Virankannos is a Finnish fertility god. He was first mentioned in writing by Mikael Agricola in the preamble of his 1551 Finnish translation of the Book of Psalms as a protector of oats (Wirancannos Cauran caitzi).
Virankannos is known by many other variations of his name, such as Virokannas, Visakanta, Vierokanta and Viinikanta.
Elias Lönnrot theorized the name would mean 'of Estonian origin' (Viron kantaa). Jacob Fellman assumed it came from virka 'trap' but this would be more fitting if Virankannos was a hunting god instead of that of oats. Kaarle Krohn theorized the name would be a reference to a Roman Catholic saint. According to Uno Harva and Eemil Nestor Setälä, vira and later viro in this name would mean 'world', loaned from Germanic languages. In this case, Virankannos would mean 'the one who holds up the world'.[1] The -kanta and -kannos would mean a pillar, evoking phallic imagery.[4]
Virankannos has thus been connected to the Sámi god Veralden Radien, who supports the pillar which holds up the sky, as well as the Norse fertility god Freyr (also called veraldar god). Instead of specifically protecting oats, he'd be a general god in the sky on par with Ukko, ensuring the growing of crops.[1]Martti Haavio did not agree with this, arguing that Virankannos would come from Virok-annos, from wîhrôk 'incense' and Johannes (John the Evangelist).[2]Anna-Leena Siikala supported Setälä and Harva's theory, as oats are not a very old type of crops in Finland and are called with a Germanic loanword kaura. She therefore considers Virankannos a general fertility deity like Freyr, instead of only oats.[4]
When mentioned in runic songs, he is also called Ukko 'old man', even Ukko, the High God.[5] Another name, possibly an epithet, which is paired with Ukko (and versions of Virankannos) is Palvanen or Palvonen, which also appears as another word for an evil like a disease in runic songs from White Karelia and Kainuu.[6] The name Palvanen is theorized to mean either "someone to be worshipped" (after palvoa 'to worship')[7] or "the giver of meat" (after palvata 'to cure meat by roasting and smoking it slowly in relatively mild heat').[8]
In runic songs
In the Finnish and Karelian runic song "The Great Ox", a giant ox emerges and must be killed by someone. Virokannas attempts to strike it down, but the ox simply swung its head, causing Virokannas to fly into a tree. In a Forest Finnish version, the animal is a giant pig instead and Virokannas is called Visakanta. The Forest Finnish version also mentions another god involved in the slaying attempt, Röönnikkä or Ryönikkä.[9] According to Haavio, the name Röönnikkä would come from Frön akka 'the wife of Frö', Frö being a later South Swedish dialectical name for Freyr.[10] Röönnikkä has been connected to the mysterious Rauni: Harva assumed Röönnikkä and Ryönikkä to have originally been Raunikka or Raunikki.[1] Haavio later added that Röönnikkä could also mean 'little Frö' or Frön ukko 'old man Frö'. If this was the case, there would be no goddess involved and the ones slaying the pig would be the equivalents of Norse Thor and Freyr.[2]
There is also a Karelian poem in which Virokannas is called a foreigner who appears to baptize a child Väinämöinen rejected, and announces the child to be the King of Pohjola or Karelia, depending on the version.[11]
In the Kalevala
Virokannas appears in the runes 20 and 50 in the Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot, where he is also called ukko and Palvoinen. In rune 20, he attempts to slay the great ox but fails. In rune 50, he arrives to baptize a child given birth to by Marjatta, who became pregnant from eating a lingonberry, but demands the child to be examined and judged first. Väinämöinen sentences the fatherless child to death, but the child reminds Väinämöinen of his own wrongdoings. After this, Virankannos baptizes the child as King of Karelia.
References
1 2 3 4 5 6 Harva, Uno (1948). Suomalaisten muinaisusko. WSOY. p.124–128, 229–232.
1 2 3 Haavio, Martti (1959). Karjalan jumalat. WSOY. pp.93, 102, 250–251.
↑ "JR 39449". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1888. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
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