Pekka Ervast - The Key To The Kalevala

The
Key to
the Kalevala
The Key to
the Kalevala
Pekka Ervast
Translation by Tapio Joensuu
Edited by John Major Jenkins
Literary Society of the Finnish Rosy Cross

2018
The Key to the Kalevala by Pekka Ervast
English translation of Kalevalan Avain (1916) by Pekka Ervast
ISBN 978-952-9603-53-4
Translation / Editing team:
Tapio Joensuu, Kempele & Oulu,
John Major Jenkins, Louisville, Colorado
We gratefully acknowledge the great good fortune of being granted
permission by Eino Friberg to use his 1988 English translation of the
Kalevala. Friberg’s translation is unparalleled for its poetic beauty and its
accurate presentation of the original meter of ancient Finnish poetry.
The printed edition of the Key to the Kalevala was published by
Blue Dolphin Publishing. (ISBN: 1-57733-021-8)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ervast, Pekka.
[Kalevalan avain. English]
The key to the Kalevala / Pekka Ervast : translation by Tapio Joensuu
: edited by John Major Jenkins.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Kalevala. 2. Mythology, Finno-Ugrian. I. Jenkins, John Major.
II. Title.
PH325.E713 1998
894’.54111—dc21 98-34846
CIP
Cover art: Reo Lintera
The title page illustration is from a decorative band found in East
Götaland (western Sweden). It depicts the events of Kalevala Runo 5,
in which Väinämöinen unknowingly hooks Aino on his fishing line
(Haavio 1952:207).
Table of Contents
Introduction ...........................................................................6
Foreword ..............................................................................35
I. The Kalevala as a Holy Book
1. What is the Kalevala? .....................................................38
2. The Kalevala as a Holy Book ..........................................44
3. The Key to the Kalevala .................................................48
II. The Mysterious Knowledge of the Kalevala
The Theological, Anthropological, and Soteriological Key
4. Was the Ancient Finnish Religion Animistic? ...............54
5. Humans or Gods? ............................................................60
6. The Holy Trinity .............................................................65
7. The Virgin Birth ..............................................................70
8. The Act of Creation .......................................................74
9. The Act of Salvation ......................................................84
10. The Lemminkäinen-Forces .............................................90
11. Lemminkäinen-Christ .....................................................96
12. The Ilmarinen-Forces ...................................................101
13. Ilmarinen, Fire and Iron ................................................107
14. Ilmarinen and the Sampo .............................................117
15. Reincarnation ...............................................................123
16. In the Cottages of Tuonela ............................................130
17. The Playing of Väinämöinen ........................................139
III. The Kalevala’s Inner Ethic
Occult-Psychological or Practical-Soteriological Key
18. The Way of Knowledge .................................................152
19. Joukahainen ..................................................................158
4
table of contents
20. Aino ..............................................................................164

21. Lemminkäinen ..............................................................171
22. Ilmarinen .......................................................................177
23. The Works for Wages ....................................................182
24. The Swan of Tuonela ....................................................187
25. Pohjola’s Wedding .........................................................193
26. The Golden Maid .........................................................199
27. The Younger Sister of Pohja’s Maid ..............................208
28. The Sword of the Spirit ................................................216
29. The Boat Journey ..........................................................223
30. The Playing of the Kantele ...........................................230
31. The Theft of the Sampo ...............................................239
32. Final Doubts ..................................................................245
33. The Last Battle .............................................................251
IV. The Kalevala’s Magic
The Occult-Historical Key
34. What is Meant Here By Magic .....................................261
35. Then and Now: Two Human Types ..............................269
36. Atlantean Magic in the Kalevala ..................................278
37. At the Change of Ages .................................................285
38. Väinämöinen and Aino ................................................290
39. Marjatta ........................................................................297
40. Marjatta’s Son and Väinämöinen .................................303
V. Väinämöinen’s Return
The National-Occult Key
41. Väinämöinen and the Nation of Finland .....................309
Notes ..................................................................................319
Bibliography .......................................................................332
Additional Reading ............................................................336
About the Author ..............................................................339
5
Introduction
to the English Translation of
The Key to the Kalevala
Fa small country so far north that it touches the Arctic

inland’s Heritage and National Independence. Finland,
Circle, preserves a fascinating ancient history and offers a

unique and profound wisdom to the world. Bordered by Rus-
sia to the east, the Gulf of Finland in the south, the Gulf of
Bothnia in the west, and Norway to the north, Finland is the
least populated country in the Fenno-Scandia region. Up until
the beginning of this century it was a little recognized Grand
Duchy of czarist Russia, devoid of a national identity. However,
as political events unfolded in the early 1900s, this proved to
be more a matter of definition than truth. For Finns, a cohe-
sive cultural identity was close to their hearts for thousands of
years. The primary tradition that served as the glue of Finn-
ish cultural identity was the ancient oral tradition, preserved
and propagated by storytellers and shamans. They passed down
starlore and wisdom-teachings in stories called runes, or runos,
from the earliest times. And today, Finland is a modern nation
that stands on its own, having courageously defied the Russian
Revolution by declaring itself independent in 1917.
The Origins of Finnish Mythology. In the early 1800s, Finn-
ish folklore, much of it containing ancient memories and eso-
teric, cosmological knowledge, was collected into a massive
epic called the Kalevala. Intrepid folklorists working out of the
6
introduction
universities at Turku and Helsinki, most notably the esteemed

compiler of the Kalevala, Elias Lönnrot, struggled to record the
runo stories before the oral tradition succumbed to the pres-
sures of modernization. These passionate folklorists, known as
rune collectors, travelled the outbacks of Finland, on foot and
on snow skis, talking with the peasants, encouraging them to
speak the ancient stories. And what a wealth of wisdom was
stored in their heads! One man, Arhippa Perttunen of Lat-
vajärvi, could recite over four thousand lines of poetry. These
stories migrated from village to village with pack peddlers and
merchants, and thus variant versions of even the best known
myths could be found. The great challenge for Lönnrot (a phy-
sician by profession) was to compile and cross-compare his
comprehensive data bank of Finnish poetry, and, with accu-
racy and insight, weave it together into a unified whole. By
1849, fifty runos consisting of almost 23,000 lines of poetry
were published. This collected work, the Kalevala, based very
closely on the original poems collected in the field, is the Finn’s
national treasure, their national epic that enshrines for them
the greatness of their people’s past. The Kalevala contains the
songs and stories of the ancient Finnish people, and has been
translated in its entirety into over thirty languages.
But where did these stories come from? More to the point,
who are the Finns, and where did they come from? In answer-
ing this, we can get a sense for the unique contribution of the
Kalevala, elucidating an important mystical dimension of the
human spirit. Significantly, Pekka Ervast’s insightful interpreta-
tion of the Kalevala almost single-handedly reveals to us long
lost artifacts of wisdom from our collective past.
According to one theory based upon archaeological and lin-
guistic studies, Finnish people migrated to Finland in the re-
mote past from northern Central Asia, originating from beyond
the Ural Mountains, perhaps even as far east as China and
Tibet (Lehtinen 1986). According to a different theory, one
7
the key to the kalevala
supported by German scholars, before the Germanic tribes

swept into Europe, people of the Finnish family originally in-
habited large areas, from central Europe eastward to the Ural
Mountains. Afterward, parts of the Finnish group moved
northward where they remain today. In any case, the Finns
speak a Finno-Ugric language unrelated to the Indo-Euro-
pean language that is shared only by Estonians and scattered
remnants of shamanistic societies in northwestern Russia and
Siberia. The beliefs and traditions brought to Finland by the
early Finns are comparable to the traditions of Asian shaman-
ism today. The Bear Ceremony, for example, is described in
the Kalevala (Runo 46) and its rituals are quite similar to the
Bear Cult of the Ainu people, who live in the islands north of
Japan. Although the distance between Finland and Japan is
great, the indigenous circumpolar cultures, including those in
Alaska and Canada, share many basic beliefs and myths. The
Finns, the Ainu, the Ostyaks, the Votyaks, the Tlingit, and
others—these are the people of the midnight sun, so close to
the North Pole that in summer the day never ends and in win-
ter the darkness is deep and long.
Finland has a long standing reputation as a bizarre, even
dangerous backland filled with rune singers, wizards, and peas-
ant shamans. Sailors in the late Middle Ages used to fear the
incantations of the Finn, for he was reputed to be capable
of invoking storms to sink the ships of enemies. Other leg-
ends attribute clairvoyance and conjuring skills to the Finnish
magician.
Finnish mythology is rooted in shamanism. Seers and sha-
mans undertook visionary journeys and they used the reindeer
as their animal spirit companion. The Pole Star was for them
a high god, and the nearby Big Dipper was the Great Bear,
Otava, a god and animal spirit that was greatly revered. The
ancient Finns were animists. They worshipped nature and
believed that everything had an inner spirit, that everything,
8
introduction
even stones and trees, contained consciousness. They also

worshipped the deceased, and shamans often visited graves to
communicate with departed spirits.
When the rune singers chanted the ancient wisdom, they
could facilitate healings. For example, as evidenced in Runo 9,
blood flow from a wound could be staunched by reciting the
Origin of Iron rune, to invoke magical power over the blood. It
was believed that by recalling a thing’s origin, you could invoke
power over it. Since the source of blood clotting is hemoglobin,
and clotting depends upon iron in the blood, a quite profound
knowledge of the body is hidden in this rune. Apparently, these
ancient shamans utilized healing modalities that we are just
beginning to understand.
Chanting was a shamanistic technique to tune the mind into
distant times and places. When shaman-singers chanted the
Origin of the World rune, they believed they could actually
travel in spirit, in mind, back to the birth of the world. Chant-
ing, as for Hindu and Buddhist mystics, was a way to alter the
mind, and in so doing they could summon the invisible powers
that create and sustain the world. After all, the words “invo-
cation” and “vocalize” both refer to voice and language. The
ancient singers mastered a complex mystical art that survives
today only in remote places like Tuva in Central Asia. In Fin-
land, this sacred vocation was fairly common up until the end
of the nineteenth century.
As a result of their intimacy with the darkness, living as they
do so close to the North Pole, the Finns accumulated a rich
treasure trove of starlore, and some of their ancient cosmo-
conceptions are preserved in the Kalevala. For example, the
Sampo is a central object of mystery in the Kalevala, and it was
envisioned as a spinning mill. On one level, it is a magic mill
capable of grinding out food, money, or whatever you wish. But
on an astronomical level, it is a cosmological image of the spin-
ning World Axis centered upon the Pole Star which, in the Far
9
North, is almost straight overhead. Furthermore, the Sampo’s

“many ciphered cover” is a metaphor for the bright, twinkling
stars of the night sky. Beyond these cosmological associa-
tions, however, Pekka Ervast finds a deeper, esoteric meaning
for the Sampo, one involving humanity’s spiritual growth to
wholeness.
The Sampo, as the World Axis, is very similar to the World
Tree found in Asian mythologies. This parallel is well-known
and recognized in the academic literature, suggesting trade
links between Finland and Central Asia in ancient times, or
perhaps a common homeland. Studies have compared Finnish
and Vedic mythology, although, unfortunately, many of them
are available only in Finnish. In The Key to the Kalevala, Ervast
notes the major parallels between Finnish and Vedic thought,
and the reader can consult the Additional Reading section for
other sources. The major conception shared between Finnish
and Vedic-Hindu cosmology is the idea that the world was born
from an egg. In Chapters 7 and 8, Ervast explores this event as
it appears in the Kalevala. The Viking or Eddic mythology also
espouses this doctrine, and makes us wonder about possible
connections between the Finns and the Germanic groups that
arrived in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark beginning around
A.D. 500.
There are some similarities between Viking lore and Finnish
myth and culture. Significantly, some of the Kalevala stories
seem to be fragmented historical accounts of invading Vikings
arriving in the Finnish fringelands, bringing with them war-
rior gods to oust the matrifocal, shamanistic ideologies of the
early Finns. In general, however, as described above, the Finns
are more closely related to Central Asia than to the Germanic
groups to the west, and a tenacious hold on their true identi-
ties is testified to by the preservation of their non-Germanic
language up to this day. In its beauty and vision, the rich and
large corpus of Finnish poetry, taken as a whole, challenges the
10
introduction
best in oral traditions around the world, suggesting the Finn’s

had access to a wellspring of wisdom deeper and more wide-
reaching than what may have been handed to them from the
Vikings.
The Finnish people were probably in Finland since 500 B.C.,
though there may have been successive waves of migrations
from the east. The Lappish people to the north of Finland, ac-
cording to archaeological accounts, may be descended from
the same people who lived in the region over 7,000 years ago.
Despite the threat posed by modernization, Finland preserved
its shamanistic outlook longer than, for example, Denmark,
Sweden, or Norway, because of its remoteness. Christianiza-
tion, and the eradication of indigenous beliefs, came late to
Finland. In fact, one might say that it never completely hap-
pened, as even today there are shamans in northern Finland
and Lapland.
For most of this century, European countries have had little
interest in Finland’s contribution to human knowledge, and
less so in America. In fact, despite a growing fascination among
English speakers with Celtic mythology, ancient civilizations,
mystical teachings, and shamanism, Finnish mythology has re-
mained largely unexplored. And yet it provides a window into
all of these topics. Now it is time that the insights into human
spiritual unfolding that are encoded into Finnish mythology
are shared with the English-speaking West. The work of Pekka
Ervast is the perfect place to begin, and we feel that The Key to
the Kalevala is destined to be considered a classic.
Pekka Ervast: Finnish Mystic, Spiritualisti, and Teacher. Pekka
Ervast was a writer, occultist, and Christian mystic, born De-
cember 26, 1875, in Finland. Since early childhood, Ervast
searched honestly for truth, but was often beset by the conflicts
between idealism and reality that are so common in all walks
i Editor’s note. In Ervast’s case, a more appropriate word might be “spir-
itual researcher” instead of “spiritualist.”
11
of life. His passion was to find the real purpose of our exis-
tence and how we should live honestly, but he did not find any
answers within the religious standards of his day. Finland was
largely Christian in the late 1800s, but Ervast was not satisfied
with Christian doctrines as they were being taught in church or
even in theological seminaries.
During his early years at the University of Helsinki, Ervast
became acquainted with Theosophy. At this time, the works of
Theosophist Madame H. P. Blavatsky were becoming known,
and eventually Ervast himself became one of two translators
of Blavatsky’s classic Theosophical work, The Secret Doctrine,
into Finnish. Theosophy is a system of philosophical thought
based upon spiritual insights into the esoteric, occult history of
the human race and its developmental laws. The principles of
Theosophy opened up the avenue of inquiry that Ervast had
been seeking. Furthermore, through reading the work of the
great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, Ervast discovered esoteric
Christianity. The path of the Sermon on the Mount became
his path, and its cosmic law became his law.
Ervast has testified that when he began to follow the esoteric
teachings of Jesus, he entered an occult path wherein totally
new worlds opened up for him. He became a spiritualist who
travelled to realms of knowledge where he could understand
the meaning of life and could see human beings not just as
living single lives, but as reincarnating spiritual beings, jour-
neying through the school of this world in order to learn and
evolve spiritually.
Ervast’s insights into the fundamental laws of life transcend-
ed his interest in esoteric Christianity. Being an avid student of
world mythology and religion, and having great respect for his
own culture’s myths and legends, he specialized in interpreting
his National Epic according to Theosophical principles. As a
result, in The Key to the Kalevala, Ervast offers a most compre-
hensive and inspired mystical reading of the deeply profound
12
introduction
esoteric knowledge sequestered within the Kalevala. He saw

the Kalevala as a Holy Book, a sacred text that could be un-
locked with the key of Theosophy.
The literary works of Pekka Ervast consist of over a hun-
dred volumes, many of them full-length books. Very few of
Ervast’s works, however, are available in English. Fortunately,
Ervast was fluent in several languages, including English, and
he translated at least two of his books into English: H.P.B.: Four
Episodes from the Life of the Sphinx of the XIXth Century (1933)
and The Sermon on the Mount (1983), both published by the
London Theosophical Publishing House. His book The Eso-
teric School of Jesus recently has been translated and is to be
published by Blue Dolphin Publishers.ii Ervast’s contribution to
revealing the esoteric contents of the Kalevala was discussed
by Finnish scholar Juha Pentikäinen in his book Kalevala My-
thology. Pentikäinen discusses The Key to the Kalevalaiii and
emphasizes Ervast’s unique interpretation of the Kalevala as a
Holy Book.
Ervast was an avid reader and studied the writings of the
best minds of his day, including Rudolf Steiner and H. P. Bla-
vatsky. In Helsinki in 1912, Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the
Anthroposophy movement, gave a talk on national epics with
special focus on the Kalevala, an event Ervast mentions in his
ii Editor’s note. Quest Books published a new edition of The Esoteric
School of Jesus under the name The Divine Seed: The Esoteric Teach-
ings of Jesus in 2010. A collection of Ervast’s lectures from 1929 called
Astral Schools is available in English as an e-book which is freely avail-
able in http://media.pekkaervast.net/penet/books_files/astral_schools.
pdf. In addition, Literary Society of the Finnish Rosy Cross published
a compilation of Ervast’s lectures on death as an e-book in 2017: From
Death to Rebirth: Teachings of the Finnish Sage Pekka Ervast which
is freely available in https://www.teosofia.net/e-kirjat/From_Death_to_
Rebirth_Pekka_Ervast.pdf
iii Editor’s note. The Key to the Kalevala is also available as a German
translation: Der Schlüssel zur Kalevala, Ruusu-Ristin Kirjallisuusseura,
2015. Available online at http://kalevalaschluessel.blogspot.fi/.
13
Foreword to The Key to the Kalevala. In 1920 Ervast found-

ed the Rosicrucian organization in Finland, the Ruusu-Risti,
which still exists today and is engaged in publishing, teaching,
and translating projects. Ervast labored to bring opportunities
for spiritual learning and growth to his people, and the seeds he
planted continue to bear fruit.
Ervast’s life was not long—he died at age 58—but his col-
lected writings, lectures, and books are all the more valuable
for this reason. During the course of his Theosophical and
Rosicrucian activities between 1895 and 1934, he gave over
thirteen hundred public lectures, most of them without writ-
ten notes. His skills and presence as a speaker verged on the
mystical, and it was often noted that he seemed to answer
questions from his audience before they had been asked. He
could speak clearly and intelligibly to the most profound ques-
tions of philosophy, religion, and Theosophy. His message
reached truth seekers in all sectors of society, and his books can
be found in tens of thousands of Finnish homes. Through his
life’s work in service to the truth, he remains a most important
spiritual teacher to his nation. Moreover, Ervast’s diverse and
profound teachings as a “seer from the North” are timeless and
universal, intended for all of humanity.
The 50 Runos of the Kalevala. In reading The Key to the Ka-
levala, the reader will become intimate with three important
characters from the Kalevala. These are the primary Kalevala-
heroes, and we will see all of their faults, mistakes, and tri-
umphs exposed. Väinämöinen is the ancient sage, the primal
First Shaman, master word-weaver, musician, incantation
slinger, and wise psychopomp to the rest of our heroes. Lem-
minkäinen is a young, wayward romantic. As the Arctic Don
Juan, he always gets into new adventures, being led around by
his impetuous nature. Finally, there is Ilmarinen, the prime-
val smithy. Diligent and industrious, Ilmarinen is the master
architecton of the stellar dome, for he is the one who forged
14
introduction
the magic Sampo. These are the three main characters of the
Kalevala, and the principles they represent will be deciphered
by Ervast, but there are several other players who we must also
get acquainted with.
Louhi, the “sparse-toothed dame of Northland,” is the en-
emy of the Kalevala-heroes and she rules the benighted land
of the Far North called Pohjola. A central episode in the
Kalevala, Runo 42, tells of her hoarding the Sampo, and the
quest of the three heroes to retrieve it. The beautiful maiden of
Pohjola, daughter of Louhi, is the young woman who the he-
roes set out, one by one, to win the hand of. Joukahainen is an
upstart youth who challenges Väinämöinen to a singing con-
test, and suffers the consequences of his foolhardiness. Aino
is the girl promised to Väinämöinen, but she rebuffs him and
accidentally drowns. Marjatta, thought to be a late addition to
Finnish poetry and a reflection of the Virgin Mary, is the moth-
er of the newborn boy who is destined to take Väinämöinen’s
place as spiritual ruler. Her child represents the arrival of Chris-
tianity in Finland, and her story is told in the last runo of the
Kalevala, Runo 50.
There are others, and their roles will become clear as we
summarize the fifty runos below. Though Ervast’s interpreta-
tion does not draw from all of the runos, the following sum-
mary is intended to give the reader a sense of the entire scope
of the Kalevala epic. Before we begin, a pronunciation guide
to commonly used Finnish words and names is provided be-
low. The most common names are given phonetically as well
as according to the guidelines in Webster’s Encyclopedic Un-
abridged Dictionary of the English Language. Less common
Finnish words are simply given phonetically.
Väinämöinen. Væinæmainen. Phonetic: Vi-nuh-moy-nen.
Väi- (rhymes with why), nä- (rhymes with luh),
möi- (rhymes with boy), nen (rhymes with pen). No accent.
He is also sometimes called Väinö.
15
Lemminkäinen. Lemminkæinen. Lemmin-ki-nen.

Lemmin- (sounds like the fruit lemon), käi- (rhymes with
why), nen (rhymes with pen). No accent.
Ilmarinen. Ilmurinen. Il-mah-ree-nen. Il- (sounds like ill),
ma- (sounds like muh), ri- (rhymes with see), nen (rhymes
with pen). The italics indicate the accent is on the third
syllable.
Kalevala. Kulevulu. Kah-leh-vah-luh. Soft accent on first
syllable.
Kaleva. Kulevu. Kah-leh-vah.
Louhi. Low-hee.
Aino. Uino. I-no.
Marjatta. Muryuttu. Mar-yah-tah.
Tapio. Tupio. Tah-pee-oh
Tuoni. Twah-nee
Tuonela. Twah-neh-lah
Manala. Munulu. Mah-nah-lah
Joukahainen. Yo-kuh-hi-nen
Pohjola. Poh-yo-lah. Also called Pohja.
Sampo. Sahm-poh. (Sahm rhymes with bomb; poh rhymes with
go.)
Ilmatar. Il-mah-tar
Kyllikki. Kyoo-luh-kee
Ahti. Ah-tee
Kaukomieli. Kow-kuh-mee-lee
Untamo. Oon-tah-mo
Kalervo. Kah-lair-vo
Hiisi. Hee-see
Kullervo. Koo-lair-vo
Ukko. Oo-ko
Patoinen Poika. Pah-toy-nen Poy-kah
16
introduction
Sampsa Pellervoinen. Sahmp-sah Peller-voy-nen

Jumala. Yoo-mah-lah
Suomi. Swoh-mee
Otava. Oh-tah-vah.
Runo 1. Prelude. Lönnrot, after the style of the rune singers,
tells of his yearning to sing the poems of his people. The inti-
mate relationship between poetry and nature is portrayed with
images of nature singing; for example, the frost sings verses and
the raindrops recite poems. Creation and the Birth of Väinämöin-
en. Ilmatar, the virgin of the air, leaves the loneliness of the sky
and moves down to the sea, where the wind impregnates her.
She drifts upon the waters for ages, pregnant but unable to give
birth. A magical bird flies by and lays several eggs on Ilmatar’s
upraised knee. As the bird sits brooding in the nest, the heat
makes Ilmatar jerk her knee, and the eggs begin to change.
One breaks open and the lower half becomes the earth, the
upper part becomes the sky, the yolk becomes the sun, and the
white becomes the moon. During her thirty-year pregnancy
with Väinämöinen, Ilmatar sculpts the cliffs, coves, beaches,
meadows, forests, and other features of the earth and sea. Fi-
nally, Väinämöinen forces his way out of his mother and floats
on the sea for another eight years before he reaches land.
Runo 2. The Sowing. After many years on the barren land,
Väinämöinen asks Sampsa Pellervoinen to plant trees. They all
thrive, except for the oak tree. So they find another oak acorn-
seed and, for fertilizer, Tursas the sea gnome burns some hay
that was gathered by five water nymphs. The acorn is planted
and the oak that grows from it is so huge that it blocks out the
sun. No one is able to chop it down. Finally, a tiny man emerges
from the sea, who suddenly grows into a giant. He confidently
fells the tree with three blows of his axe. The sun shines again.
Now there are trees, grass, and berries, but as yet no barley. A
little titmouse tells Väinämöinen that no barley will grow until
17
he cuts down the trees. Väinämöinen does this, leaving only

one birch tree standing. An eagle flies by and is so pleased that
Väinämöinen left a tree to perch on that he strikes fire to burn
the fallen trees. Väinämöinen plants seeds in the fresh mulch
that results and barley begins to grow. This runo ends with the
happy springtime song of the cuckoo.
Runo 3. The Singing Contest. Joukahainen, a young man from
Lapland, hears of Väinämöinen’s growing fame and challenges
him to a singing duel. Väinämöinen easily outdoes him, and,
angry at being bested, Joukahainen threatens Väinämöinen.
However, Väinämöinen sings him, that is, magically enchants
him, deep into a paralyzing swamp. Väinämöinen releases him
when he promises him his sister Aino as a bride. Later, Aino is
upset when she learns of this, but her mother is pleased at the
prospect of Väinämöinen entering the family.
Runo 4. Aino. Väinämöinen happens upon Aino gather-
ing sauna switches and tells her to adorn herself only for him.
Aino, upset, tears off her adornments and races home, weep-
ing. Her mother attempts to console her, but Aino is distraught
at the idea of becoming an old man’s bride. She goes to the sea
to bathe, and is drawn into the water where she drowns.
Runo 5. Aino Lost Again. Grieving for Aino, Väinämöinen
asks Untamo, the spirit of sleep, to tell him where the sea
maidens live. He sets out to fish for them and catches a steel-
head. However, it slips back into the water and transforms into
Aino, who taunts Väinämöinen for having lost her a second
time. He goes home heavy-hearted, where his mother Ilmatar
advises him to travel to the north and court one of the daugh-
ters of Pohjola.
Runo 6. Joukahainen’s Revenge. Crossing a river while jour-
neying to Pohjola, Väinämöinen is ambushed and shot with an
arrow by Joukahainen. His horse dead, Väinämöinen falls into
18
introduction
the water and is swept out to sea, drifting at the mercy of the
waves. Joukahainen goes home, exultant.
Runo 7. Väinämöinen’s Rescue and Promise. After drifting for
several days, Väinämöinen is rescued by an eagle, the same
eagle who was thankful for the tree Väinämöinen had left for
birds to perch on. The eagle leaves him in Pohjola, where a
maid finds him weeping on the shore. Louhi, the mistress of
Pohjola, takes him in and entertains him well, but Väinämöin-
en is anxious to return home. She gives him a horse to ride
home on, and promises her daughter in marriage to the man
who can forge the Sampo for her. Väinämöinen rides away,
thinking he will get Ilmarinen to forge the Sampo, because he
could not do it himself. As he departs, Louhi warns him not to
look up on his way home.
Runo 8. Väinämöinen’s Wound. However, riding home
through the meadows, he does look up and sees the lovely
maid of Pohjola, sitting on the rainbow, weaving. He tries to
persuade her to come down and ride with him, but she refuses.
They debate the merits of the single life versus the married life,
and finally she makes him do a number of absurd tasks—tying
an egg into a knot, splitting a horse hair with a dull knife, peel-
ing birch bark from a stone, and so on. He does all of these, but
the last task is to build a boat from the splinters of her spindle.
While working three days on the boat, during a moment of in-
attention Väinämöinen gashes his knee with his axe. He tries
to staunch the blood flow by singing magic verses, but he for-
gets the Origin of Iron blood-stopping rune. In pain, he sleighs
off to find someone who knows it. Finally, he finds an old man
who claims to have stopped worse bleeding.
Runo 9. The Healing of Väinämöinen. The old man also
has forgotten some parts of the magical incantation, but
Väinämöinen reminds him and he completes the healing spell.
The flow of blood from Väinämöinen’s knee stops, and the old
19
man’s son goes into the woods to gather ointments and salves
to heal the wound. Väinämöinen recovers, and warns listeners
not to take up impossible tasks on a dare, and acquiesce to the
will of Jumala.
Runo 10. The Forging of the Sampo. Väinämöinen returns
home and urges Ilmarinen to journey to Pohjola and forge
the Sampo. Ilmarinen suspiciously hesitates and then refuses,
but Väinämöinen tricks him by singing into existence an en-
chanting fir tree with the Great Bear (the Big Dipper) on its
branches and the moon on its crown. Climbing up the tree,
Ilmarinen is caught up in a whirlwind and is magically deliv-
ered to distant Pohjola. There, he is well received, and sets
to work forging the Sampo. When it is done, the mistress of
Pohjola locks it up in Pohjola’s Stone Mountain. Ilmarinen
then asks for the beautiful daughter’s hand to wed, but is re-
buffed. Dejected, he goes home and tells Väinämöinen that the
Sampo has been built and is busy grinding things for Pohjola.
Runo 11. The Exploits of Lemminkäinen. Lemminkäinen is
very handsome, but is also a rascal filled with wanderlust. He
hears of Kyllikki, a beautiful island maiden much sought after,
but disdainful of all her suitors. Lemminkäinen goes to the is-
land to woo her, but she refuses him too, so he carries her away
by force. Resisting at first, she finally gives in to his love when
he promises to never go off to war. Likewise, she promises to
never go to parties without him or gossip around the village.
Lemminkäinen’s mother is delighted with her new daughter-
in-law.
Runo 12. The Broken Promise. While Lemminkäinen is away
gathering fish, Kyllikki goes to a dance with her girlfriends in
the village. Lemminkäinen finds out, and, his trust shattered,
he angrily prepares to go off to war. His mother begs him not to
go, protesting that he shall surely be killed. He leaves his hair-
brush, saying that if he dies it will bleed. Arriving in Pohjola
20
introduction
some time later, he defeats and scatters all the Pohjola wizards
in a singing contest with them. He ignores only Wet-Hat, an
ugly cow herder, believing him to be beneath contempt. An-
gered, Wet-Hat runs to the river where he lies in wait to get his
revenge on Lemminkäinen.
Runo 13. The Elk Chase. Lemminkäinen asks Louhi for one
of her daughters. She refuses, saying he must first catch the
Elk of Hiisi (the Devil) in a ski chase. He goes to a ski maker
but is secretly given skis made of bad wood. After an exciting
chase through the snow filled forests, Lemminkäinen does
momentarily catch the elk, but it bolts and he breaks his skis
trying to catch it.
Runo 14. The Death of Lemminkäinen. With the help of hunt-
ers’ charms and forest spirits, Lemminkäinen finally catches the
elk. The mistress then demands other deeds of him, including
shooting the swan in the river of Tuonela (the river of death).
On his way along the river, Wet-Hat, lying in wait, shoots Lem-
minkäinen with a poison arrow. Forgetting the charm to cure
the poison, Lemminkäinen staggers, dying, and is thrown into
the river after being chopped to pieces by the son of Tuoni.
Runo 15. Lemminkäinen’s Resurrection. Back at home, Lem-
minkäinen’s mother and Kyllikki frightfully watch the brush
begin to bleed. Rushing off to Pohjola to find her son, Lem-
minkäinen’s mother is led astray by Louhi, but the sun tells
her what happened. She asks Ilmarinen to make a rake for her,
retrieves all of Lemminkäinen’s body parts by raking through
the river, and fits him together with the help of special charms.
To restore him to life, she sends a bee to get an ointment from
the Creator’s storehouse. Lemminkäinen revives and they re-
turn home together.
Runo 16. Väinämöinen’s Journey to Tuonela. Väinämöinen
sends Sampsa Pellervoinen, the little man, to fetch wood for
a boat he is building. Using a solid oak log that Sampsa found
21
for him, he begins singing the boat into shape, but forgets one
of the magic verses. He decides to journey to Tuonela, the land
of the dead, to find it. Arriving at the bank of death’s river,
Väinämöinen pretends to have died in order to get in, but Tuo-
ni’s clever daughter will not ferry him across until he tells her
the truth. He eventually tells her why he came and she boats
him across. On the other side, the old man of Tuonela tries to
trap Väinämöinen, but he narrowly escapes back to the land
of the living and warns everyone never to attempt to go to
Tuonela.
Runo 17. In the Belly of Vipunen. Väinämöinen decides to
seek his missing magic verse from Antero Vipunen, a famous gi-
ant shaman who has been asleep for ages. Surviving dangerous
trials along the way, Väinämöinen finds him and, prying open
the giant’s mouth, Väinämöinen falls in. Once in Vipunen’s
belly, Väinämöinen torments the giant shaman so much that
he sings out all his magical charms for Väinämöinen to hear.
Väinämöinen escapes with the verse he was looking for, re-
turns home, and completes his boat.
Runo 18. The Rival Suitors. Väinämöinen sets sail for Pohjola
to court the daughter of Northland. However, Ilmarinen finds
out and knows she was promised to him, so he also sets out.
Seeing them both arriving, Louhi, the mistress of Pohjola, ad-
vises her daughter to choose Väinämöinen. But she wants the
forger of the Sampo, and tells Väinämöinen as much.
Runo 19. Ilmarinen’s Labors and Betrothal. Ilmarinen arrives
at the house of Pohjola and is given a number of tasks to per-
form in order to win Pohjola’s beautiful daughter. With the
help of the maiden, he is able to accomplish all of the tasks. He
claims his bride and is told to protect her. Väinämöinen leaves,
disheartened, and advises older men to never compete with a
younger man for a beautiful maiden.
22
introduction
Runos 20-25. These six runos tell of the wedding prepara-

tions, the wedding feast, instructions for the bride and groom,
and the wedding party’s homecoming.
Runos 26-30. These five runos tell of Lemminkäinen’s vari-
ous adventures in Pohjola, his singing competition with a sor-
cerer, his escapes from danger, a visit to the island of women,
and his arduous journey across the frozen tundra.
Runos 31-36. These six runos tell of the misfit boy, Kullervo,
and his struggle to find his real family. Kullervo is believed to
be an orphan, the sole survivor of a clan who were completely
slaughtered. As he grows up he cannot find his place in life
and experiences one misfortune after another. His life seems
hexed. In anger he kills Ilmarinen’s bride and flees. In his fugi-
tive wanderings he finds his true family who had, in fact, es-
caped being killed, but then he unknowingly sleeps with his
sister. Discovering this and becoming miserable to the core and
completely hopeless, he finally commits suicide by falling on
his own sword.
Runo 37. Ilmarinen’s Gold and Silver Bride. Grieving for his
wife, Ilmarinen forges for himself a gold and silver woman. But
he cannot bring her to life, and, distraught, tries to pawn her
off on Väinämöinen. But Väinämöinen tells him to melt her
down to make useful tools, and the rune ends with Väinämöin-
en urging people not to worship images, nor seek happiness in
gold and silver.
Runo 38. Ilmarinen’s Second Courtship. Ilmarinen returns to
Pohjola to court another Northland maiden, but Louhi ex-
presses regret at having given him her first daughter. She repri-
mands him and vows to not repeat her mistake. Ilmarinen asks
the girl to come with him, and when she refuses, he carries
her off by force. Sleighing southward through the woods, she
treats him to a tongue-lashing for being so foolish, and spends
23
the night at an Inn laughing with another man while Ilma-

rinen sleeps. The next morning, disgusted with such behavior,
Ilmarinen changes her into a seagull and continues on his way
home. He meets Väinämöinen and tells him what he did to
the girl, and that the people of Pohjola are prospering with the
Sampo in their possession.
Runo 39. The Voyage to Pohjola. Väinämöinen urges Ilmarinen
to come with him to Pohjola to retrieve the Sampo. They start
out by land, but find a boat and take to the river. Väinämöinen
calls into existence men and women to help them row, but they
are incapable of helping until Ilmarinen himself begins to row.
On the way along the shore they come upon Lemminkäinen,
who jumps in with gusto, happy to be along for the adventure.
Runo 40. In the Rapids. The Kalevala-heroes come to a rap-
ids and get stuck on the back of a huge pike. Lemminkäinen
and Ilmarinen fail to get them free, and finally Väinämöinen
kills the pike and they make their way to an island. They cook
the pike and eat it, leaving only a pile of bones. With them,
Väinämöinen makes a kantele, a five-stringed harp. All of the
others try to play it, but none can.
Runo 41. Väinämöinen’s Playing. As Väinämöinen plays his
new musical instrument, all of nature flocks to listen and re-
joices. The animals, the birds, the fish, even the nature spirits
weep for joy. Väinämöinen, overcome with emotion, cries, and
his tears roll into the sea. A duck goes to fetch them and finds
they have turned into pearls.
Runo 42. The Theft of the Sampo. The Kalevala-heroes arrive
in Pohjola. Väinämöinen first asks Louhi if she will share the
Sampo, but she refuses. He then says they will have to take it by
force. Louhi, angered at such a threat, calls her warriors to at-
tack the interlopers. However, Väinämöinen acts quickly, plays
his kantele and enchants all of Pohjola into a sleep-trance. Go-
ing to the copper mountain where the Sampo is kept, the three
24
introduction
heroes work to free the Sampo. Väinämöinen opens the doors

with a chant, Ilmarinen butters the hinges to keep them from
squeaking, and Lemminkäinen is chosen to heave the Sampo
up. But its roots go down to a depth of nine fathoms, and Lem-
minkäinen fails to lift the Sampo out by himself. He enlists the
aid of Pohjola’s strong ox, and plows the roots up. Heaving the
Sampo free, they carry it to their boat and depart. The third
day on the water, Lemminkäinen decides they need some cheer
and, against Väinämöinen’s wishes, begins to sing. His bellow-
ing startles a crane who flies off, squawking, to awaken Louhi
from her trance back in Pohjola. Realizing that the Sons of
Kaleva have taken the Sampo, she conjures up a storm, some
fog, and calls upon a sea monster to kill the men of Kalevala.
Though the Kalevala-heroes overcome these obstacles, the
kantele is blown overboard and lost.
Runo 43. The Battle For the Sampo. Louhi gathers an army
and sails in pursuit of the Sampo. Väinämöinen, seeing they
cannot outrun her, conjures up a reef that wrecks Louhi’s ship.
Louhi transforms herself into a huge bird, takes her warriors
onto her wings and tail, and alights on the mast of the heroes’
ship. Väinämöinen smashes her claws with the rudder, and her
warriors fall into the sea. Louhi is able to claw at the Sampo
and it falls overboard, shattering into pieces. Väinämöinen
sees a good omen in the pieces of the Sampo spreading over
the ocean, some of them reaching land. As Louhi departs she
threatens to lock up the sun and moon and send diseases to
Kalevala. Väinämöinen goes ashore, gathers and sows the piec-
es of the Sampo, and prays to Jumala to protect the people of
Kaleva.
Runo 44. The New Kantele. Feeling that it is time to make
music again, Väinämöinen asks Ilmarinen to forge a rake to
search for the pike-bone harp. Unable to find it, Väinämöinen
makes a new kantele from birchwood, with tuning pegs of oak
25
and strings made from the hair of a beautiful forest maiden.

Again, all of nature responds to his playing with joy.
Runo 45. The Plague. Hearing the rejoicing, Louhi bitterly
determines to send a plague to the people of Kaleva. The ori-
gins of illness are invoked and cast over the land. In response,
Väinämöinen warms up the healing sauna and with powerful
incantations he sends the aches and pains away to Pain Moun-
tain, thus curing his people.
Runo 46. The Bear Ceremony. Hearing that Kaleva’s people
have escaped her plague, Louhi sends a bear to wreak havoc on
their cattle. Väinämöinen kills the bear and they hold the cus-
tomary ceremony and feast. The bear is treated with respect,
as a welcome guest, and the feast is in his honor. Väinämöinen
sings of the birth of the bear, friend and brother to man, born
not on earth but upon the shoulders of Otava, the Big Dipper.
Väinämöinen plays and sings, delighting the gathering, and
concludes with an eloquent prayer for the welfare of the land
of Kaleva.
Runo 47. Louhi Steals the Sun and Moon. The sun and moon
come and sit in the limbs of a tree to listen to Väinämöinen’s
enchanting music. Louhi quickly steals them, hiding the sun
in a steel mountain and the moon in a rock cave. Next, she
steals fire from the people of Kaleva. Ukko, the highest god,
wonders why it is dark, and strikes up a new spark of fire from
which he plans to make a new sun and moon. But the maid
who was appointed to nurse the spark drops it, and it falls to
earth. Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen set out to find it. Ilmatar,
Väinämöinen’s mother, tells them that the fire, after causing
great damage, fell into Lake Alue, causing the lake to boil over
its banks. The firespark is swallowed by a whitefish, which ago-
nizes until it is swallowed by a sea trout, which in turn is swal-
lowed by a pike. Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen weave a fiber net
to catch the pike, but are unsuccessful.
26
introduction
Runo 48. The Capture of Fire. Väinämöinen has a huge net

woven of fine linen, with which they succeed in catching the
pike. As the Son of Day cleans the fish, the precious firespark
pops out, badly singes Väinämöinen’s beard, scorches Ilmar-
inen’s face and hands, and burns down half the forests in the
country. Väinämöinen finally captures the fire and returns it to
its proper place in the hearths of Kalevala. Ilmarinen heals his
hands with the help of a frost charm.
Runo 49. The Release of the Sun and Moon. Ilmarinen forges a
new sun and moon, but they give no light. Väinämöinen casts
lots (a divination technique), and learns where the sun and
moon are hidden. He goes to Pohjola, defeats the guards, but
cannot open the locks and bars which imprison the sun and
moon. He returns home and has Ilmarinen forge special tools
to open the locks. While Ilmarinen is working at his forge,
Louhi visits in the shape of a hawk and asks what he is mak-
ing. He replies that he is forging an iron collar to chain up the
mistress of Pohjola. Feeling she is doomed, Louhi releases the
sun and moon. Changing herself into a dove, she flies back to
Ilmarinen and tells him that the sun and moon are once again
in the sky, where they belong.
Runo 50. Marjatta and Farewell to Väinämöinen. Marjatta
the virgin lived a chaste and pure youth in the house of her
father. One day while herding sheep she swallows a lingon-
berry and magically becomes pregnant. When the time comes
to give birth, she is shunned by her family and goes off to a
stable where she gives birth to a son. She keeps him away from
other people, but must bring him to the old man Virokannas
so that he can be christened. Väinämöinen is called upon to
question her, determine who the father is, and decide whether
the boy should live or die. Väinämöinen decides that since he
was conceived from a berry of the earth, he should be planted
in the earth, that is, left to die in the forest. But then the one-
month-old boy begins to speak, and accuses Väinämöinen of
27
false judgment. Angry and ashamed, but recognizing that his

successor has come, Väinämöinen sings himself a boat and sails
away. As he departs, he says that a time will come when his
people will need him again, and he leaves behind his kantele
and his songs for his people.
And so ends the epic. A close study of the Kalevala and its
internal structure reveals that Elias Lönnrot very carefully or-
dered the poems such that themes appear in pairs and triplets.
There are, of course, the three primary Kalevala-heroes who
represent a trinity of forces. A dyadic relationship between
Pohjola and the land of Kalevala occurs throughout the epic,
which Ervast recognizes as the battle between the forces of
darkness and light. Drawing upon this dynamic polarity, the
Kalevala epic moves through three major phases. Runos 1-19
describe cosmogenesis and provide an introduction to how
reciprocal relations between Pohjola and Kalevala, including
the practice of exogamy, were established. Runos 20-36 go into
detail regarding the courtship and marriage rituals intended to
define and maintain those relations. Runos 37-50 describe the
resolution of the forces of Pohjola and Kalevala, and the dawn
of a new world order.
With its cohesive storyline, weaving together characters and
events into a related whole, the Kalevala is a masterpiece of
suspense, drama, and poetic beauty. It contains information
about mundane Finnish traditions, such as the wedding cer-
emony, but is also filled with incantations, magic, and ancient
spells. In fact, the word “rune,” though now commonly used as
the word for a Celtic divination glyph, is really an old Gothic
word meaning spell or incantation. This is why the Kalevala
chapters are called runes, or runos.
The runos of the Kalevala are like treasure chests filled with
gems that operate on many levels of meaning simultaneously.
As Ervast shows, a seemingly natural event, such as Ilmarinen’s
28
introduction
betrothal, echoes with deep, spiritual implications. In read-

ing the Kalevala out loud, one can get a sense of being a rune
singer, and, like the rune singers of old, one may even slip into
a trance every now and then, tuning into the deep, mystical
wellspring from which Finnish myth originates. The original
meter of the Kalevala (the trochaic tetrameter) is identical to
the one used by Longfellow in his epic poem Hiawatha. In fact,
it has been shown that Longfellow based his famous poem—
the meter as well as much of its content—on the Kalevala
(Moyne 1963). The Kalevala meter is pleasing to hear, and the
rune singers sang at public meetings and festivals for hours and
hours until all the beer was drunk and their runo stores were
emptied.
Pekka Ervast was something of a runo wizard, and was cer-
tainly Finland’s greatest and most insightful Kalevala commen-
tator. He unlocked the stores of the Kalevala’s inner knowl-
edge, and the key he used was, as he says, Theosophy, but his
own ability to tune into the secret content of the Kalevala el-
evates his interpretations above all others.
Pekka Ervast’s Key to the Kalevala. Before delving into
the outline of Ervast’s Key, I would like to say a few things
about this translation and the organization of the notes and
comments.
The translation of this book was an international labor of
love. Fine-tuning the translation began in 1995 and continued
for over a year. Everyone involved in this project was commit-
ted to seeing it manifest, convinced that its time had come.
With care and attention we worked to produce a translation
that was accurate to Ervast’s intended meaning. For Kalevala
passages, we had the great good fortune of being granted per-
mission by Eino Friberg to use his 1988 English translation of
the Kalevala. Although other complete English translations of
the Finnish National Epic have appeared, in 1888 (Crawford),
1907 (Kirby), 1963 (Magoun), and 1989 (Bosley), Friberg’s
29
translation is unparalleled for its poetic beauty and its accurate

preservation of the original meter of ancient Finnish poetry.
The Kalevala can truly be a pleasure to read, and we feel that
Friberg’s generous contribution to this project adds a great deal
to its aesthetic appeal.
Sources and Kalevala citations are collected as end notes,
which are numbered according to the five parts. Other notes
fall into three categories: comments by Ervast, comments by
the translator, and comments by the editor. Most of these
are also collected with the end notes. However, comments
immediately pertinent to the text appear as footnotes at the
bottom of the page.
The Key to the Kalevala is divided into five parts with a total
of forty-one chapters. The first part offers a general introduc-
tion to the Kalevala and the then-current (circa 1916) aca-
demic understanding of it. Ervast, as an independent thinker
and spiritualist, emphasizes that his approach is completely dif-
ferent than the academic approach. He sees the Kalevala as a
Holy Book, a repository of ancient knowledge and a guidebook
for those on the spiritual path. He ends the first part by reveal-
ing the “key” to understanding the Kalevala from this esoteric
viewpoint: Theosophy. In Chapter 3, Ervast himself summa-
rizes how Theosophy will be used to interpret the Kalevala,
writing that “we will shed some of the light provided by the
Theosophical ‘wisdom of the ages’ onto certain rune stories to
show that the Kalevala’s intellectual and spiritual background
is comparable to that found in other Holy Books; we will ex-
amine the Kalevala’s theology, the story of creation, its under-
standing of life and death and so forth.”
In Part II (Chapters 4-17), we learn that the three primary
characters—Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen—
represent divine evolutionary forces. They correspond to will,
intellect, and emotion. Their various adventures in the Ka-
levala illustrate the unique accomplishments and pitfalls that
30
introduction
these aspects of humanness encounter while they grow and

unfold within the individual and within humanity as a whole.
Ervast insightfully draws from specific episodes in the Kalevala
to illustrate his interpretations.
In Part III (Chapters 18-33), Ervast explains the Kalevala’s
inner teaching concerning human development, advising us
to seek truth through initiation. The ancient mystic sages of
Finland and Asia are called upon as prototypes for this goal.
Ervast goes into greater detail in this section regarding the
three forces of spiritual evolution within the human psyche.
Ervast sees a “way of knowledge” in the Kalevala, exemplified
by the ancient seers and sages of Finnish culture.
Concepts such as “works for wages” are introduced. This
concept, as an example, involves three trials that are set for
the truth-seekers Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen to accomplish.
Here, again, with great insight, Ervast draws from specific epi-
sodes in the Kalevala. These “works” or trials symbolize the
psychological and spiritual lessons that Ilmarinen, as the rep-
resentative of intellectual development, must “accomplish”
before getting his “wages.” His wages are none other than an
initiation with his higher self, symbolized by the maiden of
Pohjola. In other words, Ilmarinen—the intellect—must work
hard to achieve a certain level of preparedness before he can
receive an initiation into higher teachings. Ilmarinen’s journey
of spiritual development is found step by step throughout the
epic Kalevala poem.
Likewise, Lemminkäinen must overcome obstacles unique
to his growth as symbol of the emotional force within human-
ity. But he fails in his vain efforts, is murdered, and is ultimately
resurrected through the love of his mother. His emotional les-
son is one of total selflessness, self-surrender and, ultimately,
redemption and rebirth. Ervast is quick to point out the similar-
ity of this episode with Christ’s resurrection and, more signifi-
cantly, with the Egyptian legend of the resurrection of Osiris.
31
While many of these processes are known and understood

in Theosophical thought, the way that the Kalevala illus-
trates specific lessons and pitfalls is fascinating, and Ervast has
a sharp eye for the Kalevala’s esoteric content.
The final discussion in Part III involves the Sampo, which
symbolizes the completed spiritual body. The journey under-
taken by the three heroes to Pohjola, where the Sampo is
kept hidden away, represents the final step in their growth to
wholeness. Thus, the three evolutionary forces within human-
ity work together harmoniously to accomplish the final goal,
that of retrieving the magical Sampo that had been appropri-
ated by the forces of darkness led by Louhi. In so doing, the
completely unified spiritual body—the light body—can fully
manifest. Ultimately, a plot twist that occurs during the final
sea fight for the Sampo reveals a deeper spiritual meaning that
Ervast does not avoid explaining.
Having revealed the deepest esoteric meaning of the final
battle over the Sampo, in Part IV (Chapters 34-40) Ervast
switches gears to explore the esoteric background of Finnish
magic. Finnish culture is rooted in shamanism. This section
contains material from K. S. Lencqvist’s classic dissertation on
Finnish and Lappish magic, never before available in English.
After quoting from and summarizing Lencqvist’s work, Ervast
explains the role of the three Kalevala-heroes as Atlantean
teachers, devoted to passing wisdom to the new human type
at the “change of ages.” Here Ervast explains the Theosophical
doctrine of seven root races of humanity and compares the in-
ner nature of the Atlantean human with the modern (Aryan)
human. Moreover, he describes the different methods that
were/are used to teach these two different root races. Chap-
ters 37-40 very engagingly describe the intimate relationship
between Väinämöinen (the ancient sage), the little maiden
Aino (who represents the dawning of the Aryan root race),
Marjatta, and Marjatta’s son, who is Väinämöinen’s successor
as World Age ruler.
32
introduction
Finally, in Part V (Chapter 41) Väinämöinen is identified

as Finland’s national genii, or tutelary deity. Ervast discusses
the role of the Finnish people in bringing about global evo-
lution, and the obligation of each nation to manifest its own
special contribution. Here we sense some amount of national-
istic pride that was prevalent when Ervast was writing, which
is a strong characteristic of the Finnish people. This section
also contains some strikingly prophetic remarks about what
was likely to happen in Europe in the coming years. Given that
Ervast’s book was originally published in Finland in 1916, on
the eve of Finland’s graduation to statehood, we might suspect
that it therefore embodies something of the spirit of progres-
sive, forward-moving thought that accompanied that era of
cultural transformation.
In summary, Ervast masterfully interprets the deeper mean-
ing hidden within the Finnish Kalevala according to Theo-
sophical principles. Some passages are quite complex and
challenging, for Ervast did not shy away from formalizing his
insights into a point by point system. Many other explanations
are very straightforward and accessible, for Ervast was first a
speaker and teacher. One even finds the occasional humor-
ous aside. For example, one passage relates the proverb which
advises the truth-seeker not to awaken sleeping bears. Ervast
adds, “especially with a stick.”
As Ervast was foremost a speaker and teacher, The Key to the
Kalevala should be read with this in mind. The personal char-
acterization in his writing, often posing rhetorical questions or
illustrating a point with hypothetical examples, should give
the reader a sense of Ervast’s unique voice and speaking style.
One can thus be present to Ervast’s spirit and his fervent desire
to convey the secret teachings of his precious Kalevala to the
world. Ervast was blessed with the gifts to accomplish this goal,
and continuing interest in Ervast’s works, now reaching to the
Americas, testifies to his authority and valuable insights.
33
It is unfortunate for all of humankind that Ervast lived and

worked in such a restricted linguistic area and within such a
small, isolated country, for he was well versed in all great reli-
gions and in the mythologies of many cultures. In our thoughts
he should be recognized as a universal humanist living in truth
and love, a messenger of light and a bearer of blessings.
_________________
Talked with Pekka

Now this editing is finished
I am tired, my duty ended
Learned the magic of old Finland
Heard the chanting, talked with Pekka
Though the sentences all were backwards
Flipped around and somewhat awkward
I worked together with the doctor
To unkink them, lead them straightways
So that singers in our times
Magic makers in my land
Might grow wiser having listened
To the runo wizards’ wisdom
Theosophical expressions
Insights of the Far North’s teacher
John Major Jenkins
Lafayette, Colorado
December 26, 1997
34
Foreword
T
his book values and defends everything in the Kalevala
that the great majority of modern civilization thinks is
nonsense: its fairy tales, miracles, exaggerations and irregulari-
ties. The reader will quickly discover that I find a deeper mean-
ing in all of these things.
I am of little standing in comparison to the scholars who
have already studied and interpreted the Kalevala. I would not
have dared to engage in this work unless I was convinced that,
ultimately, the real meaning of the Kalevala has escaped detec-
tion in scholarly circles.
I do not wish to claim that my own understanding of the
deeper meaning of the Kalevala is thorough and unerring. My
comprehension is undoubtedly both imperfect and subject to
correction, but when properly understood my interpretations
open up new directions for further investigation. In consider-
ation of other works along these lines, such as H. P. Blavatsky’s
references in The Secret Doctrine, a journal article called “Ka-
levala, the National Epic of Finland” (Lucifer, Vol. III, 1888),
M. Ramstedt’s (a.k.a. Martti Humu’s) booklet Kalevalan sisäi-
nen perintö (The Inner Testament of the Kalevala)—which is an
instructive overview—Herman Hellner’s Kalevala ett teosofisk
diktvärk (Kalevala, A Theosophical Epic, Teosofisk Tidskrift,
1904) and Rudolf Steiner’s Helsinki lecture of April 9th, 1912,
called “Das Wesen nationaler Epen mit speziellem Hinweis auf
Kalevala” (“The Nature of National Epics With Special Em-
phasis on the Kalevala”), printed in manuscript the same year,
I take the liberty to hope that my present study will to some
35
extent be accepted with the forgiving goodwill generally given

to first attempts. If fate allows, in the future I hope to explore
more deeply these interesting aspects of Finnish occultism. In
the present work, only a preliminary outline of this subject can
be offered.
As the Kalevala says:
Ei sanat salahan joua, Knowledge cannot stay concealed,
Eikä luottehet lovehen, Hidden in some secret burrow;
Mahti ei joua maan rakohon, Words of wisdom never vanish,
Vaikka mahtajat menevät. Though the wise men pass away.1
Pekka Ervast
Sammatti, Finland
August 1916
36
Part I
The Kalevala
as a Holy Book
“Without the help of symbology
(with its seven departments, of which the moderns know nothing)
no ancient Scripture can ever be correctly understood.
Symbology must be studied from every one of its aspects,
for each nation had its own particular methods of expression.”
—H. P. Blavatsky1
1
What Is the Kalevala?
I
n this book, we will answer the question “what is the
Kalevala” in a way that is probably strange and new for
most readers. Shortly, we will introduce ideas about the ori-
gin and intrinsic value of the Kalevala that will surprise both
scholars and laymen. Thereafter, as the book proceeds we will
consistently explain and defend our views, and deliver them
for judgment to the kind reader. We may succeed in convinc-
ing the reader of the veracity of these ideas, or he may con-
tinue to wonder and even disapprove of our extremely curious
perspective.
Before we give our own answer to the question of what the
Kalevala is, we want to briefly summarize for the reader what
the conventional views of the Kalevala are in our land as well
as the attitude of scholars who have approached its study.
The great Elias Lönnrot, who “dreamed the Kalevala out,”
believed that our ancestors, the ancient Permians, left their
mark in the Kalevala. From the rune stories of the Kalevala
arose a lively picture of the Finnish people’s past, their religion,
traditions, struggles, ideals and heroes. Lönnrot’s vision strong-
ly influenced other scholars and, both in Finland and abroad,
they began to see the Kalevala as a valid source for investigat-
ing the history of Finnish culture. The Kalevala soon spread
the fame of Finnish people around the civilized world so that
38
what is the kalevala?
everyone could see that there, in the Far North, a small nation
exists in the backwoods that has an epic history unlike any
other. “What an epic people,” they whispered in foreign lands,
“what an amazing history! A people of sages and heroes!”
This enormous enthusiasm awoke Finland from a dream
that had lasted centuries. Finns now felt unified because they
had a great common past and a substantial record of it. It was
natural that this religious and poetic awakening was followed
by another wake up call, involving the movement towards
nationalization and the language program of Snellman. The
Finnish people thus learned about themselves and established
their place in the modern world. The prophetic words of czar
Alexander the First had come true: the Finnish nation had
risen as a nation among nations.
And now we live in another time. Enthusiasm has weak-
ened. The Kalevala is no more what it was. It is certainly still
considered a national epic and it is read in schools, but in
scholarly circles it has lost its value as a source of historical
data. The old Permian civilization is no longer found in the
Kalevala. To scholars, the hope of Lönnrot was just a dream
of Finland’s great Elias. The Kalevala thus does not speak of
any real Golden Age; the Kalevala is just an epic. It tells of the
lucky dreams our people once had, and about a summerland
that lived in our ancestors’ imaginations. It only suggests, per-
haps, how a powerful, immortal spirit of muse has always been
natural for Finns.
Our scientific investigators base their modern opinions on
the fact that the Kalevala is just a collection of stories, not
a continuous epic preserved in the collective memory. The
ancient singers celebrated the heroic deeds of Väinämöinen,
Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen in numerous variations in dif-
ferent regions. In one era a singer reports one version and else-
where you hear a slightly different version. With tireless enthu-
siasm Elias Lönnrot travelled around the song-fields of Karelia
39
the kalevala as a holy book
and collected the rune-songs, gathering verses from here and

there. He was the first who assembled the runes into a com-
plete whole. What scholars before him—Porthan, Lencqvist,
Ganander, Becker, Topelius the Elder and others—had accom-
plished, was basically just preliminary work. After Lönnrot,
new field-collections were undertaken and his manuscripts
and notes were carefully analyzed. Consequently, we now have
a clear and comprehensive understanding of Lönnrot’s Ka-
levala. Lönnrot himself was the last of the great rune-singers.
He was so thoroughly immersed in the Kalevala’s spirit that he
accomplished what none other had yet been able to: he cre-
ated a continuous epic narrative from scattered pieces of po-
etry. He embodied the Finnish spirit to the extent that he—in
Eino Leino’s words—was “the spirit of Finland that emerged
into national consciousness during that time.” 2 This is why the
Kalevala was his work although he was not the author of the
runes.
A detailed investigation also reveals that the different runes
of the Kalevala are not all of the same age. Some are pagan,
while others are from the period of Christianization; for ex-
ample, the last poem—the 50th—is certainly Christian. For
this reason it is impossible to fully regard the Kalevala as a his-
torical record of the remote past. Of course we do see aspects
of early Finnish life, especially elements from these peoples’ re-
ligious or “superstitious-poetic” beliefs, but these do not reflect
an undiluted pagan age; rather, they belong to the transitional
period between paganism and Christianity. In this way, what
we admire in the Kalevala is considered by academia to be, as
professor Kaarle Krohn says, “poetically veiled Christianity.” 3
An argument recently put forth claims that the Kalevala is
not really uniquely Finnish, and that its contents were bor-
rowed from Germanic traditions. From the west, heroes and
kings came to Finland, so the argument goes, bringing with
them songs about their past, and then composed more runes
40
about themselves. It is thus erroneously thought that Finnish

myth is of foreign origin, that the Kalevala-heroes were Vikings
and did not spring from the heart of our people.
These are some of the ideas presently in vogue in academic
circles. If they are really true, then Lönnrot’s vision was, in
a sense, mistaken. His work would then simply be a beauti-
ful composition and the national significance of the Kalevala
would be a kind of sentimental anachronism. It played its role
in awakening us in the last century and now it can be shelved
with other ancient texts.
What would the real students of the Kalevala and friends
of Finland say to this? What would happen to their glorious
visions of the ancient Finnish culture, and their hopes for Fin-
land’s future? Their collective heart would lament: “Who now
will heal our wounds? Is there anyone who will create the new
faith?”
And now comes our turn to have our say. Now, we who see
deeper meaning in the Kalevala, we who hear what it has to
say about Väinämöinen, can speak loudly and proclaim, if only
to soothe our own heart: “Be at peace! Nothing has been lost
because nothing has yet been found. Not even scholars have
finished their search. There are discoveries to come which will
refute today’s conclusions. But what of them! The real worth
of the Kalevala lies elsewhere. Its real importance is found in
its own secret content.”
When we now move to present our curious new ideas about
the Kalevala, and in consideration of the wounds inflicted on
the national heart by misguided investigation, we can rightfully
ask: Is a man needed to heal them? Cannot the Kalevala itself
serve as doctor? Is it not possible to find a cure for the disease
from the place where the disease itself was discovered? If the
Kalevala, when scientifically analyzed, denies us our national
dreams, perhaps when analyzed by other methods the Kalevala
reveals a truth beyond those dreams! Perhaps the Kalevala is a
41
completely different kind of book than scientists have allowed.

Perhaps it is in the same category of books in world literature
that are considered to be holy. Let’s think about this a little.
If the Kalevala, as we know it today, existed in the pagan age,
what value would the Finnish people have given it? Wouldn’t
the people have seen, as reflected in a mirror, themselves—
their best tendencies and most eternal selves? Would they not
have sought in the Kalevala consolation and advice, rejoicing
for the heart, and peace for the conscience? Undoubtedly. For
the ancient Finnish people, the Kalevala would have been a
most valuable treasure, the holy inheritance of the ancestors.
The Kalevala would have been like a Bible, a Holy Book.
And if it was like that then, why can’t we have the same
viewpoint today? Why can’t we approach the Kalevala as a
Holy Book? Why shouldn’t we study it knowing it is not an
ordinary book?
To compare, the historical veracity of the New Testament
is claimed by many to be quite vague. Some have even ques-
tioned the very existence of Jesus. But has this diminished the
New Testament’s spiritual power? Has it thrown all Christen-
dom into desperate confusion? Not at all. Christian Faith is
not shaken by this. Faith upholds Jesus because the New Testa-
ment witnesses his deeds. And how does the New Testament
witness to and defend his life? Because it is a living book. The
best cure for confusion is to read the New Testament. When
one reads it—not as an impertinent critic who seeks historical
flaws, but as a human being who honestly seeks truth—then
the New Testament itself speaks for its own. Then the Chris-
tian professes with an exuberant and rejoicing heart: “The Tes-
tament is holy because it opens my mental sight; Jesus is living
because he awakens life in me.”
What if the Kalevala’s nature was like this? What if it had
this same power even only for the one who, in the right spirit,
could read it?
42
Okay—so this is how we would like to propose that these

possibilities should be explored a little. We should endeavor to
find out exactly in what sense the Kalevala might be a “Holy
Book.”
43
2
The Kalevala
As a Holy Book
Fnical definition of a Holy Book, one not ambiguous but
irst of all what is a Holy Book? Is there, so to say, a tech-
precise and exact? In fact, there is. But a materialist or one

with biased beliefs will not understand it. Only a free-minded
person can understand the real meaning of the technical defi-
nition of a Holy Book.
In what way can the religious believer and the materialist
take each other’s hand? Perhaps in the sense that both of them
admit boundaries for human knowledge. Both sides know that
human knowledge extends far and wide in the visible, material
world; we have seen the microcosmic and macrocosmic realms
with the instruments of science. There is limitless potential
for knowing about the visible life on earth, and likewise they
do not believe a great deal is kept hidden from the intellect
in the world of the soul. But both camps agree that human
knowledge does have its limits. The thinking goes that a hu-
man being cannot solve the enigma of death, cannot explore
unseen worlds, nor can one speak directly with the creator
and giver of life. The only difference is that a religious believer
says: “God denies us access to certain things, certain things
are unknowable,” while the materialist cuts the Gordian Knot
with one stab and cries “there was no knot to begin with!”
44
In other words, the materialist concludes there is nothing to

explore beyond death nor in the unseen world because the un-
seen world does not exist and beyond death grins emptiness.
The arrogant materialist does not notice that he prematurely
claims to possess a monopoly on secret knowledge when he de-
nies life from death. Likewise, one with blind faith doesn’t rec-
ognize that he goes through life with eyes closed, even though
the possibility of realizing this exists.
As human beings we must be very open-minded and admit
that human knowledge may be much more vast than what we
agree on in every day life. Only a free-thinker can entertain the
idea that knowledge may extend into areas that are considered
supernatural. One apostle tells us that the human spirit can
explore everything, even the depths of God.
If we are to understand what a Holy Book is, we must ac-
knowledge that human beings are capable of obtaining super-
natural knowledge.
On what basis does this conviction rest? It is based upon
clear historical foundations. All known cultures have had in-
tellectual giants, mysterious people who claimed to know more
than ordinary mortals. These were the world’s great philoso-
phers and thinkers, great poets and prophets, saviors and great
sons of God. If people turned Jesus into a god, the fault was not
his; he called himself a Son of Man. If one might be suspicious
of the historical existence of Jesus, Buddha’s life has been his-
torically proven. Buddha and India’s wise men taught, as did
Jesus: Follow me because I know the truth.
When the lives of these great seers are before us, we are
not justified in criticizing, saying “what do they know?” As free
thinkers we can certainly ask, “perhaps they knew something,
but how can we know what they knew? Have they left behind
any evidence of their knowledge?”
This line of questioning thus brings us to the Holy Books.
The Holy Books contain testimonial evidence of the existence
45
of seers. In what way? The wisdom of seers is hidden within the

Holy Books. But how do we know that? We understand this
when the seers’ wisdom awakens in ourselves.
When the knowledge awakens in ourselves—this is really a
courageous statement. Can a modern person obtain supernat-
ural knowledge? Certainly. In what way? How can he obtain
this knowledge? By going the way advised in the Holy Books.
This argument of ours clearly appears to be circular. How-
ever, we will see that it nevertheless makes a lot of sense. If
one seeks the truth in the teachings of a Holy Book, the truth
comes. When truth and knowledge have thus dawned, one
confirms that a Holy Book certainly is holy, because the wis-
dom of life and death was found, hidden within. Because there
is hidden wisdom in a Holy Book, those who lodged it there
must have been wise seers. Thus, there must have been wise
seers living in the remote past.
So, how would we now define a Holy Book? A Holy Book
is a book in which are hidden the divine mysteries of life
and death, a book that can guide a seeker to supernatural
knowledge.
In what way can we then understand the Kalevala as a Holy
Book? We certainly should not assume that every sentence
and word in the Kalevala contains hidden wisdom. We should
abandon orthodox theories which call for a literal, formulaic
reading of holy texts. This just doesn’t work for the Kalevala.
A letter is not holy and form is not everlasting. So goes the
saying: “A letter deadens but the spirit inspires.” In the Ka-
levala, some compelling allegorical symbols—archetypes—can
be considered holy.4 The form in which they appear is often
unambiguous, but is occasionally obscured with complex ad-
ditional themes. The archetypes in the Kalevala originate from
mysteries and reveal the same eternal mysteries as the images
in other Holy Books.
46
At this point, let us accept that this is the sense of the Ka-
levala as a Holy Book.i As such, what kind of evidence does
the Kalevala contain?
The Kalevala suggests that great seers lived in the Finnish
past. It contains evidence that the ancient culture of Finland
produced mentally sophisticated thinkers. Finnish culture has
a history. The possibility that the Kalevala-heroes were foreign
to Finnish culture vanishes to insignificance. The poetic form
of the Kalevala is truly Finnish. Why would Finnish poets give
form to foreign concepts, and why make an effort to remember
alien stories? The flower of culture unfolds within the collec-
tive heart of a people; Finland’s tongue itself tells of the an-
cient glory. The Kalevala sings:
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen Old reliable Väinämöinen
Elelevi aikojansa Lived his days in lyric leisure
Noilla Väinölän ahoilla, In the glades of Väinölä,
Kalevalan kankahilla, On the heaths of Kalevala,
Laulelevi virsiänsä, Singing songs and learning wisdom,
Laulelevi, taitelevi. Always singing, night or day,
Lauloi päivät pääksytysten,
Yhytysten yöt saneli There recalling and rehearsing
Muinaisia muisteloita, Memories of bygone ages,
Noita syntyjä syviä, The oldest lore of origins,
When and how all things began—
Joit’ ei laula kaikki lapset Songs that children cannot copy
Ymmärrä yhet urohot Nor even wise men understand
Tällä inhalla iällä, In these dreadful days of evil,
Katovalla kannikalla In this last and fleeting age.5
i The Finnish word “runo” is equivalent to the Swedish “runa,” which is

an old Gothic word originally meaning “secret, secret knowledge” and
“incantation,” although it later pertained to runic alphabets.
47
3
The Key to The Kalevala
Iit contains secret knowledge about life and death and
f we now accept that the Kalevala is a Holy Book, that
advises us how to obtain this knowledge, how then can the or-
dinary, uninitiated reader, notice the supernatural knowledge
within? From this perspective, does such a person have any use
at all for the Kalevala?
One must confess that the uninitiated reader does encoun-
ter difficulty at this point. They cannot as yet perceive the
Kalevala’s hidden wisdom. One is attracted to the Kalevala’s
formal beauty, its poetic spirit and its artistic sense. The Kale-
vala’s ideas about human beings and nature challenge the best
in world literature. Its genuinely human touch raises it higher
than, for example, many books in the Old Testament. But how
can we get a grip on the Kalevala’s secret content? On what
basis should we conclude that its legendary tales—such as
those of the Sampo and its theft—are not merely superstitious
imaginings? The Kalevala is really like a locked book, and some
kind of key is needed to understand it. The seer may have this
key, but the ordinary reader lacks it. Where can it be found?
There are Holy Books which are comparatively easy to read;
the New Testament, for example. By this we don’t mean that
anyone could pick up and immediately understand the New
Testament as a Holy Book. However, we are sadly afraid that
many, many readers have never even considered in what way
48
their beloved Testament is holy. We suspect that if a truth-

seeker is attentive enough, he will (comparatively easily, and
by his own means) discover how one needs to read the New
Testament to reveal its miraculous secrets.ii
This is easy because the New Testament is primarily a guide
which advises how a human being should strive for the knowl-
edge of truth. The New Testament was written for people liv-
ing in an era during which the way-to-knowledge—with its
risks and difficulties—was allowed to become more commonly
known, because educational standards were rising. In older
cultures, on the other hand, the existence of truth-knowledge
was widely known, but the methods and the details of its na-
ture were kept hidden, protected by teachers and seers. The
ancient books are thus veiled in great secrecy yet encode eter-
nal truths.
The Kalevala, although recently compiled, belongs by way
of its content to the older mystery guides. Its most important
aspect is, of course, its presentation of the way-to-knowledge,
and the manner in which it guides the seeker to truth. Be-
sides this, it contains (to a much greater degree than the Gos-
pels) information about the spiritual realms experienced by the
truth-seeker during initiatory visions; e.g., impressions of the
conditions and beings in the unseen world and of the meta-
physical philosophy of life adopted by seers. In order for the
reader to understand the mystical content of the Kalevala, he
would thus need to begin with a sense of the worldview held
by sages, mystical poets and visionaries. Then he would have a
key with which to unlock the Kalevala and other Holy Books.
And once the Kalevala’s mystical foundations were exposed,
perhaps then it would not be so difficult to discern the Ka-
levala’s message regarding the way-to-knowledge.6
ii We have already pursued this direction in the book Jeesuksen salakoulu
(The Esoteric School of Jesus), Helsinki, 1915. English translation The
Divine Seed: The Esoteric Teachings of Jesus, USA, 2010.
49
Is it possible to find such a key? In our own time it is not im-

possible because there is a philosophy of life, which anyone can
learn about, claiming to reflect the knowledge of the ancient
sages. Although we should regard it as nothing more than a
systematic framework of ideas, it clearly helps us in our Kale-
vala studies. Very quickly we notice that all wise men and seers,
as far as we know, taught the same philosophy of life, which
can be found in all religions as a secret wisdom—an esoteric
dimension of religion. This is the so-called Theosophical phi-
losophy (Theosophy), in our time elucidated by H. P. Blavatsky.
Madame Blavatsky’s book The Secret Doctrine, her other works,
and a rich literature from many different languages, explain
Theosophy. This modern Theosophy is not a complete doctri-
nal system. It only presents certain aspects of the philosophy of
seers and wise men, “fragmentary features,” as H. P. Blavatsky
used to say. But those features are so essential that they form
an intact outlook of life.
As we will later describe this Mystery of the Ages in detail, we
will simply outline here what The Secret Doctrine speaks about:
1) The Absolute Divinity, which is the unmanifest ground and
foundation of all manifest existence—the peace toward which
all good and evil ultimately settle as to the depths of the sea;
2) The Manifest God or the so-called Triune Logos which gen-
erates all spirit and matter, all opposites, all disharmonies of
good and evil and which is, as experiential/existential reality,
the common consciousness of the world’s innumerable beings,
gods and deities; 3) The Law of Periodicity, which determines
how creation and destruction, life and death, and day and
night unceasingly follow each other so that even human expe-
rience is an ever-repeating alternation from life to death and to
life again (Reincarnation). After the human soul has achieved
divine knowledge and wisdom it will transcend—or be saved
from—the cycle of births; 4) The everlasting Law of Balance
and Causality (Karma), according to which even the most
minute discharge of power in the universe does not vanish but
50
determines consequences in the same way that it was derived

from previous action; 5) The existence of wise men and teach-
ers, the so-called Secret Brotherhood which supervises the fate
and progress of humanity and, when needed, even intervenes
to help it—sometimes through a messenger.
If the reader is unaquainted with Theosophy, these concepts
will become clearer when we examine the Kalevala runes. For
now, suffice it to say that Theosophical philosophy is the key
which unlocks the symbolic meaning within the Kalevala.
Our study is naturally divided into three parts. In the first we
will shed some of the light provided by the Theosophical “wis-
dom of the ages” onto certain rune stories to show that the Ka-
levala’s intellectual and spiritual background is comparable to
that found in other Holy Books; we will examine the Kalevala’s
theology, the story of creation, its understanding of life and
death and so forth. In the second part we will first explain the
Kalevala’s psychology of human development, examine how
the Kalevala advises us to seek truth through initiation, and
then we will briefly assess the higher levels of human devel-
opment—the secret way of holy knowledge—as given in the
Kalevala. Finally, in the third part we will address the nature of
the Kalevala’s magical or “supernatural” abilities conferred by
following this way-to-knowledge.
The reader, of course, may be surprised at these words. Does
the Kalevala really contain such deep and profound spiritual
things? Yes, it does, and it contains things more peculiar than
even the rune singers themselves may have suspected! At any
rate, it seems even Lönnrot had no presentiments of this. Well,
probably not. But we now live in a new age. The culmination
of materialism has already passed. We are rising again to high
spirituality. Spirituality is sneaking into people’s souls. The new
age salutes the great value of the ancient Holy Books, and re-
veals to us their hidden riches. The Kalevala is received with
joy by its sister traditions.
51
Madame Blavatsky did not act thoughtlessly when she se-

lected verses from the Indian Rig Veda and excerpts from Ka-
levala Runo 1 to adorn the chapter headings in her great book
The Secret Doctrine.7 She did not err when she wrote: “The
‘deeper and more esoteric meaning of the Kalevala, however,
points to a contest between Light and Darkness, Good and
Evil; the Finns representing the Light and the Good, and the
Lapps, the Darkness and the Evil.’ Compare with this the wars
of Ormuzd and Ahriman; of the Aryas and the Rakshasas; of
the Pandus and Kurus.” 8
52
Part II
The Mysterious
Knowledge of
the Kalevala
The Theological, Anthropological,
and Soteriological Key
4
Was the Ancient Finnish Religion
Animistic?
Wprise induced by our presentation, there may arise a sus-
hen the unassuming reader has recovered from the sur-
picion. He may shake his head and cry out: “Why, it is foolish
to speak about the Kalevala as a Holy Book! After all, the old
Finns were animists and manists, that is, worshippers of nature
and the deceased—and their seers were magicians and medi-
cine men. It wasn’t until Christianity came that our nation was
saved from such pagan superstition!” Indeed. The latest aca-
demic literature re-interpreting the world-view of the ancient
Finns clearly concurs with this opinion. To take a recent ex-
ample, Kaarle Krohn writes in the foreword to The Religion of
the Finnish Family: “Comparative studies have concluded that
a common aspect of religion for all Finno-Ugric peoples is their
worship of deceased ancestors.” 1
Kaarle Krohn’s interesting study called The Religion of Finn-
ish Runes (which forms the first part of the above mentioned
book) clearly explicates our ancestors’ religious ideas. He de-
scribes the conjuring tricks of a Finnish seer, the realm of the
dead and its inhabitants, nature with its gnomes, and the far-
reaching influence of Christian doctrine on old Pagan religion
and beliefs. The spiritual life of the ancient Finns thus receives
its scientific identifiers. It is animistic because the ancient
54
was the ancient finnish religion animistic?
Finns animated nature with living spirits (anima); it is manist

because they worshipped the spirits of the deceased (manes);
and it is shamanistic because they believed that certain cho-
sen medicine men (shaman) worked with supernatural forces.
Under these circumstances, how could the Kalevala be a Holy
Book comparable to the Bible? The Kalevala naturally reflects
the animistic and shamanistic beliefs of our ancestors; the Ka-
levala is full of spells, incantations, and emotional worship of
nature!
Does this distinction refute our initial claim for the Kaleva-
la? To the materialist or the Christian, perhaps it does, but for
us there is no conflict here.
I am not a scholar of the Kalevala in the academic sense.
While I dare to continue presenting my ideas, even though I
am well aware that scholardom will certainly remain in the op-
posite camp, my convictions are not rooted in any exhaustive
course of study I have pursued. I have had neither opportu-
nity nor talent to this end. My courageous attitude results from
studies of a different nature, and this should become clearer as
the book progresses. I only wish to emphasize the fact that I am
quite convinced of the veracity of my perspective, and won-
der if all those learned scholars are equally sure of their own
conclusions. For example, professor Kaarle Krohn believes that
the Kalevala was born in Finland between 700 A.D. and 1100
A.D. This may be true for the structural form that the Kalevala
takes, but the structural format of the runes is not the same as
their psychological and symbolic content. The structure cer-
tainly changed with the times, and this can be charted. But
the living spirit of the runes is forever, immemorial, ancient,
unchanging—it has moved secretly through various format
changes. In fact, I suspect overconfidence even with Krohn’s
timeframe for the Kalevala’s structural origin. At any rate, I
believe there are pieces of the Kalevala that are thousands
of years old. Let it therefore remain the task of continuing
55
the mysterious knowledge of the kalevala
scientific investigation to further clarify the structural birth of

the runes.
Although we endeavor to keep up-to-date with new academ-
ic perspectives in Kalevala studies, apparent conflicts don’t up-
set our convictions. The foundation of our confidence results
from the distinction that we explore the Kalevala’s spiritual or
esoteric content, whereas scientists are limited by their focus
on formal, exoteric content. As we have already said, only an
open-minded person will a priori grasp our point of view. In
comparative studies of religious life and religious beliefs, one
finds a familiar law of evolution, progression and regression,2
and on the basis of this, scholars have classified religious life
into categories in which a development from lower to higher
forms is perceived.
Thus, Christianity fits into this hierarchical schema along
with other religions. Researcher Allan Menzies writes: “We
shall not divide religions into the true one, Christianity, and
the false ones, all the rest; no religion will be to us a mere
superstition, nor shall we regard any as unguided by God… In
the light of this principle of growth we shall find good in the
lowest, and shall see that the good and true rather than the
evil and false, furnish the ultimate meaning of even the poorest
systems.” 3
In this hierarchical classification of religious forms, the wor-
ship of nature is the lowest and represents the original religion
of primitive savages everywhere. A later development emerges
in the National Religions of, for example, the Judaic Yahweh
cult, and the highest expression is found in world-wide reli-
gion, of which there are really two: Buddhism and Christianity.
Our viewpoint doesn’t conflict with this developmental the-
ory. We readily admit that a kind of evolution has taken place
and that the ancient Finns, according to current classification,
were nature-worshippers—animists. But our argument high-
lights another consideration. The development of religion is an
56
outer expression of a social phenomenon; it is exoteric. Side by

side with the exoteric development of religion has always gone
the esoteric or inner religious striving, which is an individual-
istic phenomenon.
This requires explanation.
Scholars of religious studies do indeed constantly use words
like God, Tuonela (Underworld, Hades), spiritual world, ge-
niusi, and so on, but for many these are merely dead ideas;
they don’t believe that they have any correspondence in real-
ity. The unseen spiritual world is for them forever an unsolv-
able thing.
It is different for spiritualists. For us, the existence of the un-
seen world with all its forces and beings is, in a word, axiomatic.
In the visible world there exist divisions and laws and boundar-
ies, and therefore we assume that, likewise, the invisible realm
is not a chaos but an organized cosmos. The laws of nature
apply to both. By way of the body’s physical constitution, hu-
man beings are citizens of the visible world, and through our
souls and spiritual natures we are also citizens of the spiritual
world. The only difference is that our relationship to the physi-
cal world is external or objective while our relationship to the
spiritual world is revealed through subjective, internal experi-
ence. When we accept that the unseen world is a law-bound
cosmos and human beings are related to it via their essential
natures, it follows that exploration of the unseen world is not
impossible. We feel this to be true, but what evidence is there?
What do we really know about the possibilities of the human
spirit? After all, how many of those who claim we can’t explore
the unseen realm have seriously tried to themselves? If we can
see this, can’t we also see that the human spiritual monad has
always been capable of exploring the inner dimensions? Reli-
gious life is entirely based on the yearning and longing to enter
into right relationship with the unseen forces of life (gods or
i Editor’s note. Or genii, a tutelary deity.
57
God). This spiritual yearning appears as the thirst for truth and
knowledge. Nothing else is so needed as the religious yearning
which awakens within. Awakening spirit to self-consciousness,
the seeker yearns for truth, knowledge of life and death, and
knowledge of the beings and conditions of the unseen spiritual
world. It is not a long step from desire to action, from longing
for the truth to seeking the truth, and “seek and ye shall find.”
And now we can ask: What impelled primitive, uncivilized
humans to aquire a thirst for truth? Very few are seized by it
even today! We aren’t suggesting that everyone seized by a
deep spiritual yearning would even understand what was hap-
pening to them, as it was as rare then as it is today. But the
reason why some people could ultimately realize their quest is
two-fold. First, human nature has long remained unchanged
and the inner world itself has remained constant, unaffected by
exoteric religion. As such, the individual Christian is not closer
to God or the spiritual realm than the ancient Finnish pagan.
These religious variations are only external by nature or merely
accentuate different aspects of the human soul; the faculties of
intellect and emotion diversify to attain different values within
the culture but the human Self remains the same. Secondly, we
believe that humanity has always received help from higher be-
ings, has been awakened, advised and taught by them. And so
there has always been—in all times and places—people whose
inner capacities and relationship with God grew richer than
the average person. This is an individual who has, so to speak,
gone esoteric, and treads the narrow path to gnostic knowing.
Having abandoned the wide abyss of exoteric faith, this kind
of person is a real seer, and their spiritual knowledge is of the
inner soul of exoteric religion. When they express their wis-
dom, it takes the form of a mythology, theology or philosophy
tailored to who they are speaking to and the time and place in
which they live. When we say that the Kalevala reflects the
wisdom of our ancestors, we mean that within its outer form—
58
and animism it is—dwells the ancient Finnish sages’ mystic

knowledge of the secrets of the unseen realm. This wisdom
teaching is, in fact, global and universal. But it was found by
Finnish seers, is reflected in the Finnish soul, and can therefore
be considered Finnish.
The Kalevala, which refers here to the wider context of
Finnish mythology in general, is thus understood as a viable
historical testament to our ancestors’ unravelling of the ever-
lasting mysteries of life.
59
5
Humans Or Gods?
S
cientists have debated whether the Kalevala-heroes are
gods or humans. Published in the year 1551, the work
Psalter by Mikael Agricola lists “The idols of people living in
Häme and Karelia” and mentions Äinemöinen (Väinämöin-
en), Ilmarinen, the sons of Kaleva, as well as the name Ahtiii.
Agricola’s viewpoint prevailed until the early 1800’s, and
not until then was the notion seriously discussed that Ilmar-
inen, Väinämöinen, and other Finnish characters, may in fact
have been human beings. Lönnrot and Gottlund both argued
that Väinämöinen was a historical person rather than a mythi-
cal god. The publication of the Kalevala4 separated scholars
into two camps.
While Collan and Castrén, and later Donner and E. Aspelin,
argued for the intrinsic deity of the Kalevala’s heroes, the oth-
ers (including Ahlquist) sought their historical provenience.
Nowadays, most ascribe to the notion that the Kalevala’s sages
(Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen) were originally
real people but that, in time, legends and all kinds of mythic
dramas were woven around them.
Our own perspective is not in conflict with these scientific
views. We appreciate almost every discovery of science. We
are convinced that the Kalevala-heroes were, in fact, histori-
cal people. We even believe that the names were generic or
ii Editor’s note. In the Kalevala, Ahti is another name for Lemminkäinen.
60
humans or gods?
some kind of family names, like Hermes (Thoth) in Egypt or

Zarathustra in Persia. In other words, there were probably dif-
ferent Väinämöinens and Ilmarinens living in many different
eras. Despite this, we are also convinced that these names
originally designated not “idols” as Agricola claims—or even
divine “beings”—but divine forces, emerging as a hierarchy or
“divine army.” 5
This kind of confusion of name and idea6 is typical in the
history of spiritual movements.
It has been established conclusively that mythological names
were originally the names of historical people. For example, in
the Icelandic Eddas the God of poetry, Brage, was also the name
of a well-known Icelandic poet. On the other hand, the mean-
ing of the Jewish name messiah, the Greek adjective khristos
(anointed), and the Finnish word vapahtaja (savior) changed
so that today when Christians speak about the Messiah, Christ
or Savior, they do mean only Jesus the Nazarene.
Our theory thus proposes that the name Väinämöinen sym-
bolizes a type of divine hierarchy while it was also the name of
a historical person. Which was first is not important. It is prob-
able that Väinämöinen, like Christ, first represented a divine
force or concept and then became a name given to the person
in whom the divine ideal was especially manifest. It is also pos-
sible—and let this be said as a comfort to those who think
our theory is fantastic (although we think it correct)—that
Väinämöinen was first a person’s name and it later took on
the meaning of the spiritual characteristics projected by that
person.7
When we want to learn about the Kalevala’s spiritual back-
ground, the mysterious references hidden in its runes, first
we must acquaint ourselves with what the Kalevala-heroes—
those proper nouns—represent. The Kalevala’s cosmology
is not expressed in straight philosophical postulates; it is se-
creted within the structure of a rune and the visual format of
61
a figurative language. Thus, our attention cannot be limited

to minute details, but must take a wider view and embrace
the whole picture. We must trace the Golden Thread woven
through numerous runes. Naturally the questions arise: Does
the Kalevala speak to us about God, and what does it tell us
about God? The Christian reader may hurry to respond that
the Kalevala certainly has nothing to say about God because
the old pagan Finns knew nothing of the one and only God of
monotheism. Superficially, this seems reasonable. The Kaleva-
la does not speak about God in the Christian sense. But does it
follow then that the Kalevala knows nothing of God?
Let us dwell on this for a while. Let us refrain from boasting
with that overused word “faith” while we try to answer these
questions: What do we know about God? What do we know
about the origin of life and existence? What do we know about
the Father and Creator who cares for the world like a mother
gently embracing a baby in her lap? The faithful may whisper
“He is love” but in our thoughts we must confess that we know
nothing more of Him than He has revealed of Himself. We see
Him in His works. In all of Siberia there once prevailed the
understanding that it was not possible to approach the highest
god through prayer.8
No philosopher has been able to satisfactorily describe Him
because He is beyond all images. The ancient Vedantists of
India who epitomize the best in philosophical thought said that
it is not possible to define the absolute Parabrahman. The only
thing that can be said is neeti, neeti, “neither this nor that.”
A human being can only strive to understand, describe and
worship the Manifest Creator—Brahma.
One wonders if the Kalevala contains the same attitude,
even if its wisdom manifests only via its silence on the matter.
The Kalevala does not describe God because our intellect can
say nothing about God; the living God can only be learned
about by living life. The Kalevala is limited, as it should be, to
62
humans or gods?
reflecting upon God’s worldly projections, including those in

the unseen world—such as those encountered by spiritualists.
The Kalevala thus does not presume to speak about God di-
rectly with words because the Kalevala is a reflection of divine
mysteries.
What does the word Kalevala mean?
It clearly means “home of Kaleva” but if, as later investiga-
tors would have it, “-la” is a modifier as in juma vs. jumala
(god), it could also mean “Kaleva-like” or “one with the qual-
ity of Kaleva.” iii And what of this Kaleva? Lönnrot originally
presumed Kaleva to mean “something horrifying; killing; being
derived from the same stem as the words kalpa, kalma, kallo,
kalu (-ensis), kuolen.” 9
Later he thought it derived from the Russian word golovaa,
“a head.” Castrén, on the other hand, compared it to the Turk-
ish word aalep, “a hero.” Nowadays linguists follow Ahlquist
in deriving it from the Lithuanian word kálvis, which means
“a metal-worker, a smith.” The Estonian word kalev means “a
gentleman’s garment.” According to these recent derivations,
the word kaleva relates to “a smith” and “a gentleman” or “a
lord.” Keeping with this train of thought we must then ask: the
smith of what? The lord of what? And without doubt we can
answer to both: the world. The lord and the creator (i.e., the
smith) of the world was called Kaleva.iv
There is a phrase “the fire of Kaleva” (lightning), meaning
something equivalent to “the fire of the Lord,” and with this
we may even understand Lönnrot’s explanation involving hor-
rors. Moving on, the “tree of Kaleva” was a holy tree. Niit-
tyvilla (Eriophorum) was “the hair of the son of Kaleva” and
this is thought to be a memory from the times when those of
free birth had the right to grow their hair long. And doesn’t it
iii Translator’s note. In English compare water vs. watery.
iv Compare this with the following rune-phrase: “Eessä Isä Jumalan,
Kengän kau’oilla Kalevan” (In front of the Father, God ... Kaleva).
63
also remind us of how the ancient prophets and initiates such

as the Jewish Nazarenes let their hair grow freely? As an adjec-
tive, Kalevala thus means “one with the quality of the Creator
or the Lord (God)” or simply “divine.” As a substantive noun,
it means “the home of the Creator or the Lord,” meaning the
higher planes of life or the higher zones of the unseen world.
Lönnrot, it thus appears, deeply inspired with the ancient Finn-
ish spirit, chose for his book a name which is full of promise for
those who approach it as a Holy Book. Moreover, we can here
compare Lönnrot’s choice to Dante Alighieri’s book title The
Divine Comedy. Both titles are revealing, to the point, and full
of promise to the reader.
As we have just seen, an examination of the word Kalevala
suggests that we are, in fact, dealing here with divine mysteries.
64
6
The Holy Trinity
I
“ believe in the Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost.” So says the Christian and believes that this creed
is unique, especially profound and spiritual. It may come as a
big surprise when, by way of comparative religious studies, it is
revealed that the Trinity doctrine is not uniquely Christian but
is also found in several “pagan” religions.
Within the Indian Vedic tradition you have the triune god
Indra-Varuna-Agni, in which Indra is the firmament, Varuna is
water, and Indra the fire god. Another trinity of that era was
Vâyu (Air), Agni (Fire), and Sûrya (Sun). Later, when philo-
sophical thought schematized these ideas, the Trinity was said
to be trimurti, or “three-faced,” and the different divine person-
ages of the Trinity were called Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Cre-
ator, Maintainer and Destroyer). In India it is said: “Learn, oh
pious one, that there is no real distinction between us; only in
outer appearance does one perceive it as such. There are three
aspects which are really one.”
The well-known Egyptian trinity is Osiris-Isis-Horus, but in
Old Egypt there were other trinities. In Thebes, Amon, Mut
and Khonsa were worshipped as a trinity. The true Egyptian
trinity consisted of Osiris, Kneph, and Ptah. Ptah was espe-
cially esteemed in Memphis, and there with Nefertum and
Sekhmet formed the Holy Trinity. In Old Chaldea you have
the primary trinity of Anu, Bel and Ea, and the secondary trin-
ity of Shamash, Sin and Ishtar (Sun, Moon and Venus). In
65
ancient China rulers dedicated every third year to “he who is

one and yet three.” A Chinese saying goes: “Fo is a person but
he has three forms.” The divine tripartite deity of the Scan-
dinavians was Odin, Freya, and Thor or, alternatively, Odin,
Freyja, and their other son Baldur. Jewish cabbalists speak of
the three highest sephiroths: Kether (the Crown), Khokhmah
(Wisdom), and Binah (Understanding). All three emerge from
En Soph and within it are one.
These examples—and there are many more—should be
sufficient to demonstrate that the concept of triune deity, the
Trinity, is not of Christian origin. We could thus conclude that
if pagan beliefs are heresy so is Christian doctrine. However, if
there is truth in the Triune doctrine itself, if it has some real
basis in the ways nature and life are organized, then it seems
that paganism speaks the same wisdom as Christianity. It hard-
ly needs to be mentioned that our own understanding inclines
toward this conclusion.
The meaning of the Triune doctrine is accessible for every-
one. Even uneducated people understand the trinity expressed
by the words Father, Mother, and Son (as in the Egyptian
meaning). When celebrating the origin of the world, the doc-
trine that the world is the son engendered by the Father and
Mother has a satisfying ring to it. One who thinks deeper on
these things needs only to understand the words “father” and
“mother” to derive even more profound and complex versions
of the world’s birth. When “father” is thought of as “conscious-
ness” and mother “matter,” the “son” (the world) is derived
from the cooperation of these two foundation principles. Con-
sciousness is by its nature essentially boundless and eternal,
while matter gives rise to the possibility of limitation. The
world consists of perennially recurring form-events which are
restricted manifestations of eternal and boundless life. Can a
philosophy be any clearer in describing the original cause of
manifest existence?
66
the holy trinity
Anyhow, the Triune doctrine has another meaning, which is

more precise in its occult inflection. When a piece of Divine
Mind emerges (is born), it is bestowed with a comprehension
of its own tripartite nature. The Trinity doctrine thus describes
the unified, divine “group consciousness” or “being” in its three
different modes of action (or “personalities” as Christian theol-
ogy says).
When exploring the inner worlds, a seer inevitably meets
the Being who, as Father and Creator, embraces the whole so-
lar system. This mighty Being is not the origin and ground of all
space, time and existence however, for he is the manifest god,
the highest ruler of our solar system but only one of countless
gods who populate space. His brothers are the highest Beings
in other solar systems. Beyond him and his kinsmen is the eter-
nal Father of all space, the secret divinity about whom, as we
saw earlier, nothing can be known. The Book of John describes
this very simply and beautifully; accordingly, Theosophical lit-
erature refers to the manifest sun-gods as Logoi. “In the be-
ginning was the Logos [the Word], and the Logos was with
God and the Logos was God. The Logos was in the beginning
with God. All things came into being by the Logos, and apart
from the Logos nothing came into being that has come into
being.” 10 Here God is a boundless yet hidden life-force, seques-
tering within Himself all possibilities of matter and conscious-
ness. Logos is the manifest individual consciousness which, by
drawing from the infinite potential hidden within God, creates
the world.
The Logos—the Manifest God—is triune by nature and is,
above all, a psychological fact. Wise men have always agreed
that the human being is a microcosmic reflection of the whole
cosmos, “created in God’s image.” As Saint Paul said, individu-
als can understand the depths of God by studying their own
spirit.
67
Every human being lives a mental life of a triune nature.

European psychology has described this by saying that human
consciousness has three facets: knowledge, will, and sense.
Modern psychologists have, in fact, invented more factors,
and some even consider will to be non-existent. However, this
doesn’t eliminate the original tripartite division, because mod-
ern theories seem to be more about the names than the intrin-
sic structure.11
That the conflict is a practical fact of reality is observed in a
person’s difficult position when his own consciousness splits so
that he doesn’t know “what he wants.” Anyway, we can imag-
ine an ideal mental life in which knowledge or reason, emotion
and will are in harmony and work together to serve the highest
divine goal.
To understand the psychology of the manifest God or Logos
(with our imperfect way), we must imagine the ideal of a per-
fectly harmonious mental life. Even God is a knowing, willing,
and feeling being, but in him these essential characteristics are
developed to their highest potential. God’s will is like a spe-
cific, complete person, as are his intellectual and emotional
aspects. We may even posit a collective consciousness in which
the Logos is the collection of all divine hierarchies or the liv-
ing sum of innumerable individual beings. At the same time
we should remember that all beings and hierarchies are funda-
mentally one—a self-aware totality both sublime and majestic.
The creative will aspect of Logos is called “God the Father” in
Christian theology. Logos as emotion, as the loving principle,
is called “the Son.” 12 Logos as knowing thought-action and
discriminating reason is called “the Holy Spirit.” v (In Hindu
cosmology, Brahmâ corresponds to “the Holy Spirit,” Vishnu
to the “Son,” and Shiva to “Father.” Shiva is also a destroyer
because the will which creates anew must destroy the old.)
v We have already explored these things in the booklet Kirkonopin teosofia
(Theosophy of Church Doctrine), Chapter I.
68
the holy trinity
What does ancient Finnish wisdom tell us regarding this dis-

cussion? Did they have any knowledge of Logos and the Trin-
ity? What does the Kalevala have to say about all this? The
Logos Trinity manifests through its activity in the world. What,
then, does the Kalevala teach about the creation of the world
and its perfection or, in Christian theological terms, “God’s
salvation”?
69
7
The Virgin Birth
Iness, matter, and the world-forms engendered by these,
f we understand the divine Trinity as meaning conscious-
we see that the Kalevala gives a central place to these three

factors. Kalevalan cosmogenesis is the story of Väinämöinen’s
birth.13 We must carefully examine this remarkable event be-
cause Väinämöinen represents the manifest life of the world.
In both the Old and New Kalevala, Väinämöinen’s mother
Ilmatar is mentioned. In the Old Kalevala she plays a mar-
ginal role, while in the New Kalevala her identity is described
in more detail. In the Old Kalevala nothing is mentioned of
Väinämöinen’s father, who in the New Kalevala is the wind.
Here we have the original, primary trinity of the Kalevala:
Father = wind, Mother = Ilmatar, and Väinämöinen is their
son. The wind (air) represents consciousness or spirit, Ilmatar
(“mother of the waters”) represents matter and Väinämöin-
en represents the world-forms. The whole scenario reminds
us of Judaic cosmogony in the first Book of Moses, where we
read that “the spirit of God moves over the waters.” From the
Kalevala:
Tuli suuri tuulen puuska, Suddenly a storm wind blew,
Iästä vihainen ilma, Out of the east an angry blast
Meren kuohuille kohotti, Blew the water to a foam
Lainehille laikahutti. Heaving up the rollers high.
Tuuli neittä tuuitteli, By the wind the maid was rocked,
70
the virgin birth
Aalto impeä ajeli On a wave the maid was driven

Ympäri selän sinisen, Round about the blue sea surface
Lakkipäien lainehien; By the whirling whitecaps lifted
Tuuli tuuli kohtuiseksi, Where her womb the wind awakened
Meri paksuksi panevi. And the sea-foam impregnated.14
While enduring labor pains, Väinämöinen’s mother prays to
Ukko, the highest deity. This may be a hint that behind all cre-
ative forces and all conscious beings is a secret divinity, about
which nothing more is mentioned in the Kalevala.
The school of thought led by professor Kaarle Krohn pro-
posed that the creation rune which relates the birth of
Väinämöinen is insignificant, drawing its concepts from poems
about the origin of diseases, swing-songs and what have you.15
This may be formally correct—I am not in a position to re-
fute it—but this interpretation doesn’t address the spirit of the
rune. That the spirit of the rune clearly expresses a great cre-
ation mystery cannot be accidental. And there is a facet of the
creation story which clearly indicates that its spirit is drawn
from a knowledge of the mystical worlds.
When we carefully compare the Kalevala’s Trinity doctrine
with other cosmogonies in which the Trinity is found, it some-
how feels incomplete to conclude that “the son” symbolizes all
worldly manifestation. The world just doesn’t spring from one
momentous union of consciousness and matter. The infinite
spirit and the option of finite manifestation unites in the con-
sciousness of the individual being who is thus a creator—Logos
incarnate. The primary Trinity is thus not “consciousness, mat-
ter and the world,” but “consciousness, matter and the mani-
fest creator.” Only the manifest creator can be observed at the
foundation of the world.
Quite correctly then, “the son” is described as a living per-
sonality: Väinämöinen who, in his own turn, creates the world.
Väinämöinen is the “great human prototype,” Adam Kadmon,
Makroprosoopos (the “great countenance”) and humanity is
71
created in his image. He is the Logos-weaver of the world, and

the product of his meditation and song is the manifest cosmos.
The New Kalevala has Väinämöinen coming out of his mother
Ilmatar’s womb after his creation of the world, but in the Old
Kalevala he is born first and directly participates in the world
creation. The Old Kalevala is thus closer to the great mystery
as we have interpreted it. (This need not be a point of conten-
tion between the Old and New Kalevala because a variant of
the Virgin of the Air’s name—the “Mother of the Waters”—
appears to be “Väinämöinen.”)
A feature that is quite important in the creation story in-
volves the virginity of Ilmatar and Väinämöinen’s official fa-
therlessness. His mother is described as a living being while his
father is just “the wind”—a more abstract and inconsequential
parentage role.
Kalevala Runo 1 quite often reads grandly and magnificently:
Yksin meillä yöt tulevat, Lonely come the nights upon us,
Yksin päivät valkeavat, Lonely dawn the brightening days;
Yksin syntyi Väinämöinen... Lonely born was Väinämöinen...16
Professor Krohn claims that the first two verses are of foreign
origin, and that the third is a creation of Lönnrot’s.17
So be it. Lönnrot thus behaves like an authentic rune-singer,
or at least like a visionary. His inspiration (we can hardly speak
of what he might have known) really struck home. For in those
verses he describes the birth of “God’s only son,” meaning born
from one origin (monogenesis). Here resounds the ancient
mystery of the birth of the Logos. It takes place “by itself” in
the sense that the Logos is the first and only manifestation at
the dawn of time and also in the sense that it is a virgin birth
(from the mother alone) by supernatural means.
Krohn’s claim that the Kalevala’s tale of Väinämöinen’s vir-
gin birth is derived from the Christian faith is unlikely, simply
because the doctrine of virgin birth is found in many religions
much older than Christianity.
72
the virgin birth
Osiris in Egypt was born of a heavenly virgin named Neth.

Likewise, Horus was the son of the virgin Isis. In Babylonia the
sun-god Tammuz was Eridu Ea’s “only son”; Ea is equivalent to
Ishtar, Astarte and Mylitta. In Persia, Zoroaster was conceived
by a ray of divine intelligence, and his mother was a virgin.
In Mexico, Quetzalcoatl was born from the virgin Chimalm,
and in the Yucatan Bacab was born from the virgin Chiribira
and was worshipped as a savior. Likewise for the Aztec sun-god
Huitzilopochtli. In India, Krishna’s mother Devaki was a virgin,
as was Buddha’s mother Mâyâ. And of course Jesus Christ was
born of the virgin Mary. These stories are certainly just legends
separate from the historical characters, but when a person’s
name is symbolic of divine forces, then the virgin birth is an
accurate poetic description of great relevance to the nature of
the spiritual world. In Christian theology, the Christ is truly the
Logos, the Word through which the world is created. Similarly,
Krishna is regarded as an Avatar or incarnation of the second
divine person Vishnu, and is called Hari—“he who removes
sin.” His mother Devaki calls him with the words “You, the god
of gods who is all in everything.” Osiris and Horus were called
“the king of kings” and “the master of masters” respectively.
Osiris was also referred to as “the master of the whole country.”
As a historical person, Väinämöinen was born like everyone
else, but Väinämöinen as God and Sun-Logos was born of Il-
matar, the beautiful Virgin of the Air.
73
8
The Act of Creation
I
n scientific quarters it is generally agreed that, prior to
Kant’s scientific exposition on the origin of the world,
cosmogenesis was a topic dealt with only through philosophi-
cal speculation. By the time Laplace in the early 1800s fully
developed Kant’s theories, cosmology had become a topic of
scientific study by way of astronomy.
As we understand it, the Kant-Laplace theory proposes that
solar systems originate from nebulae coalescing through cir-
culation around a dense center. The sun was originally a huge
gaseous sphere spinning on its axis. The surface mass split off
into smaller spheres spinning in the opposite direction, and
these formed into planets orbiting the sun.
This theory prevailed throughout the 19th century. Among
others, H. P. Blavatsky in The Secret Doctrine made strong com-
ments against this model, and in fact it is no longer scientifi-
cally adequate. Science has made several observations which
disprove parts of the Kant-Laplace edifice, and has attempted
to present new theories of cosmogenesis, but none have been
completely accepted. When the emperor Napoleon learned
of Laplace’s astronomical ideas, he wonderingly asked him:
“Where, then, does God live?” Laplace’s boastful reply de-
fines the theory’s own futile emptiness: “We no longer have
any need of God.” Scientists have not been able to solve the
enigma of the world’s origin with materialistic philosophy.
74
the act of creation
Ultimately, God is necessary—God is the reason of the world’s

becoming, the first impulse and prime mover. The ancient vi-
sionaries who populated space with gods and living beings were
closer to the truth than our learned but spiritually blind priests
of materialism.
We are not justified in regarding ancient religious cosmolo-
gies as naïve and superstitious. Their forms may seem unso-
phisticated and “unscientific,” but if we can adjust our eyes to
the mystic vision behind the forms, we will realize how insight-
ful they really are and that they reveal profound cosmological
ideas unapproached by science. The ancient cosmology doesn’t
concern itself with mechanical forces which determine the so-
lar system’s formation, but rather it focuses on the invisible
template which guides the process of physical manifestation.
In other words, the ancient doctrine describes cosmogenesis
from a higher viewpoint—from God’s viewpoint—instead of
from the perspective of physical being. And who else but a seer,
inspired by the holy spirit of truth, would venture to fathom
the depths of God?
The birth of the world has therefore always been called “the
creation of the world.” Creation is an activity and requires an
actor, a mover, a creator. The entire process of cosmogenesis is
the act of a living creator.
The creative act does not draw from an empty reservoir; it
is not intellectually inconceivable nor is it a logical contradic-
tion. Nothing can arise from emptiness. Everything that is, has
always been and will forever be. Matter, in its original state,
is as eternal as spirit or consciousness, and both are unified
in the unmanifest absolute divinity. Creation is the action of
divine, reasoning beings to project and fulfill their inspirations
and desires with the help of material elements. Creation is an
artistic act. Let’s look at how Finnish sages described the act of
creation. Consequently, we will understand how the Creator-
Logos manifests, shall we say, in triplicate. In other words, it
will become clear that the creative act has three phases.
75
In reading the text of the New Kalevala we immediately see

three creative stages: 1) conception, 2) pregnancy or gestation,
and 3) the actual act of creation, or birth. Because the total
creative process comes from Logos—Väinämöinen—we must
remember that the other beings involved are variant names for
Väinomöinen’s other aspects. Instead of Ilmatar (mother of the
waters) we can substitute Väinämöinen, because one etymol-
ogy for the name Väinämöinen has it meaning “water mother”
(veen emonen = water mother).
“Lonely born was Väinämöinen, all alone, the poet immor-
tal.” So reads the Kalevala, subtley revealing a secret cosmic
knowledge. In the Old Kalevala one reads “at night was born
old Väinämöinen, the next day he went to see the smithy.”
Thus it appears that Väinämöinen was ancient when he was
born—a wise seer of secret knowledge—truly, a “poet immor-
tal.” It is succinctly related here that the Creator has lived be-
fore, maybe had grown and attained wisdom in a distant past.
The Creator existed before the inactive state in which, as Il-
matar, he now dwells:
Piti viikkoista pyhyyttä Long maintained in holiness
Iän kaiken impeyttä, Her eternal maidenhood
Ilman pitkillä pihoilla, In the far-horizoned heavens,
Tasaisilla tantereilla. Level meadows of the air.18
After previous activity, Väinämöinen-as-Creator (Ilmatar)
rested in the unmanifest realm of clear consciousness:
Ikävystyi aikojansa, But in time she wearied of it,
Ouostui elämätänsä, Was estranged from this odd living,
Aina yksin ollessansa, Always being by herself,
Impenä eläessänsä, Ever living as a virgin
Ilman pitkillä pihoilla, In those far-horizoned heavens,
Avaroilla autioilla. In those vast and empty spaces.19
Thus the will to create reawakened. It kindled in the Cre-
ator’s heart an idea for a new world. The Creator-Artist
76
the act of creation
conceived, and the so-called “First Logos” or Will of the World

was born.
Jop’ on astuiksen alemma, So at length she then descended
Laskeusi lainehille, To the seawaves down below,
Meren selvälle selälle, To the open clear sea surface
Ulapalle aukealle. Out upon the open ocean.20
At the moment of inspiration, as soon as the proto-image
is visualized in the divine imagination, the “descent into mat-
ter” from the realm of pure consciousness begins. Logos sleeps
surrounded by the absolute unmanifest chaos, which is often
called a “sea” in ancient cosmogonies.vi The idea kindled by
the Logos within the world of consciousness condenses—or
materializes—a form from the idea; conceptualization under-
lies and guides creation. The Logos, suffering the creative act
within, now becomes dual while seeking a suitable form for his
new image. From the inspired idea and the inevitable splitting
off of the created from the creator, now flares love. From the
will to create (Father) now comes emotion or relation (Moth-
er), and mother begins to labor.
Vieri impi Väinämöinen As the mother of the water
[Väinämöinen]
Aimlessly the virgin drifted:
Uipi iät, uipi lännet, She swam eastward,
she swam westward,
Uipi luotehet, etelät, She swam south and northwestward,
Uipi kaikki ilman rannat, Swimming round the whole horizon
Tuskissa tulisen synnyn, In the anguish of her birth pangs,
Vatsan vaivoissa kovissa; In her belly’s bursting pains.
Eikä synny syntyminen, Yet the borning was unborn,
Luovu luomaton sikiö. Still the fetus undelivered.21
vi In Latin, sea = mare, the plural form being maria. Mary is the name of
the mother of Christ (the Logos). Mother = mater in Latin, and matter
= materia. There are similarities in the form and even in the sounds of
these internally related words: mater, materia, maria.
77
What a splendid psychology! The human creator (the poet,

artist or inventor) also moves from initial inspiration to a state
of suffering when he wants to substantially manifest his idea.
So many in this state must think as Väinämöinen (i.e., Ilmatar)
did:
Parempi olisis ollut Better had it been for me
Ilman impenä eleä... To have stayed the airy virgin...22
and must pray within to “loose the maiden from her misery,
and the woman from her womb-ache.” The suffering of cre-
ation has not yet reached the overwhelming reason to create,
and we are thus still within the “Second Logos”—the World
Emotion which by nature is bisexual, consisting of matter and
spirit.
Help is needed and help will come. Now the work begins
and agony is forgotten. Väinämöinen is rolling on the waves of
the mother
Tuli sotka suora lintu, When a scaup, the honest bird,
Lenteä lekuttelevi, Came on hovering here and there
Etsien pesän sioa, Searching for a nesting place,
Asunmaata arvaellen, For a spot to build her home on.23
And Väinämöinen (Ilmatar):
Nosti polvea merestä, Raised her knee above the surface
Lapaluuta lainehesta And her shoulder from the wave
Sotkalle pesän sijaksi, As a refuge for the scaup
Asunmaaksi armahaksi. And a welcome resting place.24
The scaup “spied Väinämöinen’s (the water-mother’s) knee”
and
Siihen laativi pesänsä, It is there she builds her nest,
Muni kultaiset munansa, There she laid her golden eggs—
Kuusi kultaista munoa, Six were the golden eggs she laid,
Rautamunan Seitsemännen. But the seventh was of iron.25
78
the act of creation
What is this “scaup, the graceful bird” which makes the Cre-
ator forget his agony? It is the mind of thought, reason and in-
sight or more precisely, the intellect which invents form. Every
worker breathes a sigh of relief when he hits upon the solution
to a troubling problem. The first glimmer of the solution comes
like a bird flying in from the darkness of space.
The bird is an appropriate symbol of thought. We find it in
several ancient religions. In India there is “the swan of time”
and in Christian faith the Holy Spirit is represented by a dove.
The scaup or the eagle symbolizes the Creator’s thought
that touches upon (involves) many spaces. It symbolizes
Väinämöinen’s active reason or the “Third Logos”—the Holy
Spirit—whose task is to organize the primal chaos.
What does the eagle do? He organizes the elements into
various types of atoms. He identifies seven types of funda-
mental atoms; six golden atoms of the invisible world and one
iron atom for the physical world. (The numbers may vary from
three to eight because “planes” and “worlds” can be classified
in different ways.)
The scaup’s seven eggs are definitely atoms; they are not the
planets or the sun because these will be born next. After the
eggs are laid and grow warm, Väinämöinen (Ilmatar) “jerked
her knee” and “the eggs rolled into the water... and were bro-
ken into bits.” The fragments became the earth, moon, sun
and planets. Only love with reason can create the world. Per-
haps we should say that atoms join together when the world is
created instead of breaking into pieces but actually it makes no
difference. The latest studies in atomic theory have led to the
conclusion that atoms are perfectly organized worlds—minia-
ture solar systems if you will—almost like Leibniz’s monads. So
there is not a significant difference between “big” and “small.”
On a greater dimensional scale the cosmos as we recognize it is
just a microcosmic splinter from a cosmos of many planes. By
this reasoning we can say that an atom is a broken fragment
79
(in our world) or, conversely, that the same atom is a whole
cosmos (in some other world). The profound knowledge of an-
cient wisdom peeks out at us from the Kalevala.
Furthermore, the Kalevala clearly describes how the process
of creation continues. Väinämöinen (Ilmatar):
Alkoi luoa luomiansa, Set to work on her creations,
Saautella saamiansa... Hastens on her handiwork...
Kussa kättä käännähytti, Where she gave her hand a turn
Siihen niemet siivoeli; There she put the capes in order;
Kussa pohjasi jalalla, Where her foot struck bottom, there
Kalahauat kaivaeli; Grottoes for the fish were formed;
Kussa ilman kuplistihe, Where the bubbles reached the surface
Siihen syöverit syventi. jne. There the deeps were made
still deeper.26 etc.
After this we must jump to the second rune of the Kalevala,
where creation continues with the story of the Big Oak. Now
we shift from the level of the solar system to the level of the
earth. In the Book of Moses, a desert existed before water came
to form a sea around which trees could thrive. Likewise in the
Kalevala we read that the Creator (Väinämöinen) dwelt for
“many years”
Saaressa sanattomassa, On that mute and barren island,
Manteressa puuttomassa. In that dreary treeless land.27
Soon thereafter comes “Pellervoinen, son of the field,” who
represents organic life brought from somewhere else:
Kylvi maita kyyhätteli, Leisurely he sowed the land,
Kylvi maita, kylvi soita, Sowed the land and sowed the swamps,
Kylvi auhtoja ahoja, Sowed the fallow open stretches,
Panettavi paasikoita. Even sowed the rocky barrens.28
The earth was green and produced many trees and all kinds
of plant life, but still to grow was “God’s tree.” Only after it
grew and was felled (by the little thumb-sized man) could
80
the act of creation
true agriculture begin. As Julius Krohn rightly commented,

this “God’s tree” (the Big Oak) was a large cloud which hid
the sun and moon from view,29 and which only the little man
(a ray of sunlight) was able to break up. Rather than indicat-
ing just one event, this story really symbolizes the earth-epoch
in which atmospheric moisture was extreme and rain was a
constant natural phenomenon. Only when this era of rain dis-
persed did the sun begin to shine, so that
Kasvoi maahan marjanvarret, Berry bushes grew abundant,
Kukat kultaiset keolle, Golden flowers filled the meadows
Ruohot kasvoi kaikenlaiset, And the grasses multiplied,
Monenmuotoiset sikesi... Every kind of herb arising...30
Thus the stage was set for the dawn of true agriculture. At
the seashore Väinämöinen finds “six grains, seven seeds” and
starts sowing. Other secret traditions tell that grains of wheat
were originally brought to earth from another star.
We now return to the first rune, which we left earlier, and
come to quite a strange paradox. All this time the Creator
Väinämöinen has been busy working, but he has not yet been
“born.”
Jo oli saaret siivottuna, Now the islands were in order
Luotu luotoset merehen, And the small isles of the sea;
Ilman pielet pistettynä, Pillars for the sky were planted,
Maat ja manteret sanottu, Lands and continents created;
Kirjattu kivihin kirjat, On the rocks the writs were written
Veetty viivat kallioihin, And the signs drawn on the cliffs.
Viel’ ei synny Väinämöinen, Yet Väinämöinen is unborn,
Ilmau ikirunoja. Poet eternal not emerged.31
While reading the Kalevala we of course are misled by the
fact that in certain situations the names Väinämöinen and Il-
matar are equivalent. But when we remember that they are
interchangeable, one wonders why Väinämöinen is not yet,
at this time, born. In the Old Kalevala he was definitely born
81
earlier (corroborating our discussion of the Trinity doctrine).

Has the New Kalevala gone astray because Väinämöinen as
the true Logos has, according to our presentation, already
emerged? Not at all, because the New Kalevala refers to a
strange plot twist: the “second creation.” Creation has begun,
the worlds have already been formed, but what is lacking? It
lacks human beings, it lacks the “image of God.” And we need
not think that there are no living things yet; the world is truly
full of life, and life can exist without the presence of human
life-forms. But before the creative process drives consciousness
into a life-form, Väinämöinen as the Triune Logos has not yet
separated from his mother’s womb. Only after human intel-
lectual, emotional and mental life awakens will Väinämöinen
be fully born.
What else is the work of creation other than the Creator’s
intention to reveal himself? “I want to see my own image.” And
one image after another is rejected: “This isn’t me; that’s not
truly me.” Only in humanity does the Creator begin to see him-
self. And deep within the human soul dwells the Creator’s will
to see himself in his completeness. Therefore a person does not
find tranquility until he realizes his innermost divine longing
and aspires toward perfection—a perfection he was created for.
God’s voice prays within the seeker:
Saata maalle matkamiestä, Guide the traveler to the land,
Ilmoillen inehmon lasta, Child of mankind to the open
Kuuta taivon katsomahan, To behold the moon in heaven
Päiveä ihoamahan, And to wonder at the daylight,
Otavaista oppimahan, Get to know the Great Bear’s grandeur
Tähtiä tähyämähän! Or just to stare up at the stars!32
And by his own doing, God assumes the human form:
Liikahutti linnan portin He pushed against his prison lock
Sormella nimettömällä, Pressing with his nameless finger,
Lukon luisen luikahutti Slid the bony bolt aside,
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the act of creation
Vasemmalla varpahalla, With his left toe opened it;

Tuli kynsin kynnykseltä, Scrabbling with his nails he came
Polvin porstuan ovelta. Crawling through the exit door.33
The Creator first devises his essential triune nature. Then
comes the second creation, the gift of the triune nature to
humanity.
From the seer’s standpoint, the whole cosmogony is the cre-
ative act of a great artisan. It is agony and it is joy, and its
expression in the Kalevala is pure mastery. How tranquil the
cosmology of the Kalevala appears in its simplicity. In it there
are no ordinary human emotions, yet it contains greater emo-
tions, greater strength, divine thoughts and divine will. It rises
before our eyes sublime, majestic.
83
9
The Act of Salvation
I
n theological teachings, salvation is said to be that divine
action which leads a humanity fallen into sin towards a
reunion with God. This usually happens through the Trinity’s
second person, the son, who is then regarded as the savior of
humanity as with Christ, Krishna (Vishnu) or Horus in Egypt.
However, of course the entire divine Trinity is involved. For
example, in Christianity the Holy Spirit leads the church and
individuals to Christ, while God the Father loves the world so
much that he let his only son die as atonement for the world’s
sins. If there is any doctrine which Christians cherish as theirs
alone, it is this doctrine of divine salvation. They exuberantly
cry out, “the pagans and other primitive people did not know
anything about Jesus Christ!” And we respond: “It is true that
pagans had no knowledge of the savior called Jesus Christ, but it
is a different thing altogether to say they knew no savior at all.”
The world has been around for much longer than 6000 years.
To our thinking it is “blasphemy” to say that the humanity of
hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps millions of years, were
wandering in darkness, going to eternal damnation, until just
a few thousand years ago when God the Father glanced at the
earth and decided something ought to be done about it. But let
us leave well enough alone. Suffice it to say that the divine act
of salvation is not a moment in history—it happens through
long ages of learning and development. Spiritual darkness
84
the act of salvation
exists today as it did ten-thousand years ago, and light is pos-

sible today as it was a million years ago. Darkness and light go
hand in hand until the light triumphs within the individual.
Salvation is not exoteric by nature (given from without); clear-
ly salvation is intrinsically esoteric.
This is why we are not cautious in proclaiming that the
ancient Finns and other ancient cultures were aware of and
experienced what we call divine salvation. We just have to re-
member that religious forms change but the underlying essence
doesn’t. Superficially seen, pagans and natives have a differ-
ent concept of spiritual life and the task of humanity than do
Christians. But discerned with a spiritual eye, the inner experi-
ence of an authentic pagan seer and an initiate into Christian
Mysteries is the same.
When we begin to examine the way Finnish seers understand
mankind’s development and salvation, we must remember that
in ancient symbolic systems names and words had multiple
meanings depending upon their context of use. These different
meanings are not arbitrary. For example, a “red string” sim-
ply exists; variations arise from differing shades of its primary
meaning, different perspectives on the thing itself rather than
on totally different meanings. In ancient times, names and des-
ignations were not chosen in the manner of scientific exactness
as in our day; rather, the whole language of definition was al-
legorical or poetic.
Earlier we explained how the name Kaleva means Logos
in mystic language. Then, in the creation runes we saw how
Väinämöinen adopted the role of the Logos. Finally, Ilmatar
and certainly even the scaup express distinct activities of the
Logos. Furthermore, in other places the Kalevala relates that
Väinämöinen is “Kaleva’s son.” This comes as no surprise when
we consider that Logos has the general meaning of “son of
God.” Overall, we understand that Väinämöinen is only an as-
pect of the consciousness of Logos, or, alternatively, of Kaleva.
85
It is told that Kaleva had twelve sons. If we ever discover

the names of all twelve sons, we will know the ancient mys-
tic names of the hierarchy of the divine Logos. These are also
the twelve signs of the zodiac. Seven of these names also rep-
resent the seven primary angels—those nearest the throne of
God—who are the astrological rulers of the seven holy planets.
Three of the names symbolize the three aspects of the Logos-
consciousness, which indicate its full nature. This is why the
Logos Trinity is said to consist of three personalities or “masks.”
Three names have been preserved for us in the Kalevala—as
well as a few others—but at least these three are certain. And
who are they? They are none other than the Kalevala’s three
primary heroes: Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen.
When we decide to become fully absorbed in the psycholo-
gy of the Logos, we must examine Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen and
Lemminkäinen as expressions of divine forces. These forces are
revealed in humanity’s spiritual and mental development as
well as in each individual’s inner life. Grand visions unfold in
front of our discerning eye when we venture deeply into these
things. We outlined earlier how the psychological Trinity of the
Logos corresponds to the three divisions of the human psyche
or soul. First, Logos as Father is the power (the Crown; Kether)
which corresponds to human willing. Second, Logos as Son—
the ever-attractive love-wisdom—corresponds to human feel-
ing and emotion. Third, the Logos as Holy Spirit is the actively
discerning divine genius of the Light of Truth, corresponding
to human reasoning or thinking. When we now compare this
system to the designations in the Kalevala, Väinämöinen clear-
ly represents the divine will, Lemminkäinen the divine emo-
tion, and Ilmarinen the divine intellect or reason. In support of
this Trinity doctrine, we specifically read about Väinämöinen
in the Old Kalevala:
Min’ olin miesnä kolmantena And I, Väinämöinen,
was the third man
86
Ilman pieltä pistämässä, Began designing the hem of the air,

Taivaan kaarta kantamassa, Lifted up the firmament,
Taivoa tähittämässä. And put the stars into the sky.34
Eventually we will also look at Lemminkäinen and Ilmar-
inen, and if our claims here initially seem to come out of no-
where, it will be better supported as we overview what the
Kalevala tells us about all three of its heroes. For example, in
the Kalevala, what motivates the three of them? What is the
shared goal of their activities? In the beginning, at least, their
pursuits involve winning the daughter of Pohjola (Northland).
Let us focus on this. All of the Kalevala-heroes court the
daughter of Pohjola—each one of them wants her for his very
own.
The reader may wonder, “what is so divine about this?” And
we respond: Their divine activity is revealed in this.
Hieros Gamos, or “Sacred Marriage”—generally a term re-
ferring to the highest human love—is mystical language which
contains a deep psychological truth for the seer. In the Christian
faith, Paul’s writings relate that Christ is a bridegroom while
the individual human soul, the congregation and the Church
are his bride. Even the realistic and popular poem “Love’s High
Song” is written in a form of deeply symbolic nomenclature.
Christians should also be familiar with the intriguing line from
the First Book of Moses: “The sons of God saw that the daugh-
ters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves,
whomever they chose” (Genesis 6:2). And who doesn’t know
the beautiful Greek story of Amor (Love) and Psyche (Soul)?
What divine truth do these allegorical stories contain? It is
the same message as contained in the words “the divine act of
salvation.” These stories explain and make clear how divine
consciousness loves and pursues the human soul, how it en-
deavors to join the human soul and thereby raise it up.
Väinämöinen, Lemminkäinen and Ilmarinen all live in Su-
vantola, on the heaths of Kalevala, where the weather is eter-
87
nally summer. In other words, they live in the higher planes

of the invisible world and from there pursue the daughter of
Pohjola. And Pohjola is described as gloomy, benighted—its
only charm is the daughter of Pohjola herself. What else could
Pohjola be but “the valley of despair.” And what else could the
daughter of Pohjola represent but the spiritual seed within the
collective consciousness of humanity? And from the viewpoint
of the individual microcosm, Pohjola is the mortal life of the
body and the lovely virgin of Pohjola is the human soul within
the body.
The Kalevala-heroes which court the daughter of Pohjola
represent the divine, developmental forces which educate the
human soul and work to create a new, better humanity. Why
should we be ashamed of the Kalevala’s somewhat peculiar
presentation of divine mysteries when we are not ashamed to
talk about—albeit in a more philosophical language—“God’s
love,” “Christ’s love for his bride” and so on?
The great wisdom of the Kalevala is evident in the simple
fact that we don’t read in it of human beings yearning for
God and thirsting for truth; rather, we learn of God’s love and
yearning for humanity. Everyone intuitively knows that human
yearning is only a dim reflection of the divine yearning which
higher beings feel for humanity. “And God loved the world,”
whispers the Christian in a holy presentiment of truth, but he
is surely mistaken in supposing that God did not actively love
His creation from the very beginning.
And how do the Kalevala-heroes fare in their courtings?
How do the divine forces succeed in their salvation project?
Väinämöinen does not win the daughter of Pohjola nor Aino,
and neither does Lemminkäinen. Only Ilmarinen succeeds.
This fact reflects an astute psychological insight and a deep
understanding of life’s developmental laws. After all, which
aspect of the divine consciousness catches the human soul and
draws it Godward? Is it the will? No. The human soul is too full
88
of fantasies and desires to unhesitatingly comply with “God’s

will.” And what of emotion? No. Pride is a great weakness of
the human soul, leaving it incapable of being satisfied with
“God’s love.” In its initial awakening, the human soul yearns
for divine help, strength and guidance—a maturity abundant
with abilities in which one can wholeheartedly believe. And
this core ability is ratiocination, the reasoning intellect.
Ilmarinen, as the exponent of thought, intellect and genius,
takes the maid of Pohjola for his one and only. What would be
the fate of the human soul without the light of reason? Without
the faculty of independent reasoning, there can be no choos-
ing between “good” and “evil”; there can be no free will which
makes us human. The human being would be an unconscious
puppet in God’s hands, alive but without merits.
The Ilmarinen-forces are therefore the first to become ac-
tive in the life of humanity, and the Väinämöinen-forces are
the last. Among people today, we cannot yet observe a hu-
man-divine will as a common phenomenon. Human will, as
psychologists point out, is so easily dissolved in a substrate of
desires and emotions. True willing is something esoteric. To-
day it is found only in mystics and gifted people. Väinämöinen
is truly the eternal seer, the Poet Immortal who accomplishes
more with his songs and his willing words than all the others.
Väinämöinen is the Kalevala’s preferred superman par excel-
lence, and his duty in the act of salvation is to the individual
rather than the collective. His effects are therefore found in
the later developmental stages.
89
10
The Lemminkäinen-forces
I its heroes as complete beings. Although they repre-
n the courtship runes, the Kalevala does not describe
sent (in the sense we are talking about) divine forces, we find
them in the Kalevala to be very human—even, at times, weak.
Väinämöinen old and steadfast, experienced wiseman, has the
will and strength to master himself and nature, yet in court-
ing the young maiden he behaves remarkably unwisely and
foolishly. So his love for the young Aino, in its weakness and
blatant senselessness, can be seen as nothing less than tragic.
Lemminkäinen, the handsome Kaukomieli (the far-minded),
whose total being exudes enthusiasm and confidence, poetry
and love, is also a quarrelsome and quick-tempered warrior
who is adventurous yet fickle in the ways of love. Ilmarinen,
the eternal smith, the forger of the Sampo, is industrious, ca-
pable, ingenius and skillful but is often somewhat slow, lazy,
sullen, even childishly simple-minded.
By making its superhuman heroes so human, the Kalevala
endears them to us so much that we almost forget their di-
vinity. It seems as though the Kalevala wants to accentuate
something by contrasting each hero’s fundamental character.
“Look and see,” it says, “what is best in each, what develops
and grows.” Stagnation rests like death in its place, but the liv-
ing spirit goes forward.
This developmental principle runs like a Golden Thread
through Lemminkäinen’s story. Lemminkäinen, who represents
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the lemminkäinen-forces
the raging cauldron of emotional forces within humanity’s

heart, manifests through his life-path the sequential develop-
mental stages of these emotions. This has been formerly dem-
onstrated by the fact that the Lemminkäinen runes, as profes-
sor Krohn shows,35 consist of many stories which are apparently
about different people: Ahti Saarelainen (Ahti Islander),
Kaukamoinen, Pätöinen Poika (the gallant boy) and so on. But
in the poetry of the people’s imagination, these are merely vari-
ant names for the same being. By the names Kaukamoinen and
Ahti Saarelainen, Lemminkäinen makes love to the island girls
and takes Kylliki for his wife. As Lemminkäinen he proposes to
the maid of Pohja, and the tale of his death originates from the
rune of Pätöinen Poika. Lönnrot, in the New Kalevala, with
great psychological insight lets the Kaukamoinen-Kylliki epi-
sode occur in Lemminkäinen’s youth, before his adventure as
rival suitor for the Pohja maid. This is because the Kylliki rune
belongs to an earlier period in the developmental history of the
lemminkäinen-forces within humanity.
As Ahti, Lemminkäinen “grew up in a high-born home, with
his most devoted mother.” He
Tuli mies mitä parahin ...became the best of men
Puhkesi punaverinen, As he blossomed out red-blooded,
Joka päästänsä pätevi, In all points quite capable
Kohastansa kelpoavi. And a good man all around.36
And he had only one fault:
Ain oli naisissa elejä Always playing around with women,
Yli öitä öitsilöissä, always at the all-night parties
Noien impien iloissa, To the pleasure of the virgins,
Kassapäien karkeloissa. At the rompings of the braidheads.37
The rune almost scoffingly refers to Lemminkäinen’s weak-
ness, but with a humor characteristic of the Kalevala’s treat-
ment of its heroes’ misadventures. When examining the
91
Kalevala from its esoteric or occult viewpoint, this quality must

be taken into consideration. Lemminkäinen receives praise, his
suave power and skills are extolled; with his songs and incan-
tations he entrances all. But in the rune we perceive a slight
mockery. How are we to understand this?
This mocking quality reflects what we might call a critical
factor within Finnish wisdom (this will become more clear in
the last part of the book). Wisdom knows all the facts. It knows
that emotion is—at least for the time being—the greatest force
in humanity. It knows that emotion’s naïve egoism and indis-
cretions get projected into nature as superstitions and nullify-
ing nonsense. It knows that, stimulated by emotion, humanity
performs its greatest heroic acts and miraculous deeds. Mean-
while, however, wisdom also knows that humanity has not yet
mastered its lemminkäinen-forces. And we clearly see this
in Lemminkäinen’s arrogant and despicable attitude towards
Wet-Hat, the blind cowherder. At the moment before his vic-
tory, Lemminkäinen is deceived by his own emotions and his
tragic death is the result. The roots of emotion go so deep in a
human being’s physical make-up that for good reason one must
fear them until one has thoroughly “purified the heart.”
To be specific, what is the original root of the emotional lem-
minkäinen-forces? With certainty, it is surely human sexuality.
The ability for divine love and the highest potential of human
emotion are clearly related, but physical sexuality awakens
emotions to life by identifying an external focus for emotion.
The Kalevala is right on the mark: Emotion is a wonderful
thing but its weakness is that it imbibes its power from sex.
When Lemminkäinen’s fickle pleasure-loving and sexually
urgent emotional behavior subsides, love can be focused for a
longer time on a chosen object, and the Kylliki episode begins.
However, neither in Lemminkäinen nor Kylliki have the emo-
tional forces been purified. It requires oaths and swears oaths
(11:289-314) and as a result drowns.
92
Only in proposing to the maiden of Pohjola does Lem-

minkäinen overcome all kinds of obstacles—and simple daring
and violence are of no help here. His victories win him merit,
and as he is gradually released from his emotional selfishness
and conceit he begins to understand what love is. In this way
the emotional life of humanity is gradually purified and en-
nobled; blustery pride grows humbler and becomes faithful
devotion. In keeping with the Finnish character, even in Lem-
minkäinen’s final words the Kalevala refrains from weepy and
excessive emotion. While dying, Lemminkäinen succintly ac-
knowledges his deep reliance on his mother’s love and thus
reveals his own profound and faithful affection for her:
Oi emoni kantajani, O my mother, you who bore me,
Vaivan nähnyt vaaliani! Suffered, watching over me!
Tietäisitkö, tuntisitko, If you knew, if you sensed
Miss’ on poikasi poloinen, Where your miserable son is now,
Tokipa rientäen tulisit, You would come without delay,
Avukseni ennättäisit... Hasten hither to his aid...38
And later, after his mother has raised him from the dead,
he immediately remembers his deep love and affection for the
maiden of Pohjola, for whom he suffered so many trials:
Tuollapa syömmykseni, For in truth my heart is yonder
Toulla tuntoni makaapi And my sentiments are there
Noissa Pohjan neitosissa, Among the little maids of Northland
Kaunoisissa kassapäissä, With those beautiful lovely-locks.39
Here the plural “little maids” is just a kind of pluralis modes-
tiae—a formal plural.
In exploring the details of these events very carefully, we can
observe in Lemminkäinen’s life three overall stages which, in
turn, symbolize the three developmental periods in the history
of humanity’s emotional growth: 1) The immature or child-
ish phase when emotions are fickle, careless and superficial,
fluttering from one attachment to the next; 2) The youthful
stage in which it desires to grab hold of life, and with oaths and
93
promises attempts to remain faithful to ideals; 3) The stage

of full maturity when it knows that nothing can be achieved
without constant effort and occasional victory.
There is another stage that we have not described yet: The
transition from animal to human. Certain secret traditions dis-
cuss the blind or instinctive emotional existence such as we
find in the animal kingdom. Has the Kalevala overlooked this?
As far as we can tell it has not been overlooked, but is only
referred to in passing. When Lemminkäinen sings everyone out
of the Pohjola house (12:443-473), he leaves only one alone,
“a most wicked cattle herder, that old man, the shut-eye herds-
man.” This “blind man of Pohjola, Wet-Hat, the cow herder”
asks why he was not enchanted out of the house with the oth-
ers. Lemminkäinen answers:
Siksi en sinuhun koske, This is why I did not charm you—
Kun olet katsoa katala, Since you’re ugly enough to look at,
Kurja koskemaisittani; Let alone the touching of you.
Vielä miesnä nuorempana, When you were a stripling boy
Karjan paimenna pahaisna And a worthless cattle herder,
Turmelit emosi tuoman, You deflowered your mother’s child,
Sisaresi siuvahutit, Raped your very own, own sister,
Kaikki herjasit hevoset, And you harried all the horses,
Tamman varsat vaivuttelit Then abused the mares and fillies
Suon selillä, maan navoilla, On the swamps and in the quicksands
Ve’en liivan liikkumilla. Where the muddy waters gather.40
The blind cow herder is a symbol for the age when a newly
born humanity consorted with beasts, a phase H. P. Blavatsky
mentions in her book The Secret Doctrine. The light of reason
was as yet so dim within humanity that they could do little
more than mimic animals and rush headlong into total emo-
tional submission to the sexual instinct. This original Fall is
found in Paradise Myths and has really provided the founda-
tion for humanity’s later suffering. The sexual instinct has al-
ways been humanity’s fateful weakness, causing great distress.
94
The same humanity that now, for the most part, plays out the
roles of Ahti Saarelainen and the beautiful Kaukomieli, earlier
acted instinctually like the blind cow herder and thus, in this
life, reaps tragedy from the karmic consequences of its original
“sin.”
In Theosophical literature we read about humanity’s Root
Races. The first two were super-physical and not until the
Third Root Race did human beings actually have physical bod-
ies. Its homeland was a continent which sunk to the bottom
of the Pacific Ocean, named Lemuria by the natural scientist
P. L. Sclater. The above mentioned “fall into sin” took place
with this Third Root Race.
The Fourth Race was Atlantean race. They lived on the is-
land called “Atlantis” which sank to the bottom of the Atlantic
Ocean. Plato tells us of the last fragment of Atlantis, a small
island called Poseidonis. In the Kale-vala, both “Ahti Saare-
lainen” (Ahti Islander) and Kylliki lived on “the Island,” and
therefore in their names as well as their psychological content
they belong to the Atlantean phase of emotional development.
(Ahti = Vellamo also refers to the emotional plane, the symbol
for which has always been water.)
According to The Secret Doctrine, humanity now lives in the
Fifth or Aryan Root Race. A small minority of humanity are,
in their emotional lives, at the level of the true Lemminkäinen,
but the greater part continues in the style of Kaukamoinen.
The yet to be born Sixth and Seventh Root Races are still
purifying humanity’s lemminkäinen-forces so that human be-
ings in everyday life can comprehend and fulfill the Love of
Christ.
The divine act of salvation is fulfilled in the gradual devel-
opment of emotion. Its ultimate fulfillment occurs when per-
sonal emotions such as “good” and “evil” are absorbed into the
great ocean of divine love. Fulfilled Lemminkäinen therefore
represents the highest, most sublime expression of humanity’s
christ-forces.
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11
Lemminkäinen-Christ
F
or a Christian it almost might feel like we are defaming the
great saint when the old wayward adventurer, the Arctic
Don Juan, is set up beside the holy pure and majestic Christ.
Be that as it may, our aim is not to argue that the Kalevala
describes the divine mysteries of the human soul as beautifully
or as sublimely as the New Testament. The wisdom of the Ka-
levala comes from another age; naturally its external clothing
is different. Our intention is only to emphasize that the wisdom
of the Kalevala is essentially the same as, for example, the New
Testament, and that it knew the same facts about the develop-
ment and goal of the human soul. The Kalevala describes and
evaluates the emotional life in its own way. It recognizes the
functions of reason and knowledge, but in its wisdom it knows
that emotion is the greatest magic force and most effective re-
generator of the human soul. How moving and sublime it is
when the brightness and strength of the self-denying love of
Lemminkäinen’s mother overcomes even death!
The discrepancy between Christ’s sublime purity and Lem-
minkäinen’s apparent normalcy is really quite easy to explain.
Christ exemplifies the final goal of emotional sublimation, its
highest divine expression. Lemminkäinen contains at all times
all the contradictions and struggles of previous emotional lev-
els, while never forgetting the final goal. In the Kalevala we
clearly find a correspondence between Lemminkäinen and
Christ.41
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lemminkäinen-christ
The important role of Lemminkäinen’s mother in relation

to his ultimate resurrection—his divine salvation—proves that
Lemminkäinen is the Second Logos or Son. Väinämöinen’s
mother, Ilmatar, is not at all a human being—she is holy di-
vine—and Ilmarinen’s mother is only a subordinate character.
But in every ancient esoteric system the mother of the sav-
ior played an important role as a living human being: Christ’s
mother (Mary); Buddha’s mother (Mâyâ); Krishna’s mother
(Devaki) and so on. Thus, the story of Lemminkäinen and his
mother is very striking.42
Lemminkäinen’s death is the only one of the three heroes’
deaths about which the Kalevala tells; besides that, his variant
name in the death runes is Pätöinen Poika, which means the
son of God or son of Logos. Likewise, every savior in ancient
wisdom teachings is somehow killed and goes to the under-
world. Julius Krohn has commented on the remarkable simi-
larity between Lemminkäinen’s story and the Scandinavian
tale of Baldur, son of Odin. Baldur is the God of Light, and
the evil Loki lures the blind Hoder—actually leading Hoder’s
hand—to stab Baldur with a mistletoe branch. He dies and
journeys to the Goddess Hel in Manala and after forty days he
rises again from the dead. Ultimately, however, his mother is
unable to save him—in this regard Baldur’s story differs from
Lemminkäinen’s. Kaarle Krohn discusses these similarities, but
attributes them to the idea that both legends are of Christian
origin. In his mind, the source of these legends is found in the
story of the death of Jesus, his three-day visit to the realm of
the dead (Manala) and his ultimate resurrection.43
In this conclusion professor Krohn is absolutely wrong. In
presenting similarities between pagan ideas and the story of
Christ, he shows his unprofessionalism because he uses only
the Baldur tale as an example—and the Baldur tale is just one
of many. Even if the Christian origin of the Baldur tale could
be supported with writings from the Middle Ages—in itself not
97
very likely—Krohn’s explanation falls apart when you consider

the much older resurrection myths: Greek, Egyptian, Indian
and so forth.
Let us look at some examples. The ancient Hindu savior
Krishna was struck and killed by a hunter’s arrow as he sat en-
grossed in meditation under a tree. So tells the ancient Bhaga-
vata Purana, and Hindus count 5000 years since Krishna’s
death. After his death, Krishna descended to Manala and was
later resurrected. In Egypt, Osiris was killed by his nemesis, the
evil snake Typhon. But Osiris returns through his son Horus
and kills Typhon, to become “the master of life beyond the
grave” and “the judge of souls.” Likewise, Jesus is killed while
fighting evil but in his resurrection claims victory over “the
old snake.” The Apocalypse relates that Jesus has “the keys of
death and of Hades” (Revelation 1:18) and in Acts it is written
that he “is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge
of the living and the dead” (10:42). After his death, the Baby-
lonian savior Tammuz stayed for three days in the underworld
(Tuonela), after which he was resurrected. To commemorate
the death and resurrection of Tammuz, a yearly festival of joy
and sorrow was held in which someone like a clergyman said:
“Trust in your master because his sufferings have prepared sal-
vation for you.” Another well known Babylonian legend tells
that Ishtar, mother of Tammuz, descended to the underworld
to retrieve the waters of life with which she could revive her
dead son. The Greek myth about Bacchus (Zagreus or Diony-
sus) most resembles the story of Lemminkäinen because when
the Titans slay Dionysus he is cut into pieces. For three days
he sleeps in Hades, after which Jupiter awakens him and Pallas
brings him his heart. After his resurrection he takes his place in
heaven. A tale that presents Dionysus as Demeter’s son relates
that Demeter collects and puts together the mutilated parts of
her son’s body and makes him young and whole again, behav-
ing quite like Lemminkäinen’s mother.
98
lemminkäinen-christ
We can add more examples from Syria, Mexico and else-

where, but what we have presented should suffice to prove that
the idea of a savior who is killed, journeys to the underworld
and resurrects is extremely old and universal. The Christian
variant is a copy of older “pagan” forms. It is quite unnecessary
and simply mindless to argue that Lemminkäinen’s rune has
a Christian origin. With good reason—even better reason—it
can be shown to be of Greek or Egyptian origin. Because of this,
we are fully justified in regarding the story of Lemminkäinen’s
death, his mother’s self-sacrificing love and his own resurrec-
tion, as “holy” and of deep spiritual meaning, just as is the story
of the resurrection of Jesus.
Psychologically understood, Lemminkäinen’s rune contains
a crystal clear fact. The second person of Logos, the son of
Love or, that is to say, the divine emotional force which is ul-
timately one and undivided, is “killed” and cut to pieces, dis-
pensed among the individual members of humanity. There is a
little piece of it within every human being.vii
But what a travesty has that little piece of divine emotion
become! Love has changed into self-importance, hate for oth-
ers, and all sorts of distorted manifestations of selfishness and
vice. Not until “the resurrection” or “a rebirth” will the divine
love achieve within a person its original force, purity and unity,
and be able to lead and rule souls both living and dead.
The “resurrection” is, of course, an individual phenomenon
and is therefore esoteric by nature. In psychological terms,
“resurrected ones” are really seers who have accomplished a
long and difficult mental development. Humanity as a whole is
still far from its goal and never achieves it all at once. One by
one each individual gets to the end of the journey by their own
efforts and aspirations. Not until all the individuals of human-
ity are mentally reborn can it be said that the divine savior—
vii The Egyptians expressed this by setting the name of Osiris before every
grave. (“Osiris N. N.”)
99
the Son of God who within humanity’s heart has been cruci-
fied—has been resurrected and freed from voluntary distress.
Until then he actually wanders in death’s realm, preaching to
imprisoned souls in darkness.
And he could not resurrect without his mother’s help—
without the aid of the great mother of nature and life! It is the
school of life which educates humanity. Life is like a patient,
loving mother. Where would a human soul be as a plaything
of his emotions unless nature and life bound his wounds, com-
forted him, and instilled him with renewed spirit? When his
personal emotional life is destroyed, the seed of divine love
within his soul can neither help nor heal him. The mother na-
ture then hastens to the aid of Pätöinen Poika, and only the
mother’s gentle and careful hand can awaken the son from
death.
100
12
The Ilmarinen-Forces
Of all the Kalevala’s heroes, Ilmarinen is the only one whose
original divinity is accepted by scholars. The Votyaks today call
the Christian God Inmar, which phonetically recalls Ilmari; In-
mar and Ilmari were originally gods of the air. In an old sailor’s
chant, Ilmarinen is invoked for fair wind, and on a Lapp magi-
cian’s drum we find a genii called Ilmaris sending storm and
gale. When classifying the deities of the Häme people, Mikael
Agricola mentions that
Ilmarinen Rauhan ia ilman tei Ilmarinen is the god of peace and air
Ia matkamiehet edheswei And helps travelers.
The Kalevala reveals that Ilmarinen “forged the sky and
hammered out the firmament.” In the Birth of Fire rune he is
found together with Väinämöinen as the primeval lightning
striker:
Iski tulta Ilmarinen, Ilmarinen struck fire,
Välähytti Väinämöinen, Väinämöinen made flame flash
Sakarilla vaskisella, with a copper spike,
Miekalla tuliterällä, with a flaming sword
Päällä kuuen kirjokannen, in the six vaults of many colors,
Päällä taivosen yheksän. in the nine heavenly spheres.44
Professor Kaarle Krohn believes Lemminkäinen was original-
ly a real person, but regards the Kalevala’s vividly and realisti-
cally described Seppo (smith Ilmarinen) as being just a generic
101
character from the deep furrows of the Finnish psyche. “Ilma-

rinen is a feature,” he says, “or a poetic arche-image which ev-
ery Finn knows completely, and which impresses the foreigner
stronger than any other.” And as if to guardedly make an al-
lowance to the school of symbolic thought, professor Krohn
simply acknowledges that Ilmarinen (understood in this way)
“is historically much more real than the fame of any single
smith who ever lived in Finland.” 45
It is quite correct to say that Ilmarinen best represents the
Finnish character. He is sulky and tardy and without initiative.
He is a bit dumb and on the surface seems cold and emotion-
less. But when someone or something motivates him to work,
he is extremely skillful and conscientious. And when his blood
is fired with purpose, he is passionately willing and dedicated.
Even if it be easy to pull his leg, this can be attributed to his
honesty rather than to mere stupidity. The Kalevala, however,
only apparently describes the Finnish character through Ilma-
rinen. When the Kalevala is looked at from a local or limited
perspective, Ilmarinen is naturally observed in the Finnish peo-
ple. In looking at the Kalevala with our cosmic key—from the
universal perspective—then Ilmarinen, in embodying some-
thing of the Finnish character, also represents a fundamental
feature within the soul of all humanity. And what else could
this fundamental facet be besides human reason?
The characteristics listed above undeniably apply to the
Kalevala-hero who represents the principle of reason within
the collective life of humanity’s soul. The same ilmarinen-force
which later appears as intelligence and genius, in its first stage
of development addresses the states of stupidity and indolence.
And that the forces of reason are independent of emotion and
therefore cold, is psychologically and metaphysically as true as
the fact that passions and emotions can be stimulated—almost
without limit—by thought and reason.
102
the ilmarinen-forces
Reason or intellect is undeniably a fundamentally human

characteristic above all others. Without the Promethean light
of reason the human being is nothing more than an animal.
It is reason (discerning consciousness) which raises humani-
ty above the rest of nature; it lifts humanity to the door of deity
and opens up the possibility of endless development. Ancient
civilizations knew this. The Indian (Hindu) names for human
being are manu and manusha, derived from the Sanskrit stem
man, which means “to think.” Manu—the “human type”—is
thus “a thinker.” From the same root comes the English word
man, the German mensch and the Swedish människa—all mean-
ing “a human being.” Also from the same origin is the Latin
mens, “mind,” from which comes mental, meaning “concerning
thought or intellectual processes.” An interesting derivation
from the root-stem mens is mentiri—“to lie”—which, of course,
unthinking beings are incapable of.
There is a word that no being can use before rising to the
level of humanness. This word is “I.” The Finnish word minä
(I) sounds like the Finnish word ihminen (a human being). Is it
perhaps possible to find a connection between the Finnish word
minä and the Indo-European stem for the word “man”? And if
the stem of the word ihminen is ihmis, it has to be remembered
that “s” also appears in the words mens and manas (Sanskrit:
“mind”, “reason”). That the first syllable of the word ihminen is
ih and resembles the German word ich (“self” or “I”)viii may be
regarded by scholars as mere chance. At any rate, in the Finn-
ish words minä (I) and ihminen (human being) is reflected the
ancient peaceful spirit of thoughtful and discerning action.
For those with “ears to hear” these meaningful derivations
of everyday words prove that “the human being” was originally
conceived as a “thinking and reasoning being.” Since Ilma-
rinen thus represents in the mythology of the ancient Finns the
viii The German word ich (“self” or “I”) is also akin to the Greco-Roman
word ego and Sanskrit aham (“I”).
103
forces of intellect, his name is esoterically appropriate because,

in Theosophical literature and other sources, we know that the
element “air” corresponds to the “thought or reasoning plane.”
Likewise, “water” symbolizes the emotional plane, “earth” the
physical plane, and “fire” the world of higher spirit. Ilmarinen
thus means “the master and sovereign of the world of discern-
ing thought.” In the Theosophical literature—as every expert
knows—it has become customary to speak about the duality of
the human ego, the higher and the lower mind. This division
that has, by the way, slipped into our literature and everyday
language, is based partly on psychological analysis and partly
on a secret knowledge of the history of human development.
Goethe expresses through the mouth of Faust those winged
words:
“Two souls, alas! reside within my breast,
And each withdraws from, and repels, its brother;
One with tenacious organs holds in love
And clinging lust the world in its embraces;
The other strongly sweeps, this dust above,
Into the high ancestral spaces.” 46
Every human being eventually notices how the opposites of
good and evil, truth and lie, love and hate, beauty and ugliness,
pure and impure, and noble and mean fight for supremacy in-
side the mind. And it is not enough for the opposites to feel
comfortable side by side within the soul. People do not often
know in their own mind what is right and what is wrong be-
cause reason can defend both. In the physical body the natural
tendency to selfishness thus often claims victory through the
weakness of reasoning.
Psychological handbooks speak of this conflict only in pass-
ing, mentioning the existence of a pure reason, but focus only
on an analysis of mental life in itself. Everything which concerns
their examination is considered to be a function of lower rea-
son, including memory, logic and imagination. But observation
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the ilmarinen-forces
and memory correspond to the visual knowledge of higher rea-

son, logical understanding to the cosmic character of higher
reason (reason = Logos), and imagination to the creative force
of higher reason. The higher self easily serves the higher truth,
but the lower self must learn to become disentangled from the
domination of selfish emotions and passions by graduating
from the school of experience. Without further ado it should
be clear to every philosophically-minded person that a gradual
development of the constantly moving lower self is impossible
without the eternal thinker—the higher reason—in the back-
ground. The ageless wisdom has always defined and defended
the rights and functions of the higher self. No religion has ever
called the original purity of these rights “selfish” or “sinful.” All
religions and all esoteric wisdom-teachings advise the seeker to
fight the selfishness of lower reason and emerge victorious. The
teachings of ancient wisdom are rooted in a true understanding
of the birth and development of the fully human self.47
And what is this strange “self” which escapes the analyzing
insight of even the greatest philosophers such as Hume and
Kant; where does it come from? How is it born?
Only secret wisdom-teachings provide the answer. The hu-
man self has its origin in God. There is only one consciousness
in the world: the God-Self. Human self-reflective reasoning is
a fragment of the whole divine self; human reason is a tiny
fragment of the immense genii of the Logos. And how is the
human self designed and given birth?
When after long ages of developmental work the lower ele-
ments assemble an animal resembling a human being, like a
spiritual lightning-strike the light of the world (the divine rea-
son, the self-consciousness of Logos) descends into the animal,
material form, and the human self is born. From the dust of
earth, a human being is formed, but God’s spirit is blown in
from above! The Son of Reason moves from his celestial home
into the human figure. The human being is truly divided from
105
the moment of birth: One hand holds fast to his mundane hut,
while the other reaches up toward the blue sky. The human
self, descended from God, was born into an animal form. (More
details on these ideas can be found in H. P. Blavatsky’s The
Secret Doctrine.)
From a philosophical perspective we might conclude that
the highest expression of reason is achieved when it realizes
itself to be Reason, that is, born from God. This is possible only
with the help of the limited individual consciousness, through
the purification of the lower self. As we already noted in dis-
cussing Väinämöinen and the Creation of the World, the birth
of the human self is so important to the world’s development
that it is called “a second creation.”
In the Kalevala the task of “the second creation” is given to
Ilmarinen. Ilmarinen accomplishes something the others can-
not. Therefore let us now examine the activities of Ilmarinen.
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13
Ilmarinen, Fire and Iron
Isents the intellectual forces of humanity, why is he always
n the Kalevala’s visionary language, if Ilmarinen repre-
working with fire and iron, and why does he forge the Sampo?
While only mentioning that a “smith” aptly describes a hard-
working inventor, and this is the intellect’s fundamental char-
acter, we should emphasize that Ilmarinen represents the “light
of reason” and, as we will see, the smith’s work has clear occult
underpinnings. By describing Ilmarinen as a “smith” bustling
with fire and iron, the Kalevala clearly spells out for those who
have “eyes to see” that the ancient Finnish seers understood
Ilmarinen’s deeper occult function as well his identification
with conventional traditions and designations concerning the
functions of reason.
The origin and function of rational forces within human-
ity are presented in the Kalevala primarily as three events in
Ilmarinen’s life: the Birth of Fire, the Birth of Iron, and the
Forging of the Sampo.
The Birth of Fire provides an ethic for the descent of the
forces of intellect, divine conscience, and wisdom into a human
race wandering in darkness. In the previous chapter we quoted
verses from the Old Kalevala which depict Ilmarinen striking
fire. In the New Kalevala Ilmarinen’s name is changed to “the
man of the air,” but this phrase clearly refers to him. Ilmarinen,
107
master intellect and God of Reason, is the Prometheus who

delivers holy fire to the human race.
As long as humanity faithfully cares for the heavenly fire, all
is well. The soul of humanity is then like the virgin of Vesta in
her obedient innocence:
Neiti pitkän pilven päällä, On the very hem of heaven.
Impi ilman partahalla On a cloud the virgin rocked it,
Tuota tulta tuuitteli, Rocked the fire
Valkeaista vaapotteli and swung the light,
Kultaisessa kätkyessä, Swung it in a golden cradle,
Hihnoissa hopeisissa. Swaying it on straps of silver.48
This is the state of paradise as described in many ancient my-
thologies. The holy fire of the highest self enlightens the young
human race which, obeying its inner light, knows little of the
external world. Young Adam lives innocently within nature as
its obedient servant. But the time of happiness and blessing is
all too brief in the paradise of Lemuria, for the lemminkäinen-
forces of emotion and passion are stirring within humanity.
Human beings are divided into two genders, Adam and Eve,
and the holy fire of spirit loses its brightness. The calamity is
described in the rune which tells how:
Impi tulta tuuitteli, Thus the virgin rocked the fire,
Vaapotteli valkeaista, Rocked the fire and swung the light,
Tulta sormilla somitti, Nursed the fire-spark with her fingers,
Käsin vaali valkeaista. Sheltered it between her hands;
Tuli tuhmalta putosi, But the stupid maiden dropped it,
Valkea varattomalta, Slipping through her careless fingers,
Kätösiltä kääntelijän, From the hands that should have
nursed it,
Sormilta somittelijan. Fingers that were meant to save it.49
And the fire changed into burning lightning which rushed
from sky to earth, bringing destruction, suffering and distress
(47:173-312). In this way, the intellect together with emotion
108
ilmarinen, fire and iron
creates all evil and moral suffering by breaking natural law

(causa efficiens). Lucifer, the light bringer, who in his original
heavenly abode is the same as Christ (Logos), falls to earth
and becomes the damned Satan, Christ’s opponent. Pure rea-
son defends truth and virtue, but through indulgence and lust,
fallen reason gives way to selfishness and falsehood. As the Ka-
levala tells it, the cooperation of Väinämöinen and Ilmarinen
is really needed, the divine forces of will and intellect must
unite to raise humanity from its fallen state. And how pro-
found is the work of those divinely-born brothers! The rune
containing the Birth of Fire greatly impresses our minds with
the scope of this task.
But at the last moment even they need help. And help
appears:
Pikku mies merestä nousi, Then a little man arose,
Uros aalloista yleni... Tiny dwarfman from the sea...50
This “little man” is Päivän Poika (the son of Day)—mean-
ing the son of Sun or son of God—or, in other words, Christ
within a human being’s soul. The collective drama changes
now to the individual. The little man who “rises from the sea”
is Lemminkäinen who has grown into Pätöinen Poika; from the
churning swells of emotion emerges Divine Love.ix This newly
born human being is the smallest of the small, yet his power
is greater than the great. He is the son of God and his Father
helps him in this way:
Vieri veitsi taivosesta, From the sky a knife came falling,
Puukko pilvistä putosi, From the clouds
a sheath-knife dropping,
Pää kulta, terä hopea, Golden-hilted, silver-bladed,
Vieri vyölle Päivän pojan. Down upon his belt directly.51
ix Translator’s note. See Chapter 10 for more details on Lemminkäinen’s

development into Christ.
109
With this sheath-knife sent from the sky he cleaves open

the pike and frees the fire-spark which had been swallowed.
Pätöinen Poika, like Christ, breaks the hold of bestiality and
selfishness within humanity’s heart and sets free the spark of
divine intellect. However, as we mentioned earlier, this now
occurs esoterically, meaning within the individual.
All ancient nations considered fire to be holy and celebrated
the glory of heavenly light and fire. The Ascension Day bon-
fire (helavalkea) at Whitsuntide was lit in the spring not just to
celebrate the vernal light but also for the glory of reason and
wisdom, and even this Christian holiday at Whitsuntide brings
this to mind. Without entering into a linguistic debate, we
should ask why there is a similarity between the Finnish word
“hela” and the Elm’s Fire of the old Germans and, furthermore,
how both of these are related to the Grecian “Fire of Hermes.”
(Hermes-Mercury was the messenger of the gods and God of
wisdom.)x
On the other hand, the Birth of Iron rune also illuminates
the human history of the intellect-forces from, we might say,
the mundane viewpoint. In first reading this incantation rune,
we only see some speculation about the origin of iron; at the
most, “iron” might mean physical matter in general. From the
beginning verses:
Ilma on emoja ensin, Air’s the first one of the mothers,
Vesi vanhin veljeksiä, Water, oldest of the brothers,
Rauta nuorin veljeksiä, Iron, youngest of the brothers,
Tuli kerran keskimäinen. Fire, the brother in the middle.52
If “air” represents the world of thought in general and “wa-
ter” the emotional realm, then “iron” is the exponent of the
physical world. But since Ilmarinen plays the main role in the
x Translator’s note. The Finnish word hela resembles the Greek word he-
lios (the sun); the corresponding Finnish verb is helottaa. Related mea-
nings include brightness, shine, and to glitter.
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birth of ironxi and the key to understanding Ilmarinen has al-

ready been discussed, it is clear that iron as well as fire symbol-
izes some process or manifestation of intellectual powers. Let
us not forget the meaning of fire discussed earlier: Fire is from
heaven, fire is the pure light of reason, the divine enlighten-
ment spoken of in the Gospel of John (1:4). Remembering this,
we can understand what “iron” really is.
Iron, tells the rune, is the younger brother of fire—a close
relation:
Olipa aikoa vähäinen, After a little time had passed,
Rauta tahteli tavata Iron yearned to meet his brother,
Vanhempata veikkoansa, Meet his elder brother, fire,
Käyä tulta tuntemahan And to get acquainted with him.53
What else could iron thus be but the younger brother of
pure reason, the lower reason, logic, which is often considered
steely, cold and hard as iron? Iron is really soft when compared
to fire,xii as is our mundane reason when compared to the
heavenly, divine reason, so justifiably it is said in the Gospels:
“and the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not
comprehend it” (John 1:5). However, darkness and ignorance
always desire light, just as in the Kalevala we read how iron
yearns to meet fire. The old nations spoke about the inevitable
dark “Iron Age”—where humanity now lives—and yearningly
recalled the earlier “Golden Age” when the spiritual light of
the higher self freely shone in the as yet unmanifest humanity.
In the rune of the Birth of Iron we find a remarkable fea-
ture: Iron is born through the work of Ilmarinen before Ilma-
rinen himself is born. We can understand this occurrence in
the development of humanity through the teachings of occult
xi The one mentioned as the giver of iron’s birth—“Ukko, the highest
Creator, he himself the God of Air”—can clearly also refer to Ilmarinen.
xii Translator’s note. Iron is soft compared to fire because it is melted by
fire.
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wisdom. Before the ilmarinen-forces of reason and thought

were fully embodied, the developing ability to think was al-
ready being formed by “natural evolution.” Within the animal
kingdom then extant—or, we might say, in the animal kingdom
of which early humanity was then a part—the crude precursors
of thought emerged. We do not suggest that an ability to think
independently or to follow a train of reason was yet present,
but within the animal group-consciousness we can trace the
will to self-consciousness and nuances of early thought: imitat-
ing, admiring, attachment and faithfulness. These same traits
are abundantly found even in the animal kingdom of today.
The seed of understanding had already been planted in the
depths of the human soul—iron was hidden in the swamps and
cliffs, as the Kalevala says—before it was allowed to emerge for
humanity to see.
Only after this event does the rune shift to tell us about the
birth of Ilmarinen or the awakening of the higher forces of
reason:
Syntyi seppo Ilmarinen, Ilmarinen had been born,
Sekä syntyi, jotta kasvoi, Born and grown to manhood too,
Se syntyi sysimäellä, Born upon a hill of charcoal,
Kasvoi hiilikankahalla, Grew up on a cindery heathland,
Vaskinen vasara käessä, In one hand a copper hammer,
Pihet pikkuiset piossa. In the other his tiny tongs.
Yöllä syntyi Ilmarinen, In the night the smith was born,
Päivällä pajasen laati. On the next day built his smithy.54
Ilmarinen did not evolve from lower states, he was not like
a newborn who can do nothing. He was born the “smith eter-
nal,” already complete at birth. Having been born at night, he
built his smithy the very next day. He was an old citizen from
another world who took the form on earth of a recognizable
figure. In the Old Kalevala, when the bird sent by Louhi asks
112
Ilmarinen why he is so “very skillful, a forger quite capable,” he

responds:
Siksi olen kovin osaava, This is why I am so skilled,
Varsin taitava takoja: Quite the skillful smithy worker:
Kauan katsoin luojan suuhun, Long I watched the mouth of God,
Partahan jalon jumalan, Saw the beard of noble Ukko
Ennen taivoa takoissa, When he previously forged the sky,
Ilman kantta kalkuttaissa. Hammered out the firmament.55
This passage clearly relates an instance of the fire of heav-
enly reason descending from the higher spheres of spirit to take
up residence within humanity. “There was the true light which,
coming into the world, enlightens every man” (John 1:9).xiii
Comprehension began to awaken through natural evolu-
tion, but it is not until the holy ilmarinen-forces of higher rea-
son join with this dawning comprehension that the individual
human consciousness is truly born. Natural scientists usually
do not want to believe in this kind of “supernatural” coop-
eration but one of them, Darwin’s well known colleague A. R.
Wallace, admits that it is impossible for him to understand the
origin of the human spirit by any other means than this kind of
supernatural involution.
Now in the rune of the Birth of Iron there opens a window to
a historical era. There is nothing told about the happy Golden
Age when the light of higher spirit was supreme and iron still
“laid in the swamp.” Instead, the Birth of Iron story directly
embarks upon telling how after the “fall into sin” the ilmari-
nen-forces begin their task of bringing the iron of logical un-
derstanding into the daylight so that it can be forged. Indeed,
with these events, iron becomes very afraid of fire:
Rauta raukka säpsähtihe, Then poor iron was affrighted,
Säpsähtihe, säikähtihe, Was affrighted and afflicted
xiii Translator’s note. In the Finnish Bible of 1913, this passage reads: “It
was the earnest light, which enlightens all humans who come into the
world.”
113
Kun kuuli tulen sanomat, When he heard the fire speaking,

Tulen tuimat maininnaiset. When he caught the fiery meaning.56
But Ilmarinen beautifully consoles:
Ellös olko milläskänä, ‘Don’t you worry about all that.
Tuli ei polta tuttuansa, Fire won’t burn an old acquaintance,
Herjaile heimoansa! He won’t injure his own tribesman.
Kun tulet tulen tuville, When you come to the house of fire,
Valkean varustimille, To the burning barricade,
Siellä kasvat kaunihiksi, You will grow more beautiful
Ylenet ylen ehoksi, In the flashing of the blades,
Miesten miekoiksi hyviksi, Sword bladesxiv in the hands
of swordsmen,
Naisten nauhan päättimiksi. Ornamentsxv on women’s garments.’ 57
The mundane mind does not expand easily in the fire of the
holy wisdom of higher reason—it prays to get loose from this
“torment of red fire”—but Ilmarinen knows that evil will win
altogether if the lower mind is allowed to follow its own call:
Jos otan sinun tulesta, If I take you from the fire
Ehkä kasvat kauheaksi, You may grow to be a terror
Kovin raivoksi rupeat, And commit all kinds of outrage,
Vielä veistät veljeäsi, Even carve up your own brother,
Lastutat emosi lasta. Cut to chips your mother’s child.58
However, at this great moment of distress, Iron, the human
comprehension, promises that it has no thoughts of making
evil. Ilmarinen jerks iron from the fire, sets it on the anvil and
begins to form it. Now all that remains is the final trial so that
human understanding can become an excellent instrument of
higher reason:
Viel’ oli pikkuista vajalla, Yet some little thing was wanting,
Rauta raukka tarpehessa: Iron needed something more;
xiv Sword blades here means “the sword of truth.”
xv Ornaments here means “the charm of intellect (esprit).”
114
Eipä kiehu rauan kieli, Tongue of iron is not boiling

Ei sukeu suu teräksen, And the mouth of steel unborn:
Rauta ei kasva karkeaksi Iron won’t be tempered ever
Ilman veessä kastumatta. Till it’s quenched in tempering liquid.59
The test of emotion! Logic must be dipped in the baptis-
mal water of emotions and lusts. And Ilmarinen understands
that the baptismal water must be sweet and good (Kalevala,
Runo 9:207-230). But what happens? The bee from whom he
requests honey for the baptismal tempering disturbs his plan:
Lenteä hyrähtelevi, Then he flew and buzzed about
Viskoi hiien hirmuloita, As he hurled down Hiisi’s horrors,
Kantoi käärmehen kähyjä, Spewed the venom of the viper
Maon mustia mujuja, And the black blood of the adder,
Kusiaisen kutkelmoita, Then the acid of the ant,
Sammakon salavihoja, Hidden hatreds of the toad
Teräksen tekomujuihin, Into the tempering quench of steel,
Rauan karkaisuvetehen. Hardening liquid for the iron.60
It turns out the emotions were not all beautiful. When the
lower reason goes through the swirl of bestial lusts and desires,
its tenuous higher light goes out and all its power flows into
these emotions. Then Ilmarinen unknowingly immerses iron
in the accursed water, and
Sai siitä teräs pahaksi, This put steel in evil mood
Rauta raivoksi rupesi, And poor iron went quite mad;
Petti vaivainen valansa, Broke his word, the wretched creature,
Söi kuin koira kunniansa, Ate his honor like a dog:
Veisti raukka veljeänsä, Cut his brother, bit his kin,
Sukuansa suin piteli,
Veren päästi vuotamahan, Made the blood flow everywhere,
Hurmehen hurahtamahan. Gushing in a stream of gore.61
With dramatic realism, the rune about the Birth of Iron
thus ends its splendid presentation of the intellectual condi-
tion of humanity, introducing problems which continue today.
115
However, the ilmarinen-forces, in the form of culture, have

had a long presence.xvi
xvi Theosophists and astrologers know why iron was chosen as the symbol
of the lower mind, the lower reason. The incarnation of the ilmarinen-
forces took place only after the earth had cooled, physical iron emer-
ged, and the animal kingdom was fully formed. According to the ast-
rological-occultic interpretation, this was caused by Mars. Mars is the
planet of iron and also bestial aggressions, war and lusts, as everyone
acquainted with the symbolism of astrology knows. Not until the earth
had crystallized into a hardened physical state was it able to receive
the iron effects of Mars. Likewise, Mars’ strong emotional prodding
could not be felt within the animal consciousness. And the Sons of
Reason (“maanasaputras”) could not incarnate until the intellectual
foundations had awakened “from below.” In astrological terms, the
influence of the Sons of Reason has a Mercury-like effect (wisdom).
Mars and Mercury are thus two very important planets whose con-
nections with the earth are very mysterious. In a sense, the earth rep-
resents both Mars and Mercury—its development moves from Mars
to Mercury—and within Ilmarinen, who represents the humanity of
earth, is hidden the gods of both war and wisdom. However, with an
inventive psychological twist, the Kalevala gives the role of Mars to
Lemminkäinen, letting him be the warrior hero. This emphasizes that
Ilmarinen himself is innocent, virtually incapable of evil; reason’s evil
and weakness result only from enslaving itself to lusts and passions. It
is emotion that is the actual cause and origin (causa materialis) of sel-
fishness, unkindness and warring despotism. In a way, this also reflects
the same view of the old Chaldean-Jewish story about the fall into
sin: Eve (emotion) lures Adam (thought) to eat from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.
116
14
Ilmarinen and the Sampo
TSampo. A critical key to understanding the Kalevala is
he most remarkable thing that Ilmarinen forges is the
therefore a correct comprehension of the Sampo. As we now

understand who Ilmarinen is and what his forge represents, it
should be easy to get a general idea of the nature of the Sam-
po. The Sampo is something produced by the forces of intel-
lect working intensely within humanity. What could this be?
“Culture” is what instantly comes to mind. Lönnrot said long
ago that “the Sampo describes all the resources of livelihood
current at that time.” Through cultural institutions and edu-
cational tasks, the intellect that had gone astray, thrown into
the lap of base passions, was again guided in the right direc-
tion. However, the Kalevala relates that it was just this Sampo
that led the way to new and bigger conflicts. When Ilmarinen
forged the Sampo for the Mistress of Pohjola, she took it and
locked it within Pohjola’s stone fortress, a place the Kalevala
heroes apparently did not like. The people of Pohjola certainly
prospered greatly with the protection and benefits of the Sam-
po, but the Sampo was designed for a greater use. Thus, it was
a disadvantage for the heroes of the Kalevala to have lost it.
If the Sampo offers only culture, resources, livelihood, science
and art, one might suspect that Ilmarinen could just forge an-
other one, even a better and more magnificent Sampo. But
he didn’t and it is left to the Kalevala heroes to steal back the
117
Sampo, to save it from an eternity in Pohjola’s hill of stone.

This scenario suggests that an even more profound and secret
meaning is hidden within the Sampo.
The solution to the riddle of the Sampo in this deeper mean-
ing would answer the mysteries of age-old traditions. We al-
ready discussed how the secret knowledge does not have the
same viewpoint as scientific studies in regard to the birth of
civilizations, religions and so on. The position of the secret wis-
dom is often contradictory. According to this secret tradition,
all civilizations and religions have been installed from above,
that is, through the influence of more advanced beings. At the
dawn of time, humanity was as yet inexperienced and undevel-
oped, and the question arises as to where these higher beings
came from. And for this question too, the secret knowledge
has an answer: of course, they came from some other planet,
whose beings were substantially like those of early earth, but
immeasurably older and more developed. Consequently, these
advanced beings served as helpers and teachers. In our time
when theories are being formulated for moving organic life
from one heavenly body to another, this kind of idea should
not feel impossible. The väinämöinen- and ilmarinen-forces do
not succeed in holding the attention of humanity. Humanity
would have stayed ignorant of its divine faculties if Väinämöin-
en hadn’t urged Ilmarinen to forge the Sampo. Only after
the Sampo is made does the delightful maid of Pohjola agree
to wed.
Ilmarinen thus represents all intellectual forces, and not just
the intellect within individual people on earth, but also the
genius and wisdom of all other advisors, teachers, saviors and
legislators who have influenced us from other realms.
And now what about the Sampo?
The Sampo symbolizes the secret wisdom that the original
teachers of humanity brought with them from the other place,
the occult knowledge embodied by the so-called White or
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ilmarinen and the sampo
Secret Brotherhood—the seers and wisdom-keepers in their

invisible temple that “was not built by human hands.” This
knowledge is even contained within the word Sampo. Castrén
tells of an ancient Buddhist temple whose name in the Mon-
golian language is sampo and in the Tibetan language sangphu.
The latter word means “a secret fountain” (of happiness).62
There exists another Tibetan word which in our thinking
can be compared to Sampo. This is zampu or dzampu, which is
the Tibetan “tree of life.” It has three roots. The first rises to
heaven, to the top of the highest mountain, the second goes
down to Manala, the underworld, and the third stays in the
middle and reaches toward the east. If we may indulge in lin-
guistic speculations, we could suggest that Sampo or Sambo is
related to sambo or sambodha, which in Sanskrit means “the
highest knowledge or wisdom”—and why not also point out
the Latin combination of words summum bonum, “the high-
est good”? Comparetti’s attempt to explain that “Sampo” was
derived from the artificial Swedish word sambo (“a dwelling for
several people” or “to live together”) is linguistically unsuc-
cessful. The explanation by Friis that “Sampo” referred to the
Lappish magician’s drum, we will reserve for later discussion.xvii
And if it be true that the explanation for legendary words
must be sought in their own language, perhaps, for example,
“sampo” was derived from the word samapolku (“the path of
wisdom walked by ancient wisemen”)? In fact we do not con-
sider it impossible that the word Sampo is related to the words
sampi (a sturgeon) and sammas (statue or landmark) as modern
xvii In Lönnrot’s first book there is a point which clearly shows that the
Sampo is something mysterious and heavenly, and a near relative to
the ilmarinen-forces. When the Mistress of Pohjola asks Ilmarinen if
he could really forge the Sampo, he answers: “I could surely forge the
Sampo, make the multi-colored cover... a moment ago I forged the
Sampo, made the multi-colored cover, when I forged the starry sky,
hammered out the lid of heaven.” See Kalevalan esityöt (Preliminary
Works for the Kalevala) “I. Väinämöinen”, pgs. 451-458.
119
linguists believe. But the conceptual meaning of the Sampo

and the connection with these words will become clear when
the mystery of the Sampo is opened, in Chapter 28, with our
occult-psychological key.
Now let us remember, despite all this philological specula-
tion, our original occult reading for the word Sampo. Then we
can comprehend the words of the Mistress of Pohjola when,
with some suspicion and some admiration, she requires Ilma-
rinen to perform certain tasks:
Ohoh seppo Ilmarinen, Oho, you smith Ilmarinen,
Takoja iänikuinen! You, the eternal hammerer!
Saatatko takoa sammon, If you hammer out the Sampo
Kirjokannen kirjaella And devise the ciphered cover,63
Joutsenen kynän nenästä, Make it from the point of swan quill,
Maholehmän maitosesta, From the milk of farrow cow,
Ohran pienestä jyvästä, From a tiny grain of barley
Kesä-uuhen untuvasta? And the fleece of summer ewe...64
Ilmarinen has been presented with a superhuman, supernat-
ural, and, to the logical mind, impossible task. He will not be
able to forge the Sampo by means of a human being’s undevel-
oped faculties; it can only happen—even just in the sense of a
work of art—with the help of the gods. Only a being in whom
the higher self is consciously alive and whose knowledge is not
limited by sensory information and logic is capable of creating
the greatest artistic work of life; i.e., only they can sculpt the
secret school of life in which all humanity can be educated.xviii
xviii In one respect, the Big Oak verses (Kalevala Runo 2) are describing
something very similar to the Sampo: the original light of truth be-
hind countless variant religions and philosophies. A multitude of dif-
ferent methods and teachings obscure the light of the sun and moon
from the seeker’s eyes, and thus one despondently asks “where is the
truth?” Not until the “little man” (the same being we mentioned in
the Birth of Fire discussion as the intuition of love within the human
mind) emerges from the sea to cut down the Big Oak will the sun of
truth be seen.
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ilmarinen and the sampo
The forging of the Sampo is, in our thinking, not very well
described in the Kalevala. The original tradition was presum-
ably obscured although it is aesthetically impressive and psy-
chologically correct if we assume, as Juhani Aho does, that the
Sampo is a work of human art. The words describing the act of
forging were seemingly derived from the Birth of Fire sequence
and from the forging of the Golden Maid. The Runo 10 verses
281-310 and 393-422 complete the forging sequence and de-
scribe what kind of Sampo Ilmarinen forged. This suffices for
us to describe the forging of the Sampo.
Siitä seppo Ilmarinen, Thereupon smith Ilmarinen,
Takoja iänikuinen, The eternal hammerer,
Takoa taputtelevi, Rapped and tapped, rat-a-tat-tat,
Lyöä lynnähyttelevi, Clinking away with a clank,
clank, clank—
Takoi sammon taitavasti: Deftly built the Sampo mills:
Laitahan on jauhomyllyn, On one side a flower mill
Toisehen on suolamyllyn, And a salt mill on the second,
Rahamyllyn kolmantehen. On the third a money mill.
Siitä jauhoi uusi sampo, The new Sampo then was grinding,
Kirjokansi kiikutteli, With its ciphered cover spinning;
Jauhoi purnun puhtehessa, Ground three binfuls every morning:
Yhen purnun syötäviä, First a bin of things to eat,
Toisen jauhoi myötäviä, Next a bin of things to sell,
Kolmannen kotipitoja. Last a bin of things for home.65
This symbolism is not difficult to understand because the
teachers and messengers of the Secret Brotherhood installed
the foundations of all cultures. “Flour” is bread and provides
all the material needs of a human being (especially in the ag-
ricultural lands of the northern regions). But people cannot
live by bread alone; spiritual food is also needed, which “comes
from the mouth of the Father” as Jesus said. The symbol of this
spiritual life is “salt” and truly Jesus also said, “you are the salt
of the earth.” Lastly, a wealth of resources (symbolized in the
121
verse by “money”) are required to make civilization possible.

Creativity could not express itself in the sciences, arts, and re-
ligions were there not a continuous supply of abundance.
Is it therefore any surprise that “the Old Dame of Pohjola
delights”?
When the Sampo is enclosed within the Stone Mountain
of Pohjola, hidden behind nine locks, the great war over the
Sampo begins. People are divided into two camps. The people
of Kaleva want the Sampo, or at least a part of it, back for
themselves, while on the other hand the people of Pohjola jeal-
ously guard it for their own use.
What else could this be but a recollection by Finnish seers
of the old battle between “white magic” and “black magic” on
the continent of Atlantis? During the time of the Third Root
Race (discussed above) the great teachers incarnated among
humanity. During the Fourth Root Race the “black magic”
was developed in the land of Atlantis, reaching an alarming
strength. Symbolically, the Sampo had gotten into the hands
of the people of Pohjola. A great knowledge and wisdom was
given to humanity but they misused it, chaining it to their own
selfish goals. (This will be explored more deeply in the third
part of the book.) “The masters of the white race” then decid-
ed to salvage what was left so that humanity would not totally
self destruct. Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen, as
great leaders, rally the people of Kaleva to journey on a great
mission of salvation to the dark realm of Pohjola. Likewise, the
secret tradition of the Kalevala also tells how the elder seer
Väinämöinen magically sings all Pohjola into a deep sleep.
Even this little feature is enough to show that the “War over
the Sampo” episode (Runo 43) refers to the great war on At-
lantis, spoken of in many ancient legends.
122
15
Reincarnation
Wand resurrection of Lemminkäinen (Runos 14 and 15),
hen reading the beautiful Kalevala-runes about the death
he who is devoted to the Theosophical view of life naturally

recalls an ancient doctrine which reveals to him the enigma
of life, a doctrine he might also remember when pondering the
Christian resurrection. This ancient doctrine is reincarnation
which, when first heard of, seems rather odd.
The reincarnation doctrine implies that this life is neither
the first nor the last one—we reincarnate again and again. The
soul does not come from our parents nor is it created by God at
the moment of birth. The soul existed before birth. But where?
It comes from the unseen spiritual world, and to there it re-
turns after bodily death. The human soul is thus like a stranger
wandering on earth. It arrives through the gate of birth and
leaves through the gate of death.
But reincarnation is by no means without purpose. The entire
process of soul development is its goal. Without it, there can be
no spiritual development. Life as a whole would just go around
in circles, never able to be elevated should the individual at-
tainments ultimately pass away. But when there exists some-
thing—the soul—to which individual experiences are drawn,
like crops to the granary, then there is the possibility of con-
tinuous development over long periods. Mere physical inheri-
tance does not guarantee the preservation of, say, the quality
123
of genius—creative genius is seldom shared by kin—but rein-

carnation allows for the movement of such traits into another
life. When the human soul has developed to the point of ge-
nius, that genius is preserved and the soul can even continue
growing. This is possible only because the human being is really
a soul, living in the invisible world and incarnating on earth to
have learning experiences and to perform certain tasks.
In the Lemminkäinen rune the Kalevala beautifully empha-
sizes life’s triumph over death. The life-work of Lemminkäinen
is tragically cut short. He perishes before his work is done. Per-
haps the fault for this may be found in his own doings, but we
all feel bitter and sad when a promising life ends prematurely.
Se oli loppu Lemminkäisen, This was Lemminkäinen’s end,
Kuolo ankara kosian Death of that undaunted lover,
Tuonen mustassa joessa, In the murk of Death’s black river,
Manalan alantehessa. In the caverns of the dead.66
Yes, it was the end. But life is not all that bitter and hard.
The truth of reincarnation dispels the fear of death. A human
being is not forever banished from this world of experiences,
sufferings and tasks. His mother—nature—awakens him from
death and the Kalevala devotes a long rune to this Mother
Love as if to impress upon us that we should not fear death.
The Kalevala thus offers the same optimism as other philoso-
phies, and a belief in reincarnation existed in ancient India and
Egypt.
For the scientifically minded, it may seem too presumptu-
ous and hasty to conclude that the ancient Finns believed in
reincarnation. In the Kalevala, it is not even clearly spelled out
with so many words, and it is scientifically disagreeable to deci-
pher words to mean something else! True enough, we will an-
swer to this, but let us not forget that, all along, we have been
excavating deeper things that cannot be seen on the surface.
There is nothing unscientific in this in terms of our methods.
124
reincarnation
Our interpretations, however, may be unreasonable and un-

scientific or they may be reasonable and based upon deeper
insights. Naturally, it is our duty to do this with a critical eye.
We have our own reasons for our firm convictions that Finn-
ish seers knew about and themselves believed in reincarnation
as an unshakable law of life. As for us, we do not need any ex-
ternal evidence for it (the reincarnation doctrine). But we do
not think it wrong to seek for traces of a belief in reincarnation
among the old runes of the Kalevala. We even feel that if the
collectors of these runes and incantations would have taken
this possibility to heart, their harvest would have been much
greater. There are people even today in Finland who know by
their own experiences the truth of reincarnation.
There remains for us to see other places in the Kalevala
which refer to reincarnation. Such is the whole life history of
Lemminkäinen, with its different periods and variant names.
We discussed this earlier (see the “Lemminkäinen-Forces”
chapter) and we will only remind the reader that those de-
velopmental stages in Lemminkäinen’s life marvelously por-
tray the reincarnational stages of individual growth. Let us
name this individual soul Lemminkäinen; thus, Wet-Hat the
cowherder refers to an earlier stage in Lemminkäinen’s soul
journey, Ahti Saarelainen is typical of stages occurring a little
later, with Lemminkäinen himself following close and Pätöinen
Poika symbolizes the final acts. And another clear instance re-
ferring to reincarnation is Väinämöinen’s promise to return:
“Annapas ajan kulua, “Let the rope of time run out—
Päivän mennä, toisen tulla, One day go, another come—
Taas minua tarvitahan, And again I will be needed.
Katsotahan, kaivatahan, They’ll be waiting, yearning for me
Uuen sammon saattajaksi, To bring back another Sampo,
Uuen soiton suoriaksi, To invent another harp,
Uuen kuun kulettajaksi, Set a new moon in the sky,
Uuen päivän päästäjäksi, Free a new sun in the heavens
125
Kun ei kuuta, aurinkoa When there is no moon, no sun

Eikä ilmaista iloa...” And no gladness on the earth.” 67
As experts in ancient religions or modern Theosophy know,
there is another doctrine closely related to the idea of reincar-
nation. This is the law of cause and effect known to the Bud-
dhists as karma. It is karma in connection with reincarnation
that determines what the nature of each individual incarnation
is to be. The innate physical abilities and mental faculties of a
person are the “presents” of karma, that is to say, consequences
of a soul’s past development and effort. The family and envi-
ronment one is born into are likewise determined by karma, as
are the unsuspected “blows of fate” encountered during life.
When dwelling upon the law of karma, the extent to which the
human soul is truly “free” becomes very clear.
Finnish people have always firmly trusted in “the Creator”
or “destiny.” “It is so allowed”xix is often the only consolation
in times of grief. And there are many Finnish proverbs that de-
scribe this “fatalism” from different viewpoints. Some of these
are:
What goes around comes around.
What is left behind will be found ahead.
No word is said that is not meant for something.
Along the way one finds a big stump in a burnt-out clearing.
A rich man may become poor, a beggar may become a General.
By turns the water is rowed.
The wise man learns from the mistakes of others, the miserable
man learns from his own.
If only I had my present mind in past time!
If I have become a slave, I once owned a slave.
You knew more when you arrived.
One gets wise by misfortune, not buttercakes.
One’s own problems teach understanding about the troubles
of others.
xix Translator’s note. “Se on niin sallittu” (it is so allowed) means to rely
upon Providence.
126
reincarnation
In the light of reason, a strong faith in destiny clearly re-

quires that the law of reincarnation be understood completely.
Thus it seems likely that the Finnish people were taught the
doctrine of reincarnation some time in the past. They were
taught, and they still remember, to trust in destiny and the
Creator, although half of what they knew was forgotten later
in the Christian age. Even the proverbs given above take on a
greater meaning when read with reincarnation in mind. One
man does not necessarily go from being a beggar to a General
in the same incarnation, but in separate incarnations the roles
truly complement each other like actors on a stage. How many
people sigh later in life with the thought, “if only I had my
present mind when I was young”—if only I had the wisdom of
age and experience in my younger days, I would have known
how to live better. From the standpoint of reincarnation this
opportunity will indeed arise.
There are people alive who truly believe that this mundane
life is just one empty valley of sorrow. They don’t even have the
strength to consider the thought of reincarnating here. Clearly,
the mundane life does not have much to offer the person who
expects constant pleasure, rejoicing, and happiness. One who
expects as much begins from a false assumption, and when life
does not offer pleasure without distress, rejoicing without sor-
row, happiness without disappointment, it is natural that the
“broken (selfish) heart” will lure reason to the abyss of pessi-
mism. But if a person starts from the viewpoint offered by the
doctrine of reincarnation, then the orientation to living totally
changes, and a peace of mind comes which is hard to shake.
As you see, according to reincarnation each person is the
smith of their own happiness. We experience exactly what we
draw to ourselves. And we have to work for our happiness. We
have to thoroughly live every joy and every pleasure. Life gifts
us with life itself and the capacity to feel, enjoy, and be happy.
Everything else we must work to obtain for ourselves, and even
our basic faculties must be educated and developed.
127
If it seems that we do not accomplish what we strive for,

that despite all our efforts life does not live up to our expecta-
tions, this is only an appearance. When we understand that we
have been here before and will be here again, then we know
the difference between what we reached for and what we have
achieved. In some future incarnation we will certainly achieve
what we hope for in this life. And yet we need not look so far!
A human being who understands the impartiality of life’s laws
and their ability to respond to our requests develops in his life-
experience the idea that one reaps what one sows. That which
ends up half-finished and incomplete is not caused by life itself.
The ideal goal of humanity has itself been stunted, the ideal
accomplished is still filled with weakness and ignorance, and
all visible striving depends on time and place! A mentally bal-
anced person does not expect too much, neither from life nor
from himself.
This genuine Finnish balance is informed by a faith in rein-
carnation. Its great moral effect is that it wholly changes our
comprehension of suffering and evil.
Since we arrive here on earth to learn and life is our great
teacher, suffering is not an absolute evil. Suffering is nature’s
answer to our errors. God does not send us just any sufferings,
life does not harass us with misfortune. But when we do not
understand how to use our reasoning conscience and how to
listen to our heart, and instead express our bestial instincts,
then we invoke all the goddesses of suffering and distress from
the depths of the human soul. “What goes around comes
around.” We ourselves define our punishment and life guides
and grows us. “Through misfortune one grows wise.” Suffering
is only apparent evil—it is sensual evil, not spiritual. Suffering
has a cleansing effect and an uplifting movement, unless a per-
son in great hopelessness throws himself into it and becomes
trapped.
128
reincarnation
Evil is not what we suffer, it is what we do. Suffering is the

atonement for evil and evil consists of selfish deeds which call
suffering into the world. This is Finnish wisdom.
129
16
In the Cottages of Tuonela
Wabout death and life after death? Investigators concur
hat does the wisdom of the ancient Finns have to say
that the ancient Finns were not materialists. They had ideas
about the continuation of life after death but their concep-
tions of Tuonela are gloomy and gray. Matti Varonen writes in
his dissertation: “The faith in the immortality of the human
spirit and its continuation after death in a similar state as it
was on earth is found to be a consistent point in pagan religions
around the world. Thus arose the belief that the spirits of the
deceased could appear here on earth, and ancestor reverence
is a basic doctrine of pagan religion. Cultures deeply rooted
in this ancient belief system are so strongly attached to it that
even after the arrival of Christianity we find these dim ideas
mixed into folk belief.”68
And Kaarle Krohn writes in his book The Religion of Finnish
Runes: “Within Finnish runes, Castrén has identified two dif-
ferent conceptions of the place where the deceased live. Ac-
cording to one the dead spend a shadow life in their graves.
According to the other they gather together at a specified lo-
cation underground called Tuonela or Manala. In both cases
Castrén supposes them to be dependent upon a special divine
being. The grave master and his legion were called Kalma and
the masters of Tuonela and Manala went by the names Tuoni
and Mana.” 69
130
in the cottages of tuonela
In point of fact we need not write yet another study of the

ancient Finn’s faith in immortality and their ideas about the
afterlife; our scientists have done this thoroughly. With good
intent we can recommend to our readers the above quoted
works. Our task remains to show what truth is hidden behind
these ancient ideas, which to scientists are merely supersti-
tions. Clearly, scientific researchers take an essentially negative
stand on these matters. All “ghost stories” are thought to be
derived from superstitious ignorance and the light of Christian
civilization “drives off the spirits of the deceased”; the worship-
ping of the deceased results from the fact that people do not
know the True God.
But we should momentarily put ourselves in the place of the
ancient seers and look at death through their eyes. We can do
this when we let Theosophy explain to us what the Wisdom of
the Ages, collected from the supersensory experiences of in-
numerable explorers, has to say about life beyond the grave.70
This realm which a human being passes through between
two incarnations is divided into three phases. First is the period
of the soul’s distress, in which a human being learns to see his
own evil as it was expressed during life. Memories becomes viv-
id; he meets or believes he meets all the people he had harmed
in some way and he feels their pain himself, understands and
repents. He is advised, taught, and guided to the right way; this
realm is called Tuonela or Kâmaloka (“the place of desires”). It
is a purgatory that purifies, it is the astral world, and so on. In
the second phase the newly departed relives everything that
was beautiful, innocent, and happy; it is as though he fades
away from Tuonela and is once again in the world, a world
without suffering or evil. His most delightful dreams come true,
whatever was imagined about being happy is now presented in
lively images and feelings. All living beings whom he loves sur-
round him with warm embrace; this realm is called Heaven or
Devachan (“the land of the gods”). It is paradise, the realm of
higher life, and so on. The third period is the preparation for
131
a new mundane life. At the heights of his happiness and grate-

fulness a human being begins to think about a new incarna-
tion, in which he will again have the chance to experience
and learn, to obtain new virtues and faculties. Thus, he aban-
dons himself into the heart of his own soul and the embrace
is so complete that the old personality vanishes into oblivion,
thoroughly being dissolved. Then, after the “descent into mat-
ter” is completed, and when the appropriate parents have been
found, a new human baby is born into the physical world.
It should be noted that at the boundary between this world
and Tuonela there exists an ethereal transition state through
which the normal deceased person passes unconsciously, and
which separates him from the physical world once he has ar-
rived in Tuonela. But if the deceased, for one reason or an-
other, feels attached to the mundane life, he may stay in this
immaterial transition state or return there at times from Tuon-
ela. In both cases he is then in a position to connect with the
physical realm and associate with the living through hauntings
or through a medium.
The Kalevala demonstrates that these things were clearly
understood by ancient Finnish seers. In Runos 16 and 17 we
read of Väinämöinen’s journey to Tuonela and his adventure
with Antero Vipunen. Like Orpheus descending to Tartarus
to seek his Eurydice, Väinämöinen is not dead, but is a liv-
ing seeker who journeys to Manala in search of three magic
words. And although the Kalevala does not relate much about
Väinämöinen’s observations regarding Tuonela, it lets him
speak this warning:
“Elkätte imeisen lapset “Never, you children of mankind,
Sinä ilmoisna ikänä Never, never, forever never,
Tehkö syytä syyttömälle, Put the blame upon the blameless,
Vikoa viattomalle! Never hurt the innocent!
Pahoin palkka maksetahan Drastic is the penalty
Tuolla Tuonelan koissa: In the house of Tuonela:
132
Sia on siellä syyllisillä, There the guilty have their spaces,

Vuotehet viallisilla, Sinners have their resting places
Alus kuumista kivistä, On a couch of searing slabstone,
Palavoista paateroista, On a bed of burning boulders,
Peitto kyistä, käärmehistä, Under a cover of woven serpents,
Tuonen toukista kuotta!” Woven from the worms of Tuoni.” 71
The underlying truth of these words is clear. They precisely
describe how evil gets its payback in Manala.
When Väinämöinen does not find the magic words he was
seeking in Tuonela, a herder suggests he go visit Antero Vi-
punen:
“Saat tuolta sata sanoa, “You can get a hundred spells,
Tuhat virren tutkelmusta A thousand strands of magic verse
Suusta Antero Vipusen, From the mouth of Vipunen,
Vatsasta vara-väkevän...” Belly of the verseful one...” 72
The difficulties of the journey do not frighten Väinämöinen,
and he finds the giant seer and awakens him from his sleep of
death. The giant swallows Väinämöinen and, if Väinämöinen
were an ordinary mortal, Vipunen would have done away with
him as he had with the rest:
“Jo olen jotaki syönyt, “I have eaten many a morsel,
Syönyt uuhta, syönyt vuohta, Eaten lamb and eaten kid,
Syönyt lehmeä mahoa, Eaten beef
Syönyt karjua sikoa, and eaten boar,
En ole vielä mointa syönyt, But never anything like this,
En tämän palan makuista... Nothing with a taste like this...”
Mi sinä lienet miehiäsi, “If a man, who are you there
Ja kuka urohiasi, And what sort of human creature?
Jo olen syönyt sa’an urosta, I have eaten men by hundreds,
Tuhonnut tuhannen miestä, By the thousands swallowed them
Enpä liene mointa syönyt, But never anything like this:
Syet suuhuni tulevat, To my mouth hot coals are rising,
Kekälehet kielelleni, Firebrands on my tongue are burning,
Rauan kuonat kulkkuhuni.” Cinders choking up my gullet.” 73
133
But Väinämöinen himself is a seer, a wise truth seeker who

clearly intends to go onward fearlessly toward his goal. He
does not give up until Antero Vipunen consents to share his
knowledge:
Silloin virsikäs Vipunen, Then the verseful Vipunen,
Tuo vanha vara-väkevä, Oldest sage with oldest wisdom,
Jonk’ oli suussa suuri tieto, In his mouth the greatest magic,
Mahti ponnetoin povessa, In his bosom endless power,
Aukaisi sanaisen arkun, Opened up his ark of sayings
Virsilippahan levitti, And revealed his store of verses
Lauloaksensa hyviä, For good singing,
Parahia pannaksensa, best of chanting
Noita syntyjä syviä, Of the deepest origins
Ajan alkuluottehia, From the very birth of time,
Joit’ ei laula kaikki lapset, Which not every child can copy
Ymmärrä yhet urohot Nor even grown-ups understand
Tällä inhalla iällä In these dreadful days of evil,
Katovalla kannikalla. In this last and fleeting age.74
Who is this Antero Vipunen and how is this giant of wisdom
portrayed? What else but the realm where the deceased experi-
ence their heavenly state! Vipunen sleeps, and truly heaven is
likened to a dreaming, peaceful rest. Vipunen eats everything,
and truly the deceased lose their personal identity by the end of
the heaven stage. Vipunen tries to chant away Väinämöinen,
who is causing a great disturbance. Likewise, distress and evil
are not allowed through to the heaven realm. But when Vi-
punen is finally won over, he opens to Väinämöinen the trea-
sures of his knowledge—and this is true for the human being
who can retain his consciousness amidst the swirl of the after
death journey. The memory stores of nature are opened to him,
and he is allowed to read “the book of life” which preserves all
events since the beginning of the world. (In Theosophical lit-
erature one reads of “The Akashic Records.”) Antero Vipunen
holds the great, secret book of nature, and only by reading this
134
can one become a very wise sage. Every deceased person must
read it, both in Tuonela and in the heaven state, but most can
see nothing but their own past doings. The happy Väinämöinen
and his kind, who are not distracted by thoughts of themselves,
can steadily read and absorb from nature the secret knowledge
that truly belongs only to unselfish beings.
We also can see that when we read the Kalevala with under-
standing, it speaks clearly about the nature of life after death.
In the rune about the journey to Tuonela (Runo 16), we can
understand the nature of the semi-material transition state
which separates Tuonela from the physical world. Specifically,
when Väinämöinen asks the girl of Tuoni to bring a boat so that
he can “get over the river,” she refuses because Väinämöinen
is not dead:
“Vene täältä tuotanehe, “We will bring the boat from here
Kuni syy sanottanehe, Only when you tell the reason,
Mi sinun Manalle saattoi Why you come down here to Manala
Ilman tau’in tappamatta, Without dying of disease,
Ottamatta oivan surman, Neither in the course of nature
Muun surman musertamatta.” Nor by other doom deceased.” 75
At first Väinämöinen tries to hide his real reason by impress-
ing upon the girl that death by iron, water, and fire has called
him to Manala. But “the shortkin girl of Tuoni, the little miss
of Manala” responds every time by chiding him:
“Jopa keksin kielastajan! “What a tongue-beater you are!
Kump’ on Tuoni tänne toisi, If my father brought you here,
Mana mailta siirtelisi, Mana moved you from your country,
Tuoni toisi tullessansa, Tuoni would escort you here,
Manalainen matkassansa, Mana keep your company,
Tuonen hattu hartioilla, Tuoni’s hat upon your shoulders,
Manan kintahat käessä... Mana’s mittens on your hands...
Kun rauta Manalle saisi, If iron brought you down to Mana,
Teräs toisi Tuonelahan, If steel brought you to Tuonela,
135
Verin vaattehet valuisi, Then your clothing would be bloody

Helmasi herahteleisi... And the red death streaming out...
Jos vesi Manalle saisi, If water brought you down to Mana,
Aalto toisi Tuonelahan, On the wave to Tuonela,
Vesin vaattehet valuisi, Then your clothing would be dripping
Helmasi herahteleisi... And your hems would be cascading...
Jos tuli manalle toisi, If fire brought you down to Mana,
Valkeainen Tuonelahan, Or if flame to Tuonela,
Oisi kutrit kärventynnä, Sadly would your hair be singed
Partaki pahoin palanut.” And your old beard badly burned.” 76
The girl of Tuoni clearly speaks about the fact that even in
the ethereal transition state the cause of death should be ap-
parent. The deceased is enclosed in the semi-material ethe-
real ghost whose outer appearance still resembles the physical
body. This is why, when the deceased appears at the moment of
death to a distant friend or relative, he looks exactly like he did
when he died: Those killed by disease are lean and pale, blood
streams from the wounds of those pierced by swords, and water
drips from the drowned.
Väinämöinen is the type of seer who journeys to the realm of
the dead. And he is by no means the first of his kind to make
the journey, as can clearly be seen in the words of the girl of
Tuoni:
“...Parempi sinun olisi “...Better would it be for you
Palata omille maille; To return to your own country—
Äijä on tänne tullehia, Many there are who enter here,
Ei paljo palannehia.” Few there are who e’er return.” 77
Väinämöinen belongs to the few who go to Tuoni alive and
return with full consciousness of the journey. These few are of
many types, from the lowest magicians and mediums to the
highest seers and wisemen. Kaarle Krohn is quite correct (al-
though he does not describe the highest type of seer) when
he writes: “The belief in a magician as a medium is nothing
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unique to northern nations but is a general belief in all ancient

religions around the world. To make a connection to the spiri-
tual world so that in a state of emergency it would already be
known what sacrifices needed to be made, was the essential
task of these magicians. While the average human being some-
times in sleep or stupor seems to loosen from the limits of the
bodily perceptions, the magician must artificially induce this
state, to excite himself into an ecstacy so the soul can depart
and move freely into association with the realm of spirits.” 78
We may wonder why the ancient seers usually describe the
life beyond the grave as gloomy and meaningless. We can un-
derstand this when we remember that in ancient times the souls
of the overwhelming majority of human beings performed mag-
ic in the evil sense much more than nowadays. The heavenly
state changes in color, meaning, and feeling with the chang-
ing growth experiences of the collective soul of humanity; the
heavens of modern civilization are therefore much more in-
teresting than the heavens of ancient nations. For people who
engaged in it, sorcery and evil gave rise to frightful spectors
upon death, as does a bad conscience these days. Death is a day
of reckoning. Many in the past and some even today try by dif-
ferent means (for example, incantation) to lengthen the semi-
material state and delay the inevitable plunge into the horrors
of Tuonela. The deceased of ancient nations hovered between
heaven and earth in comparatively large numbers, clinging
with all their effort to the semi-material state. Although the
appearance of this state resembles the physical body, consist-
ing of the most subtle form of physical matter, this body is not
useful for interaction or fulfillment in any sense and so serves
to imprison the soul in an existence of gray inactivity. After
some time these beings were, of course, forced to desist and
abandon themselves to the depths of the unconscious, where
waits the frightening revenge of Tuonela, in retribution for evil
done during the mundane life. It is natural that mediums and
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magicians of the less advanced type—the majority of seers—

looked into the beyond and saw only a shadow-life in the realm
of Kalma or distress in the land of Tuoni. And although the no-
blest of seers such as Väinämöinen knew the heavenly sphere
and the greatest secrets of Antero Vipunen, it was difficult to
describe these things to the common people except to say that
it was happy and restful for those who had lived well. As cer-
tain proverbs say:
A good person lives well, and it is beautiful to die with honor.
The deceased have fallen asleep.
The child is spared in heaven.
Wherever one dies, in heaven the same measure is used for all.
A human being dies as he has lived.
The deceased has used up his turn.
Peace for those still living, rest for those deceased.
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17
The Playing of Väinämöinen
Aplace in the Kalevala is the description of Väinämöinen
esthetically, the most beautiful, eloquent and grandiose
playing the kantele in Runos 41 and 44. Here we see the deep
reverence of the Finnish people for nature. For them, nature is
not dead or strange. Furthermore, apparently “lifeless” objects
are really full of consciousness and emotion and are as close to
the human heart as living beings. Human beings are truly just
a link in the great chain of nature, brothers to all and equal to
all beings in nature. Although in the Kalevala one consistently
meets with this viewpoint of the ancient Finns—that of “na-
ture animated and personified”—the totality of this belief is
well represented in the description of Väinämöinen’s playing.
Väinämöinen enchants all of nature and all living beings with
his playing. Even though F. A. Hästesko considers the scene
to have been “created by joking and free imagination,” 79 his
words also suggest the commonly held opinion that this pas-
sage contains the most sublime truth for those who read it with
understanding.
In fact it opens to us a new understanding of the mental
landscape in which the lively truth seeking of the Kalevala’s
sages can be recognized.
Through his playing we here meet the Väinämöinen who
is a great and perfect seer. He can no longer be regarded as
an average truth seeker, for he raises himself to dizzy heights
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above the rest of humanity, where nobody can even touch the
strings of his kantele (Runo 40:259-332). Julius Krohn says this
about Väinämöinen’s superiority: “He has abandoned his pri-
vate needs of happiness; he has sacrificed his entire life, all his
thoughts and feelings, to the fatherland.” Or instead of “father-
land,” “to the common good” as Rafael Engelberg remarks.80
He—Väinämöinen—has almost achieved human perfection;
he is the first-born of his nation and is even likened to a father
in this rune:
Tehessä isän iloa,... While the patriarch rejoiced them,
Soitellessa Väinämöisen. Väinämöinen, with his playing.81
Through Väinämöinen’s relationship with nature, and na-
ture’s attitude toward him while listening to his playing, we
can understand in what manner the Finnish seers compre-
hended the relationship between an ideal human being and
nature. We can also find in this description a grand teaching.
The mightiest possession of a superman is his nearly unlimited
dominion over nature. This was not won with violence nor by
other frightful means, but by love. With a force of beauty and
truth he has captured the heart of nature and won its sympa-
thy. Both living and lifeless things are charmed by him, listen
to him, and are obedient to him from sheer rejoicing. Nature,
the consciousness of which was not fully known within human
consciousness, has now been transformed through the great
human being whose heart pulsates with joy and the desire to
serve. With unlimited trust and without reserve, nature now
gives to the seer all the love and enchantment which it always
held within its bosom for humanity.
Let us examine this in more detail. The rune first relates how
all the animals gather to listen to Väinämöinen’s playing:
Ei ollut sitä metsässä There was not a single creature
Of the forest, of the woodland,
Jalan neljän juoksevata, Not a single four-foot runner,
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the playing of väinämöinen
Koivin koikkelehtavata, Not a single hind-leg leaper

Ku ei tullut kuulemahan, That did not run out to listen
Iloa imehtimähän... And to wonder at the joyance...
Mi oli ilman lintujaki, Every creature of the air,
Kahen siiven sirkovia, Every flier on two wings
Ne tulivat tuiskutellen, Scurries like the driven snowflakes,
Kiiätellen kiirehtivät Swirling, racing to arrive
Kunnioa kuulemahan, To listen to the honored player
Iloa imehtimähän... And to wonder at the joyance...
Ei sitä oloista ollut, There was not a living creature,
Ei ollut ve’essäkänä, Not one even of the water,
Evän kuuen kulkevata, Not one single six-fin swimmer
Kalaparvea parasta, From the finest school of fishes
Ku ei tullut kuulemahan, That did not swim up to listen
Iloa imehtimähän. And to marvel at the joyance.82
And the rune specifically mentions all kinds of wild animals:
squirrels, elk, lynxes, wolves, bears, eagles, hawks, sea ducks,
swans, buntings, larks, pike, salmon, whitefish, crickets, and
perches. All obeyed the call of the seer, and the hearts of all
jumped for joy.
Is there not contained in this a remarkable lesson for human
beings? “Look,” says the old Finnish wisdom, “you people have
tamed some animal species and made them friends and willing
servants, but the forests, air, and waters are full of living beings
whom you fight or whom you compel to be your servants! How
far away you are from your goal! A perfected human being, one
who is a seer, does not wage war against even a single creature,
for he loves all and all loves him.” And indeed, it seems that
another wise seer, named Paul, conveyed the same meaning
when writing those well known words: “For the anxious long-
ing of creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of
God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own
will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the
creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption
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into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we

know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of
childbirth together until now” (Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:
19-22).
And this vision of the future that both the Kalevala and the
Bible present is not without foundation (also, compare this
with the prophet’s words in the Old Testament about the lion
laying down with the lamb). And if we are allowed to trust
even a little bit the legends from the Middle Ages and the sto-
ries of journeys to the eastern lands, reality has many times
corroborated the information given in the Holy Books. In India
it is said that when a saintly yogi sits in meditation, no ani-
mal is afraid of him. The birds of the sky freely approach him,
beasts of the forest feel attracted and draw near, even tigers
and snakes crawl up to his feet and bathe in the glow of the
love which radiates from his being.
And why should we consider these legends to be just the
products of naïve imagination? Indeed, these stories are woven
around a hidden core of truth, and therefore they often contain
greater truth than the so-called historical presentations. And
who doesn’t know the legends from the Middle Ages about St.
Francis of Assisi? Let us review a couple of these stories which
clearly show the charming power he had over animals. Once,
when he was preaching in a field to a large crowd of people, a
flock of swallows came flying by and made such noise that the
words of St. Francis were lost upon his listeners. After realizing
this, Francis peacefully turned to the birds and said: “My dear
swallow sisters, please be quiet for the time of my speaking and
explaining—you too can listen!” Instantly the flock of birds
stopped and hovered silently above the crowd and not a single
one of them flew away before Francis had finished preaching.
The other story is about a wolf. Once, upon arriving at a dis-
tant village, Francis was told of a big frightening wolf who did
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terrible damage to the village, almost every night demanding to

eat a sheep, hen, or some other animal. In the evening, Francis
walked outside the village to wait for the wolf. When the big
gray wolf came along with great hunger and crudeness, without
fear the great friend of all animals approached him, spoke with
him and gestured to shake hands with him. The wolf raised his
paw and nodded his head in understanding when Francis gen-
tly reproached him: “Brother wolf, why have you thus chosen
the living place of poor folk for your hunting grounds? And
why do you harass their domestic animals? It is not right, and
you are not allowed to behave like that. Now promise me that
you will leave the village in peace.” And the legend tells that
the wolf kept his promise and the village was left alone...
But the Kalevala does not only tell about animals who are
charmed by Väinämöinen’s playing. The vegetable kingdom
also participated in the common joy:
Petäjät piti iloa, Tall old pine trees jubilating,
Kannot hyppi kankahilla. Tree stumps dancing on the heaths.83
Furthermore, as if to show that the playing of Väinämöinen
was not an isolated incident but was a characteristic feature of
his life, the Kalevala tells us:
Kun hän kulki kuusikossa, When he sauntered in the fir woods,
Vaelteli petäjikössä, Roaming among the evergreens,
Kuusoset kumartelihe, Spruces bowed down there before him,
Männyt mäellä kääntelihe, Pine trees turned upon the hill;
Käpöset keolle vieri, Cones were rolling on the ground,
Havut juurelle hajosi. And the needles showering down.
Kun hän liikahti lehdossa, When he roamed the leafy groves
Tahi astahti aholla, Or he walked the open clearing,
Lehot leikkiä pitivät, All the leafy groves were merry
Ahot ainoista iloa, And the clearings always joyous,
Kukat kulkivat kutuhun, While the flowers waked to frolic
Vesat nuoret notkahteli. And the seedlings set to dancing.84
143
Even the vegetable kingdom is said to be a living, conscious

world, which can feel love, rejoice and grieve. And though we
humans know a little bit about the soul life of the vegetable
world, many of us are ready to laugh at the mere suggestion
that flowers and trees—by their own nature—are mental be-
ings. But let us ask the opinion of those who spend much of
their time with plants: gardeners, flower breeders, caretakers
of house plants, and so on. Surely we will hear how different
trees and different flowers each have their own unique natures,
that plants can be in good or bad humor, that they know clearly
enough if they are being loved or not. And why are people fond
of their place of birth? Why is there always a longing to return?
Especially within the Finnish character there lives a deep,
gnawing feeling of home-sickness. When a Finn is abroad, his
mind is haunted by his homeland, its spruces and birches, its
knolls and hills, its lakes and rivers. “Strawberries in ones own
land, blackberries from a strange land.” Or, as it is said in the
Kalevala (Runo 7:285-288):
Parempi omalla maalla Water’s better drunk at home,
Vetonenkin virsun alta, Even from a birchbark shoe
Kuin on maalla vierahalla Than honey mead from golden bowls
Kultamaljasta metonen. At a stranger’s sumptuous table.85
On what does this feeling depend? Does it mean that the
impressions of childhood are the strongest? Yes, but that is not
all. The impressions of childhood are strong because the young
heart is pure and sensitive to its surroundings, but love comes
not only from other human beings: all of nature loves the child.
Our attachment to our birth place depends as much upon the
love inherent in that place as upon our love towards it. The
feelings come from both sides and we Finns have an inborn
inclination to understand our nature. In our own love-nature,
there is something mute, unexplainable with words, which cor-
responds to the soundless feelings of trees and plants.
144
The Wisdom of the Ages preserves the viewpoint that the

vegetable kingdom does not really consist of unconscious or-
ganisms but instead represents an educational classroom in
the developmental system of consciousness. Upwards from the
mineral kingdom, the realms of nature take huge steps along
which living consciousness slowly ascends to the level of hu-
man consciousness. Not until consciousness reaches the level
of the human form does it individualize. Before this it expresses
itself as a species or group-consciousness aspiring to the per-
sonal individuality of the highest animals. From the standpoint
of the secret science it is thus undeniable that nature is full of
soul and emotion. When a thoughtless boy with stick in hand
whips up the grass and flowers, trampling under foot whatever
happens to be in front of him, nature suffers a mute pain. But
when, in the autumn, the reaper mows the ripened corn, the
fields rejoice. Truly, humanity has been invited to participate
in the great educational work of nature. But we fulfill our duty
poorly when we treat nature cruelly, coldly, or without con-
cern. Let every Finn learn from the Kalevala the kind of lovely
relationship a good and gentle person can have with our loving
but mute nature.
And the Kalevala does not limit its deep knowledge of na-
ture to the so-called organic or living nature. Even lifeless na-
ture has within it consciousness and feeling; even it rejoices
with the playing of Väinämöinen, the human seer who played
so greatly that the
Vuoret loukkui, paaet paukkui, Mountains echoed, boulders crackled,
Kaikki kalliot tärähti, All the crags and cliffs were quaking;
Kivet laikkui lainehilla, In the waves the rocks were splashing,
Somerot vesillä souti. Gravel swirling on the waters;86
And
Kun hän soitteli kotona, When he played in his own cabin,
Huonehessa honkaisessa, In his simple home of pine logs,
145
Niin katot kajahelivat, Rafters rattled, floorboards bounded,

Permannot pemahtelivat,
Laet lauloi, ukset ulvoi, Ceilings singing, doors hallooing,
Kaikki ikkunat iloitsi, With the windows wide rejoicing,
Kiukoa kivinen liikkui, Even all the hearthstones stirring
Patsas patvinen pajahti. And the birchen uprights whooping.87
This imagery is so aesthetically natural that it seems to por-
tray the rune singer’s intention to show us how lifeless things,
in their own way, respond to the soundwaves emanating from
his playing. But when one knows the ideal circle of the Ka-
levala, one knows well enough that the rune really means that
the cliffs and stones, ceilings and floors, windows and doors,
fully participate in the collective rejoicing. When understood
in its esoteric meaning, this viewpoint is not a great leap out
of reality. What was said above about the vegetable kingdom
holds true, with slight changes, even in the inorganic or lifeless
world. Even the mineral kingdom feels, though in a slower and
weaker way. Also, lifeless things can rejoice and love although
they—and with a greater measure than living nature—can
only reflect the sympathy and tenderness that we have direct-
ed at them. Look at how we become subtley attracted to and
attached to our tools and furniture, our books, our pieces of
art, and to our entire lifeless houses! When we take gentle care
of them, attend to and talk to them, treat them like our chil-
dren or our friends, they are also in a good and grateful humor,
look happy and cheerful, serve us willingly, console us when we
are in low spirits, and advise us when we are uncertain. What a
social world can human beings create from the “lifeless things
of the home!” Poets are able to do this and common people, in
their ignorance, tend to pity and smile condescendingly on the
dreamers.
Even scientists have finally observed that metals can be-
come tired and everyone knows this by their own experience.
After long use, nobody’s razor is ever as good even though it
146
is regularly sharpened—it has its own sense of humor! Barbers

are said to have an adage: “This razor is now tired. Let it rest
for awhile, so it will again work excellently.” We call it weari-
ness—but who knows what the razor itself calls it when mak-
ing its own psychological studies? The fact is only that metals
are sometimes lively and sometimes tired.
And what about the machines?! Let us ask the machinist if
his machines are a lifeless species, so we can get to the truth
of this. “Dead? Indeed! They are certainly living, living and
quite capricious beings. If a stranger touches my machine, it
instantly takes ill and gets out of gears.” Railway engines, for
example, are only in union with their own drivers and do not
stand a chance with someone else. They also must rest from
time to time, otherwise they will perform badly and will not
have the strength to haul...
The Kalevala has gotten surprisingly deep in its look at the
soul life of nature. This is clear also from the fact that the an-
cient Finnish seers have not merely looked at the soul of vis-
ible nature, but have witnessed in the invisible mental world
the subtle expressions of life and beings which have no physi-
cal counterpart. A materialist considers these impressions to
be the product of mere imagination, but the seeker of truth
knows; there are people living today for whom the inhabitants
of the unseen realm are as real and true as those in the visible
world.
The Kalevala’s rune of Väinämöinen’s playing enumerates
these beings and they all gather around Väinämöinen to listen
to his playing:
Tapiolan tarkka ukko, Then the watchful Tapio,
Itse Metsolan isäntä, He, the master of the woodland
Ja kaikki Tapion kansa, And of all the woodland people,
Sekä piiat jotta pojat With his sons and with his daughters
Kulki vuoren kukkulalle Traveled to the mountain peak
Soittoa tajuamahan; To enjoy the music fully.
147
Itseki metsän emäntä, Even Tapiola’s mistress,

Tapiolan tarkka vaimo Watchful matron of the woodland,
Sinisukkahan siroikse, In blue stockings
Punapaulahan paneikse, and red laces
Loihe koivun konkelolle, Halted on a birch-knee, moving
Lepän lengolle levahti To the elbow of an alder,
Kanteloista kuulemahan, There to harken to the harp,
Soittoa tajuamahan... To absorb the joyous music...
Itse ilman Luonnottaret, Even nature’s airy daughters,
Ilman impyet ihanat Beautiful virgins of the sky,
Iloa imehtelivät, Listened to the thrilling music,
Kanteloista kuuntelivat Rejoicing with the gladness of it;
Mikä ilman vempelellä, Some upon the rainbow’s rim,
Taivon kaarella kajotti, Shimmering on the shaft of heaven,
Mikä pienen pilven päällä, Some upon a little cloudlet,
Rusoreunalla rehotti... Resplendent on the roseate border...
Tuo Kuutar korea impi, Then the Moonmaid, dainty virgin,
Neiti päivätär pätevä And the Sunmaid, skillful damsel,
Pitelivät pirtojansa, Busily plied their weaver’s reeds,
Niisiänsä nostelivat, Nimbly lifting up their heddles;
Kultakangasta kutoivat, Both were weaving cloth of gold,
Hope’ista helskyttivät Interlacing threads of silver,
Äärellä punaisen pilven, Seated on a red cloud border
Pitkän kaaren kannikalla. By the overarching rainbow.
Kunpa saivat kuullaksensa When they heard the charming music
Tuon sorean soiton äänen, Of that graceful instrument,
Jo pääsi piosta pirta, From their hands the shuttles slipped
Suistui sukkula käestä, And the battens of their fingers,
Katkesihe kultarihmat, Breaking off the threads of gold
Helkähti hopeaniiet... As the silver heddles echoed...
Ahto aaltojen kuningas, Ahto, king of wave and water,
Ve’en ukko ruohoparta Sedgy-bearded patriarch,
Ve’en kalvolle veäikse, Heaves himself up to the surface,
Luikahaiksi lumpehelle, Rests upon a water lily
Siinä kuunteli iloa... Where he listens to the joyance...
148
Itseki ve’en emäntä, Even the mistress of the water,

Ve’en eukko ruokorinta She, the sedgy-breasted matron,
Jopa nousevi merestä, Rises from the deep-sea bottom
Ja lapaikse lainehista... And emerges from the wave...
Tuota ääntä kuulemahan, There to harken to the gladness
Soitantoa Väinämöisen... Of old Väinämöinen’s playing...
Se siihen sikein nukkui, There she fell into deep slumber,
Vaipui maata vatsallehen Lying prone upon her stomach
Kirjavan kiven selälle, On a many-colored writrock,
Paaen paksun pallealle. Prone upon a solid slabstone.88
These are the guardians of earth, air, water, and fire whose
existence is a mere fairy tale in the eyes of a blind civilization.
But the ancient Finnish wisdom knew just as much as the origi-
nal composers of the tales of alchemists and occult scientists
from the Middle Ages, who also mention and classify the ele-
mentals of nature. Paracelsus is the father of modern medicine,
and truly he was a quite modern observer in many respects.
Yet he believed in the existence of nature spirits and, as in the
Kalevala, lists four types: gnomes or Tapio’s people who live on
the ground, sylphs or the Air Virgins of Luonnotar, undines or
Ahtis and Sotkotars who live in the water, and salamanders or
Kuutars and Päivätärs who live in fire.
In ancient times people lived in a closer relationship with
these unseen beings than we do nowadays. Because these el-
emental fairies have more immediate power over nature and
the forces of nature than us humans, it is natural that people
in past times prayed for their help, sought their favor, made
unions of friendship with them and so on. All of the “fear and
ignorance-based worship of nature” that our scientists propose
to explain our ancestors’ beautiful understanding of the ele-
mentals clouds these facts with a different meaning. If we do
not see that millions and billions of beings use this miraculous
planet as their home and school, if we think that this earth
globe is created only for us, then we, the children of modern
149
times, are the ignorant and superstitious ones. These beings

are in a different category of nature, and have nothing directly
to do with the kingdoms of nature we already know of.
In this connection, we do not wish to speak in any more de-
tail of the elemental fairy folk. We only want to emphasize that
the Kalevala’s brotherly, democratic, and lofty spirit is clear to
us because it always presents the beings of the secret and invis-
ible realm as spirit familiars, equal to human beings, all of us
like brothers and sisters in God’s great Creation.
150
Part III
The Kalevala’s
Inner Ethic
Occult-Psychological or
Practical-Soteriological Key
18
The Way of Knowledge
Thave been instructed in is not the same as yesterday’s
he esoteric ethic of mystery wisdom that seers of all times
outdated exoteric ethics. Everyday Christian morality defines

how a human being is to live and think (or trust) so that in
this life one might succeed, live long, and beyond the grave
achieve eternal blessedness. It makes a thoroughly bourgeois
and selfish impression. Its only goal is a heavenly blessedness
and since this is limited to a rather abstract rejoicing around
God’s throne, it remains a palpable ideal only for the ethical
elitists of society. This general opinion encourages common
people to be law abiding, live blamelessly and pursue their ca-
reers. Therefore any thinking human being, any truth seeker,
can experience Christian ethics in the outward life, but this
leaves the deepest, most personal questions unresolved: How
can I understand life? How must I live?
The position of esoteric morality is different. It begins where
exotericism ends. When a truth seeker finally asks himself how
he must live, the inner ethic extends a hand and only then can
he comprehend the counsel of the sage’s ethic. Only when a
human being longs for truth with the soul’s entire force can
one hear the mystery-wisdom whisper: The real human vir-
tue is mental development, venturing along the narrow way of
knowledge.
152
the way of knowledge
The goal of this journey is the divine mystery-knowledge of

life and death, nature and creation, the visible and invisible
worlds, good and evil, and with truth in hand, one wanders
with divine love and power. But how can this knowledge be
achieved? It is not a lesson that must be committed to mem-
ory; it is not taught by others, nor is the conviction of truth
deduced by logic. This knowledge is based upon experience
and what we might call a truly scientific knowledge. And by
what means can this kind of knowledge be acquired, a knowl-
edge of unseen worlds and of things beyond death? Indeed, this
knowledge is based upon observation. We all make observa-
tions through our senses, and we proceed to construct from
these observations ideas, conceptions and imaginings through
various psychological processes. But what kind of observations
serve as the foundation of acquiring super-sensible, supernatu-
ral and divine knowledge, and how are they gathered?
For us to understand this, we need to get free from some
erroneous psychological ideas and develop for ourselves an un-
derstanding of psychology’s greater depths and possibilities.
Psychology makes a distinction between sensations coming
from the outside and those originating inside of us. External
sensations come from stimuli in the outside world: we see, hear,
smell, taste and feel the beings and states of the world around
us. Inner sensations come from stimuli inside the body; for ex-
ample, from chemical changes in the body. Many kinds of inner
sensations work together, like feelings of hunger, exhaustion,
vitality, pain and so on. According to modern psychology these
many interrelated sensations constitute, so to say, our soul’s ex-
perimental field. Our outer sensations carry knowledge coming
from the outer world. At the same time, our inner sensations
reveal our body’s subjective state and influence our perception
of the external world.
This is certainly in effect true, and error only derives from
the fact that modern psychology believes the inner sensations
153
the kalevala’s inner ethic
are limited to subjective events; in other words, that the only

observations we can make via inner sensations involve our
own body. This illusion is reinforced by the fact that our sci-
entific psychology considers our physical body to only be the
residence of our personality rather than a microcosmic mystery
correponding to the macrocosm—this is what our body in real-
ity is. The official understanding of our anatomy and physiol-
ogy does not recognize the body’s more delicate and ethereal
features which constitute the unseen half. Furthermore, also
going unacknowledged are the possibilities for development
inherent in these unrecognized subtle features.
On the other hand, if we take the position of occult physiol-
ogy and assume that each organ in our bodies, visible or invis-
ible, corresponds precisely with some specific inner mechanism
of the cosmos at large, then once having made this harmonic
correspondence between the bodily microcosm and our sur-
rounding macrocosm, it follows a priori that the former can
mediate information from the latter. Thus, the possibilities for
knowledge within our own soul increases unlimitedly; the ex-
perimental field is widened until it is out of sight. There would
develop within our bodies a new faculty and the body itself
would change from an insubordinate animal to an impartial
tool for observation.
This is not a presumptuous thing to say from the standpoint
of occult science. To all seers this hypothesis is an experimental
fact. The morality of mystery-wisdom specifically teaches how
truth seekers must cleanse themselves internally and prepare
themselves so that the personality can develop into an appara-
tus used to achieve this knowledge. The method is based upon
the psycho-physical fact that the body and soul functions are
coordinated, and it utilizes the fact that the soul can affect the
bodily functions. For example, if we awaken within ourselves
a predetermined feeling, we can produce a predictable change
in the body. The esoteric ethic is based in the knowledge that
154
each human being has been invited to be their own master, to

educate and master themself. Therefore, the first declaration
of the esoteric ethic is procul profanis: those who do not believe
in their own power must stay away.
Formally speaking, the ways leading to the ultimate goal are
many, though in spirit they are all the same. In a certain sense,
each human being must journey in their own way since we all
have our own unique human temperament.
The ancient Finnish seers also seem to have distinguished
between different temperments because in the Kalevala we see
residual echoes of the initial stages in the representatives of
two major types: the lemminkäinen-temper which is character-
istic of an emotional person and the ilmarinen-temper which
represents the active, rational character. We do not speak of
a special väinämöinen-temper because in representing the
will of humanity Väinämöinen is supportive of all approaches.
Concerning the Logos Trinity (the väinämöinen-, ilmarinen-,
and lemminkäinen-forces), we mentioned earlier that the
väinämöinen-forces only present themselves later on in the de-
velopment of humanity or individually in an advanced person’s
esoteric development. When we examine the Kalevala’s devel-
opmental psychology, we must remember that while doing so
we are really looking overall at the activity of the väinämöinen-
forces. Indeed, Väinämöinen appears constantly in precisely
this role in the Kalevala. For example, although Ilmarinen may
be on the scene as the primary actor, Väinämöinen appears as
the awakener, inspirer, adviser, and in the last stages also as the
primary actor.
It has become conventional to distinguish two stages on the
way to knowledge. One is the way of preparation and cleans-
ing, the other is the true way of acquiring knowledge. With
the method of cleansing a person tunes his corporeal vessel to
the point that it can at least begin its purpose as a true path of
development while pursuing studies in the world.
155
The Kalevala clearly distinguishes between these two stag-

es. The way of preparation is described in the runes about
the proposal trips to Pohjola, while the true way of acquiring
knowledge is found in the Sampo-cycle. With great skill, Ra-
fael Engelberg examined the contents of the Kalevala from the
aesthetic-psychological viewpoint. He observed this basic divi-
sion by calling the Kalevala’s first part “The Sampo is Lost to
Pohjola” (Runos 1-25) and the last part “The Sampo is Won
Back” (Runos 26-50).1
Of course his basis for making this distinction is different
than ours, and he did not even suspect anything about the
occult contents of the Kalevala. But since the two headings
he chose quite strikingly describe the two stages of the secret
way, we wanted to mention this. On the path of cleansing one
can truly say that “the Sampo is lost to Pohjola.” The Sampo
represents occult knowledge and power. While preparing and
cleansing, a human being becomes aware that secret knowl-
edge does exist—it is like he forges the Sampo—but then he
loses the Sampo and acquires in return the maiden of Pohjola.
In other words, he does not achieve the secret knowledge and
power but he does find his own soul. The Sampo is lost and
Pohjola gets it, but the occult knowledge lives secretly within
his body. It is not until this takes place that the second stage
can begin. When the fight over the Sampo takes place, the
Sampo is won back, and the knowledge and power hidden
within the body can move into the daylight.
When we seek from the Kalevala hints about the secret ways
of life, we must open the contents of the runes with a spe-
cial key, the so-called occult-psychological key. We remarked
earlier about the fact that we are not allowed to presume
that events and characters in the Kalevala have the exact
same meanings if the runes are opened with other keys. On
the contrary, the meaning can change drastically and in fact
there are several meanings. When we explored the Kalevala’s
156
mystery-knowledge we used other kinds of keys: cosmic and

theogonic. In this we can see why separate psychological
features and the “proper nouns” associated with the main
characters change according to the key used. Ilmarinen and
Lemminkäinen were gods in the first part, but now appear as
human beings on earth and are candidates for consecration as
truth seekers after the secret knowledge. And Väinämöinen, as
we already mentioned, now appears on the scene as the expo-
nent of the divine väinämöinen-forces and we can understand
him to be the voice of divine spirit that speaks inside of human
beings. However, especially in the first scenes, he is a human
being (a seer, a master) who simply embodies the väinämöinen-
forces.
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19
Joukahainen
Bof purification, the soul must first be atuned to the vibra-
efore a human being can consciously step onto the path
tion of a truth seeker. He must be prepared to offer himself up

as ransom for the truth. This spiritual law of the Kalevala clari-
fies our understanding by dramatically and effectively describ-
ing the state of the soul. When the description is negative, the
soul is closer to everyday mundane life; the scenario is more
realistic and familiar and does not leave any uncertainty about
what the soul’s condition must be. This description is given
in the Kalevala’s most poetic runes, the Aino-group, in which
there are two sections: the singing rivalry between Joukahai-
nen and Väinämöinen, and Väinämöinen’s proposal followed
by the suicide of Aino.
Olipa nuori Joukahainen, There indeed young Joukahainen,
Laiha poika Lappalainen, He the lanky lad of Lapland,
Se kävi kylässä kerran, Visiting round among his neighbors
Kuuli kummia sanoja, Heard of wondrous charms recited,
Lauluja laeltavaksi, And the magic songs were sung,
Parempia pantavaksi Better runos there recited
Noilla Väinölän ahoilla, Out on Väinölä’s burned clearings,
Kalevalan kankahilla, On the heaths of Kalevala,
Kuin mitä itseki tiesi, Better than he knew himself,
Oli oppinut isolta. Better than his father taught him.
Tuo tuosta kovin pahastui, And it irked the youngster sorely
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joukahainen
Kaiken aikansa kaehti For he envied Väinämöinen,

Väinämöistä laulajaksi, Jealous for him as a singer,
Paremmaksi itseänsä... Singing better than himself...2
And Joukahainen made up his mind to leave home “to con-
quer” Väinämöinen despite the prohibitions and warnings of
his parents. He harnessed his fiery gelding to a golden sleigh,
got inside and carted off to the clearings of Väinölä. Mean-
while, Väinämöinen is also sleighing along and on the third
day out they collide into each other, locking rails. Väinämöi-
nen inquires as to who this might be, careering around so reck-
lessly. And Joukahainen answers: “I am the young man Jouka-
hainen... and from what mob are you, you miserable man?”
“Kun liet nuori Joukahainen, “Since you are young Joukahainen,
Veäite syrjähän vähäsen, Draw aside a little now;
Sie olet nuorempi minua!” You are younger far than I am!”
To this remark, Joukahainen answers: “Young or old, that
doesn’t matter,
Kumpi on tieolta parempi, He who has the greater knowledge,
Muistannalta mahtavampi, He who has the mightier memory,
Sep’ on tiellä seisomahan, Let him hold the road ahead,
Toinen tieltä siirtyköhön... Let the other move aside...3
And he continues, “Since you must be the old Väinämöin-
en, let us begin a singing contest!”
Väinämöinen at first resists, saying, “Who am I to be a sing-
er? Who am I to be an artist? All my life I’ve passed my days,
in the solitary clearings... Listening to my cuckoo calling.” But
finally he consents to the singing competition and asks Jouka-
hainen what exactly it is that he knows more than others. Jou-
kahainen begins to rattle off all sorts of facts off the top of his
head, things gathered from nature sciences and other studies,
but Väinämöinen interrupts him: “Child’s play, women’s tattle.
Say something about deep origins, things eternal!”
159
Now Joukahainen sings out his memory banks, pouring out

more philosophical ideas, but when he dares to boast of his own
great knowledge, Väinämöinen discovers he is a fraud. Then
Joukahainen takes hold of his sword and invites Väinämöinen
to duel, and when Väinämöinen scoffs at such an honor, he
threatens to sing Väinämöinen into a pig. But now Väinämöi-
nen becomes embarrassed and angry and begins to sing:
Ei ole laulut lasten laulut, They are not the songs of children,
Lasten laulut, naisten naurut, Songs of children, women’s laughter,
Ne on partasuun urohon... They’re the songs of a bearded man...4
And this singing effects Joukahainen badly; the song of Väi-
nämöinen sinks Joukahainen up to his neck in a swamp:
Jaksotteli jalkojansa, When he tried to free himself
Eipä jaksa jalka nousta, Could not even lift his feet;
Toki toistaki yritti, Tried one foot and tried the other
Siin’ oli kivinen kenkä... But his feet were shod with stone...5
How lively is this description which evokes for us the human
state of soul experienced by Joukahainen: “I have learned a lot
from elders, I have read many books and passed examinations
at universities and academies. I know the sciences and the arts
and have achieved an understanding of all modern knowledge;
all that education has to offer has become my second nature. If
I talk straight and clear, who can be more educated and skill-
ful than I?” This self-oriented, vain and materialistic mind
may have the good fortune to hear a revealing message: “Do
not believe, my friend, that your knowledge is the highest and
most comprehensive! There exists another kind of knowledge,
the ancient wisdom. This is the ancient mystery-knowledge
against which your learning is child’s play. There is mental de-
velopment which confers a very different kind of understand-
ing than your schooling could ever provide.”
The joukahainen-soul does not fully accept this as truth
but does acknowledge that fate has spoken. Because the
160
joukahainen
joukahainen-soul is not thoroughly materialistic, it can at least

laugh, but, however, it reacts suspiciously: “If this is so, I want
to see for myself who is wiser than I—then I’ll surely show him
a thing or two.” Like a caring mother, the soul within whispers
to be careful, because maybe a deeper knowing does exist... but
the joukahainen-soul defies its fate: “Is that so? Well, let life
show me!”
And indeed, life does show him. Väinämöinen gets in the
way of Joukahainen. New experiences can be humiliating for
the young soul. They throw him into a swamp of sorrow, dis-
tress and suffering. Where does a proud attitude go when the
iron fist of fate steps in? The world grows gloomy and no fixed
frame of reference can be found. “What is life, what does it
mean to be human? Does God even exist?”
Jo nyt nuori Joukahainen Now young Joukahainen realized
Jopa tiesi, jotta tunsi, And the youngster understood
Tiesi tielle tullehensa, That his journey’s end had come,
Matkallen osannehensa, That his road had taken him
Voittelohon, laulelohon To the contest, to the singing
Kera vanhan Väinämöisen. With the genuine Väinämöinen.6
And then in its distress the soul humbles itself:
Oi on viisas Väinämöinen, Wise Väinämöinen,
Tietäjä iänikuinen, knower eternal,
Pyörrytä pyhät sanasi, Now reverse your incantations
Peräytä lausehesi, And call back your magic spells!
Päästä tästä pälkähästä, Let me out of this tight spot,
Tästä seikasta selitä, From this awful tangle free me!
Panenpa parahan makson, I will pay the highest ransom,
Annan lunnahat lujimmat! Give the tightest guarantee.7
Now the human being is prepared to promise something to
the powers of life: “I understand now that there is a deeper
knowledge, which I have not achieved, secrets which I have
not fathomed, faculties of which I had no inkling. If I can only
161
be returned to my prior happiness and balance, I will gladly

relinquish my little pleasures which you, life, know I do not
need.” The soul is ready to give up the small enjoyments of life
and address the deeper questions in a serious way.
But life doesn’t really care about the soul’s little indiscre-
tions, not about its sins nor its virtues. So Väinämöinen sings
Joukahainen still deeper into the swamp.
Oi on viisas Väinämöinen, O Väinämöinen, wisest wizard,
Tietäjä iänikuinen... O thou knower, seer eternal...
Kun pyörrät pyhät sanasi, If you will reverse your magic
Luovuttelet luottehesi, And recant your incantations
Annan Aino siskoseni, I will give my sister Aino,
Lainoan emoni lapsen Let you have my mother’s darling
Sulle... For you...8
“I will give my only sister, the other side of myself; I will give
you myself!” And then the spirit of truth answers: “Now you
have chosen correctly, now you have made the right decision.
I want you. I can permit only you to grow up and develop into
my helper, to become an heir to my wisdom.”
Siitä vanha Väinämöinen Hearing this, old Väinämöinen
Ihastui iki hyväksi, Was delighted beyond measure:
Kun sai neion Joukahaisen Winning Joukahainen’s sister
Vanha päivänsä varaksi. For his old age—sweet provision!9
Joukahainen has extracted himself from his dilemma. The
soul has gotten free from the distressing situation and the in-
tense väinämöinen-sound of life has dissipated. The soul has
been returned to its old self, but it is not completely returned
to its former condition. For it experienced and learned some-
thing and now life is waiting for the fulfillment of the promise.
“I caught a glimpse of life’s majesty and at the moment of my
weakness I promised myself to him. Now I must change myself,
work on myself . . . now I must sanctify myself in the service of
truth . . . whoas me!”
162
joukahainen
And the joukahainen-soul’s youth and inexperience is re-

flected in the fact that it
Läksi mielellä pahalla, Guilty-minded,
Syämmellä synkeällä Heavy-hearted,
Luoksi armahan emonsa, Started homeward to his mother,
Tykö valtavanhempainsa... To his well-respected parents...10
This drama is not just the story of one life. A human soul can
stay in the state of Joukahainen for many incarnations.
163
20
Aino
A
ino is the joukahainen-soul’s best and most delicate side;
naively helpless, it is the virgin spirit hidden deeply un-
der the surface of every human being. . . .
Now the artistically sensitive reader shakes his head: How
can the Kalevala’s Aino be explained symbolically—that mi-
raculous and charming story of Aino! It is assuredly a simple
adaptation from life, a poetic work of art rather than a great
mythic symbol. Our most prominent poets and artists have
drawn from it inspiration for their creative works. The Ka-
levala’s story of Aino, that living proof of the Finnish nation’s
developed sensitivity to beauty, challenges the best in world
literature.
We heartily agree with this position, because we also admire
that young innocent girl whose heart had not yet awakened to
love, who so valued her own poetic comprehension of nature
and humanity that she preferred to completely give up this life
than sell herself.
At any rate, there is something in the rune of Aino which
has never satisfied us in the aesthetic sense. This feature is the
appearance of Väinämöinen as a suitor. If the intent was to
describe Aino and the special qualities of her character, why
choose Väinämöinen as a suitor? The role is fit for anyone
who displeased Aino yet pleased her mother. Why did it fall
to Väinämöinen, the steadfast old wise one, the seer eternal,
164
aino
to deal with that impossible situation, making him look pitiful

and even ridiculous? Why should it be this way? Perhaps there
is a hidden message here. The joining of Aino’s story with the
singing contest of Joukahainen suggests that the Aino story has
its own lesson. . . .
Because of these considerations, we dare to see Aino, as we
already mentioned, as the side of the joukahainen-soul that
is the very holiest. We do not suggest here that Aino is Jou-
kahainen’s higher self—this is more clearly represented by
Väinämöinen—rather, she is the most beautiful side of Jouka-
hainen’s personality.
The joukahainen-soul has peeped behind the curtain. It has
caught a glimpse of life’s wisdom; in great distress it has felt
its force. In defiance it approached this wisdom, overwhelmed
by fear it promised itself to it, and then sullen and downcast
it departed. From the joukahainen-state the soul shifts to the
aino-state.
Sisar nuoren Joukahaisen Joukahainen’s sister Aino
Itse itkullen apeutui, Now herself began to cry;
Itki päivän, itki toisen, Wept a day, wept a second
Poikkipuolin portahalla, Crouched across the outer stairway,
Itki suuresta surusta, Wept for great and simple sorrow
Apeasta mielalasta. Welling from her heart’s despair.11
But the body (Aino’s mother) is joyous. Instinctively it
knows that mental development comes as a welcome relief:
Every atom of ones being is purified, life becomes lighter. As
the passage from the Bible mentioned above makes known,
“All of creation sighs and waits for the sons of God to appear.”
The body, as a voice heard within, speaks to the soul: “What
are you afraid of, why do you grieve? If you are forced to leave
your old life, happiness can also be expected in the new.”
But the aino-soul still grieves. It is terrified at the prospect of
wisdom. This wisdom is for it old and joyless, strange and cold.
This divine life appears to be like an empty, bottomless chasm,
165
in which the soul would be lost. As the aino-soul looks at its

own youth and elegance, the pearls of its many faculties and
virtues, the adorning rings, crosses and bracelets, the gloomy
voice of wisdom speaks:
Eläpä muille, neiti nuori, Not for anyone else, young maiden,
Kun minulle, neiti nuori, Not for anyone else but me,
Kanna kaulan helmilöitä, Young maiden,
wear that beaded necklace
Rinnan ristiä rakenna, Or the crosslet on your bosom,
Pane päätä palmikolle, Put your hair up in long braids
Sio silkillä hivusta! Tie them round with silken ribbons.12
Then the soul becomes overwhelmed by such distressing
words that it disregards its beauty and adornments. Everything
that brought gladness before and which was admired by others,
now has lost its charm. Now all its beloved pasttimes must be
abandoned to prepare for an idle life within the body:
“En sinulle enkä muille “Not for you or anyone else
Kanna rinnan ristilöitä, Will I wear this crosslet here
Päätä silkillä sitaise, Or tie my hair in silken ribbons.
Huoli en haahen haljakoista, I don’t care for foreign fashions
Vehnän viploista valita, Nor for wheat bread sliver-sliced;
Asun kaioissa sovissa, I can go in plainer clothing
Kasvan leivän kannikoissa And can live on heels and crusts
Tykönä hyvän isoni, With my good and kindly father
Kanssa armahan emoni.” And my mild and tender mother.”
Riisti ristin rinnaltansa, Then she tore off all her trinkets,
Sormukset on sormestansa, Cross from breast and
rings from fingers,
Helmet kaulasta karisti, Beaded necklace from her throat
Punalangat päänsä päältä, And red ribbons from her hair;
Jätti maalle maan hyviksi, Left them on the earth for earth
For the good of grove and woodland.
Meni itkien kotihin, Then in tears she hurried homeward,
Kallotellen kartanolle... Crying to her father’s farmyard...13
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aino
We want to mention here that the aino-state of the soul is

not such an unusual phenomenon. Talented and artistic hu-
man beings often experience it completely. Over many life-
times these souls have cultivated beautiful talents that many
covet, with the inner ambition being the desire to be loved and
admired. As long as they have served these idols in peace and
faith, their souls will be happy. But then arrives the day when
truth in the guise of life’s experiences, or by some other means,
reveals how trivial, selfish and narrow their work has been
from the spiritual viewpoint. Then they become overwhelmed
by chronic exhaustion and dissatisfaction. If they continue
serving themselves, enthusiasm does not suffice to complete
any work. If they work harder because others flatter and inspire
them, their faith in themselves disappears. Emptiness yawns
around them. Why should they work at all? They do not know
the truth, and the higher self is strange to them. Who and what
should be served? Their souls are wandering in the conflict and
distress of Aino. They disguise their unhappiness from them-
selves and others. Only when they are alone can the inner soul
confess the truth to the body: “My soul is torn up and unhappy.
I do not know what I want and don’t want, or what I should
want. God says: serve me! But how can I serve him? I do not
know him, I do not love him. My life is dead.”
A new charm is needed so that their lives do not turn out
like Aino’s. They are lucky if they have a relative or friend
whom they can love—whom they can learn to love and serve.
The way from talent to genius is long. But Aino did not have
the strength to travel this path, although the voice of nature
(her mother) advised her to.
“Älä itke tyttäreni, “Do not weep, my darling daughter,
Nuorna saamani nureksi! Begotten of my younger years!
Syö vuosi suloa voita, For a year eat fresh sweet butter
Tulet muita vuolahampi, To grow plumper than the others;
167
Toinen syö sianlihoa, For the second year eat pork

Tulet muita sirkeämpi, To become more desired,
Kolmas kuorekokkaroita, And the third year
eat sweet creamcakes
Tulet muita kaunihimpi; To become the loveliest.
Astu aittahan mäelle, Go to the storehouse on the hill,
Aukaise parahin aitta, Open up the richest storeroom;
Siell’ on arkku arkun päällä, here are treasures crate on crate,
Lipas lippahan lomassa, Piled up high in chest on chest.
Aukaise parahin arkku, Open up the richest locker,
Kansi kirjo kimmahuta, Clang the pictured cover up.
Siin’ on kuusi kultavyötä, There you’ll find six golden girdles,
Seitsemän sinihamosta, Seven blue dresses which were woven
Ne on Kuuttaren kutomat, By the daughter of the moon,
Päivättären päättelemät.” Finished by the sun’s own daughter.” 14
The mother’s voice speaks to Aino as the body’s instinct
advises the soul: “Why are you not brave? If you now leave
your old dreams, if you courageously make that first step away
from your own egoism, a great future awaits. Do you think that
I don’t hold future treasures for you? Oh, what value have your
faculties and talents gained up until now compared with those
that await! In my secret caches are hidden all possibilities. As
I grew and developed, before you had taken up your residence
in me, the gods presented me with all their own secrets and
charms. I will give them to you, all of them are for you to use,
if only you begin to seek them. Wake up, get to work and be
courageous.”
But the aino-soul does not listen to its own instincts. It pre-
fers to live in its dreams. It does not wish to know its own
weaknesses, nor about its possibilities and strengths. It ratio-
nalizes in its own way—and the Kalevala certainly alludes to
an open-mindedly tolerant and gentle message: no words of
blame. Conversely, the extraordinary poetic quality and charm
of the aino-state fully emerges in the Kalevala’s description:
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aino
Ei tytär totellut tuota, But the daughter did not heed her,
Ei kuullut emon sanoja, Did not even hear the words
Meni itkien pihalle, As in tears she rushed outdoors
Kaihoellen kartanolle, To the farmyard wildly weeping,
Sanovi sanalla tuolla, Moaning to herself aloud
Lausui tuolla lausehella: In these melancholy words:
“Miten on mieli miekkoisien, “How describe the happy mind
Autuaallisten ajatus? And the feelings of the blessed?
Niinp’ on mieli miekkoisien, This is what their moods are like,
Autuaallisten ajatus, The happy and the fortunate,
Kuin on vellova vetonen, Like the bubbling up of water
Eli aalto altahassa; Or ripples running down a trough.
Mitenpä poloisen mieli, Why is the mournful mind compared
Kuten allien ajatus? To the long-tailed duck, the woe-bird?
Niinpä on poloisen mieli, As the wailing of the woe-bird
Niinpä allien ajatus, So the grieving of the wretched,
Kuin on hanki harjan alla, Deep as drift beneath a ridge
Vesi kaivossa syvässä... Deep as water in a well...
Parempi minun olisi, “It would be much better for me,
Parempi olisi ollut Surely would have been much better,
Syntymättä, kasvamatta, If I never had been born,
Suureksi sukeumatta, Not grown up to be adult
Näille päiville pahoille, In these dreadful days of evil,
Ilmoille ilottomille; In this joyless atmosphere.
Olisin kuollut kuusiöisnä, Had I died a six-night infant,
Kaonnut kaheksanöisnä...” Or had perished on
the eighth night...” 15
And Aino’s grand persona is exemplified by the fact that she
prefers to die. . . .
Now a memory spontaneously arises about another young
girl who did not resist marrying an older man: Mary, who mar-
ried Joseph and delivered Jesus. But the mary-state of the hu-
man soul is truly a high and noble one. Oh, how far it is from
Aino!
169
Nevertheless, with the foundation offered by the legend of

Aino we can form for ourselves an idea of the conditional re-
quirements of seeking for esoteric truth. One is not allowed to
seek truth with the pride of Joukahainen, and neither should
one approach it with the fear of Aino. One must seek the truth
with a humble mind and a pure heart. One must approach it
with love—with love and devotion.
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21
Lemminkäinen
L
emminkäinen is also a seeker after the truth. By nature
he is an emotional and sparkling idealist. In his earli-
est incarnations he was a passionate lover, even a love maker.
An ideal of faithful love has slowly been formed in his soul,
a love that is not deceptive nor suspicious but which con-
tains a promise that is absolutely reliable. This is an insatiable
love that is tireless, and with ever-renewing freshness always
charms its beloved. That kind of love cleanses and develops
its participants, and helps human beings to rise up in freedom!
And while sleighing along with Kyllikki under the wintry sky,
Lemminkäinen imagines he has achieved the ideal of his love:
Siitä vannoivat valansa, Then they vowed their vows together,
Laativat ikilupansa Gave their everlasting pledges
Eessä julkisen Jumalan, In the face of Jumala,
Alla kasvon kaikkivallan, Under God’s own countenance
Ei Ahin sotia käyä, That Ahti would not go to war
Eikä Kyllikin kyleä. Nor Kylli gad about the village.16
How bitter then is the disappointment when reality does not
live up to the ideal: Lemminkäinen kept his oath, but Kyllikki
broke hers. The disappointment is outwardly small, but sym-
bolically decisive. All of Lemminkäinen’s faith and trust are
gone. Explanations and apologies do not help anything. Lem-
minkäinen’s old nature rises, this time more manly and more
resolutely, and he leaves for war.
171
And this war is not a typical, ordinary war. It is not moti-

vated by a lust for material benefit:
“Jos markan soasta saanen, “If I win a mark in battle,
Parempana tuon pitelen, I will value it far more
Kun kaikki kotoiset kullat, Than the golden hoard at home
Auran nostamat hopeat.” With the store of plowed-up silver.” 17
It is a battle of principle because Lemminkäinen has heard
about and anticipates miracles:
“Mieleni minun tekevi, “I am waiting,
Aivoni ajattelevi, I am thinking,
Itse korvin kuullakseni, I myself would like to hear it,
Like to hear it with these ears,
Nähä näillä silmilläni, See it with these eyes of mine:
Onko neittä Pohjolassa, If there is a girl in Northland,
Piikoa Pimentolassa, Virgin in that dismal Darkland
Jok’ ei suostu sulhosihin, Who will not accept a lover,
Mielly miehi’in hyvihin.” Will not take the best of men.” 18
Lemminkäinen has heard the wise men talk, and his own
nature whispers within him that the yearning for love is funda-
mentally the search for the Self: “As long as you do not under-
stand to seek the Self within, you will seek it in others and find
disappointments along the way. Stop believing in others and
start believing in your Self. When you find your Self, you will
discover eternal love.” This Self is the girl of Pohja who lives
hidden within the body.
Eons ago the lemminkäinen-soul left its aino-state, which is
so filled with timidity and doubt. Now it does not need urging
or advice from its mother, the body. However, the body resists
this independence and warns: “There will be many dangers
during your journey and the way in which you, my son, without
knowledge or skill, dare to storm Pohjola” (12:129-142). But
Lemminkäinen does not hesitate for a moment. He knows that
there is no peace nor happiness left in his life: He must seek the
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lemminkäinen
Self, now or never, and must know the truth. And so he readies
himself for the journey.
Let us remember that this is not a mundane journey; it is
an examination of the self to deepen the connection with
ones essence. It is the search for the eternal life within. This
seeker will be well-equipped. Sincere and honest with himself,
clothed in the iron shirt of truth and with fire-bladed sword,
he deals straight and true words. He must feel within him the
advice of the ancient ones, things former seekers have taught,
so that he will not fall into lies. And who else will support him
in this endeavor, in times of distress, and grant him the neces-
sary power besides God, the ancient father in heaven! At last,
before starting the journey, his thoughts and prayers turn to
God (12:217-296).
And thus the journey to Pohjola begins. Lemminkäinen vis-
its two houses (12:311-368) before he arrives at his goal. In the
first house he inquires if his journey is to end there. “A child
on the floor, a boy from the stair” answers that there is no one
around to undo his racer’s shaft-bows.
What does this house represent? It is the day-consciousness
of the truth seeker. “Can I understand my higher self with this
everyday consciousness? Is my reasoning so advanced that it
can do that?” “No, no,” answers the voice of experience, “I am
yet a child and my understanding is that of a child. You cannot
find the truth if already you are turning to me for help.”
The journey continues to the second house. Lemminkäinen
calls, “Is there anyone here who can undo my racer’s breast-
band?” And an old woman at the stove answers, “Yes, in this
house there are hundreds. You will get such help that you will
be home before sunset.”
This second house is the imagination’s sleep-consciousness.
“Is it not possible for a seeker to find his higher self in dreams
and revelations? One-third of life is spent in dreamland, where
consciousness shifts to other surroundings, and thoughts and
173
feelings are more effective, so why couldn’t one quickly find

the self by examining it there? That precious state of being
would otherwise be wasted, and seers have told us how much
that world can teach!” “Not yet, not yet,” answers the voice of
experience, “don’t you see that I am an old witch? What have
you really experienced in that world? Every vain and ugly thing.
If in your day-consciousness you have hidden your higher self
away, so in your dream-consciousness you have freely indulged
in your lower self. Look at what I am, you have made me what I
am. And you imagine that I could become your higher self, the
lovely virgin of Pohja! You’ve made a big mistake. You may get
to see hundreds of delusions—here those indeed exist—but
not the truth.” And so the seeker correctly concludes:
“Olisi akka ammuttava, “May such hook-chins all be shot
Koukkuleuka kolkattava.” With an arrow through the jaw.” 19
Not until after these obstacles are overcome is Pohjola found.
Lemminkäinen must get to the Pohja hut in secrecy, so all the
dog’s mouths must be shut with an incantation. After coming
into the yard, Lemminkäinen
Lyöpi maata ruoskallansa, Smacked his lash against the ground,
Utu nousi ruoskan tiestä, From it rose a mighty vapor;
Mies pieni u’un seassa; In the mist a dwarf appeared
Sepä riisui rinnuksia, Who undid the horse’s breastband,
Sepä aisoja alenti. Lowered the sleigh shafts
to the ground.20
Now Lemminkäinen secretly listens and peeps into the
house of Pohjola. The house was full of rune-singers, musicians
and conjurers, “howling out the hymns of Hiisi.” Then Lem-
minkäinen magically slips into the hut through a wall. The old
woman of Pohjola steps onto the floor and wonders how the
stranger came in “without notice of the barkers.” Lemminkäi-
nen exclaims that even he is a singer and begins to weave
chants and conjure. His song was so powerful, his incantation
174
lemminkäinen
so grandiose that people were dispelled from the house. Only

Wet-Hat the cow-herder remained because Lemminkäinen did
not care to touch him at all. After this show of force the singer
asks Pohja’s old woman to bring her daughter to him.
Now what is this third house? It is the hidden side of con-
sciousness, sometimes called the subconscious and sometimes
called superconsciousness. It is the great and unexamined
world of inner sensations. It is Pohjola, in which is hidden,
somewhere, the delightful virgin—the seeker’s higher self.
The lemminkäinen-soul has suddenly and unexpectedly found
an ecstatic state of connection to this secret world. His outer
senses are lethargic—the dogs do not bark—and the mist that
separates these different realms of consciousness rise from the
whipping lash in front of him. Although his experience is that
of a small man just beginning, he knows that he has arrived
at the right place, and the breastband is undone. Prior to this
he had already won his mundane waking-reason. Likewise, he
previously overcame his fanciful and unreliable dream-con-
sciousness. Now available to him is a brighter reason, a sharper
vision, a more clairvoyant eye. He experiences the conscious-
ness where the higher I hides itself, although he does not meet
her just yet. And he knows that hidden within this realm is
much knowledge, that it has an ancient past even though it
is obscured by the same sparse-toothed old woman of Pohjola
who was present in the second consciousness. Created over
eons of time, this human wickedness and ignorance in whose
possession he has left his own body, now confronts the coura-
geous seeker as if to ask what he was doing. And the seeker
demonstrates that he is on the right track and driven by the
right motives. He is not surprised or frightened. The force of
his whole soul gathers itself together and his singing expresses
an eternal yearning. His grandiose song pours out: “I am a hu-
man being, I am what I am! Away with all weakness, hesitation
and sin!” His entire consciousness is cleansed. Hiisi’s people
175
are dispersed. All evil vanishes from his memory. As a hero

he stands there, as a seer, victorious. And what does he care
about Wet-Hat, that one miserable person left? What is that
low vice? He cannot even remember such a thing in himself.
It is contemptible, despicable. In disgust he turns away from it.
And with victorious confidence he cries out in ecstacy: Now I
want to see my Self!
176
22
Ilmarinen
Imination to seek awakens later than Lemminkäinen’s.
lmarinen is also a truth-seeking soul although his deter-
Ilmarinen is a man of action and sound reason, a realist who is

free from sensitivity and vanity. His joy has always been in his
work and his noble ambition to work well. He does not possess
other ideals and therefore he lacks independent initiative. He
must be incited to new efforts by something outside of himself,
then he is perfectly diligent and able.
Finally the day of fate dawns for him. Väinämöinen visits
and tells him about the wonderful world where our immortal
selves live:
“Onp’ on neiti Pohjolassa, “There’s a girl at Pohjola,
Impi kylmässä kylässä, Virgin in that chilly village,
Jok’ ei suostu sulhosihin, Who will not accept a lover,
Mielly miehi’in hyvihin, Does not like the best of men.
Kiitti puoli Pohjan maata, Half the Northland sings her praises,
Kun onpi kovin korea: She’s so very beautiful:
Kuuhut paistoi kulmaluilta, From her brow
the moonlight glimmers,
Päivä rinnoilta risoitti, Breasts as rosy as the dawn,
Otavainen olkapäiltä, Great Bear shining from her shoulders,
Seitsentähtinen selältä.” From her back the Seven Stars.” 21
And then he encourages Ilmarinen to pursue the maiden:
177
“Kun saatat takoa sammon, “If you hammer out the Sampo
Kirjokannen kirjaella, And devise its ciphered cover,
Niin saat neion palkastasi, You may have the maid as payment,
Työstäsi tytön ihanan.” Have the lovely for your labor.” 22
Väinämöinen here refers to the forging of the Sampo and
when we apply our occult-psychological key we can understand
the personal meaning in this sentence. Later, we will explain
in detail what the Sampo means for humanity’s secret devel-
opment. In this connection, the forging of the Sampo clearly
means that one may now withdraw from day-consciousness
and intentionally shift to the world of inner consciousness.
Lemminkäinen could not do this. His consciousness was sud-
denly and unexpectedly enhanced to the point of ecstacy (as
often happens in the initial stages). Is Ilmarinen susceptible
to this? Not likely, one concludes from reading the rune. Il-
marinen knows that this is by nature a dangerous undertaking,
that things could go awry if he unlocks the secret world of his
consciousness. Therefore he does not want to take leave and
propose to the maid of Pohja. Instead, he almost mockingly
replies to Väinämöinen:
“Ohoh vanha Väinämöinen, “Oho, you old sly one, you!
Joko sie minut lupasit So already you have pledged me
Pimeähän Pohjolahan To the twilit Pohjola
Oman pääsi päästimeksi, For the safety of your own head,
Itsesi lunastimeksi! As a ransom for yourself?
En sinä pitkänä ikänä, Never, for a long forever,
Kuuna kullan valkeana While the golden moon still glimmers
Lähe Pohjolan tuville, Will I go to Northland homesteads,
Sariolan salvoksille, Those log cabins of dark Sedgeland,
Miesten syöjille sioille, To those man-devouring regions,
Urosten upottajille.” To the sinkers down of men.” 23
But Väinämöinen does not give up. Ultimately, through him
the fate of Ilmarinen must come. He changes the subject and
awakens Ilmarinen’s curiousity:
178
ilmarinen
“Viel’ on kumma toinen kumma “There’s a wonder on a wonder!

Onp’ on kuusi kukkalatva, Stands a fir tree flower-crowned,
Flower-crowned and golden-leaved.
Osmon pellon pientareella; On the edge of Osmo’s field
Kuuhut latvassa kumotti, On the crown the moon is gleaming
Oksilla otava seisoi.” With the Great Bear on its branches.” 24
When Ilmarinen does not believe this, Väinämöinen sets out
to prove it and engages Ilmarinen’s imagination. Once he has
captured Ilmarinen’s awareness, momentarily concentrating it
and drawing it into his hands, it is comparatively easy for the
seer to distract it “with the aid of a tornado” from the senses’
surroundings and draw it into the inner world. When Ilmar-
inen regains consciousness, he is already in the land of Pohjola.
It happened to him as with Lemminkäinen: the dogs do not
bark. Louhi meets him and wonders who this is that the dogs
will not bark at. Amazed and embarrassed, Ilmarinen can only
answer that he has not come for the barking of dogs. When it
comes out who Ilmarinen is, and Louhi treats him with respect,
Ilmarinen’s confidence and self-awareness returns and he ex-
claims that he is certainly capable of forging the Sampo. It is as
if Ilmarinen thinks to himself: If the forging of the Sampo is no
more difficult than this miraculous journey, I can certainly do it.
Then he got to see the girl of Pohjola.
We can observe the difference between Ilmarinen and Lem-
minkäinen. Lemminkäinen is a fire-soul. He seeks things out
impetuously, he grabs heaven for himself with violence, he de-
sires things but struggles against his own unreadiness. On the
other hand, Ilmarinen is cold. He is less selfish, he does not
claim for himself what he does not know he deserves. Fate takes
care of him and makes sure that, in time, he gets what he has
earned.
Ilmarinen does not even arrive in Pohjola by his own means.
The fact that Ilmarinen was helped by destiny in the form of
Väinämöinen shows that Ilmarinen was prepared, that his time
179
had come. Lemminkäinen, on the other hand, robbed what

was intended for Ilmarinen and therefore he could not keep
it. That Ilmarinen was mentally prepared to receive the new
experience can be deduced from the fact that, although the
Sampo was not forged in everyday consciousness, in his ecstacy
state he thought he had made it. Within the secret state of
consciousness Ilmarinen knows for certain what key is needed
to access the world of inner sensations, but that knowledge
does not carry over to his everyday consciousness. During
Ilmarinen’s awakening, Väinämöinen asks him if the Sampo
has been prepared. Ilmarinen answers on the grounds of his
memory that he believes it has been made, but it is hidden
within the body somewhere and he does not have it with him
(10:495-510).
Ilmarinen does not win the maid of Pohja. On that subject
he is in the same position as Lemminkäinen, though he has
actually seen the maid. For many ages afterward, Ilmarinen for-
gets his fateful experience. Much later the yearning reawakens
in him—that yearning which is not extinguished before the
goal is reached and the higher Self is found—and then with his
own conviction he starts out to propose to the maid of Pohja.
Though he succeeds in reaching Pohjola, the delightful maid
does not immediately consent to go with him. “You must first
perform these works for wages so I can tell if you love me.”
The “works for wages” are, from the occult viewpoint, similar
to the forging of the Sampo task. But they also have a broader
and more versatile meaning. You see, before the higher Self
consents to an eternal union with the lower self, the lower self
must cleanse and prepare itself to prove that it will honor and
keep the union holy. The same thing is demanded of Ilmarinen
that was demanded of Lemminkäinen!
However, it should be noticed that it is Ilmarinen who suc-
cessfully performs the works for wages. It might even be said
that Lemminkäinen did not complete all of his works for wages.
180
ilmarinen
Because the rune of Lemminkäinen tells of a seeker who did not

win the heavenly spouse, we must assume that Lemminkäinen,
with his fiery character, immediately tries to tackle the most
difficult work for wages and fails according to his karmic na-
ture. The Kalevala does relate that Lemminkäinen finishes the
first two works for wages but in so doing, it colors Lemminkäi-
nen’s behavior in such a striking way as to emphasize his hasty
and defiant style (13:31-270 and 14:1-372).
On the other hand, Ilmarinen, who neither torments nor
lingers, performs all the works for wages calmly and honestly
and then claims his payment.
Now our task remains to study what these “works for wages”
are.
181
23
The Works for Wages
T
here are three works for wages. Ilmarinen’s tasks are to
plow the field of adders, bridle Tuonela’s bear, and catch
Tuonela’s pike from the river of Tuonela. Lemminkäinen, on
the other hand, must ski down the Elk of Hiisi, bridle Hiisi’s
gelding, and shoot the swan of Tuonela. These works for wages
have the same meaning; it is the cleansing of the lower self
in “preparation for the wedding.” As we said, this lower self
consists of three “houses” or states of consciousness: day-
consciousness, sleep-consciousness, and inner consciousness.
These three must be cleansed—and that is what the works for
wages are for.
The first work for wages is designed to cleanse the day-con-
sciousness. How is this possible? This can be accomplished,
answers the Kalevala, by either skiing Hiisi’s Elk or plowing
the field of adders. And what does this describe? We can un-
derstand this if we recall what is the most essential and most
self-conscious character in our day-consciousness, our closest
companion. What else could this be but our reason, our un-
derstanding, our thoughts! Indeed, our thoughts are like Hiisi’s
Elk, and our logical understanding is, from the higher view-
point, certainly comparable to a field of adders.
To “ski down Hiisi’s Elk” means to learn to calm ones
thoughts. Hiisi’s Elk is very swift-footed—and what is fast-
er than thought? It must be skied upon, the scenery passed
182
the works for wages
through is wintery—and how cold and unconcerned, how

independent from the heart can thought be! This is “Hiisi’s”
(the Devil’s) Elk because thoughts are disposed to serve selfish-
ness and evil. In the attack of the first enthusiasm of spirit one
cannot master ones thoughts right away, and Lemminkäinen
had to meet this challenge (13:31-270). Not until he bows
down to pray for help from both nature and God, and sets out
“to ski slowly,” does he bend his thoughts and surrender to the
ordered flow (14:1-270).
Ilmarinen’s works for wages are defined by Pohja’s old wom-
an with these words:
“...Kun sa kynnät kyisen pellon, “...When you plow the field of adders,
Käärmehisen käännättelet Turn the turf of serpents’ meadow
Ilman auran astumatta, With no movement of the plow,
Vaarnojen värisemättä; With no tremor of the plowshare.
Senpä Hiisi ennen kynti, Long ago the demon plowed it,
Lempo varsinkin vakoili And the devil furrowed it
Vaarnasilla vaskisilla, With a plowshare made of copper,
Auralla tuliterällä, With a plow point fiery-bladed.
Oma poikani poloinen Even my poor boy, my son,
Heitti kesken kyntämättä.” Left it only halfway done.” 25
“The field of adders” represents logical understanding be-
cause it “has been plowed before by Hiisi.” Since the beginning
it has been in service to selfishness and evil and gets its power
to grow from it. When Pohja’s “own son”—the human being’s
personal “I”—tried to “plow” it, tried to develop it towards
useful and good ends, the work was left half-finished because
it was not possible for him to finish the task. The field must be
plowed “without the touch of the plow”; understanding must
be cleansed so that not even a trace of evil remains, and the
force to do this must be taken from above.
Ilmarinen is not lacking for advice. He has met his higher
self, and he can appeal to it as someone who trusts and knows
in his spirit that he can discuss anything with his God. He
183
immediately asks the maid of Pohja: How, at this moment, must

the field of adders be plowed? We do not truly need to think
that his own intuition will tell him the answer; maybe he has
heard about this task from seers. Ultimately, it is clear that his
awakened intuition immediately counsels him that whatever
the method is, it will be effective and one must obey it. The
advice given sounds like this:
“Ohoh seppo Ilmarinen, “Oho, you blacksmith Ilmarinen,
Takoja iänikuinen! You eternal hammerer!
Aura kultainen kuvoa, Make yourself a plow of gold,
Hope’inen huolittele! Artfully adorned with silver,
Sillä kynnät kyisen pellon, With it plow the field of adders
Käärmehisen käännättelet.” Turn the turf of serpents’ meadow.” 26
“Forge yourself a golden plow,” that is to say, model for your-
self through the discipline of thinking and meditation a clear
view of life from the best knowledge and concepts you can find.
With this method you will clear the thought-contents of your
real I. And when you, in meditation with the golden plow of
your faith, plow the field of your understanding, to your as-
tonishment you will see how many “adders and serpents” are
upturned. Be sure to dress yourself with the iron shirt of hon-
esty and the steel belt of truth so that you do not stumble into
conflict and fall astray into lies. Harness the fiery gelding of
your strength and enthusiasm so that you do not tire and do
not leave the meditation half-finished (19:59-74).
Being accustomed to thinking work, Ilmarinen successfully
performs the difficult task. He observes that he has cleansed
his mind and mastered his thoughts. And so Pohja’s mistress
gives him the second task:
“...Kun sa tuonet Tuonen karhun, “...When you bring the bear of Tuoni,
Suistanet suen Manalan Bridle up the wolf of Mana
Tuolta Tuonelan salosta, From the wilderness of Tuoni,
Manalan majan periltä, From behind the house of Death.
184
the works for wages
Sata on saanut suistamahan, Hundreds have gone there to do it

Tullut ei yhtänä takaisin.” But not one of them came back.” 27
“Bridle up the big gelding, Hiisi’s brown horse, Hiisi’s foal,
foamy muzzle, from the back of Hiisi’s meadows”—this sounds
like the same work for wages given to Lemminkäinen.
This work for wages involves the cleansing and mastering
of the second “house,” the sleep-consciousness. One wonders
why it is a big fiery horse, bear, or wolf—animals who have
killed so many? This is because the sleep-consciousness is the
realm of imagination and emotions, the power of which is great
and frightful. It contains a part of the mental life which our sci-
entists call the subconscious, that part which a civilized human
being keeps under control or hidden but which freely vents its
strength while the body sleeps. From the occult point of view,
the subconscious reveals a human being’s moral state and, as
the Kalevala says, many have stumbled against it. The passions
of humanity are truly like wild beasts. A proverb says, “don’t
beat a bear with a twig,” to which we would add: “especially
when it sleeps.” At any rate, the cleansing and mastering of
this level of consciousness is unavoidable for those that jour-
ney on the inner way. The winning of emotions and passions
is comparatively easy for one who is practiced in meditation
because he has already directed and purified his imagination.
When Ilmarinen asks his maiden for advice, she answers
without hesitation:
“Ohoh seppo Ilmarinen, “Oho, you blacksmith Ilmarinen,
Takoja iänikuinen! You eternal hammerer!
Teräksestä tehkös suitset, Forge yourself a steely bit
Päitset rauasta rakenna And an iron bridle also
Yhellä vesikivellä, On a single waterstone
Kolmen kosken kuohumilla, In the foam of triple rapids.
Niillä tuonet Tuonen karhut, With them bring the bear of Tuoni,
Suitset suet Manalan.” Bridle up the wolf of Mana.” 28
185
An expert perceives the competence of this advice. A rapids

is to be created in ones thoughts; that is to say, a mental image
of some emotion in its full fury. On a stone in the middle of this
foaming fury a bridle of steel must be made. In other words,
one must learn to perceive the reasoning thought which gives
rise to the imagined emotion. When this kind of steel-mittened
and steely-hard thought of the truth is used to bridle imagined
feelings, real feelings also spontaneously begin to be restrained.
And when one directs this practice into the sleep-state with
the help of a firm decision prior to sleeping, consciousness pre-
serves its determination in the sleeping world and there learns
to calm the beasts so that they do not suspect any evil. This is
what is said about Ilmarinen (19:135-143).
Still remaining is the taking possession of the third house,
mastering the inner consciousness. This third work for wages is
described to Lemminkäinen:
“...Kun ammut joutsenen joesta, “When you shoot the beautiful bird,
Virrasta vihannan linnun, Shoot the swan of Tuonela
Tuonen mustasta joesta, Swimming on the death-dark river
Pyhän virran pyörtehestä, By the sacred river’s whirlpool
Yhellä yrittämällä, With one shot and one arrow,
Yhen nuolen nostamalta.” Taking but a single arrow.” 29
The same message is given to Ilmarinen:
“Kun saat suuren suomuhau’in “When you catch the giant scale-pike,
Liikkuvan kalan lihavan Monstrous fat and agile fish
Tuolta Tuonelan joesta, From the river of Tuonela,
Manalan alantehesta From the depths of Manala
Ilman nuotan nostamatta, Without hauling up a seine,
Käsiverkon kääntämättä; Without flipping out a handnet.
Sata on saanut pyytämähän, Hundreds have gone fishing there
Tullut ei yhtänä takaisin.” But not one of them came back.” 30
This is the final work for wages. The one who performs it
happily has, so to say, learned to forge the Sampo, and he will
marry Pohja’s delightful virgin.
186
24
The Swan of Tuonela
Tfor Lemminkäinen. For us to understand this and to also
he shooting of the Swan of Tuonela turned out to be fatal
understand why Ilmarinen succeeded in his endeavor, we must

study something about the secret consciousness of inner sensa-
tions and its correlation to the physical body.
According to occult psychology, phenomena of the soul are
divided into three categories: 1) momentary thoughts and
emotions; 2) varying but more stable emotions, moods, sen-
timents, mental images, ideas and ideals; and 3) stable and
innate characteristics such as instincts, habits, abilities, quali-
ties and passions. This division correlates directly with the
division of the states of consciousness presented earlier such
that 1) momentary thoughts and emotions belong to the day-
consciousness, although the day-consciousness is certainly af-
fected by deeper feelings arising like goddesses or sea-monsters
from the depths (states 2 and 3 mentioned below being expres-
sions of the soul’s life); 2) emotions, sentiments, moods, and
so on, belong to the sleep-consciousness, although certainly
this state reflects thoughts and emotions aroused during day-
consciousness, and somewhat effects the habits and instincts of
the inner-consciousness; and 3) innate instincts, abilities, and
so on, belong to the inner-consciousness, which is very weakly
affected by the other states.
187
Besides the correlation of these states of consciousness to the

human being’s (formal) I and to the physical body, there is also
the following: 1) day-consciousness is closest to the (personal)
I and the strength of this I is most closely associated with the
thoughts and emotions belonging to the day-consciousness;
the day-consciousness is the most remote from the physical
body and thus is least dependent on it; 2) the sleep-conscious-
ness is a step further from the personal I and thus the per-
sonal I’s power over it is correspondingly smaller; likewise, the
sleep-consciousness is a step closer to the physical body; 3) the
inner-consciousness is the most remote from the personal I and
is essentially independent from it; at the same time, though its
activities are hidden within the ethereal domain, the inner-
consciousness is actually the closest to the body. Therefore it
is nearly impossible for a human being to change his habits,
characteristics, abilities and so on, because he—quite rightly—
feels that he must make changes in his own physical body. And
if we say that the day-consciousness is mediated by the cere-
brum, the sleep-consciousness by the cerebellum, spinal cord
and sympathetic nervous system, and the inner-consciousness
by the body’s secret force-centers, it is clear that if we want to
connect our day-consciousness to our subconscious, we must,
so to say, dig more deeply into our body.
Anyhow, this happens in the purification work, but not in a
totally complete way. It doesn’t result in a human being having
free use of the super-sensuous and magic forces of the inner
consciousness—far from it. These belong to the way of secret
knowledge. Purification is meant to cleanse the body of dan-
gerous habits and instincts, especially hate, lovelessness, apa-
thy, cold-heartedness, desire for own gain and from other forms
of selfishness.
This is the third work for wages in the Kalevala’s runes, and
it is impossible to perform without the help of the other two
works for wages. We have already mentioned that practicing
188
the swan of tuonela
meditation to cleanse thoughts has lasting effects on the more

permanent moods, and we can add that it also affects habits
and instincts but this takes time. A positive background must
be found with the third work for wages that gives the results of
meditation to the day-consciousness to use.
“The Swan of Tuonela must be shot,” says the Kalevala, “in
Tuoni’s black river, by the holy river’s whirlpool.” While these
words may seem hasty to the reader—after all, what do our
customs and habits have to do with Tuoni, with death?—these
words reveal the facts of a deep occult knowledge. In the first
place, our evil habits have a very close association with death
because it is them that cause us to die and reincarnate. (From
the standpoint of spiritual development, however, bad habits
must die.) Secondly, evil habits have a quite special relation-
ship with the river of Tuoni, which we will see shortly.
What is this “black river of Tuoni”? Like the Greek river
Styx, it is both boundary and gulf between the two worlds of
the living and the dead. The dead live in that unseen world
which our physical, external senses cannot perceive. How-
ever, we can develop a connection through meditation and
the awakening of our inner senses. As the day-consciousness
mediates our connection with the surrounding physical world,
so our inner consciousness mediates our connection with the
ever-present unseen world. “The river of Tuoni” is simultane-
ously the boundary and gulf between our waking consciousness
(including the sleep-consciousness) and our secret conscious-
ness; it is “black” because it is dark or unconscious. As an ex-
ample, if we in our day-consciousness suddenly rush into the
inner-consciousness (as a result of either external or internal
causes), it is said that we were “unconscious” and we remember
nothing after awakening. Likewise, if we, while sleeping, move
into the inner-consciousness, it is said that we sleep a deep,
dreamless sleep. (Exceptional situations naturally include ec-
stacy states, prophetic visions while awake, and auguries
189
received in dreams.) Our state of Self, of course, was not un-

conscious—only the journey of traversing the inner-conscious-
ness to the waking state is usually unconscious—and this is the
journey over “the black river of Tuoni.” i
Our customs and habits, the weaknesses and faults of our
characters, as well as our virtues and abilities, live in our in-
ner consciousness. Because of this, they are separated from our
conscious self and are as if undercover. In relation to our good
characteristics, there is advantage in this, for we cannot reach
them and kill them completely without further ado. Likewise,
however, it is also difficult to get free from our evil habits and
character traits—we cannot immediately change, improve,
or kill them. We are seemingly forced to rely on methods like
practicing meditation, which little by little will civilize our hab-
its and characters.
But the Kalevala says: The Swan of Tuonela must be shot
“with one single act, taking but a single arrow.” It also says that
the giant pike must be caught “without hauling up a seine,
without flipping out a handnet.” Here the Kalevala obviously
refers to the fact that the way must be discovered by which
one can develop and change the habits and instincts hidden
within the body’s secret places and, in addition, urges us to
learn how to shift consciousness to the inner world at will. The
Kalevala not only refers to the fact that discovering this way is
unavoidable, it expressly mentions it. It is not difficult for us to
comprehend what way the Kalevala means.
You see, why did Lemminkäinen fail in his work for wages?
Obviously, because he did not discovery this way. And when
we think over his past experiences, we can understand the
reason why he failed. Lemminkäinen is killed at the river by
i Louhi, the mistress of Pohjola, who is the master of our inner-conscious-
ness, is therefore also Manala’s master. This is also observed in this rune’s
variants and elsewhere; compare with J. Krohn, Suomalaisen kirjallisuu-
den historia, I. Kalevala (The History of Finnish Literature, I. Kalevala),
pp. 253-4.
190
the swan of tuonela
“Wet-Hat the cow-herder.” Lemminkäinen chose not to en-

chant this man out of Pohjola’s house when he first arrived, in-
sulted him with his words, and from that moment on the man
had vengeful thoughts toward Lemminkäinen. What fated
characteristic was it that compelled Lemminkäinen to behave
so? It was the pride of his own heart, his hate and contempt.
How could Lemminkäinen change his character, develop and
cleanse his instincts and habits so that they would be good
enough for the heavenly bride, unless his heart were already
thoroughly cleansed? And though he might do this, how ben-
eficial could it be if the possibility of pride, hate, and contempt
still lived within his heart?
As we pointed out earlier, Lemminkäinen’s failure reveals
that, in reality, he had not even performed the first two works
for wages. He certainly should have known that to shoot the
Swan of Tuonela somehow involved the heart, allowing the
character to be recreated in the future and, moreover, to have
the ability to move consciously into the inner world. He did
not realize this because in his heart he did not have compas-
sion nor exuberant love and sympathy.
Now, we can understand what the way is about. “To shoot
the Swan of Tuonela” means to immerse ones consciousness
into the heart and enliven the force-center hidden there, to
awaken the force-channel which goes from the heart to the
brain. When this is done, the human being’s heart becomes
new and the entire life is regenerated; he is good, he is compas-
sionate, he is sympathetic. That would have been easy to do
for the lemminkäinen-character had not his great enemy lived
within his own heart. How beautifully does the Kalevala de-
scribe Lemminkäinen’s fate. Encouraging all seekers—especial-
ly those with fiery souls—it impresses upon us the great truth
of reincarnation. Truly, we all experience, as Lemminkäinen
did, the Mother Nature which is always compassionate, always
loving, and which always lets us try again. When we fall in
191
battle, the Mother revives us and gives us a new body and a

new personality. Better equipped than before, we can begin to
solve the mystery of the Sphinx.31
In Ilmarinen’s work for wages “the pike” also means the
heart. Ilmarinen understands what the question is to be about
and hurries to get advice from the maid of Pohja. And she
helps:
“Ohoh seppo Ilmarinen, “Oho, you blacksmith Ilmarinen!
Ellös olko milläskänä! Don’t you worry about that now.
Taop’ on tulinen kokko, Go and forge a fire-swift eagle,
Vaakalintu valkeainen! Hammer out a flaming griffin.
Sillä saanet suuren hau’in, You can catch the big pike with it,
Liikkuvan kalan lihavan Monstrous fat and agile fish
Tuonen mustasta joesta, From the death-dark river of Tuoni,
Manalan alantehesta.” From the depths of Manala.” 32
Is this not like his higher self advising and comforting: “You,
do not be afraid that your heart will cause you harm. You are a
man of action. Simply perform more good works, and aid will
come to you at the critical moment. Make works of love and
mercy, be helpful to others and obliging. This is not difficult for
your character.”
Ilmarinen follows this advice and speeds on the wings of
his good works to the gate of his own heart. His good karma
(as Buddhists say) helps him through the difficulties and then
disappears to heaven, to God, but Ilmarinen feels for himself
that he has only succeeded in enlivening his heart, which ac-
cording to his own modest critique is only worth a pike’s head
(19:185-318).
Ilmarinen has now performed all the works for wages, and
therefore his wedding with Pohja’s delightful virgin begins.
192
25
Pohjola’s Wedding
F
or Pohja’s grand wedding and Ilmarinen’s homecoming
with his young mistress, the Kalevala dedicates a total
of six runes (20-25). Though the mystical experience implicit
here is captivating and grandiose, it is obvious that the size of
this episode derives from the rune’s attention to popular cus-
toms which have no direct connection with the mystical con-
tent. And so for us it seems that the only place where can be
found descriptions of a mystic wedding is in the preparations
for the wedding (Runo 20), especially the following verses:
Silloin Pohjolan emäntä Said the mistress of Pohjola,
Pani kutsut kulkemahan, Sending out her invitations,
Airuhut vaeltamahan, Messengers to make the rounds:
Itse tuon sanoiksi virkki:
“Ohoh piika pikkarainen, “Little maid, most faithful servant,
Orjani alinomainen!
Kutsu rahvasta kokohon, Call the common folk together,
Miesten joukko juominkihin, Crowd of menfolk to the drinking.
Kutsu kurjat, kutsu köyhät, Call the wretched, call the poor,
Sokeatki, vaivaisetki, Call the blind and even cripples,
Rammatki, rekirujotki, Even sleigh-bound paralytics!
Sokeat venehin soua, Row the blind here in the dories,
Rammat ratsahin, ajele, Have the lame ones come on horseback
Rujot re’in remmätellös! And the cripples in the sleighs!
Kutsu kaikki Pohjan kansa, Summon all the Pohjolanders,
193
Ja kaikki Kalevan kansa, Summon all the Kalevalanders

Kutsu vanha Väinämöinen And invite old Väinämöinen
Lailliseksi laulajaksi, As official singer for us—
Elä kutsu Kaukomieltä, But don’t ask the man far-minded,
Tuota Ahti Saarelaista!” Not that Ahti Islander!” 33
These are remarkable verses because they call to mind Je-
sus’ parable about the wedding of the king’s son. When the
wedding lacked “a qualified singer, a proper cuckoo,” Pohjola’s
mistress sends invitations around the lands and villages; in a
similar way, the king takes it badly when invited guest do not
come, and orders his servant: “Go out at once into the streets
and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled
and blind and lame” and “Go out into the highways and along
the hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be
filled” (Luke 14:21, 23; compare Matthew 22:9). And as the
mistress of Pohjola refrains from calling Lemminkäinen to the
wedding, likewise the king orders to throw out the guest who
was not dressed in wedding clothes (Matthew 22:11-13). The
similarities are so striking that one immediately comprehends
the same mystic truth hiding behind both allegories.
At Pohjola’s wedding, Ilmarinen, seeker of the truth, is mar-
ried in holy union to the maid of Pohjola, his higher self. A
human being’s “higher self” is the I-consciousness of his di-
vinely born self; the “lower” or “personal I” is a reflection of
the higher self and resides in the brain. (Following the cus-
tomary usage in the Theosophical literature, we use the words
individuality and personality in a precisely defined and more
limited meaning than one commonly finds in spoken or liter-
ary usage. The Theosophical usage is derived from Madame
Blavatsky’s remark that the Latin word persona originally
meant “mask,” through which an actor’s sound was heard (per-
sonare). The immortal I or individual who incarnates many
times on earth plays many different roles, taking on different
personalities, and is truly comparable to an actor.) An ordinary
194
pohjola’s wedding
unregenerated human being is not aware of this inner I-con-

sciousness; he is just a mortal personal being. On the other
hand, the higher or “individual” I is immortal. Only on the
way of preparation does the journeyer—or “propositional ex-
cursionist,” to use the Kalevala’s designation—sometimes get
to feel the presence of the divine self within his soul. At that
moment an effect streams from the inner consciousness to the
day-consciousness. But only when the propositional excursion-
ist succeeds in all his works for wages, as Ilmarinen did, will he
be married inseparably with his inner self. This does not mean
that a human being, from that time on, will completely know
in every moment of day-consciousness the immortal I in all its
characteristics and faculties; to the contrary, one can almost
say that he does not yet know anything about his true self.
However, in the marriage an unbroken bridge is built between
the higher and lower, the eternal “connection with God” has
been accomplished that truly makes it possible for him “to
study the depths of God’s spirit,” to become absorbed in the
secrets of the inner ocean of his own being. As we said, not
until now is the way of knowledge and power open in front of
him—but also opened is the way of unexpected error and grief.
Once more let us make it clear what the initiation to our
higher self means on a practical level, what Ilmarinen as a
seeker of the truth really attains at the wedding of Pohjola.
Before the initiation a human being easily makes the mis-
take of thinking that his physical body or his many feelings
and thoughts comprise his true self, the “real I” about which
psychology speaks. But on the way of purification he gradu-
ally learns to distinguish himself from his corporeal habits and
predispositions, emotions, and thoughts. As a propositional ex-
cursionist he will learn to step outside of his real I, he will un-
derstand that the thoughts he controls and directs are not re-
ally himself, that the passions and desires, emotions and moods
which can now be checked, are not really himself, and that
195
habits and inclinations which he can change and develop, are

also not himself. Thus “the formal I” develops within him from
a subjective idea to a living, anticipating being who, in the ini-
tiation, receives its own inner contents.
Before initiation a human being can build for himself and
believe in any kind of theory about life. Selfishness and evil
may be hidden within his nature which he does not suspect at
all, but which jumps out at critical moments. He can believe in
the power of love, admire it, but at the same time hate can also
live in his heart. How different it is for the truth seeker who
has been initiated with his higher self! Now the meaning of the
body’s life is revealed to him. He knows that love is the only
divine law of life. No evil within him can stay concealed from
his eyes; it must be drawn out into the daylight and conquered.
Hate has no place in his heart, which is exuberant with warmth
and love towards all human beings. He has already struggled
with all of this himself when he was a propositional excur-
sionist, and he has reached a wreath of triumph in Pohjola’s
wedding.
Why is it that Lemminkäinen was not invited to the wed-
ding? Why is it that at the wedding of the king’s son there is
a guest who is not dressed in wedding clothes? All memories
of failed attempts, about castles in the air and petty theories,
are wiped from the mind. But the poor and the miserable, the
blind, lame and crippled, must be invited to the banquet be-
cause either no qualified singer has yet been found or the origi-
nal guests do not come. All of the old and decent ideas about
life, righteous ideas committed to memory, innocence and vir-
tue—everything a human being has received through religion,
civilization and science, and that one might expect to see at
the wedding—are all conspicuously absent because none of
them can sing life’s real song. On the contrary, it is the human
being’s sins and weaknesses, faults and inadequacies that par-
ticipate in the joy of the wedding; the heart’s overflowing love
196
pohjola’s wedding
and compassion dress them for awhile in wedding clothes and

teach of their own lessons. In a decent human being’s eyes, all
of the foolish and nonsensical views of life, all of the old super-
stitions and ideals, should be invited to the wedding because
the truth is hidden at their cores and they can at least pause to
listen when old Väinämöinen—the eternal wisdom—sings the
wedding song:
Siinä lauloi Väinämöinen, There old Väinämöinen chanted,
Pitkin iltoa iloitsi, Making merry all the evening.
Naiset kaikki naurusuulla, Women all with laughing mouths,
Miehet mielellä hyvällä All the men in joyful humor
Kuuntelivat, kummeksivat Listened breathless in their wonder
Väinämöisen väännätystä, At Väinämöinen’s vast production
Kun oli kumma kuulianki, For it was a marvel to them,
Ime ilmanki olian Even to all airy beings.34
Can one even describe in words the blissful rejoicing which
overwhelms a human soul when he, while joining to his higher
self, feels the unlimited force and wisdom of the divine love?
The voice of a human master, a seer, echoes through his being,
so humble but at the same time so magically grandiose. He
knowingly feels that he will someday arise to become a creator
himself, and his words will honor the essence within and the
beings of all realms so that everything will change for the bet-
ter. How modestly but effectively is this sensation expressed in
the last verses of Väinämöinen’s wedding hymn:
“Mitäpä minusta onpi “What in fact am I at all
Laulajaksi, taitajaksi, As a singer, as an artist!
En minä mitänä saata, Having in myself no power,
En kuhunkaan kykene; Not truly fit for anything?
Olisi luoja laulamassa, Were the great Creator singing,
Suin sulin sanelemassa, Chanting with his flowing voice,
Luoja laulun lauleleisi, It would be the song of songs,
Lauleleisi, taiteleisi. Chant of chants, and art of arts.
197
Laulaisi meret mesiksi, He would sing the seas to honey,

Meren hiekat hernehiksi, And the sea sands into peas;
Meren mullat maltahiksi, Into malt the ooze of ocean
Suoloiksi meren someret, And its gravel into salt;
Lehot laajat leipämaiksi, All wide woodlands into cornfields,
Ahovieret vehnämaiksi, And the clearings into wheatfields;
Mäet mämmikakkaroiksi, All the hills to sugar cakes,
Kalliot kanan muniksi. And the boulders into hen’s eggs.
Lauleleisi, taiteleisi, “He would sing with perfect art,
Saneleisi, saatteleisi... Sing his magic and create...
Annap’ ainaki Jumala, “Jumala, thou true Creator,
Toisteki totinen luoja, Grant the same some other time
Näin näissä elettäväksi... So that all of us may live...
Näissä Pohjolan tuvissa... In these halls of Pohjola...
Jotta päivin lauleltaisi, That our days be filled with singing,
Illoin tehtäisi iloa And our nights with merrymaking
I’ällä tämän isännän, In the lifetime of the master,
Elinajalla emännän!” In the lifetime of the mistress!” 35
When a truth seeker has carried through with the grand ex-
perience of Pohjola’s wedding, he can no longer be suspicious
about the meaning of life nor can he be without belief in his
god. He now feels his own divinity and he knows that the same
divinity is hidden within the soul of every human child. But
afterward his reason may become covered in fog and he may
forget to be united with his divine I.
198
26
The Golden Maid
Wwith his higher I, he is said to be “a homeless wanderer”
hen an aspiring truth seeker enters into a holy alliance
(parivraadshaka) in the Hindu Holy Books. This recalls the

words of Jesus: “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head”
(Matthew 8:20). In Theosophical literature this means that a
human being who is initiated with his higher I is truly homeless
on earth because his real home is in the heavenly state of his
divine self; in his mundane life he is like an envoy who “ful-
fills the will of his divine Father.” He neither has nor wants “a
permanent home” here on earth because wherever he fulfills
God’s will by serving humanity, that is his home. The Hindu
term and the words of Jesus given above do not complain, they
express the rule.
As true as this is, we can also approach this from a differ-
ent viewpoint. To our minds, the Kalevala also expresses psy-
chological aspects of initiation. After the wedding, we read of
how the young couple moves to Ilmarinen’s home where the
Pohjola maid will permanently live. In other words, though the
union between the higher and lower self occurs in Pohjola, that
is, in the inner consciousness, a real home for the higher self is
made within Ilmarinen’s day-consciousness. While in the day-
consciousness a human being certainly must remain united
with his higher I. And this is how it goes in the beginning. For
199
awhile after the initiation one lives blessedly happy and feels
protected like one has built a cozy home to live in. But then
comes a catastrophe: the higher I vanishes from sight.
This will happen sometimes in the same life or more likely
when the human being is born anew on earth. When the human
being reincarnates, he does not retain in his day-consciousness
any memory of his initiation. He just feels an unspeakable
yearning and loss, deep pity towards others who are suffering
and a certain feeling that he lacks something which ought to
be found. The Kalevala describes this eventuality through the
death of Pohjola’s maid and Ilmarinen’s resulting sorrow. With
good reason we can say that Runo 37 begins a new page in the
book of Ilmarinen’s life, that now it is a question of Ilmarinen’s
new period of incarnation:
Se on seppo Ilmarinen Craftsman Ilmarinen wept
Naista itki illat kaiket, Every evening for his woman,
Yöt itki unettomana, Weeping sleepless through the nights
Päivät einehettömänä, And fasting through the days;
Aamut aikaisin valitti, In the early hours complaining,
Huomeniset huokaeli, Every morning sighing for her,
Kun oli kuollut nuori nainen, Lamenting for his lovely lost one,
Kaunis kalmahan katettu; For his dear one in the grave.
Eipä kääntynyt käessä For a month he swung no hammer,
Vaskinen vasaran varsi, Did not touch the copper handle,
Kuulunut pajasta kalke, And the clicking forge was silent.36
Yhen kuuhuen kululla.
A human being in this state is truly in a curious position. He
is a different personality who remembers nothing about the old
one, but in the inner consciousness of his individual I he has
experienced love’s great initiation and now he continually tries
to participate in the day-consciousness of his new personality.
This awakens an invincible yearning for divine truth, the solid
trust that the truth is to be found within the human being’s
own self. It also awakens tireless, unrelenting work and mental
200
the golden maid
exertion. Though the aspirant cannot stray far from his god’s
side, his own eagerness and yearning invites mistakes which
will teach him through sufferings and sorrows.
We also are fully justified in asking: Does this mean that the
human being has been returned to the same position of the
propositional excursionist, though he previously traversed the
way of cleansing? Isn’t this a regressive development? Isn’t this
unjust? Why strive to achieve anything if the hard won fruits
must vanish from ones hands? On no account do we wish to
blindly defend nature. Objectively understood, a human be-
ing always loses something at death, i.e., while he is resting.
Death is to an individual life what sleep is to a personality’s life.
For example, if an artist is preparing a great work of art, rest
always breaks his concentration and he cannot immediately af-
terwards get back into his creativity. The more skillful he is, the
quicker he returns into the rhythm of it, but in life and nature
the cyclic law of periodicity prevails, and a human being can-
not change it. The Kalevala clearly points out this fact. Win-
ning Pohjola’s maiden as ones own assumes that the human
being has already accomplished a specific work: the forging of
the mystic Sampo. This means he has succeeded—either be-
fore his true cleansing or through his works for wages—to find
his inner consciousness. It means that the day-consciousness
visited the invisible world, as Ilmarinen did when he went to
Pohjola first through Väinämöinen and later by his own do-
ing. In this mystical-psychological meaning, the forging of the
Sampo before initiation is unavoidable.
However, when Ilmarinen again enters the scene after his
happy marriage, we discover that the Sampo nevertheless re-
mained in Pohjola! Consequently, Ilmarinen must either have
forgotten how the forging was done or he reincarnated and was
thus prevented from remembering.
Now, from the point of view of nature, is this unjust? Or
can we understand these things from the other side? The other
viewpoint also exists as a matter of fact.
201
Though he has already been initiated, Ilmarinen still has

work ahead of him, but he is not conscious of it. He must re-
trieve the Sampo from Pohjola or, we could say, he must forge
the Sampo again, this time in day-consciousness. This is, in
other words, the widening of day-consciousness towards the
inner consciousness, or making the inner consciousness more
present in day-consciousness.
Now there is a possibility here of misunderstanding. During
initiation we might suspect that when the inner consciousness
presents itself to the day-consciousness as the higher I, it may
deplete itself or completely reveal itself to the day-conscious
I. We might also suspect that the inner consciousness, as “the
divine” I, never changes or grows. This assumption is mislead-
ing. During initiation the inner consciousness presents only a
personified part of itself to the day-consciousness because the
divine self is unlimited. And far from the belief that the inner
I cannot develop, it is truly the inner consciousness that reaps
the fruits of all development: Because the higher I is immortal,
it has unlimited possibilities to grow. The self-education of an
initiate is thus not allowed to set limits on the free growth of
the inner I, which happens when the day-consciousness tries
to express the glimpses of the inner I experienced during initia-
tion. Therefore it is inevitable that the higher I withdraws from
the day-consciousness to a hiding place and so one is forced
once again to seek it out to widen ones ideas and understand-
ing. This is a fairly common rule because it is very difficult for
the lone initiate to understand things. Only in the presence of
a great and wise teacher can the development proceed quickly.
As a rule, many reincarnations are passed through in these ef-
forts, and the law of development demands that the initiate
loses all knowledge of his previous initiations before reincar-
nating on earth—and thus the Pohjola maid dies away from
Ilmarinen...
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the golden maid
At first Ilmarinen does not even suspect that a great task

awaits him, that of acquiring the Sampo. In reality, he doesn’t
know anything about the Sampo. He can only surrender to his
sorrow and yearning, the feelings of loneliness, compassion, and
sorrow for the world. But this does not last for long:
Seppo naisetta elävi, For a time he lives on wifeless,
Puolisotta vanhenevi; Growing old without a woman.
Itki kuuta kaksi, kolme, After mourning two months, three months,
Niinpä kuulla neljännellä On the fourth he went to work.
Poimi kultia mereltä, From the sea he gathered gold,
Hope’ita lainehilta; From the billows gathered silver
Keräsi kekosen puita, And collected stacks of firewood,
Kolmekymmentä rekoista, Thirty sledge loads altogether;
Puunsa poltti hiililöiksi, Burned the firewood down to charcoal,
Hiilet ahjohon ajeli. With the charcoal fueled his furnace.37
Now a will to action is awakening within Ilmarinen. And truly
there are grieving people everywhere. The world is full of suf-
fering. Maybe if he set to work and created something new he
might forget his own distress. Maybe he would find peace again
if he gave form to his yearning, if he created some ideal out of
himself.
Otti noita kultiansa, Then he took those golden coins
Valitsi hope’itansa And he chose those silver pieces,
Syksyisen uuhen verran, Just the weight of autumn ewe
Verran talvisen jäniksen, Or the heft of winter hare.
Työnti kullat kuumentohon, Put the silver and the gold
Into the furnace of his smithy;
Pani orjat lietsomahan Set the slaves to fan the fire
Palkkalaiset painamahan. And the hirelings pumping on.
Orjat lietsoi löyhytteli, So the slaves then worked the billows
Palkkalaiset painatteli With the hirelings pumping on,
Kintahattomin kätösin, With no mittens on their hands
Hatuttoman hartioisen; And stripped naked to the waist,
203
Itse seppo Ilmarinen While smith Ilmarinen himself

Ahjoa kohentelevi, Was attending to the forging,
Pyyti kullaista kuvaista, Trying to form a golden image,
Hope’ista morsianta. To create a silver bride.38
And now the Kalavela proceeds with the strange and famil-
iar story of the forging of the Golden Maid.
This story brings to mind, of course, the Greek tale of Pygma-
lion, who sculpted for himself in marble the image of a delight-
ful woman: Galatea. Pygmalion fell in love with his Galatea but
because the marble statue was cold and lifeless, he prayed to
the gods to give life to his image. The gods consented, Galatea
came to life, and Pygmalion was extremely happy.
It did not happen like this for Ilmarinen and his golden
bride, however, and we will shortly see that the Kalevala’s psy-
chological description expresses more completely and fittingly
the mystical message of the story, a meaning which the Greek
tale missed.
The Golden Maid is not created in an instant. According to
the New Kalevala a ewe or sheep first emerges from the forge;
according to the Old Kalevala it is a sword. On the second
attempt, after working laboriously a foal (N.K.) or a stallion
(O.K.) appears. Not until the third attempt did the Golden
Maid emerge fully formed from the forge. On the previous at-
tempts, “the others were very delighted” but not so for Ilmar-
inen. Finally, on the last attempt, Ilmarinen was satisfied, and
the others “were badly afraid.”
This is, for our mind, a description of the activity of a creative
genius in the field of the arts, sciences, philosophy, religion,
politics, and so on. A human being wars against the injustices
of the world or he creates, for example, a delightful work of art.
He gains appreciation and honor from the world but his loving
heart stays empty because the world does not understand it.
Finally he believes he has discovered the means to satisfy his
own heart: he must create from his own personality an image
204
the golden maid
of that perfect human being which reflects the hidden ideal, a

creation the whole world can love. The demand for perfection
awakens in his thoughts: “I want to be a perfect, righteous per-
sonality.” And he sets himself about the giant task:
Siitä seppo Ilmarinen Then he hammered without ceasing
Takoi kullaista kuvoa, To create the golden image,
Takoi yön levähtämättä, Working all night without resting,
Päivän pouahuttamatta. All the daytime without pausing;
Jalat laati neitoselle, Legs and arms he fashioned for her—
Jalat laati, käet kuvasi:
Eipä jalka nousekana, But the legs, they cannot walk,
Käänny käet syleilemähän. And the hands cannot caress him.
Takoi korvat neiollensa: Then the ears he molded for her—
Eipä korvat kuulekana. But the ears, they do not hear him.
Niin sovitti suun sorean, When he made a sweet mouth for her
Suun sorean, sirkut silmät. It could speak no welcome to him;
Saanut ei sanoa suuhun, When he made those bright eyes for her
Eikä silmähän suloa. They could not look sweetly at him.39
The fruit of his efforts does not satisfy. The bride is beautiful
but she is lifeless. But soon Ilmarinen observes that while his
heart stays empty his personality has changed into something
so delicate and blameless that it can claim all moral virtues:
Siinä seppo Ilmarinen On that first night, Ilmarinen
Heti yönä ensimmäisnä Feels the cold and wants more covers,
Kyllä peitettä kysyvi,
Vaippoja varustelevi, So he gets himself more covers,
Kahet, kolmet karhuntaljat, Puts on two or three more bearskins,
Viiet, kuuet villavaipat Five or six more woolen blankets
Maata kera puolisonsa, To warm himself beside his wife,
Tuon on kultaisen kuvansa. By the side of that gold image.
Se oli kylki kyllä lämmin, Now, his side against the blankets—
Ku oli vasten vaippojansa, That was warm enough for comfort,
Ku oli nuorta neittä vasten, But the side against the maiden,
205
Vasten kullaista kuvoa, Toward his precious golden image—

Se oli kylki kylmimmässä, That was cold and freezing
with hoarfrost
Oli hyyksi hyytymässä, And was freezing into sea ice,
Meren jääksi jäätymässä,
Kiveksi kovoamassa. Stiffening into stony hardness.40
Ilmarinen made a mistake, a great error. What was it? It is
the mistake we mentioned earlier: he tried to create a final
form and image for the living spirit of his own inner conscious-
ness, and so he limited its infinite possibilities for growth. He
fell into the sin which a commandment warns us about: Do
not make graven images of Me because I am your God. All
images of perfection made by human hands are limited, images
of idols. Life seeks form without the interference of human
beings.
Ilmarinen himself became scared: “I really have nothing to
do with this blameless personality. My God, what am I to do?”
Viepi neien Väinölähän. I will take it to Väinölä,
Take it to old Väinämöinen
Sitten sinne tultuansa So he took it to him there.
Sanan virkkoi, noin nimesi: “Here, old Väinämöinen,” he said.
“Oi sie vanha Väinämöinen!
Tuossa on sinulle tyttö, “Here’s a virgin made for you,
Neiti kaunis katsannolta...” Beautiful for you to look at...” 41
And the wise man, whose voice is the same as Ilmarinen’s
innermost feeling, says:
“Oi on seppo veikkoseni! “O you smith, my little brother!
Tunge neitosi tulehen, Shove your girl into the fire.
Tao kaikiksi kaluiksi... Forge it into useful tools
Ei sovi minun su’ulle, It would not befit my kindred
Ei minullen itselleni And it would not suit me either
Naista kullaista kosia, To go courting after gold
Hope’ista huolitella.” Or go chasing after silver.” 42
206
the golden maid
Neither life nor the God of life has need of externally per-
fect personalities. Images of idols exist solely that they will be
broken.
Kylmän kulta kuumottavi, Frozen is the gleam of gold,
Vilun huohtavi hopea. Icy is the shine of silver.43
207
27
The Younger Sister
of Pohja’s Maid
I
lmarinen fell into another error, which taught him cer-
tain things and from which he benefited. As he aspired
to personal and moral perfection, and while renewing his ef-
forts on the way of cleansing without awareness of his previ-
ous works for wages, Ilmarinen began to make remarkable ob-
servations regarding his sleep life. Now, in the same way as it
happened for him as a propositional excursionist (though, of
course, he did not remember it), his sleep-consciousness grew
clear and his dreams became astonishingly vivid and filled with
meaning. Accompanying these dreams was a feature that most
surprised Ilmarinen. First, while sleeping and dreaming Ilma-
rinen felt himself to be very much in his daytime self; he could
observe, think, control himself, perform deeds and make de-
cisions in quite the same way as when awake. Gradually, he
observed himself to have a body although it was not his physi-
cal body—he could sometimes even observe his physical body
sleeping—but this new body, available for him to use, was light
and so extremely delicate that it could even go through walls.
This nighttime vehicle looked the same as his physical body,
and wore similar clothes.
Ilmarinen did not waste much thought on these matters, as
long as he had other things on his mind. From his experiences
he concluded that magicians and seers, perhaps “in Lapland,”
208
the younger sister of pohja’s maid
probably used this delicate night-body apparatus “when falling

into a trance.” ii
When Ilmarinen tired of aspiring to exemplary morality and
observed that the results were empty, he returned to these
nighttime experiences and gave them his due attention. He
thought: “Because many mysterious possibilities are hidden
within my soul, I want to begin to study and develop them. In
that way I will find the true life and the peacefulness of God
that I desire.”
The Kalevala tells nothing about the interlude during which
Ilmarinen makes these observations because it would have to
be expressed with complete realism and the Kalevala speaks
the truth in veiled allegories. One must read the Holy Books
frequently so that one understands what has been omitted in
the text.
The Kalevala throws itself into the middle of a new adven-
ture and begins to reveal how Ilmarinen tries to seek the liv-
ing contents of his inner consciousness through the mediation
of the younger sister of his inner consciousness, that is to say,
through his sleep-consciousness. In other words, Ilmarinen left
for Pohjola to propose to the younger sister of Pohjola’s maiden:
Tuop’ on seppo Ilmarinen, Ilmarinen, smith eternal,
Takoja iän-ikuinen
Heitti kultaisen kuvansa, Cast aside his golden image,
Hope’isen neitosensa; Threw away his silver bride.
Pisti varsan valjahisin, Then he harnessed up his colt,
Ruskean re’en etehen, Hitched up Browny to the sleigh;
Itse istuvi rekehen, He himself sits in the sleigh,
Kohennaikse korjahansa. Mounts up in his basket sleigh.
Lähteäksensä lupasi He decided to set out,
Sekä mietti mennäksensä And as he went he contemplated
Pyytämähän Pohjolasta Begging for another daughter,
Toista Pohjolan tytärtä. A second wife from Pohjola.44
ii Compare the word lovi (trance) with the names Louhi (Pohjola’s mis-
tress) and Lovitar (the suffix -tar indicates female gender).
209
By the conclusion of the Kalevala’s 38th rune, Ilmarinen

quite clearly remembers his previous union with the girl of
Pohja. Louhi’s first question when she sees Ilmarinen concerns
the well being and circumstances of her daughter (Ilmarinen’s
wife). After all, she was, “Living as a daughter-in-law, in the
homestead of her husband, as a woman in the home of her
mother-in-law.” But let us remember that the Kalevala tends
to condense the experiences of many lives into a single life;
thus, for Ilmarinen, the aesthetic impression of completeness
requires a poetic style that is not compatible with a literal de-
scription. Consequently, we are allowed to skip the places in
the rune that tell of Ilmarinen’s ex-wife, to keep ourselves in
the main design.
When Ilmarinen asks the mistress of Pohjola for her younger
daughter, he is denied. And when he encounters the girl in a
hut, a child sings from the floor:
“Neitonen, sinä sisari, “Do not, maiden, you my sister,
Elä sulho’on ihastu, Fall in love with such a suitor,
Elä sulhon suun pitohon, For the sweet talk of his tongue
Eläkä jalkoihin jaloihin! Or his noble turn of leg.
Sulholl’ on suen ikenet, By his gums he is a wolf,
Revon koukut kormanossa, In his pockets foxy tricks;
Karhun kynnet kainalossa, Hiding bear claws in his armpits,
Veren juojan veitsi vyöllä, At his belt blood-drinker’s knife
Jolla päätä piirtelevi, To chop a head or slash a spine.” 45
Selkeä sirettelevi.”
And the maid answers Ilmarinen:
“En lähe minä sinulle, “No, I will not go with you
Enkä huoli huitukoille... Nor respect such trifling suitors...
Onpa tässä neitosessa But in this girl there is something
Paremmankin miehen verta, Worthy of a better husband,
Kaunihimman varren kauppa, Match for a finer-figured man,
Korkeamman korjan täysi, Meant to grace a finer sleigh,
210
Paikoille paremmillenki, Better homesteads, higher stations

Isommille istuimille,
Ei sepon sysi-sioille, Than a blacksmith’s charcoal sheds,
Miehen tuhmaisen tulille.” Hearthfires of a dullard husband.” 46
But Ilmarinen does not give up. And when nothing else works,
he turns to violence:
Saa’utti tytön samassa, As he snatched the girl up to him,
Käärälti käpälihinsä, Grasped her in his mighty paws.
Läksi tuiskuna tuvasta, Like a snowstorm rushed outdoors,
Riepsahti rekensä luoksi, Dashing to his waiting sleigh;
Työnnälti tytön rekehen, Tossed the girl into it quickly,
Koksahutti korjahansa, Slung her in his basket sleigh
Läksi kohta kulkemahan, As he sped off on his journey,
Valmistui vaeltamahan, Ready to travel fast and far,
Käsi ohjassa orosen, One hand on the stallion’s reins,
Toinen neien nännisillä. The other on the maiden’s nipples.47
For Ilmarinen, no joy will ever come from this violent deed.
Along the way the girl weeps and complains, scolds and curses.
Ilmarinen works hard to find peaceful answers to the girl’s abu-
sive words. When they stop for the night in a village, Ilmarinen
falls into a deep sleep.
Toinen naista naurattavi While another man is laughing,
Mieheltä unekkahalta. Laughing with the sleeper’s woman.48
In the morning Ilmarinen wakes up and understands his own
wife’s unfaithfulness and, because he has not yet gotten the girl
as his own, becomes angry at “that kind of bride” and sings her
“into a sea mew, to scream about the barren skerries.” Then he
sits himself down in his sleigh and, in bad humor, travels back
to his own country.
Despite all the effective realism here, this is really a striking
allegorical description of Ilmarinen’s psychological efforts.
While Ilmarinen journeys along the psychic way, guided by
his sleep-consciousness, mysterious abilities and forces hiding
211
within his body begin to awaken. So he devotes himself to the

game, the game which wise men have long warned dear hu-
mankind about. As the child on the floor sings, Ilmarinen is
still like a bear in this respect; he does not have the reason and
the knowledge with which he could control those new abili-
ties. And without wise and humane guidance, the new psychic
abilities are like Pohjola’s younger daughter: wicked, arbitrary,
deceitful. They promise a great deal: “Our name is clairvoy-
ance; increasing the distance of your sight, and granting power
over the elements and human beings, we will take you to the
gods’ secret negotiations and bring you all that you desire on
earth.” But they take a human being to ruin unless he is their
master.
Ilmarinen awakens within his physical body the clairvoyant
and the clairaudient senses, which have the following quality:
In front of him unfolds Tuonela and the realm of death where
the deceased dwell in their longings and distresses. All of these
beings now rush to his side, each asking for different kinds
of help. One requests Ilmarinen’s co-operation in arranging
something on the earth; another desires to have sensory feel-
ings of enjoyment again and prays on his knees for Ilmarinen to
loan him his body, just for a moment; still another is awkward
being in Tuonela and asks Ilmarinen to help him escape. All
day long these unhappy beings gather around Ilmarinen and
do not give him a moment’s rest. Ilmarinen’s heart is overflow-
ing with compassion and he tries to help the poor but soon
observes that this is not possible. First of all, there are too many
begging for help, and secondly, his own sense of justice often
conflicts with their requests. And when he does not help them,
they swear at him and torment him by other means!
“Where have I come to,” he cries out, “to the company of
the devil! What must I do?” He realizes that the fault is truly in
his own clairvoyance, and with his soul’s entire force he tries to
free himself from it, to conjure it away from himself, and finally
succeeds.
212
Ilmarinen cannot master the abilities he has awakened but

he is delivered from being destroyed at their hands. For what
reason? By virtue of his own internal sense of truth and jus-
tice. He has this internal sense as an inborn inheritance from
his initiation. Because Ilmarinen has already carried out the
great mental initiation, which planted the spirit of love into
his heart, he is now saved and avoids “the dangers of psychic
powers.” On the other hand, how different will be the results
for the many who, without benefit of the inner experience of
initiation, try to awaken the supersensual forces!iii
Ilmarinen was initiated into love, and he thus cannot fall
under the power of evil. He can make mistakes and his ex-
periences are very difficult but at the moment of distress his
intuition saves him. After his eyes have been opened, he first
thinks, “Should I kill her?” And he answers himself, “No. No
violence with the sword of truth. I will just sing her away from
my consciousness and memory” (38:262-286). He leaves the
temptations of his sleep-consciousness and returns to his old
familiar day-consciousness.
iii In this connection we would like to repeat what J. Krohn says about the
tuno [seer, magician] of the Votyaks in his book Suomen suvun pakanal-
linen jumanlanpalvelus (The Pagan Divine Service of the Finnish Family):
“Anybody who is able to supply himself with the required knowledge
can pretend to be a tuno. The knowledge must be obtained from gnomes
who appear at night in the shape of an old man dressed in a long caf-
tan. The power of the tuno is not the same for all, it varies according
to the power of the gnome who served as teacher. It also depends on
the pupil’s own susceptibility. The best teaching is that given by Inmar,
the most superior god. Inmar appears to a magician-candidate at night
in the company of a fully taught tuno and guides the candidate to all
kinds of odd places, all the time playing the kantele so as to assuage his
fears. Finally the god takes him to the banks of a very wide river, over
which the strings of a kantele have been stretched. Over these strings
he must jump and dance; every time he falls from them he loses a part
of his coming influence. The most powerful tuno will be the one who
completes this trial without staggering even once” (p. 101).
213
On his way home he meets Väinämöinen, who asks him

with subtle mockery:
“Veli seppo Ilmarinen! “Smith and brother Ilmarinen!
Minne heitit naisen nuoren, Where did you leave her,
that young woman,
Kunne kuulun morsiamen That young sweetheart that we heard of,
Kun sa tyhjänä tuletki, Since you come back all alone,
Aina naisetta ajelet?” Riding womanless as ever?” 49
But Ilmarinen answers that, vexed, he sang “such a woman
into a sea mew on a skerry.”
And now it quite seems as if we can read between the lines a
little more. Väinämöinen, the wise seer, the master, finally ap-
proaches the struggling soul and speaks to it, not with irony, but
with compassion: “Oh, you soul, do you continue to think that
you really travel alone?” Haven’t you opened your eyes yet to
the fact that the real Pohja girl is already your own? Don’t you
remember your wedding in Pohjola? Don’t you know that you
are already one with your higher self? Look, you have already
been to Pohjola, and you have already forged the Sampo!”
And Väinämöinen asks Ilmarinen:
“Veli seppo Ilmarinen! “Well, my brother, Ilmarinen,
Mit’ olet pahoilla mielin, What has made you look so gloomy,
Kahta kallella kypärin With your peaked hat doubly crooked
Pohjolasta tullessasi? Coming back from Pohjola?
Miten Pohjola elävi?” How’s the life up there in Northland?” 50
The memories awaken in Ilmarinen and he answers: “Truly,
everything is all right in the secret world of my inner conscious-
ness because within it the knowledge of the truth is hidden,
not in the psychic realm of the sleep-consciousness.” In the
Kalevala’s words:
“Mi on Pohjolan eleä! “How’s the living there in Pohjola?
Siell’ on Sampo jauhamassa, There they have the Sampo grinding,
Kirjokansi kallumassa: Many-colored cover spinning:
214
Päivän jauhoi syötäviä, One day grinding things to eat,

Päivän toisen myötäviä, On the second things to barter,
Kolmannen kotipitoja. Third day things to keep at home.
Jotta sanon, kun sanonki, What I say, I say in truth
Vielä kerta kertaelen: And repeat what I relate:
Mi on Pohjolan eleä, How they live in Pohjola
Kun on Sampo Pohjolassa! Since they got the Sampo there!
Siin’ on kyntö, siinä kylvö, There’s the plowing and the planting,
Siinä kasvo kaikenlainen, There are crops of every kind,
Siinäpä ikuinen onni.” There prosperity unending.” 51
“Well,” remarks Väinämöinen, “now you understand, broth-
er Ilmarinen, that the Sampo must be taken from Pohjola! You
had the right intention when you began to develop your psy-
chic abilities, but your method was wrong. The Sampo must
be brought from the inner consciousness, not from the sleep-
consciousness, and not with the aid of the daytime sleep-con-
sciousness, but by the secret!”
And he invites Ilmarinen with these runo words:
“Ohoh seppo Ilmarinen, “Oho, good smith Ilmarinen!
Lähtekäämme Pohjolahan Let us go to Pohjola
Hyvän Sammon saa’antahan, To get that precious Sampo there,
Kirjokannen katsantahan!” To behold the ciphered cover.” 52
That is to say, now the inner consciousness and the secret,
invisible world, must be studied. Ilmarinen has already discov-
ered the deep law of the visible world’s life, but the invisible
world has passed by him unexamined. And only in this invis-
ible world can the secret of knowledge and power be found:
The Sampo.
215
28
The Sword of the Spirit
Ition, but also remarks about the difficulties of the voyage:
lmarinen certainly approves of Väinämöinen’s proposi-
“Ei ole sampo saatavana, “But we cannot seize the Sampo

Kirjokansi tuotavana And behold its ciphered cover
Pimeästä Pohjolasta, From the dark of Pohjola,
Summasta Sariolasta; From the foggy land of sedges.
Siell’ on Sampo saatettuna, There the Sampo has been taken
Kirjokansi kannettuna With its many-colored cover
Pohjolan kivimäkehen, Into Pohjola’s stone mountain,
Vaaran vaskisen sisähän, Hidden in a hill of copper
Yheksän lukon taaksi; And secured behind nine locks;
Siihen juuret juurruteltu Rooted there nine fathoms deep,
Yheksän sylen syvähän,
Yksi juuri maa-emähän, One root down in mother earth,
Toinen vesiviertehesen, Second by a water run,
Kolmas on kotimäkehen.” Third one on the homestead ground.” 53
When Väinämöinen answers, “Let us build a mighty war-
ship, on it we will take the Sampo,” we understand that Ilma-
rinen is willing to go but would rather travel by land: “Travel
overland is safer, let the devil go to sea” (39:23-35). A little
reluctantly, Väinämöinen agrees to this:
“...Kun et mieline merisin, “...But then, if you do not like it,
Do not wish to go to sea,
Niin on maisin matkatkamme, We can travel overland,
Rantaisin ratustelkamme!” Following the shore road there.” 54
216
the sword of the spirit
But at the same time he asks Ilmarinen to “hammer me a

sword, forge a new and fiery blade.” Ilmarinen immediately sets
to work, and with iron, steel, gold, and silver,
Takoi miekan mieltä myöten, He hammered out the blade at will,
Kalvan kaikkien parahan, The sword, the very best of blades,
Jonka kullalla kuvasi, Which he then embossed with gold
Hopealla huolitteli. And embellished then with silver.55
As Väinämöinen tests the new sword, observing, he turns
and asks, “Will the sword match the man, will the blade befit
the bearer?” (39:93-100). And he observes that it is so:
Olipa miekka miestä myöten, Yes, the sword will match the man,
Kalpa kantajan mukahan, And the blade befit the bearer.
Jonka kuu kärestä paistoi, At the point a moon was gleaming,
Päivä paistoi lappehesta, On the flat a sun was shining,
Tähet västistä välötti, And the hilt with stars was studded;
Hevonen terällä hirnui, On the blade a horse was neighing,
Kasi naukui naulan päässää On the knob a tomcat mewing,
Penu putkessa puhusi. While a hound bayed
on the scabbard.56
Being satisfied,
Sylkytteli miekkoansa Väinämöinen swung the sword
Vuoren rautaisen raossa, As if to split an iron mountain,
Itse tuon sanoiksi virkki: And he said:
“Jo minä terällä tällä “Now with this weapon
Vaikka vuoret poikki löisin, I could even split a mountain,
Kalliot kaha jakaisin.” Or could crack a crag in two.” 57
And before leaving on the journey Ilmarinen puts on his
“iron shirt and belts of steel” (39:115-126).
What this steel equipment is, and especially the meaning
of the firebladed sword, is not difficult to understand. In his
letter to the Ephesians, Paul says: “Therefore, take up the full
armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and
having done everything, to stand firm... And take the helmet
217
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of

God” (Ephesians 6:13, 17).
Väinämöinen’s firebladed sword is the weapon of truth and
solid faith; it is a clear conceptualization of the task ahead and
a firm faith in it. Ilmarinen creates this vision for himself from
the teachings of other initiates and here, a comment from us is
required. We will be able to touch the greatest achievements of
mystic psychology here and, as weak as our own abilities truly
are, we hope that the reader receives from our presentation a
glimpse of the Kalevala’s remarkable knowledge and wisdom in
these matters.
For Ilmarinen and for all human beings aspiring to the truth,
the true way of knowledge begins at this moment. Now he
becomes a “Sampo-excursionist” or a “Sampoan,” as before
Pohjola’s wedding he was a “propositional excursionist.” As a
propositional excursionist he cleansed his personality and thus
became a proper bridegroom for Pohja’s maid. Mentally under-
stood, his work was negative and passive or, shall we say, “fe-
male” in quality. To contrast this, now as the Sampoan excur-
sionist he has before him a wholly “male” (active and positive)
goal in life. We have already seen how in the initial prepara-
tions—in the “forging of the Golden Maid” and in the “propos-
al to the younger girl of Pohja”—energetic activity was required
although this was to some extent essentially a cleansing.
What then is the essential task of the truth-seeking human
being? As we have already mentioned, the task is to create an
immortal apparatus out of his own perishable human body, to
be filled and used by knowledge and power, into which the
consciousness of Logos or God can descend when the salva-
tion of humanity demands it. An initiate, you see, does not
work for personal benefit, to attain something for himself. His
motivation is his deep and invincible love for truth, for God,
for humanity, and driven by this love he may initially, like Il-
marinen, stray, until it becomes clear what truly needs to be
done. When he sets out to create from himself an immortal
218
apparatus, his goal is for the consciousness of Logos or the Holy

Wisdom of the universe to freely use him—if not immediately
in the beginning, then when the time comes—for the purposes
of a divine goal.
He could not have undertaken this great work prior to his
initiation. Before initiation, he does not have the self-conscious
I which is independent from the physical body. In other words,
his personal I is as mortal as the body. Consequently, how can
the immortal be derived from the mortal? The initiation per-
sonalizes his immortal I and thus his true I-consciousness rises
above the physical body and becomes independent from it. Al-
though after reincarnating he is not aware of his inner achieve-
ment while in his day-consciousness, this ignorance lasts only
as long as it is useful for him to learn from errors; when the
necessary learning has taken place an inner certainty and har-
mony returns. And then the work of building can begin. From
within and from above he must fashion from his body a magic
apparatus which death does not touch.
What is the nature of this work? Is it the transmutation of
the perishable and mortal body—by some kind of magic—into
something imperishable? No, but it is the creating of some-
thing imperishable through the aid of the body. Like the Ka-
levala says, it is accomplished by retrieving the Sampo from
its hiding place within the body. Here we finally meet the oc-
cult-psychological meaning of the word Sampo: Sampo is the
new, immortal, magic body that an initiate creates for himself
through the mediation of the physical body. In this connection
we will recall the following words of Paul, lest the reader think
we speak without foundation: “For this perishable must put on
the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But
when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and
this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about
the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O
Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?’ ” 58
Paul calls the sampo-body the “heavenly” and “spiritual”
219
body as we read in the following extract from the same epistle:

“There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the
glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is
another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of
the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from
star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown
a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown
in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is
raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual
body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.” 59
And also: “However, the spiritual is not the first, but the natu-
ral; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy;
the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are
those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those
who are heavenly. And just as we have borne the image of the
earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.” 60 And to
emphasize that he is not speaking here about physical resur-
rection (reincarnation), but about mental rebirth, Paul adds,
whispering: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed.” 61
The heavenly magic body, the Sampo, is also said to be “the
sun-body” or the “multi-colored cover” because it gleams like
the sun when completely formed and is seen in the sage’s eye
as a very shiny light-wheel (aura). In the middle of this can
be dimly seen the delightful features of the completed hu-
man being, “the Master in heaven,” or augoides, as the Greek
philosophers who were initiated into the mysteries would say.
(Likewise, Ilmarinen’s mental image gleams like the firebladed
sword, the golden sword, and so on.)
The building of the spiritual body is divided into different
periods, each with corresponding achievements, which in mod-
ern Theosophical literature (following the old Greek habit) are
called “initiations”; one learns of the first level of initiation, the
second, and so on, and the abilities and knowledge attained
220
in each is explained. The terms and divisions vary according

to the system used but, essentially, the goal and the way is the
same.
The ancient Finnish system mentions two main places on
the pilgrimage. One is the wedding at Pohjola, which com-
pletes the long journey of the propositional excursionist. The
second involves obtaining the Sampo, which ends the troubled
journey of the Sampoan. However, as the propositional excur-
sionist had several works for wages to fulfill, so also the Sampo-
excursionist has several tasks to complete before managing to
achieve the Sampo for himself, and the Kalevala presents these
in comparable detail.
There are, as we mentioned, different periods in the creating
of the heavenly body, different points during the long journey
to Pohjola, and the Kalevala identifies four divisions, naming
them as follows: 1) the rowing of the boat; 2) the playing of the
kantele; 3) the taking of the Sampo; and 4) the final battle, in
which the Sampo is shattered. In the rowing of the boat the
sun-body is shaped to the point of becoming a “water-body.” In
the playing of the kantele it becomes thinner, is made into an
“air-body.” And in the taking of the Sampo it is formed into a
“fire-body” which, in the final battle, sends its force outward,
like the sun, into the world.iv
iv In this connection we see why the word Sampo can be compared to the
Finnish words sammas and sampi. Sammas is understood as a bound-
ary stone or boundary pillar which separates the different periods or
bodies in the building of the Sampo; it corresponds on a practical level
to an initiation. Sampi, on the other hand, has the meaning of “fish”
and recalls the Christ symbol of the fish (ikhthys or, as they say, Iesous
Khristos theou hyios sooter). Christ, seen occultly, had a fully organized
Sampo or sun-body. We can also suggest that Sampo, as a relative of the
word sammas, has the meaning of pyramid, the place where the secret
wisdom was taught, because the sammas or boundary stone has a more
or less pyramidal shape. However, this brings to mind speculations con-
cerning the relationships between Finns and Egyptians which may be
unwarranted.
221
At each stage the Kalevala expresses the evil correspond-

ing to each achievement of good: The rowing of the boat ul-
timately teaches Ilmarinen the lesson of psychicality and me-
diumship; he began to learn this when he left to propose to
the younger daughter of Pohjola. The playing of the kantele,
on the other hand, clarifies the distinction between right and
wrong influence. The taking of the Sampo makes known the
distinction between good and evil sorcery, and the final battle
identifies the difference between human self-righteousness and
divine sacrifice.
Perhaps these things which are very difficult to understand
will become clearer if we explain them one by one. There is
something we must keep in mind. Though the Kalevala’s pri-
mary heroes—Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen—
participate in the Sampo expedition, they do not represent
separate people in the psychological sense. One of them, Il-
marinen, is the initiated truth-seeker. Väinämöinen and Lem-
minkäinen represent different sides of Ilmarinen. Väinämöi-
nen is certainly a master seer but he is also Ilmarinen’s will
and the innermost divine sound or conscience through which
he speaks as a master. On the other hand, Lemminkäinen is
Ilmarinen’s internal sentiment of love and blessedness, which
he attained by himself and so is, in a way, Pohja’s virgin in a
new form.
222
29
The Boat Journey
Vthat the journey to Pohjola be made by land. “Since you
äinämöinen initially consents to Ilmarinen’s request
do not understand the matter, we will travel by shore. Let us

search for a horse and bridle it with “a golden bridle” to cart
“we two men along the shore” (39:127-146).
Naturally, Ilmarinen is distrustful of the sea and wants to
travel to Pohjola by land. Earlier he traveled to Pohjola sev-
eral times, to the secret world of his inner consciousness, by
means of his sleep-consciousness, and experienced only worry
and harm (most notably, in the rune concerning his propos-
al to the younger daughter of Pohjola). At any rate, he trav-
eled “by land” in the sense that he was in the day-conscious
I of his mundane physical body. Now he realizes that when
Väinämöinen suggests they “travel by sea” that he must aban-
don his day-consciousness and rely on the dangerous sleep-
consciousness. Therefore, it is no wonder that Ilmarinen starts
off feeling that his courage will desert him.v
v Regarding the symbolic meanings of “horse” and “boat” we have the fol-
lowing example: When a Lapland sorcerer wanted to fall into a trance,
he—in addition to other preparations—removed his cap, opened his
belt, undid his shoelaces, hid his face in his hand, put his other hand on
his hip, rocked forward and backward and cried out, “harness a draught
reindeer!” or “push the boat out upon the waters!” Compare with J.
Krohn, Suomen suvun pakanallinen jumalanpalvelus (The Pagan Divine
Service of the Finnish Family), p. 114.
223
The two men did not travel far before they encountered “a
vessel weeping, a boat bewailing.” When Väinämöinen asks
the reason for this sorrow, the boat answers:
“...Muut purret, pahatki purret, “Other vessels, even bad ones,
Ne aina sotia käyvät... Are always going off to war...
Minä veistämä venonen, Here I am, a well-built vessel,
Satalauta laaittama Hundred planker in construction,
Tässä lahon lastuillani, Left to rot among my woodchips,
Venyn veistännäisilläni...” Lying here where I was built...” 62
Then Väinämöinen considers this to be a mirage of fate and
says with comforting words:
“Elä itke, puinen pursi, “Do not cry now, wooden boat,
Vene hankava havise, Stop lamenting, oarlock vessel.
Kohta saat sotia käyä, Soon enough you’ll go to war,
Tappeloita tallustella! Shuttling back and forth to battle.
Lienet pursi luojan luoma, You, the product of the Maker,
Luojan luoma, tuojan tuoma...” Creation of the great Creator...” 63
And after hearing this, which makes it clear that this boat is
no odder than other boats, Väinämöinen
Heitti hiekalle hevoisen, Left the horse upon the sand.
Painoi puuhun marhaminnan, Hitched the halter to a tree,
Ohjat oksalle ojenti, Threw the reins across a branch;
Lykkäsi venon vesille, Pushed the boat into the water,
Lauloi purren lainehille. Sang it out upon the billows.64
In this episode the Kalevala wishes to describe an awakening
that happens in Ilmarinen’s consciousness, how his ideas about
acquiring the Sampo change and become enhanced, and how
the sleep-realm now appears to him in a new light.
The moaning boat is like the sound of a memory awakening
in his soul. “Don’t you trust me anymore, Ilmarinen? I am truly
much older than your day-consciousness. You received your
day-consciousness the last time you were born on earth but
224
the boat journey
you received me during Pohjola’s wedding. Don’t you remem-

ber that you were initiated with Pohjola’s delightful virgin?
Don’t you remember how you and your spouse were united in
me? Don’t you recall how your day-consciousness grew and ex-
panded as if from the earth to heaven when you joined with the
virgin of Pohjola? Where did your consciousness travel, and
through what agency did this happen? Only with my aid! You
stored in your brain the consciousness that you experienced in
me; now you have a new brain and you have forgotten. But you
will awaken your memories to life again! All those who have
known the virgin of Pohjola and leave to battle for the Sampo,
utilize such boats as I. I am no stranger than the others.”
It begins to dawn within Ilmarinen that he does not need to
rely on the resented and dangerous sleep-consciousness. The
consciousness and the apparatus of this consciousness available
to him do indeed have their origin in the sleep-world, but this
in itself is not dangerous. The danger lay in moving his day-
consciousness into the sleep-world when, in fact, the sleep-
world’s greater consciousness is meant to gradually awaken
within his day-consciousness.
Ilmarinen begins to remember the grand spiritual experi-
ence he had in the past, and this now awakens within him
like a new confidence in his own powers. He need not fear
the unconscious when abandoning himself into the care of his
own secret consciousness. An abyss does not loom beyond the
day-consciousness; it is not an empty and bottomless void but
a wider, greater, and deeper consciousness which is already fa-
miliar to him.
And Ilmarinen understands that one cannot reach the
Sampo by other means. By itself, the day-consciousness cannot
build it with its own powers. The sun-body must be built from
inside and from above; its seed must already exist, it is the seed
that develops and grows as if by itself. And this seed is given by
life when a human being is created to be a human being. The
human being becomes conscious of this seed during initiation.
225
Now Ilmarinen no longer resists his innermost sound

through which the wisdom of Väinämöinen speaks. The boat
is prepared for them to use and is pushed out on the waters.
Then Lemminkäinen also joins the expedition.
Siitä vanha Väinämöinen Väinämöinen chants on softly.
Lauloa hyrähtelevi;
Lauloi ensin laitapuolen Conjured one side of the vessel
Sukapäitä sulhosia, Full of lads with sleek brushed hair,
Sukapäitä, piipioja Iron-fisted, leather-booted;
Saapasjalkoja jaloja;
Lauloi toisen laitapuolen Conjured on the other side
Tinapäitä tyttäriä Troupes of tinsel-headed maidens,
Tinapäitä vaskivöitä, Tinny trinkets in their hair,
Tinsel-headed, copper-belted,
Kultasormia somia. Graceful girls with gold-ringed fingers.
Lauloi vielä Väinämöinen Väinämöinen went on singing;
Teljot täytehen väkeä, Sang the benches full of people
Ne on vanhoa väkeä, Of the older generation,
I’än kaiken istunutta, Idle elders, long time sitters
Kuss’ oli vähän sioa Where a little room is left them
Nuorukaisilta esinnä. By the younger generation.65
Here we can see what a miraculous boat they have and what
a miraculous journey is underway. Väinämöinen sings the boat
full of people. They are not ordinary human beings who would
have come from their homes, but beings chanted into view by
magic power—and this is confirmed because they cannot get
the boat to move. Väinämöinen sat down at the stern and
Pani sulhot soutamahan, Then he set the youths to rowing
Neiet ilman istumahan; With the maidens sitting idly.
Sulhot souti, airot notkui, As they rowed, the oars were bending—
Eipä matka eistykänä. But the boat did not move on.66
And the same thing happened with the maids, and the
old people as well. The journey was not making any progress
(39:303-310). When Ilmarinen finally sat down to row,
226
the boat journey
Jopa juoksi puinen pursi, Blithely ran the wooden boat,

Pursi juoksi, matka joutui, Sped the boat, the journey quickened.
Loitos kuului airon loiske, Splash of oars was heard afar,
Kauas hankojen hamina. Far the creaking of the oarlocks.67
And thus the Kalevala tells us how Ilmarinen became accus-
tomed to using his new apparatus of consciousness—the first
form of the Sampo or the so-called water-body. For the special-
ist, the rune’s own words are witness to what is involved here.
The word “boat” refers to the fact that this is a question of the
emotion’s sleep-world, which is usually symbolized by the term
“water” (see Chapter 13 for an example). The water-body is
shaped by emotions, created from the force of love. But why
was a boat chosen as the symbol? Would not a living being
that can swim (for example, a horse) be acceptable? When we
discussed the works for wages, Hiisi’s gelding (Tuonela’s bear)
corresponded to the foam of emotions. Also, Plato wrote that
the human being of reason is a rider, and the feelings and pas-
sions in him are the mount that he leads. This is quite true,
but the Kalevala’s chosen symbol of the boat shows, in a sub-
tle manner, that this is no more a question of the emotional
character of an ordinary human being who may still, like an
animal, be independently willful; instead, it is now a question
of the cleansed emotional life of the initiate whose selfishness
has died. Therefore, a “lifeless thing,” a boat (which obeys and
serves its owner absolutely), is more appropriate.
Above all, what proves that the Kalevala speaks about an
occult apparatus for consciousness are the many human-like
beings chanted into existence by Väinämöinen to sit in the
boat. These beings represent the water-body’s many faculties
or senses which are used to study the emotional sleep-world.
But on what foundation do we say this? This is based on the
following two considerations:
First, the senses of the water-body are not spatial in the
same way that those of the physical body are; rather, they “are
227
everywhere.” Some are in front, some in back, on the right

and the left, at every side—it is as if the whole body is a sense
organ—and the different senses are not distinct from one an-
other but exist together. The same sense mediates the sensa-
tions of sight, hearing, touch, and so on. One may also say that
a human being in the water-body sees, hears, feels, smells, and
tastes with every part of the body, and this is vividly portrayed
with the human-like beings placed on every side of the boat.
Second, in the emotion realm of the sleep-world, when we
look at the subtle forms of things or, as is said, with the clair-
voyant eye, a human being’s usual feelings and passions are
dressed with corresponding animal forms. One sees wolves,
serpents, pigs, turtles, and so on, including every type of hy-
brid in which an exaggerated eye, mouth, or beak is especial-
ly frightening. This kind of vision usually occurs after death.
The more a human being cleanses his emotions, the more the
subtle forms of the thoughts and emotions look like flowers
and plants, or geometrical objects and crystals and so on, as
happens in the meditation of the “propositional excursionist.”
Only in rare cases does a thought of an uninitiated human be-
ing dress as a human; for example, this may happen if someone,
with great love, wants to tell something to a relative. Conse-
quently, the thinker’s thought may appear before the relative
in the form of the thinker.
It is different, on the other hand, for the seer who is ad-
vanced. His personal thoughts always dress—unless he wants
it differently—in the human form. Why? The human form is
a symbol. For example, if a seer wants to inform his student of
something, he sends a thought to the sensitive student. The
thought behaves like a living being, searching and looking like
the seer, and fulfills the task like an envoy, returning afterward
to its sender. If the seer wishes to know about some matter,
he can just as easily send out a thought to find out, and the
thought returns with the needed information.
228
the boat journey
In the sleep-image world of emotion, the form taken tends to

correspond to the content; only they who master the laws and
forces of that world can deceive. Human beings who happen
to be there are like helpless children, and are recognizable only
by their mere existence.
Since the faculties and senses of the water-body are por-
trayed as human-like beings looking around, this means they
are autonomous—self-acting and self-conscious. It is as if the
human being’s day-conscious I is present within every faculty
of the water-body! In this we can understand how versatile
and expansive is the consciousness of this boat’s activities in
the sleep-world as compared to the brain-consciousness. One
can study with those organized faculties and senses the side of
the inner consciousness corresponding to the unseen cosmos,
which is called “water.” As such, he may in a vision be able to
study the human soul’s different emotional states, the fate of
the deceased in Tuonela and in the heavens. However, the Ka-
levala’s rune also reveals that those self-acting faculties simply
cannot move the boat. Ilmarinen alone can use his vessel and
be its master; Väinämöinen, the divine conscience of wisdom,
has the stern.
We explained earlier why Lemminkäinen joins the company.
The memories of Ilmarinen awaken and as a result he renews
his connection to his higher emotional I, which is now repre-
sented by Lemminkäinen.
229
30
The Playing of the Kantele
Tganizing of the air-body or, as the Kalevala says, “the
he next stage in the building of the sun-body is the or-
preparing of the kantele.” Rather than being a new apparatus,

this is “the rebirth” of the water-body, fitting it with new facul-
ties, so that new vistas in the invisible world will be opened for
the human being to study. The Sampoans go peacefully ahead.
Their happiness affects the other beings of the invisible world.
Steadfast old Väinämöinen
Laski laulellen vesiä, Sailed on singing on the water,
Ilon lyöen lainehia. Striking joyance on the billows.
Neiet niemien nenissä Maidens on the tips of headlands
Katselevat, kuuntelevat: Looked and listened wonderingly:
“Mi lienee ilo merellä, “What’s that joyance on the water,
Mikä laulu lainehilla, What those songs out on the billows,
Ilo entistä parempi Each one better than before,
Laulu muita laatuisampi?” Tunes more moving than the others?” 68
They journeyed “on the inland waters, through the marsh-
land, and reached the rapids.” The rapids were cleared without
misfortune:
Itse vanha Väinämöinen Then old Väinämöinen steered,
Laskea karahtelevi, And the vessel rippled on,
Laski louhien lomitse Sailed between the rocks and reefs,
Noita kuohuja kovia, Over heaving swells and rollers,
Eikä puutu puinen pursi, And the vessel was not halted,
Vene Tietäjän takellu. The magician’s boat not grounded.69
230
the playing of the kantele
But suddenly trouble appeared and an insurmountable ob-

stacle arose before the Sampoans:
Äsken tuonne tultuansa But as soon as they were out,
Noille väljille vesille Out upon the open water,
Puuttui pursi juoksemasta, Suddenly the boat stopped moving
Venonen pakenemasta; And the vessel stood stone still.
Pursi puuttuvi lujahan, There the boat was firmly grounded,
Vene vieremättömäksi. Vessel fixed and motionless.70
The obstacle was examined to see if it was a stone or a
branch, and they discovered that the boat was stuck “on the
shoulders of a pike.” Now, before we continue we must discuss
what this “pike” is.
The name itself brings to mind “the big and scaly pike”
which Ilmarinen caught from Tuonela’s river as his third work
for wages, and we can expect that the Kalevala will here, as
before, call the river “Tuonela’s river.” The “catching of the
pike” meant that Ilmarinen had to purify the habits, faculties,
and instincts which lived in his inner consciousness and at the
same time in the physical body’s invisible ethereal half. One
wonders if now, on the Sampo-journey, it has the same mean-
ing? It does, though Ilmarinen does not approach this cleans-
ing from the perspective of the day-consciousness. Instead, it is
done from the inner consciousness to bring about cleansing in
the invisible world rather than the visible. The journey of the
Sampoan progresses downward from the Self towards the body
and not, as was the case with the propositional excursionist,
the other way around. Therefore, without explicitly remark-
ing so, the Kalevala indicates that this pike is also in Tuonela’s
river.vi
vi In Lönnrot’s first compilation, Pohjola and Manala are mentioned in
conjunction. See, for example, Kalevalan esityöt (The Kalevala’s Prelimi-
nary Works), I. Väinämöinen: “across Pohjola’s river, Manala’s lowland”
(pp. 230-231); “to those Pohjola waters, to Manala’s lowlands” (pp.
550-551). Editor’s note: See F. P. Magoun (1969) for English translation
of The Proto-Kalevala.
231
Now the habits, faculties, and instincts of the invisible ethe-

real half of the physical body are in question. Moving freely
within his water-body, a human being clings closely to the pike
of the ethereal body. What is this? This simply means that he
is as yet unable to shift his secret water-body’s consciousness to
the physical brain—the day-consciousness. His self-conscious-
ness is not yet continuous and unbroken. In his day-conscious-
ness he is Ilmarinen number 1, in his sleep-consciousness he is
Ilmarinen number 2. This Ilmarinen number 2 is much more
developed and skillful than number 1. The former is conscious
of daily life—much smaller—and the day-conscious Ilmarinen
has only a fraction of the memories that his nighttime twin
brother does. The latter’s greater faculties manifest to the day-
consciousness only as transient magical events, as visions, rev-
elations, passing inspirations, and so on. Tuonela’s stream of
oblivion continues to divide the day-consciousness from the
secret consciousness. At any rate, the course of development
ultimately demands that the reason for oblivion be eliminated;
consciousness must be made unbroken and continuous. The
water-body’s faculties, instincts, and habits must be awakened
within the physical brain.
How does this happen?
On their interrupted journey down the river, Väinämöinen
first urges Lemminkäinen to remove the obstacle:
“Veä miekalla vetehen, “Slash your sword through the water
Katkaise kala kaheksi!” And just cut the fish in two.” 71
Lemminkäinen pulls the sword from his belt and
Veti miekalla meryttä, Slashes with it through the water,
Alta laian laskettavi, Reaching down beneath the vessel
Itse vierähti vetehen, So that he himself fell in,
Kourin aaltoihin kohahti. Plunging headfirst in the billows.72
When Lemminkäinen fared so badly, Ilmarinen interferes in
the situation and
232
Tarttui tukkahan urosta, Seized the fellow by the hair,

Nostatti merestä miehen, Snatched him up out of the sea
Itse tuon sanoiksi virkki: And remarked: “Everybody
“Kaikki on mieheksi kyhätty...” Is designed to be a man...” 73
Then Ilmarinen himself pulls out his sword to cut the fish:
Miekka murskaksi mureni, But the sword crashed into fragments,
Eipä hauki tiennytkänä. Yet the pike paid no attention.74
Väinämöinen moves to help, and his own fiery sword of
truth does away with the pike:
Siitä vanha Väinämöinen Then old Väinämöinen lifted,
Nostalti kaloa tuota, Heaved the fish up from the water,
Veti haukia ve’estä:
Hauki katkesi kaheksi, But the great pike broke in two,
Pursto pohjahan putosi, Tail-part sinking in the sea,
Pää kavahti karpahasen. Forepart landing on the vessel.75
Now the boat begins to move again, and Väinämöinen steers
for shore, where the head-piece of the pike is boiled and eaten
as a meal (40:173-204).
With this rather humorous description the Kalevala wishes
to illustrate how difficult it is to take possession of the physi-
cal brain-consciousness and how imperturbable is the bound-
ary of oblivion between the day-consciousness and the secret
consciousness. It does not happen in the twinkling of an eye:
Not at the moment of first enthusiasm (Lemminkäinen) nor
with the aid of gallant self-esteem (Ilmarinen), but only with
a thoroughly premeditated, calm, and forceful effort. What
specifically is it that needs to be done so that the water-body,
without hindrance, can affect the ethereal body and through
it, the brain? The force-center corresponding to the brain must
be awakened to full action within the physical body’s invisible
twin. Consciousness will then be able to pass through without
hindrance; in its normal behavior it is like a whirlpool which
233
swallows consciousness and, in effect, strikes it down into un-

consciousness. The only thing entitled and skillful enough to
awaken it is “the sword of the spirit”—i.e., a clear concept of
the task to be performed, a firm faith in the unselfishness of
ones motives, and patient, persistent effort. The sword is di-
rected to the corresponding center of the brain, “the pike’s
head-part” is eaten, and the secret consciousness is opened
to the physical brain. Now the human being will be able in
broad daylight to use his water-body’s full faculties and char-
acteristics. What before was spontaneous and spurious, burst-
ing forth unannounced, now becomes a permanent capacity. If
the aspiring seeker has already somewhat developed his water-
body’s secret ability of perception, he will now become truly
clairvoyant and clairaudient; he does not unknowingly attract
the invisible world as a medium or natural psychic does, but
moves within it as a free and masterful citizen. If he, on the
other hand, in working on his water-body through the virtues
of his previous character, has learned how to associate with the
higher beings of the invisible world (gods, angels, faeries, seers)
and has received from them inspiring impressions (manifesting
perhaps as artistic creativity or a general ingenuity), he now
has the chance to wander in continuous inspiration—and al-
ways feels like a king among people...
And yet only half of the work is done. The water-body still
needs to be changed into the air-body. The Kalevala tells how
Väinämöinen looks at the bones of the fish left on the rocks
and ponders what he might build from them.
“Noista hau’in hampahista, Fashioned from the pike’s great teeth,
Leveästä leukaluusta, Invented from its broad jawbone
Jos oisi sepon pajassa, Somehow in a craftsman’s workshop,
Luona taitavan takojan, Workshop of a skillful artist,
Miehen mahtavan käsissä?” In the hands of mighty talent.” 76
234
When Ilmarinen suggests that only emptiness comes from

nothing, Väinämöinen responds that it will become a kantele,
and immediately sets himself to work:
Laati soiton hau’inluisen, Made the five-stringed harp of pikebone,
Suoritti ilon ikuisen. Made a thing of joy forever.
Kust’ on koppa kanteletta? What’s the body of it made of?
Hau’in suuren leukaluusta. Of the jawbone of the pike.
Kust’ on naulat kanteletta? And the pegs, what are they made of?
Ne on hau’in hampahista. Of the strong teeth of the pike.
Kusta kielet kanteletta? And the strings, what are they made of?
Hivuksista Hiien ruunan. From the mane of Hiisi’s gelding.77
In a variant of the 44th rune, the body of the kantele is made
of a weeping birch, which had grievingly complained of its sor-
rows to Väinämöinen. The pegs for his kantele are obtained in
the following way:
Kasvoi tammi tanhualla, In the barnyard grew an oak tree,
Puu pitkä pihan perällä, Tall old oak tree at the yard end.
Tammessa tasaiset oksat, On the oak are level branches,
Joka oksalla omena, On each branch an acorn growing,
Omenalla kultapyörä, On each acorn a golden wheel,
Kultapyörällä käkönen. On each golden wheel a cuckoo.
Kun käki kukahtelevi, When the cuckoo there is calling,
Sanoin viisin virkkelevi, His five-noted song is singing,
Kulta suusta kumpuavi, From his throat bright gold is welling,
Hopea valahtelevi From his beak the silver pouring,
Kultaiselle kunnahalle, Pouring on a golden hillock,
Hope’iselle mäelle; Down upon a hill of silver.
Siitä naulat kantelehen, From this oak will come the harp-pegs,
Vääntimet visaperähän Screws to fit the curly-birch frame.78
And finally, as Väinämöinen leaves to seek strings for the
kantele, he sees a maiden sitting in a clearing, singing away the
evening while waiting for her beloved. Väinämöinen asks her
for some of her hair to use as strings:
235
Antoi impi hapsiansa, And she gave him of her tresses,

Hienoja hivuksiansa, Of her long, luxuriant tresses,
Antoi hasta viisi, kuusi Five, six, even seven strands,
Sekä seitsemän hivusta;
Siit’ on kielet kanteleessa, And they made the joyful harpstrings,
Ääntimet iki-ilossa. Tongues of gladness everlasting.79
And then the wonderful and familiar description of the play-
ing of the kantele follows in both variants. First, the other he-
roes try to handle the new music machine without any success.
Eventually Väinämöinen places the kantele on his knee and
charms all of living nature with his playing (Runo 40:241-342;
also Runos 41 and 44).
Here the Kalevala conveys an impression of the manner in
which the water-body is changed into the air-body; in other
words, how the kantele is brought into the boat. This kantele
is made from the noblest and most artistic faculties of the ethe-
real body. Most notably, the weeping birch which went into
making the kantele represents the finest forces of poetry and
love. The head of the kantele is the brain and its strings go
through the heart. Everything within the human being which
is holy and beautiful, profound and magnificent, is gathered
together to form a playing machine through which all living
and deceased beings rejoice, are consoled, and made happy.
And who can play it? Only Väinämöinen. The human self
cannot, and neither can the initiated self. Only the eternal
loveliness of the great wisdom can, the sound of which is heard
in the divine spirit of the initiate.
Here the Kalevala describes a profound and remarkable
thing in the mystical-psychological development of the initi-
ate: He finally achieves for a moment his longed for ideal, just
once his yearning is fulfilled, finally his lengthy absence ends
with a mergeance in his personal consciousness with God.
While playing the kantele he feels he has become a self-
conscious medium of the force and influence of God—Logos.
236
God’s force, divine life and consciousness fill the entire solar
system. “In Him we live, move and are.” Without the sun-en-
ergy of our Logos there can be no life on earth; without His
sunny consciousness there is no consciousness in the cosmos.
When the kantele is formed between the heart and the brain
of an initiate, he receives an immediate connection with life’s
force of Logos; he becomes a son of God who has for his use his
father’s forces. This is his ascent to the mountain of enlighten-
ment, his crowning with the crown of immortality.
How beautifully did the seers of the Finnish people concep-
tualize this point! They loved to think of nature as a worker,
an artist, a visionary. And when they wanted to show a human
seer immersed in his enlightenment and honor, they put him
“on the joystone, upon the songrock, high upon a silvery hill,
upon a golden knob” (Runo 41:5-8). In his hands the kantele
sends out in tonal waves the Creator’s happiness and exuber-
ant life-force to penetrate the hearts of His created ones.
When the water-body is changed into the air-body, the initi-
ate becomes filled with “the Holy Spirit.” His face shines and,
in addition, human beings are charmed by him and are moved
to worship him. Naturally, this is not permanent. It is “a gift
from above.” It will occur when the Logos desires and needs it
to. “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of
it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going;
so is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). But it is
great to be a servant of the Master and one who fulfills God’s
will, always remembering how great it is to be a mouthpiece of
Logos or God’s finger on earth though it may not happen more
than once in life. The affects are preserved in Väinämöinen’s
tears, even though they (the tears) “have changed into some-
thing else”:
Helmiksi heristynehet, Swollen, rounded into pearls,
Simpukoiksi siintynehet, Into blue fresh-water pearls
Kuningatarten kunnioiksi, That would honor any queen80
Valtojen iki-iloksi. And delight the great forever.81
237
And that honor is only given to the one who has found him-
self, one whose higher self has emerged victorious and then, as
Ilmarinen-Väinämöinen, steps onto the songrock.
Human beings influence each other continuously at all
times whether they know it or not, or consciously will it. The
effects are sometimes good and sometimes bad. But this is per-
ishable and vanishes away until the time when God manifests
His influence through them, and death is unmasked to reveal
its immortal face.
238
31
The Theft of the Sampo
Bthe air-body must be transformed into the “fire-body.”
efore the Sampo—the sun-body—is completely ready,
In addition, the human being’s physical apparatus must be

fashioned into “God’s shape” so that the initiate can feel the
gloomiest forces of Hell and can agree with the prophet: “And
if I found myself in the deepest Hell, even there, you would be
with me, oh God.”
As you know, the deepest secrets of magic, knowledge, and
power are hidden in the physical body and in its ethereal twin.
Until the truth seeker has won these, the ancient Finnish wis-
dom does not consider him to be a perfect seer. Because some
of these forces can be awakened for selfish purposes, through
energetic self-torture devoid of true mental development, they
are also called the forces of (black) witchcraft or black magic.
We can understand this if we remember that a human being
is a microcosm or a miniature reflection of the solar system,
of which he is a member. Consequently, his physical body cor-
responds to the larger body of the cosmos. We can equally say
that a human being’s intellect is a miniature reflection of the
intellect of Logos; as an organ, the human brain corresponds to
the world’s brain and God’s pure reason can use it. In addition,
as a human being’s love is part of God’s love, a miniature form
of it, the human heart corresponds to the world’s heart and,
moreover, God’s unlimited compassion can manifest through
it. But in a human being’s body there are organs which, in a
239
manner of speaking, are stronger than the head and the heart;
for example, the genitals. The stomach says, “I need nourish-
ment,” and the head must serve it. The genitals say, “We want
to make a family,” and the heart hurries to serve them. One
who aspires to become a black magician merely needs to com-
mand himself to not serve the stomach. And to the heart he
commands: You will not serve the genitals, you will serve only
me, for I am your master. In comparison, one who aspires to
become a seer satisfies his stomach’s needs in the same way
that he pleases his head, and sets his genitals in the service of
the heart right away. He does not pretend that he himself is the
master of his head or heart, but instead seeks the truth which
his head can serve, and the love of God in which his heart can
bathe. Ultimately, the seer must study both the stomach and
the genitals and win them in a new way, in order to connect
with the cosmic forces corresponding to them. And the same
is true for the other physical organs and their corresponding
forces. One must not think that they are “lower” than the head
and the heart, one is not allowed to despise them and brand
them “animalistic.” There is no lower or higher in nature, nor
better or worse; in its great economy everything is good, ev-
erything is in its own place, serving its own purpose. And if we
wish to classify them into rank and file, we might just as well
call the “lower” forces the “highest” because they are deeper
and more difficult to attain. Therefore it is said that the forces
of black magic or sorcery are the last which a white seer might
employ...
In the 42nd rune the Kalevala describes with great drama
the formation of the fire-body, the final taking of the Sampo as
ones own. In terms of white magic this takes place from within,
from inside the unseen world.
After having traveled on the wide open sea, the seers’ boat
arrives in Pohjola. The three men step into the hut and Poh-
jola’s mistress asks what message the men bring. Väinämöinen
answers plainly:
240
the theft of the sampo
“Sammosta sanomat miesten, “All our news is of the Sampo

Kirjokannesta urosten; And concerns the ciphered cover.
Saimme sampuen jaolle, We are here to share the Sampo
Kirjokannen katselulle.” And to view the ciphered cover.” 82
The mistress of Pohjola hurries to exclaim that the Sampo is
not to be shared:
“Ei pyyssä kahen jakoa, “There is never enough, good fellows,
In one grouse for two to share,
Oravassa miehen kolmen.” Nor for three men in a squirrel.” 83
Väinämöinen makes up his mind: “If you will not share it
with us, give us just the other half, then we’ll take the whole
mill with us!” And Louhi, greatly offended, calls her warriors
to take up arms.
But then, Väinämöinen sits down to play the kantele and
with his playing enchants Pohjola’s people into a deep sleep.
Then the men move to seize the Sampo,
Pohjolan kivimäestä, In dark Pohjola’s stone fortress,
Vaaren vaskisen sisästä, There inside a copper mountain,
Yheksän lukon takoa, Well secured behind nine locks,
Takasalvan kymmenennen. And an inner bolt the tenth.84
Väinämöinen chants softly while Ilmarinen oils the locks
and hinges and soon the heavy doors swing open.
“Oi sie lieto Lemmin poika, “Now, you wayward son of Lempi,
Ylimmäinen ystäväni, My great friend, go get the Sampo,
Mene sampo ottamahan, Heave the ciphered cover up!” 85
Kirjokansi kiskomahan!”
Väinämöinen urges, “Heave the ciphered cover up!” and
Lemminkäinen tries to yank the Sampo from the earth but it
is rooted down to a depth of nine fathoms. Lemminkäinen is
not able to loosen it until he uses Pohjola’s strong-bodied ox to
plow up the Sampo’s roots, the fastenings of the multi-colored
(ciphered) cover.
241
When the Sampo is happily brought to the vessel, the three

men begin to journey homeward, rejoicing with good humor.
Lemminkäinen has a mind to sing but Väinämöinen explains
that it is not good to sing until they are home. There are still
dangers in the offing (42:123-268)...
If we say that a human being’s heart is given to God at Poh-
jola’s wedding, and especially in the formulation of the water-
body, we should also say that in creating the air-body the head
is given to God. For a human being to entirely and thoroughly
be “the temple of the Holy Spirit,” the other organs of the body
must be subdued and offered to God. As can be seen from the
Kalevala’s description, this is not an easy task. The Sampo or
the sun-body is hidden within the physical body to a depth of
nine fathoms, behind nine, even ten locks. In reality two of
the Sampo’s roots have already been dug up: the head and the
heart. Although the rune doesn’t mention this for aesthetic
reasons, there remain the roots of: the sacrum, the navel, the
spleen, and so on. These are the ethereal force-centers and
their corresponding ganglionic nerve-bundles of the parasym-
pathetic nervous system within the physical body. The nine
or ten gates are the body’s nine (or ten) “aperatures” (in the
Indian books it is said that the human body is “the town of nine
gates”): the ears, the eyes, the nostrils, the mouth, the rectum,
and the genitals (the female sex has two openings).
Väinämöinen’s playing enchants the people of Pohjola into a
deep sleep. Likewise, with Ilmarinen’s help, his song opens the
nine gates. This means that mastery of the physical senses has
been achieved. The body has its own consciousness and an as-
piring truth-seeker cannot master anything unless he treats it
like a living being. It is good to get ones senses under control so
that they can be closed and opened at will. Then one will not
see unless one wants to, will not hear unless one wants to, and
so on. If one lets the vision of God in, one eclipses the human
sight; likewise, if one lends his ears to the Creator, the human
hearing is erased.
242
the theft of the sampo
When Lemminkäinen is given the task of bringing the Sam-

po out of the stone hill and into the daylight, this means that
love, at this moment, must enliven all the force-centers and
nerve bundles of the body. This takes place with the help of
the so-called “serpent-fire,” which the Kalevala calls “Pohjola’s
good ox.” This name indicates the mighty power which is hid-
den in the serpent fire, because when this physical serpent fire
awakens within a human being the feeling may initially be so
overwhelming that he literally realizes the words of Jesus: “I
have won the world.” This is equally expressed in a Roman
poet’s words: “Si fractus illabatur orbis, impavidum ferient
ruinae”—he feels so invincible, so unshakable, and so strong
within himself. Soon he learns to analyze the experience and
distinguish which aspects of these feelings are illusions.vii
Only love (Lemminkäinen) is qualified to awaken this force
within the body, otherwise the power irresistably pulls one into
black sorcery, which is to say, using the supernatural faculties
for selfish purposes.
Immediately thereafter, when the Sampo is obtained and
Väinämöinen orders it homeward,
“Nenähän utuisen niemen, “To that misty point of land
Päähän saaren terhenisen, At the head of Foggy Island,
Siellä onnen ollaksensa, There to keep it for good fortune,
Ainiain asuaksensa...” To abide thereon forever...” 86
the meaning is that the Sampo (the fully formed sun-body) is
not owned by the physical day-consciousness but vice versa.
The Sampo is in the invisible world, in the inner conscious-
ness, even though it was collected from the hiding places within
vii Although the Kalevala does not mention it, this serpent fire has, in
fact, already been on the scene. Pohjola’s “big ox,” present at the wed-
ding of Pohjola, possibly refers to the serpent fire. The development of
the psychic forces generally occurs in connection with the serpent fire.
The serpent fire is described in the Sanskrit literature under the name
kundalini; in Greek it is speirêma.
243
the physical body. Though it was created in all its different

forms with the aid of the physical body and from its materials,
the physical day-consciousness is its humble servant.
The great work has been fulfilled and who should rejoice
more than the human being who has accomplished it?
Siitä vanha Väinämöinen Väinämöinen sailed away,
Läksi poies Pohjolasta, Steering with a cheerful mind,
Läksi mielellä hyvällä, Happy to be going homeward.87
Iloten omille maille.
244
32
Final Doubts
V
äinämöinen’s presentiment of danger hit the nail on the
head: Lemminkäinen should not have sung out until
“our own home doors appear, and their hinges creak out greet-
ings” (42:267-268). The worst of dangers and the most difficult
trial still awaits the Sampo-voyagers. Until now all had gone
well. The journey to Pohjola was accomplished merrily, Louhi
and the people of Pohjola were chanted into a hypnotic trance,
and the Sampo was seized and taken from the stone hill. But
now Pohjola awakens from its deep sleep and Louhi, the mis-
tress of Pohjola, prepares herself to retake the Sampo because
when she noticed the Sampo was missing,
Louhi Pohjolan emäntä Louhi, matriarch of Northland,
Tuo tuosta pahoin pahastui, Was disturbed, enraged by this:
Katsoi valtansa vajuvan, Saw in it a loss of power
Alenevan arvionsa... And a loss of reputation.88
It is a general rule of nature, you see, that if someone ob-
tains power over a certain element, he arouses those who have
guarded that force and they become his enemies. In forming
the sun-body, a human being finally seizes the Sampo from its
hiding places within his physical body, but it is not enough to
say that he has achieved power over his own physical body.
The fact remains that his body’s organs correspond to specific
forces and states in the cosmos, and these forces—the inhabit-
ants of these states—rise up to oppose him, this daring one.
245
And because at this point it is now a question of selfish forces,

in a last hopeless attempt all the “forces of darkness” rise up
against the truth-seeker. Here the Kalevala makes a clear dis-
tinction between Kalevala and Pohjola: Kalevala wants the
Sampo for the reason that it will benefit and provide happiness
for all humanity, while the “secret group” of Pohjola keep it
closed within the stone hill so that nobody even knows about
it. As an exponent of the forces of darkness, Louhi prepares
herself to chase down the Sampoans and, invoking her ability
to conjure, she calls up a fog, Iku-Turso, and a storm to torment
the voyagers out on the sea.
These three oppressive hazards are: the fog of suspicion
and despair, the Iku-Turso of selfishness and passion (the “old
dragon”), and the storm of indiscreet activity and influence.
These are not personal weaknesses but collective forces within
humanity which attack an initiate.
Ututyttö, neiti terhen, Then the Mistmaid, fog dispenser,
U’un huokuvi merelle, Breathes a vapor on the sea,
Sumun ilmahan sukesi, And the air is filled with fog
Piti vanhan Väinämöisen Which delays old Väinämöinen,
Kokonaista kolme yötä Holds him there for three whole nights,
Sisässä meren sinisen Halted on the blue sea surface,
Pääsemättä perille, Keeps him from his destination
Kulkematta kunnekana. Or from traveling anywhere.89
It is humanity’s great suspicion, despair, and exhaustion that
surrounds a sailor and mockingly seduces his soul. “What, are
you delirious? Are you better than we are? A moment ago you
boasted of your strength, you won the world, you were at the
level of the gods, and now you are the most tired of the tired!
Where is that force which you felt in your limbs? Where is the
God whom you trusted? It was an illusion, vanishing and per-
ishable as everything under the sun. You were abandoned, as
were we. Emptiness and darkness laugh at you, as it does at us.
246
final doubts
Do you think that someone can become a god? Deceit and lies
are everywhere. Not a single human being has attained what
you seek because darkness is always stronger than the light.”
The human soul experiences a dark night of distress and may
end in destruction unless he remembers the sword of the spirit
on his belt, and raises the truth up high from the depths of his
own depressed human state. He has lived for the truth and
fought for it:
Yön kolmen levättyänsä After standing for three nights,
Sisässä meren sinisen, Moveless on the blue sea surface,
Virkki vanha Väinämöinen, Väinämöinen spoke out firmly:
Itse lausui, noin nimesi:
“Ei ole mies pahempikana, “There is not a man so feeble,
Uros untelompikana Not the most incompetent,
U’ulla upottaminen, Who must yield to cloudy weather
Terhenellä voittaminen.” Or be overcome by fog.”
Veti vettä kalvallansa With his sword he struck the water,
Merta miekalla sivalti, Slashed the blue sea with his iron;
Sima siuhkui kalvan tiestä, There a jet of mead rose gushing
Mesi miekan roiskehesta, And a flow of honey followed.
Nousi talma taivahalle, Then the mist rose up to heaven,
Utu ilmoille yleni, And the fog dissolved in air.
Selvisi meri sumusta, So the sea was clear of mist
Meren aalto auteresta, And the billows free of fog.
Meri suureksi sukeutui There the sea lay widely open
Maailma isoksi täytyi. And the world was big again.90
When this first danger passed, another appeared:
Oli aikoa vähäinen, After a bit of time had passed
Pirahteli pikkarainen, Like a tiny rash of rain,
Jo kuului kova kohina Then they heard a wild commotion
Vieraltä veno punaisen, Down beside the red boat’s planking.
Nousi kuohu korkeaksi Foaming waves were roaring high,
Vasten purtta Väinämöisen. Rolling in on Väinö’s vessel.91
247
Ilmarinen was so terribly frightened that “the blood drained

from his features,” while Väinämöinen looked down at the side
of the boat and saw something odd:
Iku-Turso Äijön poika Eternal Turso, son of Ancient,
Vieressä veno punaisen In the sea beside the red boat,
Nosti päätänsä merestä, Raised his head above the water,
Lakkoansa lainehesta. Pushed his crown up through the billow.92
This is humanity’s millennial egoism and bestiality, which in
the form of an old dragon raises its head up from the depths
of the cosmic consciousness. “How far do you think you will
get with your unselfishness? How do you suppose the world
will benefit from it? Don’t you know me? Don’t you know that
I keep human beings tightly wrapped in my fists? Everyone
serves me, I am the god of humans. What can you do with your
knowledge? Who cares? And what knowledge can you have
without me? I am the truth that humans seek. I present them
with the only real happiness and blessing, something they con-
tinuously long for: The satisfaction of their passions. You, now,
serve me also, and abandon your fanciful ideas about raising up
humanity!”
A human being will be as frightened as Ilmarinen to see this
monster of Mammon which commands all humanity on their
knees. But Väinämöinen does not hesitate:
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen Old reliable Väinämöinen
Saipa korvat kourihinsa, Caught the creature by the ears,
Korvista kohottelevi, Heaved him up and questioned him:
Kysytteli lausutteli,
Sanan virkkoi, noin nimesi:
“Iku-Turso Äijön poika! “Eternal Turso, son of Ancient,
Miksi sie merestä nousit, Why do you rise up from the sea,
Kuksi aallosta ylenit Lift yourself above the billow
Etehen imehniselle, And reveal yourself to humans,
Saanikka Kalevan poian?” Even to a Kalevalander?” 93
248
final doubts
Sternly and seriously he questions this monster of egoism.

Why has he cared to show himself to a son of God? Over-
whelmed by fear, Iku-Turso confesses that he thought he would
“kill the family of Kaleva, and get the Sampo back to North-
land,” promising at the same time that he will no longer con-
sider this if he is allowed to return into the depths of the sea.
What else could be done? Egoism cringes in the face of righ-
teousness and its soundless prayer is, “save me, let me live, I will
leave you in peace!” And righteousness spares egoism because
the generosity of a single human being does not eliminate evil
from the world. Väinämöinen throws Iku-Turso back into the
billows and commands him never again to rise from the waves.
Senpä päivyen perästä Never has he risen since,
Ei Turso merestä nouse Nor will he rise up from the water,
Etehen imehniselle, Never in the sight of humans,
Kuni kuuta, aurinkoa, Not as long as sun and moon
Kuni päiveä hyveä, And the cheerful daylight brighten
Ilman ihailtavata. Or the sight of sky delight us.94
This second hazard is survived, and now comes the third.
After a little time has passed, Ukko, the highest god, raises a
storm the likes of which Ilmarinen has never before witnessed:
Nousi tuulet tuulemahan, Then the winds began to blow,
Säät rajut rajuamahan; Vehement storms to rage with fury.
Kovin läikkyt länsituuli, High the west wind lashed the water,
Luoetuuli tuikutteli, And the southwest with more fury;
Enemmän etelä tuuli, Even stronger blew the south wind,
Itä inkui ilkeästi, While the east wind whistled madly;
Kauheasti kaakko karjui, Awesomely the southeast howling,
Pohjoinen kovin porasi. And the north wind weirdly wailing.
Tuuli puut lehettömiksi, Trees were stripped of all their foliage,
Havupuut havuttomiksi, Firs denuded of their needles;
Kanervat kukattomiksi, Heather bared of all its blossoms
Heinät helpehettömiksi; And the grasses of their sheaths.
Nosti mustia muria Black ooze from the bottom rose
Päälle selvien vesien. To ensoil the lucid waters.95
249
This represents humanity’s weaknesses of independence and

mindless activity, which pulls people into its whirlpool with-
out helping anyone. “Don’t you, who want to be wise, see the
blindness underlying human life? Don’t you see that a human
being is just a trembling poplar leaf in the storm of evolution
and fate? What new careers do you imagine, what can you
teach humans? What?—you want to make humans indepen-
dent and free? The same human beings who scream for help as
soon as I appear will give up just to be allowed to breathe calm
air for a moment and think! And they do not even know me in
my full fury: They call my silence a storm and dread it, but in
my rage they become transfixed! The less they need to think
and strive, the happier they are. They love to float along with
the wind. What can you do for them by yourself? You will just
awaken their hate and contempt!”
Ilmarinen goes out of his mind for awhile, but Väinämöin-
en reproaches him, saying that weeping will not ward off evil
nor crying cancel evil days. Together with Lemminkäinen,
Väinämöinen calms the storm and the churning billows of the
ocean with a chant and they repair the boat to protect it from
the waves.
In this way the initiate conquers this last distressing trial so
that he no longer worries about what he has seen or heard.
“Let the fist of fate be however tight, and let the whirlwind of
development be however austere. The task of a human being is
to ascend to be the master of ones own fate because only then
can one be admitted as a son of God. Spiritual development
exists for this reason and fate will serve those who pursue it.
250
33
The Last Battle
T
he last battle against the dark powers of Pohjola, against
the angels of evil and darkness, takes place in the in-
visible world. However, a shadow from “the divine battle” is
projected into mundane life, giving rise to hate, persecution,
contempt and oppression.
It begins with the great conflict at Gethsemane. A human
being anticipates the final offer but struggles within his soul
and is frightened by it. “Take this chalice away from me,” he
prays with a tormented bloody sweat on his forehead. But soon
the decision comes: “I only want what you want, Father.”
The Kalevala describes this anxiety so dramatically and so
effectively, yet with such a peaceful intention, that we must
refer here to the entire episode in Runo 43 (verses 23-101):
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen In the meantime Väinämöinen,
Laskevi sinistä merta, Sailing over the blue sea surface,
Itse tuon sanoiksi virkki, Is addressing Lemminkäinen:
Puhui purtensa perästä:
“Oi sie lieto Lemmin poika, “O you lively son of Lempi,
Ylimmäinen ystäväni, You, most precious friend and comrade!
Nouse purjepuun nenähän, Climb up there now to the masthead,
Vaatevarpahan ravaha, Scamper nimbly up the mainmast;
Katsaise etinen ilma, See what weather looms before us,
Tarkkoa takainen taivas, Keenly scan the sky behind us:
Onko selvät ilman rannat, Do the horizons show up clear,
Onko selvät vai sekavat!” Are they clear or unsettled?” 96
251
Lemminkäinen ascends the mast and observes the sky. “It’s

all clear,” he calls, “just a tiny cloud to the north.”
Sanoi vanha Väinämöinen: Said old Väinämöinen slyly:
“Jo vainen valehteletki; “Now you may be simply fibbing;
Ei se pilvi ollekana, There may be no cloud at all
Pilven lonka lienekänä, Nor a little cloudlet either,
Se on pursi purjehinen; But a sailing boat behind us.
Katso toiste tarkemmasti!” Look again, and look out sharply.” 97
Lemminkäinen looks again and informs him that he sees an
island far away, with aspens full of falcons and birch trees full
of speckled wood grouse.
Sanoi vanha Väinämöinen: “That can’t be,” said Väinämöinen,
“Jo vainen valehteletki; “Surely falcons they are not,
Havukoita ei ne olle,
Eikä kirjokoppeloita, Nor can they be speckled wood grouse:
Ne on Pohjan poikasia; They’re the boys of Pohjola.
Katso tarkoin kolmannesti!” Look out carefully the third time.” 98
When Lemminkäinen looks for the third time, he recog-
nizes his mistake and yells down that Pohjola’s vessel is com-
ing, “a hundred men on benches rowing, a thousand more just
sitting.”
Silloin vanha Väinämöinen Väinämöinen saw the truth,
Jo tunsi toet totiset... Recognized the situation...99
And without pondering the situation any more he orders the
rowers to do their best so that Pohjola’s vessel does not over-
take them.
Souti seppo Ilmarinen, Rowed the craftsman Ilmarinen,
Souti lieto Lemminkäinen, Rowed the wayward Lemminkäinen,
Souti kansa kaikenlainen; Everybody rowed and rowed.
Lyllyivät melat lylyiset, Straining bent the piny oars
Hangat piukkui pihkaiset, With the rowan rowlocks whining
Vene honkainen vapisi, And the pinewood vessel rocking.
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the last battle
Nenä hyrskyi hylkehenä, Like a seal the prow surged forward

Perä koskena kohisi, As the stern-wake roared like rapids,
Vesi kiehui kelloloissa, While the sea boiled up in bubbles
Vaahti palloissa pakeni. And the foam in balls was flying.100
However, the sailing ship from Pohjola is faster than the Ka-
levala’s rowboat, and old Väinämöinen
Jo tunsi tuhon tulevan, Felt his ruin coming on him,
Hätäpäivän päälle saavan... Saw the day of doom before him...101
Väinämöinen foresees that the battle against Pohjola will be
disastrous for his own people, but before he abandons hope, he
tries his mighty powers one more time. Turning to his faculty
for magic, he conjures a huge rock underneath the sea into
which the vessel of Pohjola might sail. And so it happened:
Tulla puikki Pohjan pursi, Rushing came the Northland vessel,
Halki aallon hakkoavi, Cutting straight across the rollers.
Jopa joutuvi karille, On the unseen reef it grounded,
Puuttui luottohon lujasti; Held fast by the hidden island.
Lenti poikki puinen pursi, There the wooden boat was sundered,
Satakaari katkieli, And the hundred-ribber broken;
Mastot maiskahti merehen Into the sea the masts went splashing,
Purjehet putoelivat Down with them the sails fell flapping
Noiksi tuulen vietäviksi, For the wind to blow away,
Ahavan ajeltaviksi. By cold Ahava far driven.102
Louhi, mistress of Pohjola, leaps into the water to lift up the
vessel but sees that it is broken up and badly damaged. After
thinking for a moment, she changes herself into an enormous
eagle, one wing “grazing the clouds, the other touching the wa-
ter.” She loads all her armed warriors onto her tail and under
her wings and flies onward to assault the heroes of Kaleva.
Jo tulevi Pohjan eukko, There the dame of Northland’s coming—
Lintu kumma liitelevi, A peculiar bird approaching,
Harte’ista kuin havukka, From its shoulders up a hawk
253
Vaakalintu vartalolta. But in body like a griffin.

Yllättävi Väinämöisen, Overtaking Väinämöinen,
Lenti purjepuun nenähän, She alighted on the masthead,
Vaatevarpahan rapasi, Moving quickly to the yardarm,
Päähän pielen seisotaikse; Overbalancing the vessel
Oli pursi päin puota, So the boat was near to sinking,
Laiva laioin kallistua. Vessel almost keeling over.103
Ilmarinen prays to his god for protection in the impending
battle, but Väinämöinen asks, half mockingly, if the mistress
of Pohjola has decided to share the Sampo. In answer she
cries out, “I do not intend to divide the Sampo with you, you
wretch,” and tries to grab hold of the Sampo in the boat.
Now begins a most difficult battle. Lemminkäinen pulls out
his sword, strikes out and cries:
“Maahan miehet, “Down, you men, and down,
maahan miekat you swords!
Maahan untelot urohot, Down, you worthless warriors!
Sa’at miehet siiven alta, From beneath the wings by hundreds,
Kymmenet kynän nenästä!” From each feather tip by tens!” 104
Väinämöinen sees the end approaching:
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen, Väinämöinen, knower eternal
Tietäjä iän-ikuinen
Arvasi ajan olevan, Judged now that his hour had come,
Tunsi hetken tulleheksi... Felt the moment had arrived...105
He takes a paddle and strikes at the eagle’s claws, one after
another, as they dig into the Sampo, until all that remains is
one “weak little finger.”
Pojat siiviltä putosi, From her wings the lads came dropping,
Melskahti merehen miehet, In the sea the men were splashing,
Sata miestä siiven alta, From beneath her wings a hundred,
Tuhat purstolta urosta; From her tail a thousand plunging;
Itse kokko kopsahtihe, Then the eagle too came crashing,
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the last battle
Kapsahutti kaaripuulle, Down upon the boat ribs tumbling

Kuni puusta koppeloinen, As a wood grouse drops from a tree top,
Kuusen oksalta orava. As a squirrel from a fir branch.106
But oh! With her remaining “ring finger” Louhi flails out for
the Sampo and
Sammon vuoalti vetehen, Hooked it with her nameless finger,
Kaatoi kaiken kirjokannen Hurled it with its ciphered cover
Punapurren laitimelta Over the side and into the sea,
Keskelle meren sinisen; Over the side of that red boat
Siinä sai muruiksi sampo, Into the depths of the deep blue sea,
Kirjokansi kappaleiksi. Where the Sampo crashed to pieces
And the ciphered cover crumbled.107
The people of Pohjola were defeated, but at the same mo-
ment the Sampo was destroyed!
How are we to understand the symbolism of this? Why was
the Sampo lost again?
We do not need to explain the symbolism of the battle against
Pohjola because it is a vividly colorful description of a real bat-
tle in the unseen world; the psychological battle that is realisti-
cally described here holds true for the symbolic meaning. But
the question remains why the Sampo, the sun-body, which was
attained (or created) with much struggle and hard work, en-
during many difficulties and dangers, has once again been lost,
shattered in fact, broken into smithereens? Our mind becomes
dejected in thinking about the Kalevala’s heroes, remembering
that it was Ilmarinen who originally forged the Sampo, and we
must ask, with sadness: Was that clear-cut victory really a big
defeat?
In this point the Kalevala—when opened with the mystic-
psychological key—again reveals the vast amount of deeply
profound wisdom and life-experience hidden within its runes.
If the Kalevala allowed the Sampo to remain whole, won by
the people of Kaleva, then wouldn’t Pohjola be left without?
255
The Kalevala would then have had to emphasize a dualism, the

eternal polarity between good and evil which does not, in fact,
exist in the divine wisdom. The Kalevala would represent the
good—of course—and we would then judge Pohjola as being,
so to say, an eternally dark and damned place. On behalf of the
Kalevala heroes, we would then believe that goodness got its
proper payoff and evil received its due punishment.
When the Kalevala lets the Sampo be shattered, it highlights
its highest ethical teaching. The Sampo—the origin of wisdom
and the bringer of happiness—is not for the individual to pos-
sess. Though Ilmarinen or Väinämöinen be just and good, the
Sampo does not exist only for them as long as they battle the
forces of darkness. In battling the forces of darkness they re-
leased themselves from their grip. In attacking the Kalevala
heroes, the forces of darkness drew themselves out and away
from God.108 But is this possible? Can anything exist outside of
God, outside of His being? Can evil exist independently, un-
touched by God’s love? Can an ignorance so black exist that
can never be reached by God’s penetrating light?
No, we answer, such a thing does not exist. No devil ex-
ists that God’s unlimited compassion cannot save. As such
it would be a psychological and, morever, an occult error to
let the Sampo stay unbroken for the Kalevala’s people. The
Sampo had to be shattered and broken into splinters so that
everyone gets a part; in addition, Louhi brought the Sampo’s
cover back to Pohjola. Thus the initiate was taught about the
Kalevala’s last great lesson: total self-sacrifice! Only he who
can completely and finally abandon himself can be totally use-
ful as a messenger of Logos or God on earth. Truly, in a similar
way, Christ also went this way at Golgotha and finally died on
the cross for humanity’s benefit.
The Kalevala’s description of Väinämöinen’s relief and hum-
ble gratitude when he saw the wind and waves carrying the
fragments of the Sampo to land is deep and humane:
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the last battle
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen Väinämöinen saw those pieces,

Näki tyrskyn työntelevän, Those small fragments of the Sampo,
Hyrskyn maalle hylkeävän, Splinters of the ciphered cover;
Aallon rannalle ajavan Saw the sea swells lifting them,
Noita sampuen muruja, Herded landward by the combers,
Kirjokannen kappaleita. Driven shoreward by the breakers.
Hän tuosta toki ihastui,
Sanan virkkoi, noin nimesi: Heartened by the sight he said:
“Tuost’ on siemenen sikiö, “There’s a seed of future fortune,
Tuosta kyntö, tuosta kylvö, Germ of everlasting thriving
Tuosta kasvu kaikenlainen, For our plowing and our planting
Tuosta kuu kumottamahan, And for crops of every kind
Onnen päivä paistamahan, That will make the moon to glimmer
And the sun of fortune shine
Suomen suurille tiloille, On the wide farmlands of Finland,
Suomen maille mairehille!” On the lovely land of Suomi.” 109
And Väinämöinen’s prayer for his nation when he himself
had lost everything, illustrates how he has completely aban-
doned himself:
“Anna luoja, suo Jumala, “Give, Creator, grant, O God,
Anna onni ollaksemme, Grant us good life and good fortune
Hyvin ain’ eleäksemme
Kunnialla kuollaksemme And at last to die with honor
Suloisessa Suomen maassa, In the lovely land of Suomi
Kaunihissa Karjalassa!” And in beautiful Karelia.” 110
Thus ends the Kalevala’s story of the Sampo and its reveal-
ing description of the great drama of initiation. The runes
thereafter return to the continuing adventures of the heroes
and portray the shrunken and devalued power of Louhi, even
though her vengeance caused more problems for the people of
Kaleva (Runos 45 and 46). It is not until the 49th rune that
peace prevails. But the war for the Sampo is over and the Sam-
po is never encountered again unbroken.
257
Now the reader is entitled to question: Does all this mean

that the initiate is not allowed to keep his own sun-body? How
then can his connection to his eternal magic body be under-
stood? Is the Sampo lost forever? What happened to the initi-
ate’s immortality? Isn’t there a greater mystery hiding in this?
And we answer: Yes, it hides. Behind the Sampo’s loss hides
its future regaining. This is the law of life. All that is mentally
lost, will be regained. “He who loses his life, will gain eternal
life.”
The Sampo-body will indeed one day become the initiate’s
own. The Kalevala clearly refers to this with Väinämöinen’s
words:
Päivän mennä, toisen tulla, One day go, another come—
Katsotahan, kaivatahan They’ll be waiting, yearning for me
Uuen Sammon saattajaksi...” To bring back another Sampo...” 111
And if we ask ourselves when this will happen in the initi-
ate’s life, we find the answer in the battle for the Sampo re-
lated above. Of course, answers the Kalevala, when an initiate
is through fighting, when he no longer divides himself in two
to battle evil, setting God against the devil, he offers himself to
evil as a ransom, saying: “I no longer battle the forces of evil.
Instead, now I can love them and gather them into me. Let
all evil come over me and into me, for I will change it all into
goodness and send it away better. Let all curses fall upon me to
be transformed into blessings!”
This teaching is hidden within the rune as a delightful hope
for the future and as the promise of resurrection.
We are familiar with another drama about initiation, in
which the resurrection is described as a literal reality. The New
Testament tells how Christ, in his immortal sun-body, breaks
up the power of Tuoni (the Devil) and is resurrected. He truly
died as humbly as a sacrificial lamb without resisting anyone
258
the last battle
involved, even forbidding Peter to defend him when Peter

reached for his sword. But what he lost in this greatest human
agony on the cross, is regained in the greatest divine delight of
his resurrection. And this eventuality, referred to and antici-
pated in the Kalevala, will become true in the brightest, most
miraculous events of another Holy Book (the New Testament).
259
Part IV
The Kalevala’s Magic

The Occult-Historical Key
34
What Is Meant Here by Magic
Mcraftused to increase material benefits in a way more ex-
agic is usually understood to mean a sorcery or witch-
pedient than conventional methods. It is said to be “good” or

“white” magic if one has beneficial aspirations for oneself and
friends. On the other hand, it is considered to be bad or black
magic if it is used to damage others.
Allan Menzies writes in his book History of Religion (1895),
“Every savage religion contains a certain amount of magic, of
practices, that is to say, by which it is thought possible to influ-
ence or to foretell outward events. Early man is not limited in
his views of what may happen by any accurate knowledge of
natural laws, or of the sequence of cause and effect, and he
imagines it possible to influence nature in various ways. He
imitates what he supposes to be the causes of things, judging
that the effect will also follow; or he uses such powers as he
may have over spirits, to induce or compel them to accomplish
his wishes; or he manipulates objects he believes to have a hid-
den virtue, in a way he believes calculated to bring about the
desired result. Magic is thus related both to the cult of spirits
and to that of casual objects, both to animism and to fetishism.
There is generally a special person in a tribe who knows these
things, and is able to work them.” (Chapter V)
It almost feels like professor Menzies calls into question the
Revival of Learning (the Renaissance) regarding magic and
261
the kalevala’s magic
mysticism, and would brand all of it as being mere superstition

and belief in illusion. On a more cautious and correct scientific
foundation there is professor Heinrich Schurtz, who says in his
book The Original History of Culture (1915): “The scientist of
modern times has encountered many difficult problems in his
search for answers. A more in-depth exploration of hypnotism
has shown that negativity and arguments inciting skepticism
are insufficient as explanations, and that many facts found
among tribal cultures that appear to be mysticism, actually
have a scientifically provable foundation. Nevertheless, for ex-
ample, the convenient position that all shamans and medicine
men were simply skilled jesters and conjurers has to be aban-
doned” (p. 757).
In the minds of their neighbors, the Finns and Lapps were
always considered to be powerful magicians and sorcerers, and
of course they had their reasons for believing this. No other
Christian nation has preserved as many magic formulas and in-
cantations than our nation. C. A. Gottlund writes in his study
Vanhoin Suomalaisten viisaus ja opin-keinot (The Wisdom and
Teaching Methods of the Old Finns): “They (the Finnish nation)
is first mentioned for the fact that no other nation in the world
is more famous for their Magic and Witchcraft than this Finn-
ish nation. These traditions have risen to a uniform Doctrine
or Knowledge, which appears to the outside world via brutal
and curious icons, and through odd events, none of which have
been studied. This Doctrine expresses some vanity but also
much great knowledge and wisdom, which explain how, although
the Finns may have lived mostly in mental darkness, they had
a natural but odd Wisdom—quite magnificent though it turned
unnatural—which expressed itself in a peculiar manner.
With their wisdom and vanity they frightened other nations,
and they were considered more powerful and knowledgeable
than other human beings. Indeed, it has been said that they
were in union with the Devil, that they received both their
262
what is meant here by magic
wisdom and power from him. Humans have always been quick
to explain incomprehensible events as unnatural; and if the
practicing of magic betrayed the Finns as unenlightened, those
who believed this could not be any wiser than those who prac-
ticed and trusted in it.” 1
A long time ago, in 1782, K. S. Lencqvist’s study of the old
Finn’s theoretical and practical superstitions (Dissertatio de su-
perstitione veterum Fennorum theoretica et practica), written in
Latin, was published in Turku. Because it listed and classified
magical phenomena more thoroughly than works that came
later, as we have seen, we wish to repeat here Porthan-Lenc-
qvist’s classification.2
“Beneficial skills of incantation” or white magic were of the
following kinds:
1) Prophesying, performed with a) a bowl or goblet filled with
water (later with alcohol or coffee), b) a patient’s garment, c)
presentiments or precognition, d) lottery (on a sieve or a magi-
cian’s drum), and e) choosing days.
“Presentiments were omens of future events and were seen
in many kinds of occurrences and accidental events. A buzzing
in the ears augured that some kind of news would be heard.
Meeting an old woman, stumbling against a threshold, and fall-
ing from a horse’s back were supposedly bad omens. A jack-
daw’s cawing, a cat’s mewing, and an itching in the cheeks and
chin meant the arrival of guests. Omens of death were of many
kinds. For example, a knocking made against a wall was death’s
clock (Thermes Pulsatorum), as were the howl of dogs and the
eagle-owl’s cry, or pieces of straw or wood chips seen lying in
the shape of a cross in front of a door” and so on.
The choosing of days was apparently based upon astrologi-
cal knowledge. “They had their happy and unhappy days.” For
example, the final days of a waning moon and the first days of
a waxing moon were “empty days” because the moon is not vis-
ible during that time. As such, it was not good to sow or spread
manure over a field during those days.
263
2) Charms, with which sorcerers fortified themselves against

harm and accidents caused by other sorcerers; also used to
deflect such attacks. a) Incantation techniques were used to
make their bodies invincible to all kinds of weapons, to guard
cattle against wild beasts, to protect their dwellings from fire
and their transport wagons from thieves, and successfully de-
fend legal disputes. b) By taking oathes they tried to prevent
the forces of nature from causing damage, and dangerous
animals from causing harm. c) With conjurings they tried to
drive away bears, diseases and other evil from themselves and
friends. d) By enlisting or “engaging” (using the cross’s mark,
turning socks inside out, making knots, bribes, and offerings)
one was believed to be able to repel the intrigues and plans of
bad people who try to injure others with their magic tricks. e)
By “turning around” one could protect oneself from the dan-
gers and injuries raised by an enemy. In this way, the masters of
this skill tried to throw back these evil things upon the sender.
f) By reversing, sorcerers tried to heal injuries and return lost
objects. Thus, for example, they forced thieves to return stolen
objects and could compel a divorced woman to love her hus-
band again.
3) Catching or bringing happiness. This was done with many
kinds of secret tricks, partly with the aid of some kind of home-
spirit (Lencqvist says spiritus familiaris; we would say a brownie
or gnome) who provides his friends with riches, money, and
other goods.
“Incantation-skills for evil deeds,” or black magic, were of
the following kinds:
1) Conjuration. “With their spells magicians can confuse the
abilities of other human beings to the extent that they lose
control and seem to hear, see, and feel things that the magician
wants them to, and thereby injure themselves.” Lencqvist lists
that the eyes, ears, tongue, and imagination can be betrayed,
tells how someone can be made to go out of their mind, how
264
mobility is reduced or stopped entirely, and how one can deter-

mine another person’s feelings as much as one desires. Nowa-
days, all of these phenomena are called hypnotism.
2) Bewitching in the limited sense that “by wicked tricks
they watch over another person’s life, successes, and property
with criminal intent, and do not consider such activities to be
shameful as long as they are done secretly and safely.” For this
purpose a special lumbago or “hernia” was used, described as
a ball, which caused severe pain in the internal organs of the
body such that death would certainly follow. They could also
trouble their enemies with diseases or make them melancholic,
paralyzed, blind, or lame. They sought to disturb other peoples’
marriages and make them unhappy, infertile, quarrelsome, or
in some other way miserable. They even tried to deprave an
enemy’s character by compelling him to become a thief, an
adulterer, a drinker, a spendthrift, or make him a profligate by
similar means.
3) Buttings and curses. With these, “a mouthful of abuse was
heaped upon the enemy or opponent whom had wished for evil
things, and ruin was wished upon the enemy’s whole tribe as
well as the enemy himself. These were accomplished with spe-
cific ceremonies and magic formulas, in addition to all kinds of
other wicked techniques.”
Regarding the devices and techniques employed in the cere-
monies of both black and white sorcerers, Lencqvist mentions:
1) Magic signs, being letters, numbers, and other kinds of
signs. Also, we can include here
2) Magic objects such as sieves, magic drums, and so on.
3) Words, which is to say, words and short sentences with
which diseases were removed, serpents were charmed, and so
on.
4) Spells, that is, words of origins, the essential spells.
5) Ceremonies and tricks. “He must, before sunrise, go around
visiting cemeteries and bury human bones here and there,
265
never looking around or throwing anything behind himself.

Hang a magic object around the neck or on the breast, without
blinking an eye... one must run a specified distance holding
ones breath...” and so on.
6) Miraculous enthusiastic emotions and pranks. “If one needs
to chase away evil spirits one sets about this task with tremen-
dous emotion, raging with pranks, rumbling around, contort-
ing the body in and out.”
7) Unions with devils. “There is no doubt that the kind of
people who have gone so long in ungodliness and stupidity,
initiating themselves with the enemy of God and humanity,
seeks to receive eternal help for their wicked plans. It is true
that the seed of ungodliness originates in paganism. This is true
because we have shown above that our ancestors believed one
could enlist the help of evil gnomes and spirits.”
In this broad summary we see a satisfactory overview of the
secret techniques—as far as they are understood—which are
usually referred to as magic or witchcraft. The Kalevala is full
of this magic. All of its heroes are skilled in incantations, in-
cluding Lemminkäinen, Ilmarinen, Joukahainen, and above
all Väinämöinen, whose mighty words and songs were not
merely charming, but carried with them a creative and mir-
acle-making force. As an example of a magical object, there
is Lemminkäinen’s hairbrush, which his mother and wife saw
bleeding at the moment he met his death. At one point, when
the moon and sun ceased to shine (49:75-110), Väinämöin-
en turns to divination by lottery.3 It is also said that he cured
sick people with ointments and magnetic gazes, as well as with
prayers and spells (45:313-362). At any rate, ones attention
never becomes fixed on these magical details because they ap-
pear to be wholly natural and minor points. The clue, however,
is their lofty content and their aesthetic unity, which awakens
a deep and permanent interest. But the question that every at-
tentive reader must ask is: “What foundation and basis is there
266
for such stories?!” And many a reader answers without doubt:

“Certainly none!”
Caution is needed here. Reactionary denials are too easy
and quick. As professor Schurtz remarked in the quotation
given above, the modern investigator is no longer in the same
position as the scientist during the Revival of Learning (the
Renaissance). Currently, we officially know enough about the
secret faculties of the human mind that we mark ourselves as
ignorant, scientific fuddyduddies if we just shrug our shoulders
at “fairy tales” and “miraculous stories.”
Regarding the writer of this book, he has no reason to deny
the reality of magic and magical phenomena. On the contrary,
he—based on his own experiences—must confess that several
of the phenomena given above are real, and he could even
mention a few that are not listed. However, this does not mean
that he would morally approve of them.
It does not surprise us that common opinion and the many
critics who condemn witchcraft and magic adhere to a philoso-
phy of life that does not reach beyond the concerns of everyday
mundane life. Perpetual worrying about the benefits and needs
of material life, its success, security, and well being, is really
vile and overly concerned with details. Certainly, honest work
and sincere behavior are no doubt much better magic in the
long run than any spells and tricks. Education, civilization, and
the Christian outlook have an undeniably elevating affect on
nations. But common opinion and critique depends upon the
understanding of magic that ultimately prevails. If the compre-
hension changes, so must the critical analysis.
We do not in the least wish to change common opinion
about magic. We only want to publicly express our own opin-
ion, which may already be clear to the reader, that essentially,
and in truth, magic is quite different from the picture of tricks
and spells presented above. In reality, magic involves activity
in the unseen world and thus knowledge of the unseen world.
267
A seer is just a human being who controls some of the forces in

the unseen world, and therefore his actions as a seer seem mag-
ical. Far removed from the idea that this activity can impinge
upon the realm of material and physical life, its aims are in fact
superphysical, mental, and moral in quality. True magic only
touches physical being indirectly; it only promotes a spiritual
civilization. The magic of the other kind, when it truly appro-
priates the secret forces, is like prostituting the divine faculty.
With his magical abilities a seer expresses his contribution to
the surrounding world and humanity. One part of his activities
is simply education. His task is to educate humanity, to have
an affect on them, perhaps even to acquire some of them as pu-
pils. Thus we can say that magic, in this more limited meaning,
is the psychic method which a seer uses when helping human
beings to grow and when seeking to enlist students.
In the following we want to explain a few features regarding
these educational methods of the Kalevala’s seers, and then it
may become clear why we generally refer to them as magical.
268
35
Then and Now:
Two Human Types
Ffered by the Kalevala’s seers, we must first review the es-
or us to correctly understand the education in magic of-
sentials, the human environment where they first found them-

selves and had influence. That environment cannot be found
in the era in which the modern form of the Kalevala runes
were composed and sung, but must be sought in a much older
period—the time of which the Kalevala’s runes, at least certain
fragments of them, truly speak. We do not wish to define how
far back we need to go with a specific number of years; the
Kalevala, as we will see, sings of so many periods and eras that
we are accessing a span of tens of thousands of years. We must
go so far back that we meet with a psychological environment
markedly different from modern humanity, and this is the first
era which was influenced by the seer-heroes of the Kalevala.
Despite the suspicions of our scientific investigators, the Kale-
vala takes us, if we can see and feel the magical ambiance, to
very ancient eras “beyond history,” to a time when the modern
Finnish nation did not yet exist although our ancestors—and
why shouldn’t we call them Finns?—were alive and making
their mark. The origins and past history of the Finnish people
are hidden in dim antiquity, but occultly seen this is a known
quantity: Our Kalevalan spirit and culture are of Atlantean
269
origin.i As to its form and its expressive style, the Kalevala is

naturally an Aryan product but when one ventures into its
spirit, Atlantean images and impressions arise. And therefore
we must correctly understand the Kalevala’s magic to begin to
comprehend the psyche and soul of the Atlantean human.
We spoke earlier about humanity’s Fourth Root Race and
mentioned that these Atlanteans were more emotional hu-
man beings than those in the modern Fifth Aryan Root Race.
(See Chapter 10, “The Lemminkäinen-Forces.”) However, this
short definition is insufficient. To get some kind of image of the
Atlantean human it will be useful to compare with the modern
European.
How can we psychologically define the modern human be-
ing? His innermost secret essence is emotion but he more or less
uses his intellect to control himself and his actions. Officially,
i In The Secret Doctrine Madame Blavatsky says that Chinese, Japanese,
Mongolians, Finns, and Turks belong to the seventh (Mongolian) sub-
race of the Atlantean Root Race. Scientists such as Yrjö Koskinen in
his dissertation Tiedot Suomensuvun muinaisuudesta (Knowledge Concern-
ing the Antiquity of the Finnish Family), speculate that the peoples of the
Finnish family are of Turanian origin and the old Chaldeans and Sumeri-
ans of ancient Babylonia are related to them. According to Theosophical
classification, these people were also Atlantean. Historically understood,
Kaleva could have been, as Ganander believes, the name of some giant.
According to the legend, he had twelve sons of which, as we mentioned
earlier, the main heroes of the Kalevala are the best known. All of their
names are not known. J. R. Aspelin was no doubt correct in presum-
ing that when the identities and careers of all the sons of Kaleva be-
come clear, new insights into the history of the Finnish people will be
gained. And who knows to what extent bishop Daniel Juslenius was right,
though in a sense inaccurately, in his belief that ancient Finland was a
powerful realm, ruled by its own national kings? Those were the times of
“Kalevala,” those ancient times, when Kalevala was not located on the
modern peninsula of Finland. Lönnrot also mentions that within com-
mon folklore, many considered the sons of Kaleva to be giants, and it is
appropriate to compare this with the tradition and occult knowledge that
the Atlanteans grew taller than modern Aryans.
270
then and now: two human types
he admits that reason is supreme and regrets that it doesn’t

always prevail in his private life. Besides, he has a dim feeling
that the intellect is much more than simply concerned with re-
sourcefully and egotistically calculating things for its own ben-
efit. His day-consciousness is essentially the activity of thought
(a human being who cannot use his reasoning intellect while
in the day-consciousness is sick, and is considered to be a lu-
natic in relation to other human beings). The modern human
being’s thought-life is based upon his perceptions, which come
through his senses. For him, sleep-consciousness is shadowy
and dim, often confused and lacking in reason, and he makes
a sharp distinction between his day- and sleep-consciousness.
The more he becomes European the more independent he
tries to be. The psychological impulse of civilization is found in
the fact that it impels him to become an individual and person-
al being. He is his own self, not merely “his father’s son,” or a
member of this or that family or tribe. His motto is “individual
freedom” and he wishes for free competition to prevail as much
as possible in his society.
In their innermost beings all humans are unchanging but in
their personalities they change according to times and condi-
tions. How different was the Atlantean personality compared
with the European!
The average Atlantean was not nearly as developed in his
reasoning ability and use of thought; he was not at all as inde-
pendent, not as individualized. He did not have his “own will.”
In all things he thought and perceived with the same eyes as
his parents, his kin, and his tribe. It was as if he lived in them,
and they in him—and the deceased were always present in his
memory. He was almost completely feeling and fantasy. He was
more a part of a group-soul than an isolated individual soul,
and this reveals the original psychological background for the
worshipping of the deceased.
271
In addition, his day-consciousness was organized differently

than that of a modern human being. It consisted of very little
thought and reason and instead the world appeared to him as
being full of emotion. This means that a great deal of what
we nowadays call sleep-consciousness then belonged to the
day-consciousness. The Atlantean mind was full of “sleep im-
ages”; the emotions of other people entered the mind as im-
ages. Speech was not used in the same way as it is today, and
the physical perceptions of human beings and animals were—
especially in the earlier Atlantean ages—seen to be dimmer
than the emotions. Nature spoke to Atlantean souls in its own
language—flowers in the meadow, stones on the earth, trees in
the forest, lakes, mountains, clouds, wind, thunder, sun, moon,
and stars—all reflected specific sentimental images within
their consciousness, so it is not difficult to understand why the
ancient nations in their thinking were animists. Among the
ancient cultures that we are familiar with, manism and ani-
mism were inherited straight from the ancient Atlantean era.
But there is another reason for Atlantean animism. Because
an Atlantean’s day-consciousness partially moved in the sleep-
world, he not only perceived the emotions of nature, but also
the invisible beings of nature, which are called “fairies.” These
are partly fantastical forms constantly vanishing away—having
their source in the internal streaming of elemental life com-
ing from the vegetable kingdom, the air, water and wind—and
partly living beings, actual fairies and nature spirits which live
within the elements and belong to a wholly other develop-
mental system than human beings and animals. Today, when a
clairvoyant occultist encounters this living realm, these fairies
in the invisible world, he confidently controls them with his
thoughts and will. The Atlantean could not manage to control
in this way. Because his thought was not developed enough,
he could not use his willpower self-consciously. He had to
rely on his emotion to awaken his will. How was this possible?
272
With spells. The Atlantean had an excellent memory. By early

childhood he had already committed to memory many kinds
of spells and “words of origin.” He needed these in everyday
activities and with their help he conversed with nature and its
beings, sometimes praying for their help, sometimes controlling
them with his conjuring and spells.
When an Atlantean slept, his consciousness moved to that
part of his mind which we call the inner consciousness much
easier than does the consciousness of the modern human be-
ing. Nowadays, when a sleeper has enjoyed dreamless sleep,
he awakens and feels especially strong and invigorated. He
descended from sleep-consciousness into the inner conscious-
ness, and this distancing from his everyday worries, to rest in
the bosom of his own inner being, naturally replenishes his
physical and ethical reserves. An Atlantean experienced this
every night, suggesting a reason why ancient people were usu-
ally more healthy than modern humans. (When they became
ill, a person was cured by having them fall asleep in a holy
place such as a temple; thus, interacting in the world of the
inner consciousness with the good and pure fairy of the holy
place made him well. Also, because the disease manifested in
the consciousness as a mental image, a “physician”—that is, a
healer or seer using spells and conjurations—could drive away
the mental image and with it the disease.) Moreover, the sleep-
state of the Atlantean differed in several essential respects from
modern dreamless sleep. When a modern human being awak-
ens from a deep, dreamless sleep, he does not remember any-
thing; he thinks he spent the whole night in an unconscious
state. It was different for the Atlanteans. For them, falling into
the inner consciousness was similar to what happens when
modern human beings shift to the sleep-consciousness; upon
awakening, the Atlantean brought memories back. He visited
another world, his soul moved in the realms of the deceased
and the gods, associating with higher beings and participating
273
in the world’s cosmic life. Today, native people still believe that
while they sleep the soul floats around in strange lands. Nowa-
days, however, if one wants to preserve the memories from the
inner consciousness, one must learn the special mental train-
ing of “falling into a trance,” which we mentioned earlier.ii
Keeping in mind these psycho-physiological differences, or
soul-body differences, between the ancient Atlantean and the
modern European, we can understand without further ado
that their methods of education regarding magic are also es-
sentially different.
Let us imagine that a seer of our times wishes to turn the
world’s attention to the wisdom of the ages, to the existence of
the secret knowledge, to the possibility of salvation from evil,
and that he wishes to gather pupils around him. What means
would he use?
There exists only one honest and efficacious method: To
awaken the human being’s thought and intellect to action, to
appeal to their own sense of truth and justice, to urge them to
seek the truth and to show them the way. This is best accom-
plished through the spoken and written word. The modern hu-
man being is so sensitive to any kind of influence and authority
that he considers, for example, religious ceremonies in church
and other festivities (which, in the Middle Ages, inspired the
ii See Chapter 27, “The Younger Sister of Pohja’s Maid.” In his book
Suomen suvun pakanallinen jumalanpalvelus (The Pagan Divine Service of
the Finnish Family), J. Krohn tells of the muzhan or seer, the magician
of the Cheremis people: “He must also be rigorously moral in his life.
Above all, it is demanded of him that he be in the immediate pres-
ence of the gods. He must foresee future events, expose thieves, heal
diseases, and so on. He sometimes receives his revelations while awake,
but most often when sleeping. Dreaming does not happen only at night
in a natural way, but the artificial imitation of sleep is also used... Falling
asleep in this way is just a new form of achieving the unconscious state
in which the soul, believed to be released from the affects of the visible
environment, is free to ascend to the sphere of supernatural experience”
(p. 105).
274
human mind to devotion and saintliness) as a downright sterile

system devoid of reason and free thought. And if a white ma-
gician tries to acquire and educate pupils in the secret know-
ledge and wisdom, he should explain to them immediately, at
the very start, the difference between blind faith and natural
human trust, and show them that occult self-education is in no
respect unreasonable, that, in fact, the development of reason
is one of its essential trademarks.
To be brief: Reason exists in the modern day-consciousness
as the accepted master, and one must petition it during the
magic education of adult human beings. Not until the reason-
ing day-consciousness cooperates can a human being benefit
from his faith in his divinely born I and be truly enthusiastic
about seeking and approaching it.
Let us think about the human seer who lived thousands of
years ago on Atlantis. He too wanted to educate human be-
ings in how to live rightly. He too wanted to awaken in them
the desire and feeling of God and the knowledge of truth. His
duty was also to gather around him pupils, to show them how
they could accelerate their development and be elevated to
the feeling of the higher I, that which saves one from evil. Was
he, that ancient seer, in the same situation as his brother of our
times? Could he appeal to the same experiences of his pupils
and, above all, to the same intellectual understanding?
Not at all. His position was quite different. The real I, to
which he could appeal, was of another order completely; the
minor faculty of reason that he might awaken was extremely
weak and ineffectual. But, in contrast to this, there was a great
emotional force and an expansive and sensitive imagination.
In this situation, how could one overlook the psychic faculty,
that side of consciousness which was clearly in the foreground
and the most developed? Naturally, a seer of that era had to ap-
peal to the imagination and emotional force of human beings.
How could this be done?
275
It was done with the help of a method that today we would

perhaps call suggestion, that is, suggestion but not hypnotism.
Hypnotism, in a limited definition, means the chaining of an-
other person’s will and consciousness so that he loses his in-
dependent thought and self-control; it is like sinking into an
artificial sleep. A white Atlantean seer did not use this to teach
magic because with this approach there could be no benefits
in that era, only damage. Occult development is based upon
self-education, and it cannot begin by arresting learning. The
suggestive state that the ancient seer induced involved liberat-
ing his pupil from the group-soul or the group-dream which he
was subject to. And he had to use suggestion to awaken a will
to freedom and independence within his student. This sugges-
tion awakened experiences that were stronger than those in
everyday emotional life, opening the imagination to wider and
more interesting vistas.
This usually began when the seer awoke self-love in his pu-
pil. In the earliest times, he did not need to use suggestion for
this purpose. His very presence, the exuberant love emanat-
ing from his heart, spontaneously struck responsive chords in
sensitive human beings. Undeniably, however, in later times a
seer did rely on the power of his imagination to draw the pupil’s
heart and attention near. There was no danger unless the seer
was inexperienced.
All emotion draws its expressive force from human sexuality,
as we remarked earlier. (See Chapter 10, “The Lemminkäinen-
Forces.”) When love was thus kindled in the pupil’s breast,
a relationship developed between him and the teacher. This
relationship was unavoidable and was good as long as it stayed
pure and unselfish. It helped the pupil become free from the
dream of the tribal-soul and allowed the teacher to educate
his student in reason and independence. Gradually the student
grew free from his teacher’s influence.
276
On the other hand, things were different if the seer was inex-
perienced or egotistical. Then he would lapse into the personal
vicissitudes of his own awakening love, and the relationship
between teacher and student could turn selfish, even physical.
We cannot deny that some teachers, whose reason and imagi-
nation were superior, used these forces wrongly and for selfish
reasons, to gain power over their weaker students. Today, great
intelligence and cunning could also be used wrongly, if not sim-
ply by appealing to the emotions then by seducing and arrest-
ing the comprehending intellect of others. The way of black
magic is always open.
Regarding Atlantean magic, in general terms we can say that
it was based on emotion and therefore on sexual power.
277
36
Atlantean Magic
in the Kalevala
Wopen the meaning of some runes with the psychological
hen we spoke of the Kalevala’s internal ethic we tried to
key of self-education. This is a general procedure, independent

of time, which does not touch upon the Kalevala’s historical
content. Now our duty is quite different. Now we must under-
stand the Kalevala as an occult-historical description of time
and approach its heroes as if they were human types who lived
on earth. We say “human types” because, as we already said in
Chapter 5, the names of the Kalevala’s heroes (Väinämöinen,
Lemminkäinen, and so on) are generic or familial names, typi-
cal in the respect that they were given to many individuals.
Also, in using the key of Atlantean magic we cannot yet ap-
proach our heroes as personalities who walked the earth. Why?
Because the Kalevala’s external poetry and format are not At-
lantean, so its Atlantean contents must be sought within it.
The Kalevala’s runes are songs assembled during the Aryan
age, for Aryan listeners, and its viewpoint is Aryan, however
old some of its contents may be.
By using the historical key which unlocks for us the Atlan-
tean side of the Kalevala’s magic, we begin by assuming that
the Kalevala’s main heroes (Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, Lem-
minkäinen, and Louhi) are Atlantean magicians, and the last
one mentioned represents the so-called black magic.
278
atlantean magic in the kalevala
Väinämöinen, Ilmarinen, and Lemminkäinen were white

magicians who sought students to promote humanity’s devel-
opment. Their students are described as young maidens, and
this is to show—besides the fact that students’ souls are always
receptive and thus “feminine” in relation to the teacher—that
they are inexperienced and predisposed to innocent goodli-
ness. This was relevant because the educational process ap-
pealed to the emotions and the imagination. We don’t mean
to suggest that students were always women and teachers were
always men. Teachers are described as men because a teacher’s
position is one of outward giving.
Lemminkäinen is a typical Atlantean magician. When we
understand him correctly with this in mind, he appears as
great, strong, and lovable. He is full of knowledge, his emotions
are invincible, and he is an untiring ally. His countless love-
adventures record the many times that he helped human souls
with his love. For he was a great lover and he trusted infinitely
in his own personal charms:
“Jos en ole koiltani korea, “Since my House is not so high
Su’ultani aivan suuri, And my kinship not so great,
Mie valitsen varrellani With my handsome frame I’ll conquer,
Otan muilla muo’oillani.” Capture with my other features.” 4
He always appealed to the emotions, and with them he
could easily awaken the emotions of others. However, al-
though he was prone to hint at his own irresistability, he rarely
appealed to the imagination. He was vigorously strong, faithful,
and confident in himself. The one who pleased him, she who
he chose to educate, could not resist. The “Island’s” (Posei-
donis’s) Kyllikki stubbornly tried to resist and stand firm, but
when Lemminkäinen arrived and opened to her his burning
heart, her strength broke and she was happy to surrender to
Lemminkäinen’s lead.
He went along on his way with the clarity of purpose and
straightforwardness of a hurricane. He finally learned to see
279
that his personal charm and power were not enough. When
he did not meet within the Island’s population souls whom he
might teach in the way he wished, he made up his mind to
journey to Pohjola where was said to exist a proud and beauti-
ful nation familiar with the secret skills. After arriving he re-
alizes that he must appeal to the imagination as well as the
emotions. He thus set about singing and conjuring with such
charisma that the best singers in the place felt inadequate and
ineffective. Their reservoir of poetry and magic dried up and
their imaginations wilted powerlessly under Lemminkäinen’s
will:
Tulta iski turkin helmat, From his coat hem fire was streaming,
Valoi silmät valkeata In his eyes a light was gleaming
Lemminkäisen laulaessa As the son of Lempi sang,
Laulaessa, lausiessa, As he sang and worked his magic.
Lauloi laulajat parahat Sang the best of singers down,
Pahimmiksi laulajiksi, Made of them the worst of singers,
Kivet suuhun syrjin syösti, Fed their mouths with pebbles edgewise;
Paaet lappehin lateli Boulder after boulder flatwise
Parahille laulajille, Heaped upon the best of them,
Taitavimmille runoille. Best magicians, best of singers.
Niin lauloi mokomat miehet All such miserable men he scattered
Minkä minne, kunka kunne: Hither and yon
Ahoille vesattomille, to barren tundras,
Maille kyntämättömille, Fields unplowed
Lampihin kalattomihin, and fishless ponds
Aivan ahvenettomihin, Without a single swimming perch;
Rutjan koskehen kovahan, To the mighty falls of Finnmark,
Palavahan pyörtehesen, Into the boiling, whirling maelstrom,
Virran alle vaahtipäiksi, Into foam beneath the current,
Kosken keskelle kiviksi, There as boulders in mid-rapids;
Tulena palelemahan, Conjured them to flame like fire
Säkehinä säykkymähän. And to flash like shooting sparks.5
One of the listeners—Wet-Hat the cow-herder—remained
untouched, unaffected by Lemminkäinen’s song and, wondering
280
to himself, perhaps waiting for some compliment, he finally

asked Lemminkäinen why he had been spared. In all sincerity,
Lemminkäinen answered, “You are bad, a worthless human,
you have not a drop of imagination’s holy fire, thus even my
own divine song had no affect on you.” This was taken as an
insult by all present, and the cow-herder decided to plan his
revenge.
After demonstrating his power, Lemminkäinen made it
known that he now desired students. Louhi responded that
this would not be a problem, but first he had to prove his seer-
knowledge before they would agree to fully believe in him. In
accomplishing these works for wages Lemminkäinen shows
that he is capable of many kinds of conjuring, but in complet-
ing his final task he collapses onto the earth, unconscious. The
black forces of the cow-herder of Pohja were superior; Lem-
minkäinen could not protect himself against those magic ar-
rows. Later, when Lemminkäinen makes his second journey
to Pohjola, he cannot do anything among the cold-blooded
people of Pohjola.
Väinämöinen, when understood as an Atlantean seer, is of a
different type than Lemminkäinen. He does not appeal directly
to the emotions when awakening the attention of human be-
ings. He lets the fame of his wisdom set to motion their imagi-
nations and then his personal presence and singing completely
charms them. His basic approach differs from Lemminkäinen’s,
and it is not as effective when looked at from the Atlantean
perspective. He did not, in fact, manage to acquire any stu-
dents among human beings, only seers like Ilmarinen and Lem-
minkäinen could follow his lead.
Anyhow, Väinämöinen is so famous by the time he arrives in
Pohjola that he is received with great respect and affection, is
entertained and asked to stay. But Väinämöinen longs for his
own country, and he does not trust the people of Pohjola. Af-
ter awhile it becomes clear that they are an egotistical “secret
group,” for Louhi asks Väinämöinen:
281
“Niin mitä minulle annat “So, what will you give me then
Kun saatan omille maille, If I see you safely home,
Oman peltosi perille, See you to your homeland meadows,
Kotisaunan saapuville?” Even to your very sauna?” 6
When Väinämöinen offers her helmutfuls of gold, Pohjola’s
mistress answers that gold is merely children’s flowers and asks
Väinämöinen if he can forge a Sampo. And if he agrees to
do it:
“...Niin annan tytön sinulle, “...Then I’ll let you have my daughter,
Panen neien palkastasi, Give the maiden as your payment,
Saatan sinut omille maille...” And I’ll see you safely home...” 7
Because he cannot forge the Sampo himself, Väinämöinen
promises to send smith Ilmarinen to both forge the Sampo and
“appease the maiden.”
However, on his journey homeward, he spies Pohja’s beauti-
ful virgin, is charmed by her and asks her to follow him. Thus,
there was at least one person in Pohjola who, in Väinämöin-
en’s eyes, was worthy of educating as his own pupil. Pohja’s
maiden was not agreeable right away, for she wanted to con-
firm that Väinämöinen was truly a seer who could conjure. She
makes Väinämöinen cleave a horsehair with a dull knife, tie
an egg into a knot, scrape birch bark from a stone, and chop
fence-posts of ice “without splitting off a splinter.” Finally,
when Väinämöinen must carve a boat from the “crumblets”
of the virgin’s spindle and push it into the water “without a
hand upon it,” he could not do it right away and succumbs to
all kinds of problems. When Väinämöinen finally finishes the
boat and brings it to Pohja’s virgin, she is already engaged to
another seer, Ilmarinen. Väinämöinen wisely resigns himself to
his fate, for he himself had sent Ilmarinen to Pohjola and was
thus responsible for the people of Pohjola being charmed by
Ilmarinen and claiming him as their teacher.
Ilmarinen is a lesser type of Atlantean seer. If we imagine him
seeking students, he would not appeal to their emotions at all,
282
and in his personal presence he barely makes any impression

on the imagination. The only way that he might awaken inter-
est is to let his works and deeds speak for him. But, in fact, the
Kalevala does not say that Ilmarinen, out of love for humanity,
seeks students. Not until he goes to Pohjola at Väinämöinen’s
bidding does there awaken within his heart a desire to join with
the people of Pohjola. But when those whom he desires to have
as students create obstacles for him, he sadly returns to his own
country.
Anyhow, he did forge the Sampo for the people of Pohjola,
which is to say, he taught them many things that they did not
or could not know and eventually, as fate would have it, those
chosen by Ilmarinen do become his students.
As we already said, Louhi, the mistress of Pohjola, represents
black magic. This is apparent because she has ambitions for
power and knowledge. In connection with her, there are no
words of love. She judges Lemminkäinen to be insignificant.
When she desires Väinämöinen for her son-in-law, she secretly
thinks of all the knowledge and power which she could draw
from him. And although Väinämöinen is too wise to teach
Louhi (to forge the Sampo), he falls into her coils to the extent
that he must promise the task to Ilmarinen. And Louhi easily
bends Ilmarinen to her will. Ilmarinen is too honest to expect
evil, and he teaches all of his secret abilities to Louhi. He even-
tually gets his reward, and belatedly observes that he taught
his skills to many people who would misuse them for their own
well-being and power. Finally fate strips everything from Ilma-
rinen, which is fortunate because he then understands that his
duty is to retrieve all the power and knowledge that he squan-
dered in Pohjola. The Kalevala identifies Pohjola as the strong-
hold of black magic and sorcery.
Many a reader might say that Lemminkäinen, for his part,
is much “blacker.” His method of using his personal charms to
awaken others is almost “detestable.” And the Kalevala really
283
describes him in no uncertain terms; it truly finds him at fault

to be “always playing around with women.”
And so it goes. That is the way things seem in Aryan eyes.
And what better proof of this than the fact, which we already
mentioned, that the Kalevala was composed from the Aryan
viewpoint? But alas, “times change, and we along with them.”
What seems black today, could have been white yesterday, and
vice versa. We see here that it is not enough to look at a dog’s
hair, we must examine the roots!
We must penetrate closer to the Kalevala’s heroes.
284
37
At the Change of Ages
I
n the previous chapter we made a general overview of
the lives of the Kalevala’s main heroes from the vantage
point of Atlantean magic, but did not exhaust the Kalevala’s
occult-historical content. You see, since the Kalevala was com-
posed during the Aryan age, it does not speak only of Atlan-
tean memories. When we examine the Kalevala’s magical con-
tent more precisely, we will find that the Kalevala refers to at
least three periods: The Atlantean, the Aryan, and the critical
stage in between. If we can see that the ancestors of the Finn-
ish nation once lived as an Atlantean tribe in the highlands of
Central Asia,8 afterward wandering into middle, southern, and
eastern Europe and finally settling in the north, we understand
how they became quite Aryan upon arriving in Europe—per-
haps even earlier—and why the Kalevala preserves memories
from different epochs.9
As a true remnant and memory of the Atlantean age, there
is the description of Lemminkäinen. As we already mentioned,
this Kalevala hero was a typical Atlantean magician, and Kyl-
likki represents the people of the Island, the place where he
most enjoyed his sojourn and was most successful. We have
already discussed Lemminkäinen in great detail, so here we
only wish to add a few more observations which confirm that
he was a genuine Atlantean. Lemminkäinen deeply loved and
trusted his mother, and his insubordination only shows that he
285
had become more independent than the ordinary Atlantean;

with just cause one can certainly say that he loved no one as
much as his mother. While traveling around outdoors, when
facing all kinds of dangers, he always turns to using spells. For
example, the brush that he leaves as an omen is filled with
his own magnetic power. He has merged with it in such a way
that if it starts bleeding, his mother and Kyllikki will know that
things are going badly with him. Also, he is quite warlike and
often draws his sword on living beings, especially human be-
ings, when his spells do not work.
On the other hand, Ilmarinen belongs completely to the
Aryan age, and Pohja’s maid represents the human souls whom
he managed best. Earlier we described Ilmarinen’s intellectual
and, appearance wise, somewhat cold character, so we will be
satisfied here to mention only a few more things. In this way
we will see that Ilmarinen’s blood had hardly a trace of the
Atlantean. He never turns to incantations but only to works
and deeds. He is the eternal smith. When he utters a prayer
or a wish, it is brief and terse, not at all like an incantation,
but more like what might arise within the breast of one of us.
For example, when he leaves for Pohjola and sits down in the
sleigh, he prays:
“Laske ukko uutta lunta, “O thou Ukko, send down new snow,
Visko hienoa vitiä, New fine snow in powdery flakes
Lunta korjan liukutella, For my sleigh to slide on swiftly,
Vitiä ve’en vilata!” Slippery snow to speed my way.” 10
And adds a wish:
“Lähe nyt onni ohjilleni, “May good fortune bless my reins,
Jumala rekoseheni, God be with me in my sleigh;
Onni ei taita ohjaksia, Good luck will not break the reins,
Jumala ei riko rekeä!” Jumala never wreck a sleigh.” 11
While doing his works for wages it is said that he used a
spell, namely, the words for removing snakes, but this can be
286
at the change of ages
historically understood as metachronical.iii And the Birth of

Fire rune, in which Ilmarinen reads the words about the sooth-
ing of burns, is so transparently mythological in content that it
cannot be counted as historical. Ilmarinen has no hypnotic or
suggestive abilities.
Another Aryan feature in his character is the ability to easily
kindle an accurate intuition and presentiment of a thing’s true
nature, a trust in “the five senses” (the same was said of his sis-
ter Annikki). This occurs at the very beginning of Ilmarinen’s
first appearance in the Kalevala. Väinämöinen returns from
his misadventure in Pohjola downcast, upset that he ransomed
Ilmarinen “to release his own head.” When he describes the
delightful virgin of Pohja to Ilmarinen and urges him to im-
mediately leave for Pohjola, Ilmarinen, seeing what really hap-
pened, cries out:
“Ohoh, vanha Väinämöinen, “Oho, you old sly one, you!
Joko sie minun lupasit So already you have pledged me
Pimeähän Pohjolahan To that twilit Pohjola
Oman pääsi pääsitimeksi, For the safety of your own head,
Itsesi lunastimeksi!...” As a ransom for yourself?...” 12
And when Väinämöinen weaves a story about the moon
glimmering in the high branches of a spruce tree, Ilmarinen
counters:
“En usko toeksi tuota, “I do not believe that’s true,
Kun en käyne katsomahan, Since I have not been to see it,
Nähne näillä silmilläni.” Have not seen it with these eyes.” 13
Väinämöinen truly must use his best magic skills, including
the ability to transport physical objects from one place to an-
other, to make Ilmarinen go to Pohjola.
iii Translator’s note. Metachronical means “from a different age”; thus,
the meaning is that the charm for removing snakes is from a different,
earlier time. Editor’s note. The word “anachronism” is close, but also
has the connotation of “out of date”—a meaning not intended here.
287
The third piece of evidence regarding Ilmarinen’s Aryan na-

ture involves the forging of the Sampo. Though the Sampo
is the perfect magical object, one cannot make it with magic
spells. For example, Väinämöinen can build a boat with the
power of song but he refuses to take on the task of forging the
Sampo. This proves that the Sampo is something quite new,
unheard of, something which cannot be brought about solely
with the power of emotion and imagination. The forging of the
Sampo requires ingenuity, reason, and thought. The Sampo
thus involves higher scientific education and its achievements,
all based on the faculty of intelligence and a complicated ma-
terial culture, the distinctive features of the Fifth Root Race.
Also, the “multi-colored cover” of the Sampo can, with good
reason, be understood as something like a book, on which the
original information and teachings of Ilmarinen were recorded
with secret signs.iv
It is no wonder that Louhi wanted to retain the Sampo as
her most valuable treasure. It thus seems as if Ilmarinen, the
forger of the Sampo, has stepped into the ranks of the educa-
tors and benefactors of our Aryan race as an ambassador of
Finland’s people.
And what about Väinämöinen? He is as far from Lem-
minkäinen as he is from Ilmarinen. He is an Atlantean magi-
cian and he is not. He is intellectually developed like an Ary-
an, but is not a child of the Fifth Root Race. He is the wisest of
all, wiser than the white Ilmarinen, wiser than Lemminkäinen,
wiser than the black Louhi. But he is a tragic person, for his
childlike personality is of the intermediary age, not belonging
completely to either the old or the new. This is observed in his
relationship with Aino, the only one of the Kalevala’s women
iv It is appropriate to compare this with the very competent argument
made by the Norwegian writer Friis that the Sampo was the magic drum
of the Lapps, a thing highly valued and quite famous. Editor’s note:
The reference here is probably to the work of J. Friis, Lappisk Mythologi,
Eventyr og Folkesagn, Christiania, 1871.
288
at the change of ages
whom one may put on the same level with Väinämöinen in

terms of the soul’s secret magnificence and its tragic conflicts.
For the scientist, Aino’s magnificent personality and the
meaning of her fate is a most absorbing and rewarding topic
of study. So let us try to understand Väinämöinen as a living,
wise, but suffering human individual!
289
38
Väinämöinen and Aino
Vbut not old in his soul and mind. He had a long stretch
äinämöinen was old, old in his wisdom and old in age,
of living behind him and when he glanced in that direction

there arose in his memory several beautiful deeds done for his
people’s benefit. He did make mistakes—who hasn’t?—but he
sincerely tried to fulfill the mission which had fallen to him.
So many human souls he had educated! Parents had entrusted
him with their children. With poetry and singing, by telling
fairy-tales and making miracles, he drew to himself their young
hearts and thus helped them arise from the toils of tribalism
and familial blood. He had washed them clean of original sin
and awoke within them their I-consciousness, taught them the
elements of thought and led their first groping steps on the way
of independence and knowledge. Many people were thankful
former students of his, he was always welcome in thousands of
homes, he was famous overseas and in many lands...
However, his heart was empty. Because he, the old, wise, and
famous Väinämöinen felt lonely and rejected.
The ancient wisemen always chose one of their students early
on to be a close friend and relation. They married while young
so that when age overtook them they would have no regrets.
As for Väinämöinen, he had many opportunities in his youth
to take one with unbroken vows to be his own. He remem-
bered several parents who wished in their hearts that he might
take their daughter to be his “hen under arm.” He remembered
290
väinämöinen and aino
many girls, many young maidens, virtuous and beautiful, who

certainly would have blushed if he approached them as a suitor.
But he always remained aloof—his heart never jumped so un-
controllably that he thought his day had come—and he could
not follow the advice of others in those matters.
And so the years passed and Väinämöinen became an elder.
And he continued to live alone.
Then fate put Joukahainen in his way. When he subdued
the young fanatic with his conjuring skills and was promised
the young Aino, Väinämöinen’s heart stirred strangely. Where
did this sudden joy come from? Was it an omen? Would he now
have a friend for his old age? Would he now meet a soul whom
he could adore, a student whom he would be allowed to give
everything to?... How good he would be then, how gentle and
considerate, holding hands with his best friend, the soul he
would lead through gardens of knowledge, strolling down wide
lanes of visions and dreams of the future. He would coax music
from golden strings of emotion, make musical tones to clothe
his alluring song. And he would teach his soul-companion to
rise into the firmament and sit on the rainbow’s rim so that he,
in glory, could step forward and greet her. What then could
possibly separate their hearts?
Steadfast old Väinämöinen, the eternal seer, had given him-
self to fantasies. It portended something...
It portended a great sorrow. Väinämöinen eventually met
Aino in the forest, bending birch twigs for a sauna whisk,
and she was very pretty in her dress decorated with trinkets.
Happily and with confidence he approached the girl and said
playfully:
“Eläpa muille, neiti nuori, “Not for anyone else, young maiden,
Kun minulle, neiti nuori, Not for anyone else but me,
Kanna kaulan helmilöitä, Young maiden, wear that beaded necklace
Rinnan ristiä rakenna, Or the crosslet on your bosom,
Pane päätä palmikolle, Put your hair up in long braids
Sio silkillä hivusta!” Tie them round with silken ribbons.” 14
291
At first the young lass blushed from ear to ear, shyly averting
her eyes. But then the red quickly vanished, her cheeks went
pale, and she turned her head slowly toward him. Her eyes met
the old man’s gentle and goodwilled gaze and she hesitated,
as if feeling for a brief moment the unexplainable warmth and
power of those eyes. Then suddenly she tore herself free from
her indecision and cried out:
“En sinulle, enkä muille “Not for you or anyone else
Kanna rinnan ristilöitä, Will I wear this crosslet here
Päätä silkillä sitaise, Or tie my hair in silken ribbons.
Huoli en haahen haljakoista, I don’t care for foreign fashions
Vehnän viploista valita, Nor for wheat bread sliver-sliced;
Asun kaioissa sovissa, I can go in plainer clothing
Kasvan leivän kannikoissa And can live on heels and crusts
Tykönä hyvän isoni, With my good and kindly father
Kanssa armahan emoni.” And my mild and tender mother.” 15
Bursting into tears she snatched her trinkets and pearls, all
her rings, ribbons and adornments, and flung them onto the
earth. And before Väinämöinen had time to recover, the girl
had run away.
Reflecting upon this, falling into deep thought, Väinämöi-
nen slowly returned home. He could not remove the vision of
the young Aino from his eyes, and he could not erase all the
nuances that had passed over her features. There was fright,
beseeching, reproach, hate, and bitterness, and in it all there
was still something else... The girl’s emotions glittered bright-
ly in his memory but there was something mysterious in the
background, something he did not understand... He did not
understand the girl’s behavior at all. Did he in any way harm
Aino, had he done something wrong? Was not Aino his own?
Did not Joukahainen promise his sister to him as ransom for
his life? Should not moderation and justice be obeyed here, as
the fathers’ holy traditions decree... But the girl’s eyes, and her
intense and erratic feelings! He had never before encountered
292
that kind of sight. Why was the girl frightened, reproachful,

and why did she hate him? Was she already...?
And Väinämöinen stopped dead in his tracks as if struck
by a lightning bolt, so strange was the thought that entered
his mind. What if the girl was no longer completely a member
of his family and tribe, what if the soul’s strings were already
being cut! What if she was already a human being, thinking
for herself, becoming independent!... But how could this be
possible? No seer had taught the girl anything; consequently,
where could she have learned to think? Were humans now be-
ginning to be born free? Was a new age coming?... If this were
so, then children were no longer the property of their parents,
their family, or their tribe—they could be masters over them-
selves... Oh, if this were true, then he could understand Aino.
Her human freedom had been hurt, and there was nothing to
do but leave the girl alone...
The old man sighed deeply. Good-bye, my fantasy, good-bye,
my fading dreams...
But as he thought of Aino’s distress, pity welled up in his
heart. Her brother had sold the poor girl to his own enemy, and
she was not even consulted in the affair. What else could she
do but be afraid of me and hate me?
With a tear in his eye, pity and sorrow in his heart,
Väinämöinen sat down on a rock. Again he asked himself how
this was all possible, how the girl could have been born with
the soul of a seer. Human beings really had not changed. The
new race did not yet exist in the world. Yes, it would truly come
someday, but not for a long time...
Then his eyes opened and he saw beyond the veil of life
and death. He saw a female child who went to school with a
seer. The seer taught her to be an independently thinking and
feeling human being, and she became attached to her teacher
with the entire force of her young soul. But death suddenly
came and swept the girl away just when her grateful heart was
overflowing with the desire to reward her dear teacher.
293
However, death could not stop the girl’s heart. Her fantasy con-
tinued in Tuonela, dreaming and building castles in the air. And
when the moment came, she reincarnated on the earth—and
was born as Aino... And in the seer Väinämöinen saw himself.
Now the puzzle had been solved. Now it was clear that Aino
was already a seer-soul when she was born, and so it was natu-
ral that such a fate as she experienced made her bitter. One
was not allowed to treat such souls as average human beings;
they already looked at things from a different viewpoint. Cer-
tainly, the girl hated him because she did not recognize who
Väinämöinen was. She did not remember her own past. Now
the information had to get to the girl and her parents soon, and
Joukahainen must be released from his promise—for Aino’s
sake...
Väinämöinen thought he had made a good resolution, but
he did not feel happy. There was still something mysterious
about Aino that he did not understand...
This too became clear in time. But it became clear with a
greater sorrow...
What strange things of the heart now unfold, what message
has been brought? Joukahainen’s young sister has drowned
herself, Aino girl has sought solace from her peculiar sorrow in
the seawaves!
At first, Väinämöinen did not believe his ears but when the
ghastly truth fully dawned upon his consciousness he, the old
steadfast seer, was close to perishing from grief:
Itki illat, itki aamut, Wept at evening, wept at morning,
Yöhyet enemmän itki, Nightly was his woe most grievious
Kun oli kaunis kaatununna, For the fate of his own fair one,
Neitonen nukahtanunna, For the maiden who was sleeping
Mennyt lietohon merehen, Underneath the restless rollers,
Alle aaltoja syvien. Down beneath the seawaves deep.16
And for my part in this, sighed Väinämöinen, oh for my
mindless, stupid, indiscretions:
294
“Ohoh hullu hulluuttani, “Oh, a madman in my madness,

Vähämieli miehuuttani, Dimwit with my vaunted manhood!
Olipa minulla mieltä, Once I had some common sense,
Ajatusta annettuna, Well-endowed with powers of thinking,
Syäntä suurta survottuna, Gifted with a good heart also—
Oli ennen aikoinansa, But that was once upon a time;
Vaanpa nyt tätä nykyä, Now in evil days like these,
Tällä inhalla iällä,
Puuttuvalla polveksella In this miserable generation,
Kaikki on mieli melkeässä, My mind is only mediocre
Ajatukset arvoisessa, And my thoughts completely worthless,
Kaikki toimi toisialla!” All my actions gone astray.” 17
Because now he understood Aino! Her death made it clear
what was mysterious about the scene of her flight: Aino did
recognize him, she knew who he was, and loved him.
“Kuta vuotin kuun ikäni, “Thus the one I always wanted
Kuta puolen polveani And awaited half a lifetime—
Ikuiseksi ystäväksi, To become my friend forever
Polviseksi puolisoksi, And to be my lifelong helpmate,
Se osasi onkeheni, Found her way on to my angle
Vierähti venoseheni, And she landed in my boat.
Minä en tuntenut piteä, I had not the sense to keep her,
En kotihin korjaella, Take her home upon my sleigh,
Laskin jälle lainehisin, But I let her slip away,
Slip away beneath a billow,
Alle aaltojen syvien!” Underneath the seawaves deep.” 18, 19
So he could not keep his friend because he could not love
himself. He did not understand the depth of love and now,
through a death, this became clear to him. The child taught
this to him. He, old and wise, did not understand the secret
power of new love, the love that joins together two free, inde-
pendent human souls. His own seer-vision had not gazed that
far into the future. But when self-love finally appeared, it chose
for its dwelling the young woman’s heart; it unfolded within
295
the child’s pure mind and taught it something that was hidden
from the wise. And now the child, by voluntarily dying, had
also saved the wise one from continuing in ignorance! Oh, the
miraculous workings of fate, the Creator’s bottomless wisdom!
296
39
Marjatta
Ttime as clearly as the Aino legend. This rune is thought to
here exists in the Kalevala a rune that refers to a future
have been born during the age of Christian influence and cre-
ated by the Christian imagination. This is the Kalevala’s final
rune, the 50th, which tells of Marjatta and her son. Since the
Marjatta episode also joins with the final scene in Väinämöi-
nen’s life history, describing how Väinämöinen withdraws to
make way for the impending new age—and thus continuing
the Aino story through these events—we will take a brief look.
Aino is born to an Atlantean family, into Atlantean condi-
tions, but her soul belongs to the Aryan age and the Aryan race.
She is already a thinking individual. But how fine and delicate
are these new faculties within her! Her personal tendency is
to retain a firm connection with her family; the love she has
for her mother, father, brother and sister—her entire home—is
quite moving. Her new-born Aryan individuality lives within
her like a bird in a cage. It will awaken to highest conscious-
ness only when it is deeply hurt. When she, a human being, is
sold, her moral righteousness flares up and she comprehends
her unhappy lot. But her awakening does not provoke her to
positive action, only to passive opposition. The conflict reach-
es its apogee when she realizes that even Väinämöinen does
not understand her. And when she simultaneously realizes her
own soul’s secret—her love for Väinämöinen—her fate turns
tragic: “It would have been better had I not been born at all.”
297
Her entire being becomes determined that nobody will be al-

lowed to know what she, the poor girl, feels and thinks. This
fixed idea finally takes her—without her even really knowing
it—to suicide. No one knew me, none will grieve for me... In a
sense, Aino is the apotheosis of virginity and fruitlessness.
It is very different with Marjatta. Marjatta is truly Aino re-
incarnated. The aspiring to independence and personal self-
preservation, which in Aino is groping and unsure, achieves
full self-consciousness in Marjatta. But Marjatta’s fate will be
different. She goes from infertile virginity to fertile mother-
hood, but experiences much grief and distress in the process!
Marjatta korea kuopus Marjatta, the beautiful,
Se kauan kotona kasvoi For a long time grew at home
Korkean ison kotona, In her high-born father’s house,
Emon tuttavan tuvilla... In her loving mother’s chambers.20
Thus the rune begins, and it tells us right away, somewhat
derisively, exactly how self-consciously proud Marjatta was of
herself in her virgin purity:
Marjatta korea kuopus, Marjatta, the beautiful,
Tuo piika pikkarainen She the little, dainty maiden,
Piti viikoista pyhyyttä, Kept her virgin state untarnished
Ajan kaiken kainoutta; And her beauty all unblemished.
Syöpi kaunista kaloa, Always ate the nicest fish
Petäjätä pehmeätä, And the softest pine bark bread;
Ei syönyt kanan munia, Would not even taste of hen’s eggs,
Kukerikun riehkatuita, Hens that chanticleer had mounted;
Eipä lampahan lihoa, Would not eat the flesh of ewes,
Ku oli ollut oinahilla. Any ewe a ram had mounted.21
When her mother ordered her to milk the cows, she snob-
bishly answered:
“Ei neiti minun näköinen “No girl such as I would do it,
Koske sen lehmän nisähän, Touch the teats of any cow,
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marjatta
Jok’ on häilynyt härillä, Any cow a bull had mounted—

Kun ei hiehoista herune, It can’t be unless the calves
Vasikkaisista valune.” Or the heifers trickle milk.” 22
When brother asked sister to sit down in a sleigh that was
pulled by a mare, the proud beauty replied:
“En istu hevon rekehen, “I won’t hitch a horse,
Joka lie orilla ollut, Any mare a stud has mounted—
Kun ei varsaset vetäne, It can’t be unless the foals
Kulettele kuutiaiset!” Or the month-olds do the pulling.” 23
As a final result, “Marjatta, the youngest and most beauti-
ful child, always living as a virgin,” left to herd sheep. Now, if
the rune wanted to mock the girl’s virginity, it would have let
the subsequent events unfold in a different manner. Instead, it
emphasizes how Marjatta’s imagination was truly innocent and
pure. The rune first provides a little critique:
Marjatta korea kuopus Marjatta, the beautiful,
Viikon viipyi paimenessa; Stayed a shepherdess too long.
Paha on olla paimenessa; It is hard to be a shepherdess,
Tyttölapsen liiatenki: Overmuch for any girl-child.
Mato heinässä matavi, Snakes are slithering in the grasses,
Sisiliskot siuottavi. Lizards wriggling here and there.24
And then the rune begins to tell us a legend about Marjatta’s
miraculous red lingonberry, the berry that she ate and became
pregnant by. We see how Marjatta, one summer day, fell into a
deep sleep while lying on a little hill and had a beautiful dream
in which “a berrykin on a hill, red whortleberry on a heath”
yelled to her: “Come, maiden, pick me up!”
Marjatta korea kuopus Marjatta, pretty youngest child,
Meni matkoa vähäisen, Went a little distance,
Meni marjan katsantahan, She went up to see the berry,
Punapuolan poimintahan, Pick the reddish lingonberry,
Hyppysillähän hyyvillä, Pluck it with her dainty fingers,
299
Kätösillä kaunihilla. With her slender hands so lovely.

Keksi marjasen mäeltä, She found the berry on the hill,
Punapuolan kankahalta; Red lingonberry on the heath.
On marja näkemiänsä, It’s a berry in appearance,
Puola ilmoin luomiansa, Lingonberry by the shape,
Ylähähkö maasta syöä, On a tree too high for picking
Alahahko puuhun nousta. Yet too low to climb up after.
Tempoi kartun kankahalta, From the heath she snatched a stick,
Jolla marjan maahan sorti; With it knocked the berry down.
Niinpä marja maasta nousi Then the berry started climbing
Kaunoisille kautoloille, Up onto her lovely shoe top,
Kaunoisilta kautoloilta From her shoe top
Puhtahille polviloille, to her knee,
Puhtahilta polviloilta From her white knee
Heleville helmasille. to her apron.
Nousi siitä vyö-rivoille, Then it moved up to her waistband,
Vyö-rivoilta rinnoillensa, From the waistband to her bosom,
Rinnoiltansa leuoillensa, From her bosom to her chin,
Leuoiltansa huulillensa, From her chin up to her lips.
Siitä suuhun suikahutti, Then it slid into her mouth,
Keikahutti kielellensä, Tumbled quickly to her tongue,
Kieleltänsä keruksisihin, From her tongue into her throat,
Siitä vatsahan valahti. From her throat into her stomach.25
And that was Marjatta’s dream. But the dream had a very
real consequence:
Marjatta korea kuopus, After that she was contented,
Tuosta tyytyi, tuosta täytyi, And she felt herself fulfilled.
Tuosta paksuksi panihe, Then she put on weight,
Lihavaksi liittelihe. grew stouter.26
Her dream of virgin purity had come to a bitter end. Soon,
her mother began to suspect what was up, but hid her thoughts.
When the day of distress finally arrived for Marjatta, she asked
her mother to warm up the sauna for her, but her own mother
heartlessly answered:
300
marjatta
“Voi sinua hiien huora! “Woe to you, you whore of Hiisi!

Kenen oot makaelema, Tell me whose bed partner are you,
Ootko miehen naimattoman, Married man
Eli nainehen urohon?” or unmarried?” 27
For Marjatta, the day of distress became a day of reckon-
ing. All the mindless pride with which she had troubled her
kin, now was thrown back at her as a cold, judgemental, and
merciless humiliation. What did it help to try to explain to her
mother that she had become pregnant by her own faith? Her
father also called her a harlot and ordered her out to find a
bear’s stone dwelling to have her cubs in...
So indeed, she did go away, but she cried out while going,
still proud in her despair:
“En minä portto ollekana, “I’m no whore
Tulen lautta lienekänä, fit for hellfire,
Olen miehen suuren saava, I’m the bearer of the Great One,
Jalon synnyn synnyttävä, Deliverer of the Sacred Birth,
Joll’ on valta vallallenki, Man-child who will rule the rulers,
Väki Väinämöisellenki.” Even rule old Väinämöinen.” 28
Poor Marjatta! A mother’s holy feelings had awakened in
her. Now the rune abandons any mocking tone and with the
greatest sympathy and compassion tells of Marjatta’s difficult
destiny.
Not one human being would help her. Everyone fled from
her. Alone and rejected, she went into the forest, “to the room,
in the redwood forest, into the stable of Tapio’s hill,” and
prayed for God to help her:
“Tule luoja turvakseni, “Come, Creator, be my refuge,
Avukseni armollinen Be my help, thou Merciful,
Näissä töissä työlähissä, In these toils,
Ajoissa ani kovissa!...” these times of sorrow...” 29
And there she delivered her son, “on the hay, near a horse,
in the manger of the long-mane.”
301
Pesi pienen poikuensa, Then she washed

Kääri kääreliinahansa; and swaddled him,
Otti pojan polvillensa, Took the man-child on her knees,
Laittoi lapsen helmahansa. Held her son upon her lap.30
Oh, how she loved her little one, a child of sorrow and grief.
Her virginal pride was forgotten, changed into a mother’s pure
humility:
Piiletteli poiuttansa, But she hid him from the people,
Kasvatteli kaunoistansa, Cared for him, her lovely one,
Kullaista omenuttansa, Golden apple,
Hope’ista sauvoansa, staff of silver.
Sylissänsä syöttelevi, At her breast she suckled him,
Käsissänsä kääntelevi. In caressing hands she held him.31
And when her son once got lost in a swamp, what distress
and despair did she experience! Who could measure a moth-
er’s love, reflected in the bottomless abyss of worry? And who
could draw lines around its joys? The child was found and
brought home, but still there was one more worry:
Siitä meiän Marjatalle He was growing up so handsome,
Kasvoi poika kaunokainen; Beautiful son of Marjatta.
Ei tieä nimeä tuolle, No one knew what name to give him,
Millä mainita nimellä, Knew the proper name to call him.
Emo kutsui kukkaseksi, Mother would call him Little Flower,
Vieras vennon joutioksi. Others call him Good-for-nothing.32
Thus, the child had to be christened. Now Väinämöinen
steps onto the stage.
302
40
Marjatta’s Son and Väinämöinen
U
nderstood allegorically, the Marjatta legend quite dra-
matically describes the origin of the new race. The cen-
tral events of the episode refer directly to it: A long period of
intentional virginity, supernatural conception, social rejection,
discrimination by the world, and difficult tribulations. When
nature begins to create a new Root Race, it invigorates the in-
ner souls of a few individuals of the old race with new dreams
and longings, such that these individuals are set apart in their
habits and understanding. Then its divine messengers and
helpers arrive to impregnate the prepared souls with the ideals
of the new human type. Ultimately, they are led to take up a
separate place from the rest of humanity, where together they
overcome their new troubles and obstacles and, through great
sufferings and distress, all the while receiving divine aid, begin
a new human race. This allegorical meaning of the Marjatta
legend is confirmed in its final moment: The small child meets
with Väinämöinen. Väinämöinen, symbol of the old race’s
magic and educational method, says farewell to the newborn
race and its new magic and departs from the world, though
promising at the same time to return whenever he may be
needed again—after all, he is ancient, wise, and experienced
and is really like the new race’s father. And this allegorical
meaning is not negated even if we believe that this rune was
formally constructed during the period of Christian influence.
303
This symbolic spirit remains continuously in the background

and must be kept in mind although we take the final event to
also be the final chapter of Väinämöinen’s personal life history.
Väinämöinen truly was the seer and magician of the transi-
tional age and after meeting Aino he understood that the old
method of magical education would not apply to the human
beings of the new age. But he considered Aino to be an excep-
tional being and he did not fully encounter the new race until
fate brought him into connection with Marjatta...
Before a name could be given to Marjatta’s son, the old man
who was asked to christen the childv explained that the child
should first be examined:
“En minä risti riivattua, “I won’t christen one possessed,
Katalata kastakana, Will not baptize this poor wretch,
Kun ei ensin tutkittane, Not until he’s well-examined
Tutkittane, tuomittane.” And a judgement has been given.” 33
But what does it mean that he must be examined? Should
the child be examined to determine if he was of divine birth
and to see if he could handle the school of fate? Yes, and who
else could do this deed but old Väinämöinen?
Kenpä tuohon tutkiaksi, Who should be the one to judge him,
Tutkiaksi, tuomariksi? To examine and to judge him?
Vaka vanha Väinämöinen, Old reliable Väinämöinen,
Tietäjä iän-ikuinen, Eternal knower,
Sepä tuohon tutkiaksi, he was chosen
Tutkiaksi, tuomariksi. To examine and to judge him.34
v Allegorically understood, this old man, “Virokannas,” is the new race’s
Manu or mental exemplar and leader. The name Virokannas means
the same thing as the Indian Vaivasvata [Manu Vaivasvata]. Incredibly,
there is a Sanskrit word which resembles Virokannas and etymologically
means the same thing as Vaivasvata, though in the mythology it is a de-
mon’s name. Vaivasvata, you know, means “that which comes from the
sun” and Vairochana (derived from virochana, the sun) means the same
thing.
304
marjatta’s son and väinämöinen
The old seer arrived, lost in deep thoughts. He arrived to

give judgement over the child of the new age, but his steps
were heavy and slow as if walking into a sacrificial grove, where
the most precious treasure must be sacrificed, or like a judge
who must give grave judgement upon himself, from his own
mouth. In his passing, his thoughts descended from heaven
seriously, watchfully, with their expansive wings just lightly
touching the earth.
“Will you endure, you, son of Marjatta, whose father is un-
known? Will you bear the vision of your father? Can you avoid
the sweet charm in his eyes? Are you truly the descendant of
Aino, of Marjatta, the new human race born on the earth, con-
scious of your deeds, free from the past—or will you, too, fall
apart? Will you stagger, will you collapse, and will you pull your
father down to doom? Have all your father’s efforts been in
vain? Is death the end of everything? Or will you be victori-
ous, the divine hero? Has the new day truly dawned? Will you
further the work of your father? Will you allow his wisdom to
return after the alotted time, to make you happier?”
And Väinämöinen asks Marjatta: “How was this son born,
where conceived, and from who?” And Marjatta told him.
Then Väinämöinen spoke solemnly and gloomily, his voice
secretly broken with sorrow, and pronounced his sentence:
“Kun lie poika suolta saatu, “Since the boy came from a fen,
Maalta marjasta siennyt, Sired by a berry of the earth,
Poika maahan pantakohon, Let him be put in the earth
Marhamättähän sivulle, There beside the berry patch,
Tahi suolle vietäköhön, Or then taken to the swamp,
Puulla päähän lyötäköhön!” Hit on the head there with a club.” 35
The spectacle of the old seer was severely judgemental, gave
a powerful impression, and it lingered in the eyes of the little
child.
305
The moment became a deep silence, a silence of waiting,

hopelessness, and increasing distress. Then the child opened
his mouth, and the half-month old boy began to speak:
“Ohoh sinua ukko utra, “O you miserable old man,
Ukko utra, unteloinen, Miserable old man, you stupid,
Kun olet tuhmin tuominnunna, What a muddle you have made
Väärin laskenna lakia!” Of both judgement and the law...” 36
Now even the seer’s face brightened a little, then quickly
became clouded with tears. But the severity disappeared.
The boy continued defiantly:
“Eipä syistä suuremmista, “Not for greater crimes committed
Töistä tuhmemmistakana Nor the stupidest wrongdoing
Itseäsi suolle viety, Were you taken to a fen,
Eikä puulla päähän lyöty...” Hit on the head there with a club...” 37
Väinämöinen’s face brightened more, and a supernatural joy
flashed forth from it—while Marjatta’s son continued speaking:
“Kun sa miesnä nuorempana “When you yourself as a younger man
Lainasit emosi lapsen Pledged the daughter of your mother
Oman pääsi päästimeksi As a ransom for your own head
Itsesi lunastimeksi...” Just to save yourself from danger...” 38
At this point the spell was broken and his eyes smiled quietly
as he recalled Ilmarinen’s first journey to Pohjola.
But the boy continued without mercy:
“Ei sinua silloinkana, “And again you were not punished,
Eip’ on vielä suolle viety, Were not taken to a fen
Kun sa miesnä nuorempana When you as a younger man
Menettelit neiet nuoret Drove those gentle girls distracted
Alle aaltojen syvien, To their deaths beneath the waves
Päälle mustien mutien.” On the black ooze of the bottom.” 39
Then the last suspicion, the final uncertainty, disappeared
from Väinämöinen’s mind. A tear rolled down his wrinkled
cheek and a burden fell from his shoulders. “Yes, my son, you
306
marjatta’s son and väinämöinen
are victorious,” his heart whispered with joy, “and I am now

free, free to leave without concerns, free to return joyfully.
Thank and honor the Creator.”
Ja ukko Virokannas So the old man
...risti ripsahutti, ...baptized him,
Kasti lapsen kapsahutti Gladly christened this good child,
Karjalan kuninkahaksi, King and lord of all Karelia,
Kaiken vallan vartiaksi. As the guardian over all.40
And Väinämöinen, with peace and joy in his heart, turned
around solemnly and stepped away. It appeared to the oth-
ers that he was embarrassed and might become angry. But he
walked to the beach and sang one last time, chanting for him-
self a copper boat. He sat down at the stern and sailed out into
the clear open sea. And as he sailed in his boat, “to the upper
worldly regions, through the lower realms of heaven,” he ut-
tered the following spell:
Päivän mennä toisen tulla, One day go, another come—
Uuen soiton suorijaksi, To invent another harp,
Kun ei kuuta, aurinkoa, When there is no moon, no sun
Eikä ilmaista iloa.” And no gladness on the earth.” 41 vi
vi In the national songs, Marjatta’s son is Kullervo rather than Christ.

Kullervo’s life story represents the various phases of the life of the soul
of the Aryan race, though we do not explore this in the present work.
307
Part V
Väinämöinen’s Return
The National-Occult Key
41
Väinämöinen and
the Nation of Finland
O
f all the Kalevala’s heroes, Väinämöinen is the first and
most superior, the one closest to the heart of the rune-
singer. Everyone loves and admires him, and feels that he
evokes the deepest aspirations within the spirit of the nation
of Finland. Personified in him one finds our family’s love of
knowledge and wisdom, song and poetry, and our faith in the
power of words and music. Väinämöinen’s indomitable firm-
ness, steadiness in all decisions, his invincible moderation and
calmness, represent in the Finn’s eyes the ideal character.
This is no miracle because within Väinämöinen’s personal-
ity is hidden the secret which, in a somewhat peculiar manner,
makes him the father, the prototype, of our whole nation. The
keys of interpretation we have used up until now have either
generalized his personality or drew it into view as very human.
In other words, we have seen him as a god or a human being
but not first and foremost as a Finn. The key that we now in-
tend to use leaves Väinämöinen half-way between heaven and
earth but makes him that full-blooded Finn that every child of
the Finnish nation feels close to.
This key is the occult-national key. Above all it means that
the spirit and soul of Finland—our so-called national spirit—is
symbolized by Väinämöinen. Our nation’s deepest intention,
309
väinämöinen’s return
deepest faith, and deepest love is personified by him. But it also

means something else. It means that Väinämöinen, as a divine
“pagan,” is not dead but lives on, that as a representative of
Finland’s national spirit he is not just a poetic image, but a liv-
ing personal reality.
How should this be understood? Since here we touch upon
secret aspects of the invisible world, we must offer an expla-
nation.
National differences, those both external and internal, in-
clude language, geography, natural conditions, climate, and
other knowable factors. Every nation forms a unified entity
which in the invisible world takes the form of its overarching
mental ambiance or aura. Specific and distinctive inner fea-
tures are contained in a nation’s aura, such as temperament,
modes of thought, the capacity to feel, mental endeavors, ar-
tistic predispositions and so on, which together make up what
we may call a nation’s personal soul.
But a spiritual secret is hidden behind this collective nation-
al soul. In the same way that the human being has a higher I
whose temporary expression is the personality, so also a nation
has a collective spiritual entity holding things together like an
autonomous, thinking being, and we can call this the national
genius. This is an independent being who does not belong to
the human developmental system, but to another order, the
so-called angelic hierarchies, which in Sanskrit are called de-
vas. He is a comparatively high being in his own system and has
acquired—perhaps only to further his own development—the
life long duty of caring for a nation’s destiny and leading its
spiritual growth. His chosen nation is precious and close to
his heart, and there exists in its character something which
corresponds to his own nature. And becoming the leader of a
nation, moreover, its servant, is a difficult task requiring great
responsibility. In a sense, the nation’s aura becomes like his
external body or dwelling place, and he absorbs the nation’s
310
väinämöinen and the nation of finland
soul-life into his own. Thus begins a continuous interplay be-

tween the nation’s personal soul and the guardian angel’s own
consciousness. The angel tries to nurture the nation’s soul and
dispense throughout its aura his own sublime inspirations and
feelings. He cannot immediately affect the entire incarnated
population of the nation; only the individuals who, filled with
love for their native country, hear his voice, will go forth to ex-
press his words and willpower through heroic deeds, literature,
and the arts. Of course the guardian angel is not alone, but is
surrounded by a mighty group of assistants—angels and genii
in the lower levels. However, underlying the deepest spiritual
love for the native country is this grandiose, loving, and divine
being who awakens and responds to love within individuals. Is
it surprising that some nations worship him as their only god? i
Since Väinämöinen represents Finland’s national genius,
this also means that he personifies the soul-life of Finland, and
that Väinämöinen—the Väinämöinen of the runes and the old
religion of the Kalevala—is the guardian angel given to the
Finnish nation.
At what moment Väinämöinen joined his own fate with that
of Finland, we cannot exactly say. It happened in an era be-
yond recorded history, in a Kalevalan epoch when the culture
of our ancestors flourished. We examined the stories found in
the Kalevala’s runes regarding the phases of Väinämöinen’s life,
looking for references to the life-cycle and fate of our guard-
ian angel. Long ago, Finland’s family was large and powerful.
It encompassed the ancestors of the modern Finns, as well as
the ancestors of the Lapps and other tribes of the Finnish fam-
ily. It reigned over a large part of Europe and it ruled more
through the power of wisdom than by violence. Its civilization
was by nature more mental than material in quality. Its people
i I explored the relationship between nations and their devas in greater
detail in Suomen kansallishaltija (Finland’s National Genius), Helsinki
1913, Teosofinen kirjakauppa ja Kustannusliike.
311
practiced agriculture, hunting, fishing, trade, pursued a variety

of livelihoods, but they were also, at the same time, a sensi-
tive, religious, and musical people. For them life would have
no value without song and poetry, without a deeper knowledge
of nature and the seer’s skills. Their seers were initiated into a
high and mysterious wisdom and were famous for their mighty
faculty of incantation. It was the Kalevala’s culture, and those
were the ages of Väinämöinen.
Then changes took place and upheavels occurred. Other
nations appeared on the stage of history.ii Väinämöinen drew
aside; his realm dissolved. But his people, in groups, and over
long periods of time, moved to the north and into the penin-
sula of Finland. People came to the areas of Häme, Karelia,
Kainuu, Pirkkala, and Perm, and are known by those names
today. The ancient times were preserved in their memories;
during the long winters they made poetry and sang about those
ancient times. And miracle of miracles, they strongly believed
that the ancient glory would someday return. The memory
of Väinämöinen’s promise to return became a tradition. Lat-
er, after Christianity arrived in Finland and the people were
taught to reject their ancient gods, Väinämöinen’s withdraw-
al was connected in the runes to the Christian invasion, but
the prophecy was not forgotten. Up until our own times the
ii In keeping with this idea there is the fact that the Germans arrived
in Europe after our Finnish ancestors, and the Germanic poems, the
Eddas (which are in many ways similar to the Kalevala), can just as
easily be understood to have borrowed aspects of its mythology from
Finland rather than the other way around. Compare this with what Yrjö
Koskinen says: “When we find things in European languages remind-
ing us of Finnish, elements which cannot be satisfactorily explained by
geographical relationships between historical groups, this, in my mind,
is the strongest proof that the ancient population of Europe, which was
already retreating into the north before history even began, was of the
Finnish family.” Tiedot Suomen-suvun muinaisuudesta (Knowledge Con-
cerning the Antiquity of the Finnish Family), pp. 25-26.
312
prophecy echoed upon people’s lips, the farewell words of the

ancient Väinämöinen, the eternal sage:
Päivän mennä toisen tulla, One day go, another come—
Uuen soiton suorijaksi, To invent another harp,
Kun ei kuuta, aurinkoa, When there is no moon, no sun
Eikä ilmaista iloa.” And no gladness on the earth.” 1
How should we understand Väinämöinen’s promise? Does
it have true meaning? Does it contain a higher reality? Is it a
real tradition or was it just created in the imaginations of rune-
singers?
We already argued that it is not from that critical period of
pagan and Christian transition, but is from a much older age. It
refers to the beginning of the Kullervo period,iii and we are con-
vinced that it is a true promise, given by our national genius
Väinämöinen through a human Väinämöinen inspired by him.
And so we can ask: If it is true that our national genius did
not completely withdraw forever, what guarantee do we have
that he will return, and when might that take place?
Our answer is that things will not happen quite the way they
did in the past. When Väinämöinen previously led the Finn-
ish tribes he was in a sense the organizer of the group-soul;
his realm was gathered together from different elements or,
better said, from different possibilities within different groups.
Since then, Europe has changed a great deal. When he returns,
Väinämöinen must choose a special tribe of the Finnish family.
iii We do not discuss Kullervo in this book. Editor’s note: The life of
Kullervo, as mentioned in Chapter 40, represents the life of the Aryan
Root Race.
313
He must have an elite nation, a “chosen nation.” Where will

he find this, and when will Väinämöinen return?
Väinämöinen has already returned and he has already
chosen his nation. The nation is the nation of Finland and
Väinämöinen’s return took place after the Middle Ages came
to a close and a new age dawned in Europe as a whole. In the
words of the Kalevala we can trace how our national genius
and guardian angel has gradually joined with our modern na-
tional spirit.
“And again I will be needed.” Yes, he will be needed when
the new age dawns and the nations of Europe move into a freer
and more civilized future. This happened, as we said, at the
end of the Middle Ages and the affect of Väinämöinen is evi-
dent in Mikael Agricola’s work and in other places.
“They’ll be waiting, yearning for me.” And this happened
when our nation’s selfhood awoke and began to feel its own
unique stature, at the same time wishing for freer political cir-
cumstances and living conditions. The first stirrings of this as-
piration occurred a few hundred years ago and consequently
we saw the inner (and outer) separation of Finland from Swe-
den and its joining with the realm of Russia, a monumental
advance for the nation of Finland.
“To bring back another Sampo.” This occurred when the
nation of Finland was spiritually prepared enough to retrieve
the memories of the ancient Finnish culture. And this took
place in the last century when Elias Lönnrot, above all others,
was chosen as Väinämöinen’s tool. As a result, his Kalevala
and all the other runes, spells, and proverbs which have been
gathered together comprise the new Sampoiv, given to us by
Väinämöinen.
“To invent another harp.” After we receive the new Sampo
(the Kalevala) and the ancient memories are awakened within
our national soul, we begin an independent cultural project in
iv Compare this with the definition of the Sampo in Chapter 37, “At the
Change of Ages.”
314
the sciences, arts, religion, philosophy, and so on. This began

to occur in the last century too, after the Kalevala’s publica-
tion, and since then Finland has truly made many original con-
tributions in many cultural areas. The great civilized countries
already hold Finnish music, literature, architecture, and other
Finnish achievements in high regard. Väinämöinen was not
deceitful; his words have come true.
“To set a new moon in the sky, free a new sun in the heav-
ens, when there is no moon, no sun, and no gladness on the
earth.” This takes place when our nation, formed by hard won
experiences, suffers pain and distress along with the rest of the
world. Modern Europe really is suffering the birth-pains of a
tremendous labor, and it is generally believed that a new and
better era will dawn after we have passed through a modern
purgatory. In this aspect, Väinämöinen’s promise has not yet
come true, but we trust that he was not wrong even in this. For
Finland the day will come, the day of brotherhood among all
nations, when every nation is allowed without contest to mani-
fest its holiest, innermost being. Then our nation will have the
opportunity and a duty to obey the call of its own genius and
create an independent, genuine Finnish civilization in all as-
pects of life.v
Now the reader must not shout out: “Is the ancient
Väinämöinen really our guardian angel? Has he returned, and
will he step to the side of Christ!?” Väinämöinen is not “pagan”
or “Christian” any more than Christ is. Väinämöinen, as the
essence of our national genius, is a living though secret real-
ity, and if by Christ we mean the Logos, then Väinämöinen is
naturally his servant. If, however, by Christ we mean the great
initiated seer who in the person of Jesus wandered over the
earth a few thousand years ago, then he (Christ) is a being
of a different type altogether compared to Väinämöinen, who
we understand to be our national genius and not a member of
v Compare this with the ideas in Finland’s National Genius.
315
humanity at all. As such, the work of Christ is by no means in

conflict with the influence of Väinämöinen, expressing itself as
it does in the independent development of the Finnish nation.
In the reality of life, in the development of nations and indi-
viduals, it is not a question of one or another type of “faith.”
All religions and worldviews are brothers, branches and leaves
of the same tree of wisdom and life; it is merely a question of
looking at the different types of individuals and the different
activities of each nation.
But if a nation wants to create a spirited civilization with
happy citizens, it is unavoidable that a deep connection with
the secret world of wisdom must be maintained. As long as
the ancient nations performed their mysteries of communion
in the holy Sampo Temple of the Secret Brotherhood of wis-
dom, then their civilization continued to bear fruit. But when
the connection broke, the different nations were forced to go
their own misguided ways and culture degenerated. In the
Christian age the church takes the place of the ancient mys-
teries, its function being part church, part university. Initially
the church maintained its inner relationship with Jesus and
the secret world in general, but over the centuries the connec-
tion loosened, until today very few Christians are the personal
disciples of Jesus,vi and even those are not from the church’s
inner circle. Whether it happens within the church or outside
of it, the ancient mysteries must be revived from their deathly
state and restored to their previous condition of union with
Jesus and the Secret Brotherhood if modern Christianity wants
to continue developing with spirit.
And this renaissance of the ancient mysteries can only take
place when each nation finds its higher self. The past century
prepared Christianity for this, and we Finns know it from our
own history. For each nation, discovering its higher self means
that out of the oblivion of night everything from its ancient
vi This matter is discussed more deeply in my book The Esoteric School of
Jesus.
316
past that was spirited, noble, and beautiful will be raised into
the daylight. And mere recollecting is not enough here; the
ancient spirit must be renewed and invigorated, reborn into
national consciousness. Therefore Väinämöinen’s return to
the nation of Finland means the revivification of ancient mem-
ories, the forging of the new Sampo, and so on. Now the duty
of the nation of Finland is to re-enliven the spirit and wisdom
of Väinämöinen and fuse it with the consciousness that mod-
ern Christendom has already nurtured and educated. And the
twentieth century will witness to what extent Finland—and
the other nations as well—accomplish this grand work. We
have Väinämöinen’s promise that he, our dear national genius,
will do for his part what duty requires, that we can be sure of...
Suuni jo sulkea pitäisi, Now I ought to shut my mouth
Kiinni kieleni sitoa, And tie up my tongue tightly,
Laata virren laulannasta, Stop the singing of the song
Herätä heläjännästä: And the echoing of my voice.
“Eipä koski vuolaskana “Not even the swiftest rapids
Laske vettänsä loputen, Ever runs out all its water,
Eikä laulaja hyväinen Nor does any expert singer
Laula tyyni taitoansa; Ever pour out all his wisdom.
Mieli on jäämähän parempi To hold back a song is better
Kuin on kesken katkemahan.” Than to cut it short halfway.”
Niin luonen, lopettanenki,
Herennenki, heittänenki...
Elkätte hyvät imeiset Do not think it odd, good people,
Tuota ouoksi otelko,
Jos ma lapsi liioin lauloin, That a child should sing too much,
Pieni pilpatin pahasti! Such a little one pipe badly.
En ole opissa ollut, I have never been instructed
Käynyt mailla mahtimiesten, Nor have learned in wizard lands,
Saanut ulkoa sanoja, Borrowed charm-words from outsiders
Loitompata lausehia... Nor my spells from far-off places...
Vaan kuitenki kaiketenki But however that may be,
317
Laun hiihin laulajoille, I have skied a trail for singers,

Laun hiihin, latvan taitoin, Skied the trail, snapped the brush tips,
Oksat karsin, tien osoitin; Broke the branches, showed the way.
Siitäpä nyt tie menevi That way now will run the future,
Ura uusi urkenevi On the new course, cleared and ready
Laajemmille laulajoille, For new poets of greater power,
Runsahammille runoille Singing songs of mightier magic
Nuorisossa nousevassa, For the rising younger people,
Kansassa kasuavassa. For the new and growing nation.2
318
Notes
Foreword
1. Friberg (1988) Runo 17:507-510.
I. The Kalevala as a Holy Book

1. Blavatsky, H. P. 1888. The Secret Doctrine. Book 1, p. 305.
2. Suomalaisia kirjailijoita (Finnish Authors), Helsinki 1909, Otava p. 24.
3. Kaarle Krohn, Suomalaisten runojen uskonto (The Religion of Finnish
Runes). Helsinki 1915. Suom. Kirj. seura, p. 360.
4. Translator’s note. The term archetypes was used to translate mieli- ja
ajatus-kuvat (mind- and thought-images; Ervast 1916:28). The term
was known when Swiss psychologist Carl Jung adopted it for use in
his psychology of the collective unconscious. Ervast was probably un-
aware of Jung’s work when he wrote The Key to the Kalevala in 1916.
Afterward he did read appreciatively both Freud and Jung, saying
that they had opened a little door to the secret world; their work was
the beginning for modern psychology’s understanding of human psy-
chology, human mysteries. In general, many concepts related to the
unconscious had been formulated by the late 1800s. It was topical
to converse about the unconscious during the first half of the 1800s.
Eduard v. Hartman’s (1842-1906) book Philosophie des Unbewusstes
(The Philosophy of the Unconscious), published in 1869, provided a
stimulus for the unconscious to be more commonly understood. Dos-
toyevsky’s The Idiot (1868) shows a deep understanding of the hu-
man psyche. In Ervast’s use of the term “mind- and thought-images”
he anticipated the importance of the archetype concept, although he
did not explicitly use the term. For the purposes of this translation,
“archetype” can be considered a synonym for “mind- and thought-
images.”
5. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:1-14. Editor’s note. In Eino Friberg’s beautiful
translation of the Kalevala, line numbers in the original Finnish Ka-
levala are given to the left of the verse, while sequential numbering is
given on the right. There is frequently a difference between the two
319
because Friberg often collapsed two lines from the original Kalevala
into one line in his translation. The line numbers given in these end
notes refer to the sequential numbering of Friberg’s translation. The
citation style is self-explanatory; e.g., Runo 3:1-14 refers to Runo 3,
lines 1 through 14. The line numbers given in Ervast’s text refer to
the original Kalevala line numbering.
6. Translator’s note. The question arose whether this phrase—osviittoja
tiedon tien suhteen (Ervast, p. 33)—should be translated as “way-to-
knowledge” or “wisdom path.” In modern literary Finnish this phrase
would be viitteitä tiedon tien suhteen which, rendered into English,
is: “suggestions (hints) regarding the way-to-knowledge.” Tiedon
tie means “the way-to-knowledge” (or the way of knowledge). Tieto
= knowledge, tiedon = knowledge’s (possessive knowledge or “...of
knowledge”). Tie = way, road. In comparison, “wisdom path” is vii-
sauden polku; wisdom = viisaus, and path = polku. Thus, it is more
appropriate to use the term “way-to-knowledge” rather than the less
accurate gloss “wisdom path.” Page references to Ervast’s Kalevalan
Avain are to the 1992 edition by Kristosofinen Kirjallisuusseura ry.
(Tampere, Finland).
7. Translator’s note. Pekka Ervast had a thorough understanding of Bla-
vatsky’s work. He was one of two translators of Blavatsky’s The Secret
Doctrine into Finnish.
8. “Suomen kansalliseepos” (“The National Epic of Finland”). In Tie-
täjä, 1909, p. 79.
II. The Mysterious Knowledge of the Kalevala

1. Kaarle Krohn. Suomensuvun uskonnot (The Religion of the Finnish Fam-
ily). 1915 [2nd part to The Religion of Finnish Runes], p. iv.
2. Editor’s note. This kind of developmental model as applied to social
systems is known as Social Darwinism. It is currently considered re-
gressive by some social commentators to the extent that it is used
to justify trans-national corporate feudalism. Apparently, Ervast also
considered this model, as applied to the development of religions, to
have dubious value.
3. Allan Menzies, History of Religion, Chapter I, Introduction.
4. Editor’s note. The Proto-Kalevala was published in 1835. The final
50-Runo version of the Kalevala was published in 1849. Kalevala
Day is celebrated on February 28th.
320
notes
5. Editor’s note. This phrase was a common Theosophical way of ex-

pressing a spiritual hierarchy of intentional forces or beings.
6. Editor’s note. “Name and idea” here refers to literal vs. symbolic or
denotation vs. connotation.
7. That people today still retain a sense of Väinämöinen’s divine na-
ture and quasi-symbolic meaning is observed in the following ex-
cerpt from the journal Kotiseutu (March, 1909): “I received a strik-
ing definition of Väinämöinen last winter, totally coincidentally, in
connection with other business in Niemelä, Juntusranta village in
Suomussalmi. An old man, a crofter named Jaakko Heikkinen, said
it—he was already 83 years old, was born in the region, and knew a
number of old stories and some ancient knowledge. This is what he
said: ‘Väinämöinen does not have bones and muscles like us, but
when wizards and rune-singers take power from the earth and water
and the moon and sun and from everything, what gathers together is
Väinämöinen.’”
8. Julius Krohn, Suomen suvun pakanallinen jumalanpalvelus (The Divine
Pagan Service of the Finnish Family), Helsinki 1894, p. 80.
9. Editor’s note. See Lönnrot’s foreword to The Old Kalevala, p. XI.
10. John 1:1-3. Editor’s note. In this passage, following Ervast’s inten-
tion, “the Logos” was substituted for “the Word,” “He,” and “Him.”
All Bible quotes are from The American Standard Bible, The Open
Bible Edition, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1977.
11. Modern psychology denies will because its empirical-inductive
stance is by nature predisposed to materialism and therefore is, from
a philosophical viewpoint, deterministic. In this view, will doesn’t ex-
ist because freedom doesn’t exist. Expressions of a so-called “human
will” are not expressions of a free will, rather, they are thought to be
unavoidable results from pre-existing states, thoughts, or emotions.
Will, at bottom, is just emotion or thought; “will” in itself is thus
non-existent. This is modern determinism but one can immediately
point out that some states of consciousness do not cause any reac-
tion; a harmoniously pure and stable consciousness does not breed
effects, and being in bliss is a thing onto itself. The modern world of
conflict is the conditio sine qua non of determinism, and as such only
gives an idea of mental life to a certain level of development. Thus,
determinism does not reach deep enough nor rise high enough; no
being with free will has yet come into its sphere of theorizing. The
spiritualistic viewpoint is grounded in the knowledge that free being
is possible.
321
12. Editor’s note. These three human functions may be compared with
Dios-Eros-Logos, for the following reason. “The Son” is “the loving
Eros principle” and “discriminating reason” is equivalent to the Lo-
gos principle. These two are in essential respects antithetical. The
willing function of “God the Father” may be called Dios; willpower
emerges from a union of our emotional and intellectual aspects or,
deity is the transcendent will emerging from said union. Ervast refers
to the whole tripartite scheme as the Logos Trinity, an identification
which derives from the first “Word” or “Logos” in the Bible, ulti-
mately having three aspects.
13. R. Engleberg, Kalevalan sisällys ja rakenne (The Content and Structure
of the Kalevala); Helsinki 1914, p. 106.
14. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:123-132.
15. Kaarle Krohn, Kalevalan runojen historia (The History of the Kalevala’s
Runes), Helsinki 1903, p. 357.
16. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:101-103.
17. Kaarle Krohn. Kalevalan runojen historia (The History of the Kalevala’s
18. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:109-112.
19. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:113-118.
20. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:119-122.
21. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:139-147.
22. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:159-160.
23. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:176-179.
24. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:194-197.
25. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:206-209.
26. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:255-256; 259-264.
27. Friberg (1988) Runo 2:7-8.
28. Friberg (1988) Runo 2:16-19.
29. Julius Krohn, Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden historia (The History of Finnish
Literature), I, pgs. 290-291.
30. Friberg (1988) Runo 2:216-219.
31. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:277-284.
32. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:305-310. Editor’s note: This was Friberg’s fa-
vorite quote; see the National Public Radio program produced by
Alex van Oss (1994).
322
notes
33. Friberg (1988) Runo 1:315-320.

34. From the Old Kalevala. See F. P. Magoun (1969).
36. Friberg (1988) Runo 11:11-14.
37. Friberg (1988) Runo 11:17-20.
38. Friberg (1988) Runo 14:414-419.
39. Friberg (1988) Runo 15:571-574.
40. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:477-486.
41. Editor’s note. Martti Haavio (1967) argued for the likely source of
the rune of Lemminkäinen’s death and resurrection. According to
Haavio, the historical connection is to the story of Osiris and his res-
urrection, arguably the source of mythological ideas found in Christ’s
resurrection.
42. Compare this with the cynical or “realistic” perspective of Aunus:
“Lemminkäinen was born out of wedlock. The same has been said
about Jesus.”
Runes), Helsinki 1903, pgs. 581-582.
44. F. P. Magoun, Jr. 1969. The Old Kalevala and Certain Antecedents,
Harvard University Press, Runo 26:36-41.
45. K. Krohn. Kalevalan runojen historia (The History of the Kalevala’s
46. Goethe. 1808. Faust: A Tragedy, Bayard Taylor translation (1964:36)
part 1, scene II.
47. Editor’s note. The use of “self” here is similar to Carl Jung’s later use
of the term Self. A definition of this term: the totality and center of
the psyche which continuously exerts an urge toward wholeness.
48. Friberg (1988) Runo 47:76-80.
49. Friberg (1988) Runo 47:87-94.
50. Friberg (1988) Runo 48:131-132.
51. Friberg (1988) Runo 48:189-192.
52. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:27-30.
53. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:64-67.
54. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:104-109.
323
55. Passage from the Old (Proto-) Kalevala. See F. P. Magoun (1969).
Translator’s note. The verse translated “when he previously forged
the sky” mistakenly uses the pronoun “he”; the forger may, in fact, be
Luoja.
56. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:136-139.
57. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:141-149.
58. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:169-173.
59. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:198-203.
60. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:234-241.
61. Friberg (1988) Runo 9:256-262.
62. Krohn, J. Kalevalan runojen historia (The History of the Kalevala’s
Runes), p. 178. One could add to this the fact that the Indian Bhav-
ishja Purana tells of an ancient sun temple, built by Saamba.
63. Translator’s note. In Friberg’s translation, the phrase “many ciphered
cover” is sometimes used, derived from the Finnish term kirjokansi.
The more accurate translation of this term is “multi- (or many) col-
ored cover.” The distinction is important for understanding Ervast’s
teaching about the Sampo (see Chapters 31-33). In modern Finnish,
kirjo means spectrum, as in a spectrum of colors or a spectrum of
viewpoints. In Theosophical thinking, the fully developed spiritual
body is multi-colored. Though we will preserve Friberg’s poetically-
motivated use of “many ciphered cover,” the reader should bear these
considerations in mind. Editor’s note: Elsewhere, Friberg translates
kirjokansi as “many-colored cover” (e.g., Friberg (1988) Runo 38:271;
39:13).
64. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:250-257.
65. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:393-406.
66. Friberg (1988) Runo 14:444-447.
67. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:441-450.
68. Matti Varonen. Vainajainpalvelus muinaisilla suomalaisilla (The Wor-
ship of the Deceased Among the Ancient Finns). Helsinki 1895, p. 16.
69. Kaarle Krohn. Suomalaisten runojen uskonto (The Religion of Finnish
Runes), p. 59.
70. One can read [in English] more deeply on this topic in Theosophical
literature, some of which we will mention here: C. W. Leadbeater’s
Life After Death, Annie Besant’s The Wisdom of the Ages, and H. P.
Blavatsky’s The Key to Theosophy.
324
notes
71. Friberg (1988) Runo 16:390-401.

72. Friberg (1988) Runo 17:11-14.
73. Friberg (1988) Runo 17:100-104; 140-147.
74. Friberg (1988) Runo 17:511-523.
75. Friberg (1988) Runo 16:174-179.
76. Friberg (1988) Runo 16:186-192; 203-206; 216-219; 229-232.
77. Friberg (1988) Runo 16:264-267.
78. Kaarle Krohn. Suomalaisten runojen uskonto (The Religion of Finnish
Runes), p. 12.
79. F. A. Hästesko. Mielikuvitus ja todellisuus Kalevalassa (Imagination and
Reality in the Kalevala), p. 9.
80. Rafael Engelberg. Kalevalan sisällys ja rakenne (The Contents and
Structure of the Kalevala), p. 247.
81. Friberg (1988) Runo 41:89-90.
82. Friberg (1988) Runo 41:29-35; 68-73; 113-118.
83. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:242-243.
84. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:296-307.
85. Friberg (1988) Runo 7:276-279.
86. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:238-241.
87. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:289-295.
88. Friberg (1988) Runo 41:55-67; 91-112; 129-133; 150-153; 156-157;
160-163.
III. The Kalevala’s Inner Ethic

1. Rafael Engelberg. Kalevalan sisällys ja rakenne (The Contents and
Structure of the Kalevala).
2. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:20-33.
3. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:112-121.
4. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:272-274.
5. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:322-325.
6. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:316-321.
7. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:331-336.
8. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:433-434; 440-443.
9. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:448-451.
325
10. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:466-468.

11. Friberg (1988) Runo 3:515-520.
12. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:15-20.
13. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:22-38
14. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:119-136.
15. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:191-208; 217-224.
16. Friberg (1988) Runo 11:306-311.
17. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:97-100.
18. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:105-112.
19. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:358-359.
20. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:374-378.
21. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:78-87.
22. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:92-95.
23. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:97-107.
24. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:109-114.
25. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:21-30.
26. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:51-56.
27. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:101-106.
28. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:117-124.
29. Friberg (1988) Runo 14:366-371.
30. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:150-157.
31. Editor’s note. For an idea of what Ervast means here, see his book
H.P.B.: Four Episodes from the Life of the Sphinx of the XIXth Century,
translated into English and published in 1933 by the London Theo-
sophical Publishing House. A copy is held at the Theosophical Li-
brary in Wheaton, Illinois.
32. Friberg (1988) Runo 19:170-177.
33. Friberg (1988) Runo 20:545-562.
34. Friberg (1988) Runo 21:355-362.
35. Friberg (1988) Runo 21:365-382; 394-398; 404-407.
36. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:1-11.
37. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:34-43.
38. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:44-59.
39. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:140-152.
326
notes
40. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:174-187.

41. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:190-197.
42. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:209-211; 216-219.
43. Friberg (1988) Runo 37:234-235.
44. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:1-10.
45. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:77-85.
46. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:87-88; 93-99.
47. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:103-112.
48. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:226-227.
49. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:283-287.
50. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:263-267.
51. Friberg (1988) Runo 38:269-281.
52. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:3-6.
53. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:8-20.
54. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:51-54.
55. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:85-88.
56. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:96-103.
57. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:104-108.
58. First Corinthians 15:53-55.
61. First Corinthians 15:51.
62. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:176-177; 182-185.
63. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:199-204.
64. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:247-251.
65. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:263-277.
66. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:286-289.
67. Friberg (1988) Runo 39:300-303.
68. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:5-12.
69. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:83-88.
70. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:89-94.
71. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:122-123.
72. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:128-131.
327
73. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:133-136.

74. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:145-146.
75. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:162-166.
76. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:200-204.
77. Friberg (1988) Runo 40:222-229.
78. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:166-179.
79. Friberg (1988) Runo 44:207-211.
80. Editor’s note. The Friberg translation gives “king” here, whereas the
original Kalevala reads “queen.”
81. Friberg (1988) Runo 41:252-255.
82. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:37-40.
83. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:42-44.
84. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:91-94.
85. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:110-112.
86. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:169-172.
87. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:177-179.
88. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:312-315.
89. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:346-353.
90. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:354-370.
91. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:371-376.
92. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:388-391.
93. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:392-399.
94. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:430-435.
95. Friberg (1988) Runo 42:444-457.
96. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:23-33.
97. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:48-53.
98. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:60-64.
99. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:71-72.
100. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:79-88.
101. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:96-97.
102. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:118-127.
103. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:166-175.
104. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:212-215.
328
notes
105. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:226-228.

106. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:235-242.
107. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:244-250.
108. Translator’s note. To understand these two sentences we must realize
that Pekka deciphers symbolic meaning here and the interpretation
is psychological. The meaning is as follows. When a human being
battles against the evil that is within himself, he divides the original
unity into two parts; he identifies with the good and expels the evil.
In other words, when a human being places himself into the camp of
God, it is as if he pushes evil out and away from God.
109. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:273-287.
110. Friberg (1988) Runo 43:377-381.
111. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:441-245.
IV. The Kalevala’s Magic

1. Otava eli Suomalaisia huvituksia (The Great Bear or Finnish Entertain-
ment) part I. Stockholm 1831, pgs. 26-27.
2. See the studies of Henrik Gabriel Porthan, Finnish translation by Edv.
Rein. Suom. Kirjallisuuden seura [The Society of Finnish Literature].
Helsinki 1904, pgs. 173-207.
3. Editor’s note. Regarding divining by lottery: “In divining by lot, a
chip of wood was put into the center of what may be called a riddle
box. The bottom of this was divided into squares, each of which was
marked by a sign of something that would point to an answer such as
wind, water, forest, witch. As the question was being asked, the box
was shaken so that the chip moved about. The square on which the
chip settled gave the answer” (Friberg 1988:397).
4. Friberg (1988) Runo 11:75-78.
5. Friberg (1988) Runo 12:441-460.
6. Friberg (1988) Runo 7:282-285.
7. Friberg (1988) Runo 7:308-310.
8. Our famous historian Yrjö Koskinen says: “At least it should be re-
membered that the name Suomi, Same does not belong only to the
modern Finnish nation [Suomi means Finland in the Finnish lan-
guage], but might have extended over all the Finnish families in
ancient times. If we now wish to summarize what was said earlier,
great advances have been made in our historical understanding: The
329
ancient Turanians had great power in the area between Sind and
the Euphrates. That the Turanians belong to the Finnish family is
speculation, though imminently probable; linguistic analysis points
to it, and studies of ancient cuneiform scripts lean to that side... But
as for a final judgement, it is notable that the Finnish language and
Finland’s ancient poetry, both of which seem to rest on some founda-
tion of ancient culture, will determine much in this course of study.”
Tiedot Suomensuvun muinaisuudesta, (Knowledge Concerning the Antiq-
uity of the Finnish Family), Helsinki. (Koskinen 1862:18-19).
9. In his study called Hafva Lappar och Finnar på skilda tider invandrat
till Norden? (Did the Lapps and the Finns Wander into the North at Dif-
ferent Times?), Joh. Ad. Lindström concludes the following: “For the
final conclusion of this study we hold the view that the Finns are the
oldest people in Europe, and from time immemorial they have ruled
its northern lands” (See Suomi, 1859, loc. sit., p. 40). It appears that
former historians were more courageous in drawing their conclu-
sions than modern ones. Does this depend solely on “the inferiority
of their knowledge”? Doctor K. Meijer thought (as Wettenhovi-Aspa
does in our days) that some of Europe’s original Turanian population
came from Africa. Compare this with a passage in the dissertation by
Koskinen cited above, page 31. Modern science argues that the earli-
est inhabitants of Stone Age Scandinavia (about 10,000 years ago)
were Lapps, but by the later Stone Age (roughly 6,000 years ago) the
population was Germanic. See also C. Grimberg, Svenska folkets un-
derbara öden (The Wonderful Fate of the Swedish People), I, Stockholm
1913, p. 20. That these later human beings had long skulls does not
prove in our minds that they were Germanic, because the Finns—at
least the Karelians and Kainuans—also have long skulls.
10. Friberg (1988) Runo 18:400-403.
11. Friberg (1988) Runo 18:411-414.
12. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:97-101.
13. Friberg (1988) Runo 10:116-118.
14. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:15-20.
15. Friberg (1988) Runo 4:22-30.
16. Friberg (1988) Runo 5:7-12.
17. Friberg (1988) Runo 5:158-168.
18. Friberg (1988) Runo 5:169-181.
330
notes
19. These lines are extracted from the poem “Angling for Vellamo’s
Maiden” [Runo 5] but in content they belong to the Aino episode.
20. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:1-4.
21. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:16-25.
22. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:29-33.
23. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:38-41.
24. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:69-74.
25. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:89-112.
26. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:113-115.
27. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:148-150.
28. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:174-178.
29. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:270-272.
30. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:299-301.
31. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:302-306.
32. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:381-386.
33. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:392-395.
34. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:396-400.
35. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:402-407.
36. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:410-413.
37. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:414-417.
38. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:418-421.
39. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:422-427.
40. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:428-431.
41. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:441-450.
V. Väinämöinen’s Return
1. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:441-450.
2. Friberg (1988) Runo 50:462-465; 480-485; 536-542; 553-562.
331
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338
About the Author
P
ekka Ervast was a writer, occultist, and Christian mystic,
born December 26, 1875, in Finland, the easternmost
and sparsely populated country in the Fennos-Scandia region.
Since early childhood, Ervast searched honestly for truth,
often beset by conflict between ideals and reality that prevailed
in all walks of life. He sought the real purpose of our existence
and how we should honestly live, but he found no answers
within his own cultural circle of religion.
During his early university years, Ervast became acquainted
with theosophy, and soon after, with the aid of the great Rus-
sian writer Lev Tolstoy, Ervast discovered esoteric Christianity.
Ervast has testified that when he followed Jesus’ teachings to
the best of his ability, he entered a mystical path where totally
new worlds opened for him. There he knew the meaning of life
and understood human beings not only from this life’s view
point, but as reincarnating spiritual beings, journeying through
the school of this world in order to learn and evolve.
Pekka Ervast’s life was not long—he died at 58—but his
life’s work was all the more significant. During the course of his
Theosophical and Rosicrucian activities, he delivered over 800
public lectures, most of them freely without written notes, and
often as if answering unuttered questions of his audience. The
larger part of Ervast’s literary works comprise over a hundred
volumes, including his lecture series.
Ervast could speak clearly and intelligibly to the most pro-
found questions related to philosophy, theosophy, and various
religions. His message reached searchers of truth equally in all
339
strata of population, and his works have spread to hundreds of

thousands of Finnish homes. Through his life’s work, he has
been and still is a most important inspirer and instructor to his
nation—its spiritual teacher.
It is unfortunate for all of humankind that Ervast lived and
worked in such a restricted linguistic area and within such a
small, isolated country, for he was well versed in all great reli-
gions and in several different cultures. As a universal humanist
living in truth and love, in basic meditation, he should have
been recognized world-wide, spreading light and blessing. This
now is our intention and hope.
340

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The

Literary Society of the Finnish Rosy Cross

20. Aino ..............................................................................164

Fa small country so far north that it touches the Arctic

Circle, preserves a fascinating ancient history and offers a

universities at Turku and Helsinki, most notably the esteemed

supported by German scholars, before the Germanic tribes

even stones and trees, contained consciousness. They also

North, is almost straight overhead. Furthermore, the Sampo’s

best in oral traditions around the world, suggesting the Finn’s

esoteric knowledge sequestered within the Kalevala. He saw

Foreword to The Key to the Kalevala. In 1920 Ervast found-

Lemminkäinen. Lemminkæinen. Lemmin-ki-nen.

Sampsa Pellervoinen. Sahmp-sah Peller-voy-nen

he cuts down the trees. Väinämöinen does this, leaving only

Runos 20-25. These six runos tell of the wedding prepara-

the night at an Inn laughing with another man while Ilma-

heroes work to free the Sampo. Väinämöinen opens the doors

and strings made from the hair of a beautiful forest maiden.

Runo 48. The Capture of Fire. Väinämöinen has a huge net

false judgment. Angry and ashamed, but recognizing that his

betrothal, echoes with deep, spiritual implications. In read-

translation is unparalleled for its poetic beauty and its accurate

these aspects of humanness encounter while they grow and

While many of these processes are known and understood

Finally, in Part V (Chapter 41) Väinämöinen is identified

It is unfortunate for all of humankind that Ervast lived and

Talked with Pekka

extent be accepted with the forgiving goodwill generally given

and collected the rune-songs, gathering verses from here and

about themselves. It is thus erroneously thought that Finnish

completely different kind of book than scientists have allowed.

Okay—so this is how we would like to propose that these

precise and exact? In fact, there is. But a materialist or one

In other words, the materialist concludes there is nothing to

of seers. In what way? The wisdom of seers is hidden within the

i The Finnish word “runo” is equivalent to the Swedish “runa,” which is

their beloved Testament is holy. We suspect that if a truth-

Is it possible to find such a key? In our own time it is not im-

determines consequences in the same way that it was derived

Madame Blavatsky did not act thoughtlessly when she se-

Finns animated nature with living spirits (anima); it is manist

scientific investigation to further clarify the structural birth of

outer expression of a social phenomenon; it is exoteric. Side by

and animism it is—dwells the ancient Finnish sages’ mystic

some kind of family names, like Hermes (Thoth) in Egypt or

a figurative language. Thus, our attention cannot be limited

reflecting upon God’s worldly projections, including those in

also remind us of how the ancient prophets and initiates such

ancient China rulers dedicated every third year to “he who is

Anyhow, the Triune doctrine has another meaning, which is

Every human being lives a mental life of a triune nature.

What does ancient Finnish wisdom tell us regarding this dis-

we see that the Kalevala gives a central place to these three

Aalto impeä ajeli On a wave the maid was driven

created in his image. He is the Logos-weaver of the world, and

Osiris in Egypt was born of a heavenly virgin named Neth.

Ultimately, God is necessary—God is the reason of the world’s