Mikael Agricola's God List

[enkita]

Mikael Agricola (c. 1510 - 1557) was a Finnish bishop and the creator of written Finnish. He studied in Germany under Martin Luther and was a central figure in the reformation of Finland. Because reformation supported the use of local languages in churches (instead of just using Latin like in Catholicism), a written form of Finnish and religious texts translated into Finnish were needed. This is exactly what Agricola set out to do, and he released books such as the Finnish ABC's, Catechism, and the New Testament.

In his book Dauidin Psalttari (Book of Psalms, 1551), Agricola added a text in the beginning that lists some of the ancient Finnish gods, namely those of Tavastians and Karelians. He also describes some of the pagan traditions and celebrations.

The original text:
Epeiumalat monet tesse,
muinen palveltin caucan ia lesse.
Neite cumarsit Hemelaiset
seke Miehet ette Naiset.
Tapio Metzest Pydhyxet soi
ia Achti wedhest Caloia toi.
Äinemöinen wirdhet tacoi,
Rachkoi Cuun mustaxi iacoi.
Lieckiö Rohot iwret ia puudh
hallitzi ia sencaltaiset mwdh.
Ilmarinen Rauhan ia ilman tei
ia Matkamiehet edheswei.
Turisas annoi Woiton Sodhast,
Cratti murhen piti Tavarast.
Tontu Honen menon hallitzi,
quin Piru monda willitzi.
Capeet mös heilde Cuun söit,
Calevanpoiat Nijttut ia mwdh löit.

Waan Carialaisten Nämet olit,
Epeiumalat quin he rucolit.
Rongoteus Ruista annoi,
Pellonpecko Ohran casvon soi.
Wirancannos Cauran caitzi,
mutoin oltin Caurast paitzi.
Egres hernet Pawudh Naurit loi,
Caalit Linat ia Hamput edhestoi.
Köndös Huchtat ia Pellot teki,
quin heiden Epeuskons näki.
Ia quin Kevekylvö kylvettin,
silloin ukon Malia iootijn.
Sihen haetin ukon wacka,
nin ioopui Pica ette Acka.
Sijtte palio Häpie sielle techtin,
quin seke cwltin ette nechtin.
Quin Rauni Ukon Naini härsky,
ialosti Wkoi Pohiasti pärsky.
Se sis annoi Ilman ia Wdhen Tulon,
Käkri se liseis Carian casvon.
Hijsi Metzeleist soi woiton,
Wedhen Eme wei Calat wercon.
Nyrckes Oravat annoi Metzast,
Hittavanin toi Ienexet Pensast.

Eikö se Cansa wimmattu ole,
ioca neite wsko ia rucoile.
Sihen Piru ia Sundi weti heite,
Ette he cumarsit ia wskoit neite.
Coolludhen hautijn Rooka wietin,
ioissa walitin parghutin ia idketin.
Menningeiset mös heiden Wffrins sait,
coska Lesket hoolit ia nait.
Palveltin mös palio mwta,
Kivet Cannot Tädhet ia Cwta.

English translation:
Many false gods are here,
that were worshipped far and near in the ancient times.
Tavastians bowed down to them
both men and women.
Tapio bestowed traps from forest
and Ahti brought fish from the water.
Väinämöinen was the smith of songs,
Rahko divided the Moon in black.
Liekkiö ruled herbs, roots and trees,
and other such things.
Ilmarinen made peace and air
and moved travellers forward.
Tursas brought victory in war,
Kratti took care of an object.
Tonttu ruled the goings in a room,
as well as piru drove many wild.
Kaves also ate the Moon from them.
Sons of Kaleva created meadows and others.

But Karelians had these
false gods they prayed to.
Rongoteus gave rye,
Pellonpekko bestowed the growing of barley.
Virankannos watched over oats,
otherwise people would have no oats.
Äkräs created peas, beans, turnips,
brought forth cabbages, (hemps) and hemps. //"Linat ja Hamput", lina/liina is hemp in eastern dialects, hamppu in western.
Köntys made burn-beaten areas and fields,
when he saw their false belief.
And when spring-sowing was sowed,
then the toast of Ukko was drunk.
Ukko's vakka was brought there, //https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vakkajuhlat
and so did maids and wives get drunk.
Then many shameful things were done,
as well as heard and seen there.
When Rauni, wife of Ukko, ??? (did something)
OR When the wife of Rauni-Ukko ??? (did something)
Ukko splashed nobly from the bottom. //..... yeah we don't know for certain what this means.
And that then gave air and rain.
Kekri increased the growing of cattle.
Hiisi bestowed victory over the forest people,
Vedenemä took fish into a net.
Nyyrikki gave squirrels from the forest,
Hittavainen brought rabbits from the bush.

Isn't that people frantic,
who believes in and prays to these?
That's where the Devil and sin pulled them to,
so they bowed to and believed in these.
Food was taken to the graves of the dead
where people whined, cried and weeped.
Menninkäinens also got their sacrifices
because widows took care and married. //whats going on
Many other things were also worshipped,
rocks, stumps, stars and the Moon.

Now that's obviously a text that's heavily biased in favour of Christianity, and at this point Christianity had been in Finland for centuries. It is still the earliest text we have about Finnish paganism and therefore historically important. While all of the information might not be correct, at lot of it definitely is.

Explanations and comments on my comments

"Turisas brought victory in war" is an interesting sentence. Typically Turisas or Iku-Turso is known as a terrifying sea monster. Calling him a war god makes a connection to the Germanic war god Tyr or Tiwaz. This god was definitely known in Finland (even though Finns are not Germanic) as the Finnish word for the sky is "taivas", which seems to originate from Tiwaz. It's possible that there has been some kind of mix up with Iku-Turso and Tyr, or that it was the Finns who added elements of Tyr to Iku-Turso. Or maybe they have the same origin. Who knows.

Ukon vakka (Ukko's vakka) was a celebration in honour of the Finnish thunder god Ukko. For more info, see the Wikipedia link. Remember when I said never to believe anything about Finnish myths on Wikipedia? I think you might be able to believe this one article. ;)

So what's up with Ukko and his wife? No one knows for sure but theories are a plenty. One possibility is that it is depicting a fertility rite between the two gods, that Ukko's wife was a fertility goddess and the two having sexual intercourse causes thunderstorms. However, the Latin translation of the text simply states that both gods caused lightning, rain and wind. This would make Ukko's wife a thunder goddess. The Latin translation was made by Sigfridus Aronus Forsius (c. 1560 - 1624) after Agricola had already died. Or maybe it's something completely different. We don't know.

The confusion about the menninkäinens and widows is my own. I have no idea what that sentence is supposed to mean. Instead of taking care and marrying it might also say taking care and fucking but I'm not sure if that's a bit too direct for a Christian bishop. :D Did widows figurtively marry these menninkäinens by sacrificing to them or are these sentences even connected? Or am I just misunderstanding the whole thing? I am confusion.

As for worshipping rocks and stumps, ancient Finns had these sacred rocks, trees and groves where they sacrificed/offered to gods and spirits.

That's my translation and commentary on the text. Like I said earlier, there's not enough Finnish mythology on the web so here I am doing these.