Antero Vipunen is a giant who appears in Finnish mythology and runic songs. He is buried underground and possesses very valuable spells and knowledge.
Antero Vipunen is a giant who appears in Finnish mythology and runic songs. He is buried underground and possesses very valuable spells and knowledge.
Väinämöinen requires three magic words or luotteet to finish creating his boat and wants his brother Joukahainen to go get them from the legendary shaman Antero Vipunen. However, Joukahainen says that Vipunen is long since dead and buried. [1] Väinämöinen proceeds to travel to the underworld to meet him, as he as a fellow shaman could: this journey could be described in ways such as "walking on men's swords and women's needles" [2] or Väinämöinen's left foot being the first thing to sink when Väinämöinen falls into Vipunen's mouth. Inside Vipunen, Väinämöinen creates a forge and starts hammering, causing pain for Vipunen. He spits Väinämöinen out, giving him the words he needs. [3]
In some versions, the protagonist is Lemminkäinen. According to Matti Kuusi, Lemminkäinen was likely the original protagonist instead of Väinämöinen. In some runic songs, Lemminkäinen, as well as fire, is called the son of Vipunen. [4] In a South Savo version of the song, "wise Vintti lyyrätyinen" is missing two words when making a boat, and Väinämöinen tells him to go get them from Vipunen in the underworld. On the Karelian Isthmus, the protagonist is called a son of Vipunen. [5]
Alternate versions of Vipunen's name include Angervo, Ankervo, [4] Ankerus, [6] Anteli, [7] Anterma, [8] Anterus, [9] Antervo, [10] Kanderva, [11] Kavanteres, [12] and Untelo. [5]
His name has been theorized to come from Andrew the Apostle, whose cross would've been misinterpreted as a bird hunting trap (Finnish : vipuansa). [3]
Näkkäläjärvi and Kauppala (2017, pp. 121-22) link him to Ikämieli (16th or 17th century) (also known as Akmeeli, Antereeus and Antero Vipunen) who was a Sámi shaman, wiseman and warlord who featured in many Finnish folktales. [13] In these folktales, he might appear as a shaman who got stuck in a trance and died, which has also been theorized to be what lead Vipunen to his death. Vipunen would've been only seen as a giant after the shamanistic process of reaching the underworld became unclear for the runic singers. [3]
Anna-Leena Siikala focused on other forms of his name in runic songs, which include Angervo 'Filipendula' and Viroinen. "Antero" she considered a later creation after the original name was forgotten. She connected him to the fertility god Virankannos and considered his myth to have originally been connected to a fertility cult, the shamanistic elements only having been added in later when the original context was forgotten. [4]
Kaarle Krohn believed Vipunen's original name began with U, as the name appears in South Savo in the form Untelo. He connected the name Viroinen to Estonian Virelemas, whose equivalent in Ingria "knows the Moon, the Sun, the stars, and the depths of the sea". [5]
In the Kalevala , Väinämöinen has a spell with three words or luotes missing. In order to obtain them, he goes to wake up the sleeping Vipunen by pushing sharp stakes into his grave and through his mouth and stomach. Väinämöinen hits Vipunen in the stomach so hard that he gives up the luotes to get rid of the stomach ache.
In 1938, the Finnish composer Uuno Klami wrote the symphonic poem Vipusessa käynti (In the Belly of Vipunen), for baritone, men's chorus, and orchestra. This piece, which musically depicts the Väinämöinen-Vipunen story described above, received its world premiere recording by the Finnish conductor Sakari Oramo and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra on the Ondine label (ODE859-2, 1995); the vocalists are Petri Lindroos and the Polytech Choir. [14]
Antero Vipunen also gave his name to a book edited by Yrjö Karilas, which contains various plays and games, and contains both general and specialised knowledge. (Antero Vipunen: arvoitusten ja ongelmien, leikkien ja pelien sekä eri harrastajien pikkujättiläinen WSOY, Porvoo 1950. The 1st edition).
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