What is Finnish paganism called?

What is Finnish paganism called?

Finnish Neopaganism, or the Finnish native faith (Finnish: Suomenusko: “Finnish Belief/ Belief of Finland”) is the contemporary revival of Finnish paganism, the pre-Christian polytheistic ethnic religion of the Finns.

What is Finnish mythology called?

Most of the myths date from pre-Christian times and were passed from generation to generation by storytellers. A work called the Kalevala (pronounced kah-luh-VAH-luh), which the Finnish people consider their national epic, contains many of the legends.

Are UKKO and Thor the same?

Ukko is held by researchers of religion to be parallel to Indo-European patriarchal sky deities, for example to Zeus and Jupiter of the Classical Greco-Roman pantheon, the Indian Hindu god Indra, the Balto-Slavic god Perun-Perkūnas and the Norse god Thor. Some researchers hold Ilmarinen and Ukko equivalent.

What do the Sami believe in?

Traditional Sámi religion is generally considered to be Animism. The Sámi belief that all significant natural objects (such as animals, plants, rocks, etc.) possess a soul, and from a polytheistic perspective, traditional Sámi beliefs include a multitude of spirits.

Is Finnish mythology Norse?

It has many features shared with Estonian and other Finnic mythologies, but also shares some similarities with neighbouring Baltic, Slavic and, to a lesser extent, Norse mythologies. Finnish mythology survived within an oral tradition of mythical poem-singing and folklore well into the 19th century.

Is Thor Finnish?

Ukko (“old man”) the god of the sky and thunder, related to Thor (Estonian Taara). Also related to Estonian Vanemuine. The central character in Finnish folklore and he is the main character in the Kalevala.

What perkele means?

evil spirit
Perkele (pronounced [ˈperkele] ( listen)) is a Finnish word meaning “evil spirit” and a popular Finnish profanity, used similarly to English “god damn”. It is most likely the most internationally known Finnish curse word.

Who is Taranis?

Taranis, (Celtic: “Thunderer”), powerful Celtic deity that was one of three mentioned by the Roman poet Lucan in the 1st century ad; the other two were Esus (“Lord”) and Teutates (“God of the People”). Taranis was symbolically represented by the wheel and the lightning flash.

Are Sami Christians?

Some Sami adopted the Christian teaching, but many continued to practise their traditional ceremonies in secret. As there were only a few Christian churches and they were a long way away, while the Sami gods and rituals were close to the people, the two religions were able to exist side by side for a long time.

What are the traditions of the Sami people?

Yoik/joik is a feature of Sami musical tradition. Yoiks are song-chants and are traditionally sung a cappella, usually sung slowly and deep in the throat. Reindeer herding is a strong part of the Sami culture and ancestry. Today, this practice is legally protected as an exclusive Sami livelihood in Norway and Sweden.

What religion was Finland before Christianity?

Finnish paganism
Finnish paganism is the indigenous pagan religion in Finland and Karelia prior to Christianisation. It was a polytheistic religion, worshipping a number of different deities. The principal god was the god of thunder and the sky, Ukko; other important gods included Jumo (Jumala), Ahti, and Tapio.

Is perkele a bad word?

The people in the neighbouring countries to Finland often consider Finnish swear words harsher than their own, and even use heavily mispronounced versions of them, most notably perkele (Damn it) Native Finns tend to consider the harshness exaggerated, while others use it to their advantage.