The Swan in Finnish mythology

#finland #finnishmythology #swan
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irishinfinland

[@ApocalypseRider]

It is said that swans sings only in a time of death. I think this is the reason why swan is thought to be bird of the underworld.

[@sipulikorva8717]

And here I spent all last week listening to whooper swans singing all day long everyday 😅 Much death in the horizon

[@yorkaturr]

The swan is a holy creature for Finns. It's something that we learn from our parents I suppose, as we don't really go over that in school.

[@naihaseo9840]

The fine for killing a swan is huge too

[@kallejotoksella8743]

@@naihaseo9840 That's quite reason though. Swan was an important game until it was found endangered species and got under protection in 1960's. Those who have tasted it say Swan is delicious as a food. Today it's been found that Swan population is too strong and should/could be hunted, but that hype about endanger species stick quite hard these days.

[@puppude]

I didnt get anything from anyone around tho

[@Comicaful]

Since I couldn't spot this little tidbit in comments, I'm leaving it here. It's more about beliefs of birds in general than specifically swans, but it's okay... Linnunrata translates into MilkyWay (you propably knew this already...) and is referred as such due the similarity of migration path of the feathered friends. With their flights all birds carries the souls of the dead of the passed year to behind of the stars(old "new year" were during autumn, after the harvest was done but the hunting wasn't yet to begun), thus we have lots of sielulintu (=soul birds) placed on top of graves and tombstones. Swans as large, pure white birds (purity of soul) with illusional grace got some extra attention in the dark nights. They also mate for life (loyality of partners) and for long it was believed they didn't have new partner ever again, that brings us to "swan's song" as picturing tragic love story. Birds are also considered as messengers from the other worlds (or levels of knowledge), ravens and crows for example. But there are some "joy birds" too!

[@herrakaarme]

I never really appreciated how big swans are before a couple of them flew straight over my head at very low altitude. They looked massive, for birds.

[@intensemint7800]

I will always remember that one autumn day when I was raking leaves on my grandma's yard, and from out of nowhere, 2 pairs of swans flew above me really low. It felt like magic ❤️

[@nj1639]

I heard the strangest rhythmic pulse vibration above me in the sky. Looking up it was a swan, high up and in full flight. Magic. That was years ago along the Atlantic seaboard in southern New Jersey.

[@paulekstrom9499]

Hi! Can you ever make a video about the Åland War (Oolannin sota), a side scene of the Crimean War, where the British and French navies fought naval battles both on the Åland Islands and across the Finnish coast in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Bothnia? Thanks in advance if you can, you're awesome! 😉

[@IrishinFinland]

Absolutely I will! I glazed over it a couple times but I have fully dive in deep into it!

[@rainbowflash7284]

Thank you so much for making these videos! The swan holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons, I'm so glad they're so important in Finland! On another note, I'll be on my way to Finland in only 12 days! All these stories and bits of knowledge have made me that much more excited to visit!

[@IrishinFinland]

It's such a mystical animal

[@jxhl666]

Hey I love your videos. Could you maybe do a video of isoviha? I'm not sure how much info there is in English of all the horrible things that happened at that time. And one interesting topic about finnish mythology and folklore is sielulintu (soul bird) and the whole consept of soul (sielu) in finnish folklore.

[@TristanMA]

Sibelius made a Famous Tone Poem in 1895- The Swan of Tuonela

[@end0skeleton778]

Make me want to read the kalevala again

[@R0ZARD]

There is also grotesque version, where Lemminkäinen is catched by net made of iron, then son of Tuoni pulled him up. Son of Tuoni then hacked Lemminkäinen to pieces and throwed him back to water. Mother then fished out those pieces and sewed him back together. With honey from kingdom of ukko, Lemminkäinen is returned to life.

[@osk9013]

Yes... and since you mentioned the honey... Notice in the painting, Lemminkäisen äiti, there is a bee - the messenger of gods. The same rascal about which Amorphis is singing.

[@TheNismo777]

There is nothing more scary than a random swan that is trying to attack you & starts chasing :D been there and it wasn't the bravest moment of my journey.

[@IrishinFinland]

Oh when they get going, well, they can get GOING 🤣

[@TheNismo777]

@@IrishinFinland Oh yeah, I think I would have beated Usain Bolts 100m record in that sprint :D

[@spencerkellylanyi3073]

That is indeed a strange and wonderful story. I thought you would like to know that in Irish fairy tales if there is a character that is a cormorant and a woman, she is a Finnish woman. When I first read such a story as a child, I wondered how she got to Ireland. I still read these tales.They teach one how to be brave. and courteous. Good for people of all. ages. A few years ago I found The Oxford Companion to Fairy Tales by Jack Zipes. It is large and a bit pricey, but I have treasured it ever since. On the first page I was surprised to learn that the first encyclopedic book classifying folk tales was written by Antti Aarne, a Finn, in 1910. It is very slow reading (The Oxford Book) as there are many references, motifs, authors, etc. Many names I did not know as well as many old friends. Stories I had not thought of in years. A perfect book for a Finnish winter. It fires up the imagination which will keep one warm,as well. Thank you for telling stories. We always need those.

[@StoryTimeSA]

A water avian giraffe, yeah we have those.

[@neuthral]

I think swans are endangered/protected animals for many years in Finland

[@eitapahdumitaan]

I hear that becouse of the long neak Swan can see whats goes on in Tuonela from the bottom off the leak.

[@Jussi138]

I was wondering have you made a video about "Hiiden hirvi" ("the moose of Hiisi")?

[@IrishinFinland]

Not yet!

[@Jussi138]

@@IrishinFinland I'm waiting for that video🤩 also if you could make a video about Finnish zombies better known as "kirkon väki" ("church's folk") 🤩

[@tuomoluukkanen7265]

The Moose of Hiisi would be a banger name for a fantasy black metal band.

[@Jussi138]

@@tuomoluukkanen7265 tai ihan vaa suomeks Hiiden Hirvi🤔 or just in Finnish Hiiden Hirvi 🤔

[@Jussi138]

@@tuomoluukkanen7265 ja sen vois lyhentää HiHi🤣 and shortened name would be HiHi 🤣

[@jirga_jirga]

Personally I like more birds that stay here the whole year and doesn't fly away when the weather turns ugly. That's why crow should be the national bird instead of swan.

[@justchill4885]

You got cool vids man

[@IrishinFinland]

Appreciate it!

[@sabithasajan5564]

Will make a video on Finnish creation myth

[@Chokwik]

for future i was thinking maybe slip in a mention of where you got the story from.. :) i've read a couple different versions of kalevala poems, but truthfully none of them have mentioned the legendary swan singing.. i actually just found a version from 1849 (in kalevala dot finlit dot fi), where the swan task comes in poem 14 around line 370.. in more modern versions also, it seems like Lemminkäinen was awaited by the märkähattu karjapaimen (wet hat cattle herder)-character and Lemminkäinen was shot with 'a water-viper' /'closed pipe' upon his arrival to the river.. Through the heart and liver, through left arm pit to right shoulder. Lemminkäinen was sad from not having asked his mother of some knowledge of the viper (or water, idk), (as in kalevala times, everything could be resolved with knowledge or wisdom)... Then the 'Blind of Pohjola', märkähattu karjan paimen, threw Lemminkäinen into water and he drifted to the houses of Tuonela.. There 'that bloody boy of Tuonela' struck Lemminkäinen with sword into '5 crumbs, 8 pieces' and threw him into the river of Tuonela. It was Lemminkäinen's mother who guessed something is wrong, and basically the whole 15th poem is about how the mother travels to find his son.. a big part of that poem is about how the mother, re-assembles the son's body, and for example asks a honey bee to travel to 'on top of the ninth heaven' to fetch some nectar for the her job.. the main story line is not too far from Osiris, who was killed and thrown to Nile, later to be torn to pieces and thrown to Nile, later to be re-assembled and brought back to life by Isis. and yuh sorry for the long post.. this came about because i have other necessary stuff to do and i'm avoiding it by any means

[@karihamalainen9622]

I cannot give any additional info about swan and Karelia folklore. Unfortunately cristianity also destroyed much folklore history. Just like cristianity made to Sagas. In northern part in Finnland lives sami (saamelaiset) peole and they have also their own folklore and holy places like "seitas". Myself I can tell I am part swedish and karelian. Forsmann and Hamalainen(dots removed).

[@jukopliut]

Every other animal tries to hide, stay low and have camouflage fur or feathers. You don't see them until you go close. Then there is this white, long neck clumsy creature whit annoying noise - Swan. You can hear and see those things for miles in the middle of swamps.

[@IrishinFinland]

I dare you to go close to one and say that to them.

[@jukopliut]

@@IrishinFinland Still have a bite mark I got some 30 years ago. But those things are also very delicious

[@IrishinFinland]

Interesting, What does it taste like? Any food that would be of similar taste or texture?

[@jukopliut]

@@IrishinFinland Quite dark red, difficult to cook, level of gamey is not for everyone. Taste is challenging, if you like it you like it but if not I can imagine why. It was 90' or early 2000

[@kieranfitz]

First a video about Lalli, not a video about the Swan of Tuonela? Have you been reading Stand Still, Stay Silent?

[@IrishinFinland]

Done a quick search, I need this comic ASAP!

[@Lupupu]

I highly recommend the Stand Still, Stay Silent comic, if you're into nordic mythology and folklore.

[@sabithasajan5564]

Your fvrt bird? Eagle for me definitely

[@IrishinFinland]

Gotta be an eagle

[@sbb5067]

Swan is holy creature in Hinduism

[@sbb5067]

The hamsa (Swan) (Sanskrit: हंस, haṃsa or hansa) is an aquatic migratory bird, referred to in ancient Sanskrit texts which various scholars have interpreted as being based on the goose, the swan,[2] or even the flamingo.[1][3] Its image is used in Indian and Southeast Asian culture as a spiritual symbol and a decorative element. It is also used in a metaphorical sense with the bird attributed with the mythical ability to extract milk from a mixture of milk and water or good from evil. In Hindu iconography, hamsa is the vahana (or vehicle) of Brahma, Gayatri, Saraswati, and Vishvakarma.

[@kauko15]

The iffy thing about using the Kalevala as representative of Finnish folklore/mythology is that it really isn't representative of those things, it's stitched together by Lönnrot from diverse sources, often bringing together unrelated things, inventing things completely, etc. Juha Pentikäinen (one of the foremost academic scholars alive in the field of Finnish folklore/mythology) himself outright states in his book Kalevala Mythology that Lönnrot made up the Swan of Tuonela (p. 199 in my edition, "...his (Lemminkäinen) third task is to shoot a swan. However, 'Tuonelan joutsen' (The swan of Tuonela) is Lönnrot's own creation, as A.R. Niemi has shown."

[@Mayhem-pv9cc]

And to think that the song of the swan is terrible. If you ever heard on then you know what I mean =D

[@SkibidiLaura]

04:00 hades was a god not a place

[@IrishinFinland]

"The underworld itself-referred to as Hades, after its patron god-is described as being either at the outer bounds of the ocean or beneath the depths or ends of the earth." Do you even know how to use Google?

[@SkibidiLaura]

@@IrishinFinland catch me ousside of S- market i teach you history

[@DR_REDACTED]

@@SkibidiLaura Nah he is indeed right Hades was the name of a god and a name of a place sit down.