]

@@osk9013 Kouvo makes me think of Kouvola, I wonder if it had been originally a place connected to ancestors or bears or something like this. I also enjoy the videos. Most of the things I also have heard, but there are also new things to learn, and I just like seeing people being interested in same things as I am. Not too many in my circles are interested in these things. And here in comments there are also people who know a lot, I always read the comments too 👍

[@blackeyedlily]

I was going to add something about the wedding ceremony, but I see you have already addressed this better than I could have done.

[@lailalivsdatter6660]

I am also quite obsessed with bears. And Finland. Norway and Sweeden. But I have never been to Finland. And I have never seen a bear. I have been studying Tove Janssons artwork. Not professionally. I believe in past lives. And in Totem animals. I have been on a journey by Antoni Villoldo, he has a you tube channel - to be in contact with my Totem animal. I did it - and thought I knew exactly what it was. Since I feel I have been in contact with Totem animals my whole life. So surprisingly: The bear showed up instead. And was my Totem animal. I didn't expect that. And it has turned many things around for me. Since then. I can recommend to go on Totem animal travels. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I feel at home in the forests of Finland. From afar💛

[@sheilacoughlin8089]

Kiitos! I do appreciate these videos. I am 1/4 Finnish and 1/8 Irish. I live in the United States. In learning about my cultural heritages, I totally enjoy listening here!

[@alexanderwuolukka8333]

Great Lakes region? Lol My family is Finnish on my dad's side and they got to the US in 1903. Most of the Finns in the region,to my knowledge, were hired for mines, but after the strikes they were left without work. I'm not 100% sure if that's why my family moved to the US, because my great grandpa was the 9th out of 10 and when his mom died the kids got sent to different families. I only learned most of my heritage within the last few years because my grandpa lived the hobo life for a while and was , reasonably, more focused on survival then passing on the family history.

[@sheilacoughlin8089]

@@alexanderwuolukka8333Hei! Yes, Minnesota. The state has one of the highest Finnish American populations in the United States. Great you are learning about your heritage now! I love learning about my Finnish American heritage and culture.

[@emmiegreen7111]

This one might be my favorite so far! Bears and Mielikki are close to my 💚.

[@summermyllymaki4015]

I just found your videos and have enjoyed several. Not sure if you are familiar with the North American/Finnish holiday of St. Urho's, the patron Saint of grasshoppers. But considering you are Irish in Finland, i thought you should know. It is a holiday that falls the day before St. Patty's day, and I remember my auntie telling me it was the Finns one-upping the Irish by having a celebration a day early. Wikipedia states the Finns wanted to drink green beer a day early, lol. Anyways, the celebration was started in northern Minnesota, where many Finns and Irish had migrated. But it is still celebrated today in Butte Montana (where many Finns and Irish mined) at a bar once known as the Helsinki Bar. This bar used to have a sauna in it! The colors of the celebration are purple and green and there is a king and queen that are announced. It seems like a fun time, but I have only ever celebrated with family.

[@HandOfTyr]

Love your videos, man. It's so cool when "foreigners" (i know you live in Finland, but you know what i mean) gain interest in our old cultures. Especially when even so little Finns are interested and aware of their heritage. Speaking of bears, are you aware of the celtic goddess, Artio? Who seems to have similar traits to Mielikki, especially when it comes to bears. I haven't gone through your channel in it's entirety so i'm unaware, but have you looked into the gods Virokannas and Turisas? The two are probably my favorite finnish gods, partly because there is so little information about them that they seem veiled in mystery, but there's a lot of guess work and connecting the dots kind of research when it comes to these two. I know you have talked about Iku-Turso in couple of videos and him and Turisas might be the same entity or that they once were and at some point were split into the sea monster Iku-Turso and the War God Turisas.

[@chuiga2935]

Luulen oikeastaan että iso osa tuosta "suomalaisia ei kiinnosta niiden juuret" on siitä, että monet ei yksinkertaisesti vain tiedä muusta kuin mitä koulussa on opetettu. Meillä varsinkin historiassa käsiteltiin lähinnä noita perus talvisotia ja muiden maiden sotia ja uskonto oli melkein kokonaan vain kristinusko hömpötyksiä. Muita uskontoja (myös Suomen muinaisuskontoa, joka herätti kiinnostuksen siihen muuhun, ei kerrottuun historiaan) käytiin lähinnä yhden pienen kappaleen verran ja niihin viitattiin melkeimpä olan kohautuksella. Ite vasta tällein myöhemmällä iällä oon alkanut tajuamaan miten paljon Suomessa onkin kaikkea hienoa jumaluuksista ja tavoista joista ei vain koulunpenkillä kerrota ja etsimään tietoa että mitkä ne mun juuret oikeasti ovatkaan (kristinusko ei ikinä tuntunut omalta jne.).

[@TheChesireKat]

soooooo interesting!!!! thank you!

[@aleksirissanen9791]

In the Kalevala there's a whole chapter about the bear cult, it's not my favorite part but I'm constantly told that it's the best part in the story.

[@eldermoonfarm]

This gives off strong Brother Bear vibes. Wonder if the movie got a few ideas from Finnish culture

[@IrishinFinland]

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[@francisfischer7620]

Wonderful! Fascinating!!

[@hugonavakopp]

I also love the *dualism* present in bears : so cute , innocent and cuddly looking when they are pups , much like human babies , and aggressive , fierce and strong when adult , much like the ideal humans of epic literature or even just the ideal leader of a tribe . Lastly , it’s worth mentioning that some of this old religion has seeped into modern day via the teddy bear , Winnie the Pooh , and in general an Icon used in many products and services that want to convey a feeling or idea of wholesomeness . Anyways , very Interesting stuff mate , thanks for your vid, great work !

[@chindit2009]

Hei! Amazing vids, awesome to hear ur information. Kind regards from a dutchie living in Ruka!

[@JakeNukem3D]

And then there's wolverine. The walking anger management problem of the forest.

[@77TJS]

Wolverines

[@thorashebear7604]

First time viewing your content, very much enjoyed it!! Some things you had mentioned, were also mentioned in a book I'm reading 'Ice Age Art and the Bear Cult'. It discusses the Bear Cult origins of out Neanderthal ancestors. It brings a lot of facts to the table and has many sources to back it up. Would love to see more Bear content!

[@TheNismo777]

Nearest bear family lives 5min drive away from me & I meet those every spring when they move between forests :) I can walk right past em & they do nothing to me.

[@IrishinFinland]

Nice! Friendly bunch of chaps

[@ReasonAboveEverything]

Lmao, then one day you walk down the trail and you see young cubs.

[@TheNismo777]

@@ReasonAboveEverything Didn't you read.. bear family.. yes there been cubs too, but the adults has known me since they were cubs, so they don't see me as an enemy :)

[@JU13ES]

Always love the topic of bears in finland. I have a handful of run ins with bears in the bush here in Canada, it always gets the blood pumping! I recall my old man talking about how unnervingly similar a skinned bear looks to a human, almost like taking off a disguise. I can see how this directly relates to how ancient Finns saw bears as human ancestors. I do not recall the source, but I do recall reading on how when they would find a bear in its den, they would coax the bear out and awaken it with a song Also, here is an interesting video for ya on this topic, the sources are in the description ;) Cheers kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3K2d2uLot-Gi7s

[@maivaiva1412]

fun thing i always tell when bear worship comes up: even though all uralic people worshiped bears and we can reconstruct a lot of words to proto-uralic (so the language that spawned finnish and sami and estonian and hungarian etc.) we cannot reconstruct a word for bear. because everybody used an euphemism for it lol

[@ilarirahja4342]

Actually, this cult is not all dead even today. It is still customary that when a bear is killed, the hunting club/association responsible will hold "Peijaiset" in his honor.

[@Hispandinavian]

Reminds me of the movie 13th Warrior. They were fighting a Bear Cult. At least the language the sentries at the cave entrance, sounded like they were speaking a Finnic based language. Maybe they were ancient Sami.

[@TheFinski]

Where does it say that Ilmarinen is the father of the bear? It would make sense logically, since the bear was born in the sky, but I can't find a source for it. Could somebody help me with this?

[@lmurashchik]

Very cool video. Thank you for posting. I'm willing to bet that a lot of the bear warship comes from the fact that Slavic & Northern European people have a lot of Neanderthal DNA. The few tribes, that lasted long enough into become part of ancient recorded history, definitely showed a religion based around worshipping the Bear.

[@elinahamalainen5867]

Here's a fun more modern tidbit about Mielikki. In several modern fantasy books (Forgotten realms books by Salvatore for example) and in the Dungeons and dragons role playing game universe exists a neutral goddess of forests and druids called Mielikki.

[@IrishinFinland]

Thanks for this Elina !

[@LeoniFermer-vi4dc]

Fascinating. So like Native American tribal belief. We are all connected and seek spirituality in an increasingly disconnected world.

[@vtimari]

Thanks for the interesting video! Just a little detail pointer here regarding the final words. Back when I was in elementary school, on a biology class they taught that bears winter sleep is not even distantly the same as hibernation. So now I had to check the facts as you used that particular term and it seems they have actually changed the term hibernation recently to also include bears winter sleep as form of "light hibernation", even though how bear manages it is very different from the "deep hibernators". Bears body temperature drops only very slightly, which is the reason why they must get fat in late summer and autumn to survive the winter, while deep hibernators have much less metabolic action and spend winter with their body temperature close to zero, but not frozen. Also the bears' cubs are born, fed and taken care of during winter months, which cannot happen with the deep hibernators. Not sure why they wanted to change the term to include bears winter sleep, it does not quite serve to help better understanding of bears' winter sleep cycle.

[@izzardclips9350]

Well, the term hibernation has never been limited to only deep hibernation, and regarding that (deep hibernation), it's also only a descriptive blanket term for many different ways of achieving a similar state. It seems your teachers didn't just know what the word actually means.

[@eldermoonfarm]

I would love to learn more about the Paleolithic bear cult

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Bears are relatives--and ancestors-- and food or forbidden food. Very interesting.

[@pukki34]

Funny thing is that I learn the word Oksi from a foreigner. They really dont teach this stuff in school. Thanks.

[@JainMonroe]

The most well-known names of the bear are Kontio, Ohto, Otso, Otsonen, Otto, Kouki, Kouko, Kouvo, King of the korpi, Gold Lord, Forest Gold and Silver, The golden king of the forest, Forest golden apple, mesikämmen and teddy bear.

[@IrishinFinland]

Kouki is a good name! Thanks for this!

[@Tapio86]

I guess "teddy bear" refers to "nalle"? Since teddy bear is not used in Finland like (teddybjörn is used in e.g. Sweden). Think you forgot Karhu ;)

[@JainMonroe]

@@Tapio86 yes

[@MooseDuckVlogs]

speaking of Bears several Liiga Hockey teams have Bears as their Mascot....TPS Turku has one.

[@sabithasajan5564]

The native Ainu people of Japan highly regarded bears but also ate them.there's also evidence that Neanderthals had a bear cult. It just shows how truly prehistoric bear worship actually is.

[@wolfganggugelweith8760]

Interesting! What’s about Sasquatch in Finland?

[@JainMonroe]

there is still such a feast as MoosePeijaset /Hirvipeijaiset

[@ohqhcowboy]

What is the symbol called with the bear in it? Triquera with the circle? 50% Finn with a bit of Irish here

[@nugget8701]

All hail the bear

[@-EekaMouse-]

It's interesting how native indians of north america have things in common with ancient finnish and saami people. They still today hang up skulls of their game to trees and similarly to peijaiset they don't hunt animals, they just bring it down for food. Also the teepees remind alot of kota for their living purposes. Maybe there's connection?

[@jokemon9547]

Likely not a direct connection, just similar lifestyles and culture found all over northern Eurasia and among the North American natives. Interestingly, Finnish immigrants to the US in the 1800s/early 1900s got along surprisingly well with the Natives living on reserves in areas where most Finns settled. Cultural similarities and weird languages among both groups contributed these good relations. Unfortunately, Finns also got similar treatment as the Natives and some public places like bars even had signs outside saying "No Finns or Indians". This was due to the thought at the time that Finns were a part of the Mongoloid or "yellow" race due to the Finnish language being Finno-Ugric instead of Indo-European like most other European languages.

[@-EekaMouse-]

You could easily make twice longer videos and keep the content interesting.

[@LebowskiDudeful]

Otso on Oksi, Otso on numero Yksi!

[@user-pr3qp2gb8b]

In Kalevala a bear often is called "otso" what is the origin of this?

[@izzardclips9350]

From wikitionary: "An old hypercorrection for dialectal ohto, ultimately from Proto-Finnic *okci. Occasionally associated by folk etymology with otsa (“forehead”)." So it's a later date version of the okci (the original name that was a taboo).

[@FlyTyer1948]

I assume Finnish bears speak similarly to the US black bears I’ve been near in the woods in thick brush while fishing a stream. If you are walking in the woods & hear a deep “Eeearrrl” -like earl but longer -then you are near a bear. Time to move steadily in the opposite while whistling & talking. If you see the bear, don’t run, just back away while talking loudly.

[@jukkakopol7355]

Finnish bears are brown bears and they act quite different than bears in America. It's almost imposible to see them and they don't make any noise at all. Those bear safaris in northern Finland use food to lure them out of forrest. Believe me I have tracked them many years and one very large male is avoiding me about 10 years and now it's some kind of game between me and my hounds against that bear. I have no attetion to bring him down I just want to see him. And how I know he is he his paws are so large that it's almost imposible he is she.

[@FlyTyer1948]

@@jukkakopol7355 Good luck & be safe on your bear quest. Agreed, brown bears are quite different than black bears. They are larger & much more dangerous. In the eastern US, we only have black bears. The brown bears are all in western US. Black bears are still dangerous, but if you are careful to not surprise them, don’t come between a momma & her cubs, & aren’t carrying food, you will likely be okay. Of course, as bear admirers (they are my sprit animal), we both know that all bears think Irish people are quite tasty, so Irish in the woods should be very, very careful. ;-)

[@ranacker]

I have never seen a bear either, outside of a zoo. I think you'd need to go on a specific bear watching trip in order to see one. And there is no guarantee you'd see one even then.

[@IrishinFinland]

I'll have to take a look and pick the best one! And best chance

[@eeviste]

The traditional way for Finns to go berry picking in the forest is to sing while you walk along. Bears will avoid you if they hear you coming. By singing you give them that option to decide to wander off. This is why mostly you don’t see bears. :)

[@VonArmagedda]

@@IrishinFinland Ranua zoo, not too far away from Oulu, they have regular brown bears, they also have polar bears. Yes, POLAR BEARS.

[@Silveirias]

​@@VonArmagedda I second Ranua Wildlife Park. Ähtäri Zoo is also great.

[@lady00303]

Look up the giant short faced bear... it was the fastest bear on this planet that ever lived.. don't want to run into one of those.

[@splattered.cadavers]

Bears were of course also important for the vikings. Berserkers and things like that.

[@Sienisota]

Otso

[@sabithasajan5564]

You should wacth We Bare Bears you may like it

[@mikkos8636]

Extremely kind of you to tell us Finland's natives about our ancient culture. I love this. But, one small mistake you make with telling about what the bear ate, is apples. No. You see, apples are from more southern parts of europe, not really Finland. Yes apples do grow in Finland these days, but 10000 years ago when Finland was still somewhat covered in the ice sheets of ice age on earth that is regularly coming to earth every 200000 years or so I've heard.. back then, when Finland was much colder than it is today, I really really doubt that there were apples here, at least not natural apples. So, what did bears here eat when they were here in Finland 100000 years ago? Berries. Blueberries at least, maybe... Lakka in finnish, I think Cloudberry or maybe Lingonberry, but probably cloudberry, our more northern swamp berry which is orange and has many little balls together in one berry. Tastes sweet and raikas, fresh-like. And I'm pretty sure it's known here that bears here tend to eat mostly berries and carcasses of other animals, and maybe hunt sometimes, but I think bears don't usually attack other animals nor humans to eat them, unless maybe if they're very hungry, or just woken up from their 3-5 month winter slumber. Then, bears are known to be more likely to attack people.

[@sabithasajan5564]

Are pandas type of bears

[@kansaIainen]

Recent DNA analysis indicates that giant pandas are more closely related to bears and red pandas are more closely related to raccoons.

[@Adam_Family_Prixxie]

❤🐻‍❄️🪞🪞🌶

[@araincs]

Another thing is a skinned and decapitated bear looks creepily like a human body. And of course butchering an animal you skin and decapitate it and what were essential parts of peijaiset: skinning the bear and taking its skull. The bear in mythology is the little brother of man. There is a theory to be made that karhupeijaiset is a kind of substitute human sacrifice ritual. There is a theory in anthropology that animal sacrifice in all cultures evolves from human sacrifice rituals, like the story of abraham sacrifying a ram instead of his son Isaac.

[@nazmanaebbbz]

Goddamn we dropped a video basicly at the same moment

[@IrishinFinland]

Optimal time ✊🏻🔥

[@gnomenorthofthewall1982]

Not mocking you, but you really have not yet seen a Finnish bear 😂 full grown they are big. When standing on two feet they sure are taller than a man. nothing like for example the tiny black bears in kanada. Anyway truly great videos, keep up the awesome work 👍

[@AEKoivula]

I don’t think you want to get into a bear pissing contest with Canada…black bears are relatively small, but the grizzly is huge. And even bigger is the polar bear…all quite abundant in Canada.

[@samimiettinen5539]

Man, you wish to see a bear? No sane man would wish that, but good luck if you see 1.... I've lived here my whole life and I havent even seen a snake (a live one), I've seen moose though uf they are big as shit and very territorial... I'm just happy I don't live in Australia

[@IrishinFinland]

Have you seen those photography huts they have in finland? That would be the type of thing I would love to see them from not just out in open 🤣

[@samimiettinen5539]

@@IrishinFinland Oh yeah =) I know of them... Just treat them with respect, they live in the forest and they were here before us

[@eldermoonfarm]

I would love to learn more about the Paleolithic bear cult