Vainamoinen (Genesis) - Myth - OMNIKA Mythology

About this myth

Vainamoinen (Genesis) is a Creation myth originating from the Finnish belief system. The oldest attested artifact in our index that contains this myth was likely created around 1835 CE. The main deity depicted in this myth is likely Väinämöinen.

In a nutshell

Myth summary

Vainamoinen is born as part of the creation of the world where the water and sky is divided.

Attested:

Created: Unknown

Myth type: Creation

Main deity: Väinämöinen

Belief system: Finnish

Origin: Europe › Northern Europe › Finland

Belief system

Finnish Culture

Polytheistic

Finnish culture refers to people from modern-day Finland and the Russian territory of Karelia.

Väinämöinen

Main deity

Väinämöinen was the deity associated with creation in Finnish tradition.

Artifact

Old Kalevala

The artifact named has contents related to this mythological story.

Condition: Excellent

Type: Manuscript

Material: Paper

Date: c. 1835 CE

More information

The Väinämöinen (Finnish) creation myth comes from modern-day Scandinavia and tells the story of Väinämöinen, the hero and creator with a magical voice. This myth and more Finnish folklore is part of the Old Kalevala, the national epic of Finland that contains the culture's poems and stories.

Texts related to this myth

See full texts of this myth via related artifacts. Where available, a translation is included.

All texts

Title

Cite this page

MLA Modern Language Association (8th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Vainamoinen (Genesis)." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 20 Feb. 2019, omnika.org/stable/37. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

APA American Psychological Association (6th ed.)

OMNIKA (2019, February 20). Vainamoinen (Genesis). Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/37

CMS Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Vainamoinen (Genesis)." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created February 20, 2019. Accessed May 17, 2024. https://omnika.org/stable/37.

Bibliography

Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Illustrations by Tessa Rickards. London, United Kingdom: The British Museum Press, 1992.

Cirlot Laporta, Juan Eduardo. A Dictionary of Symbols. Second Editions. Translated by Jack Sage. London, England: Routledge, 2001. [E-book edition by Taylor & Francis]