Päivätär

Päivätär
Luonnotar of the Sun
Other namesIngria: Päivytär, Päivätaari, Päivätoori, Päivötär
Kainuu: Auringotar, Päivytär
Karelia: Auringotar, Päivitär, Päivytär, Päivötär
Ostrobothnia: Auringotar
AnimalsBees and wasps
ColorSilver
GenderFemale
Ethnic groupFinns, Karelians
OffspringPanu (fire)
Equivalents
BalticSaulė[1]

Päivätär (pronounced [ˈpæi̯ʋætær]; lit. 'Lady Sun') is the goddess of the Sun in Finnish mythology.

Professor Anna-Leena Siikala finds it possible that Päivätär was a goddess who ruled over life and light. During Christian period, she was replaced by Virgin Mary.[2] According to her, Kuutar and Päivätär belong to a tradition that was influenced by Baltic mythology.[3]

In runic songs

Päivätär owns the silver of the Sun, spins silver yarns, and weaves clothes out of them. In runic songs, Päivätär is known as a mother of wasps, asking her to command her children not to sting.[4] Another name which appears in runic songs is Auringotar, which has the same meaning as Päivätär. Auringotar is mentioned as the creator of fire.[5]

A runic song collected by Christfried Ganander in the 1700s mentions Kavet as the one who allowed the Sun and the Moon to shine, and Päivätär as the one who "freed the Son of the Sun".[6] Päivätär is, like many other goddesses, mixed with Virgin Mary in Christianized runic songs. In the above cases, the Sun or Son of the Sun which were freed by Kave or Päivätär also got mixed with Christian imagery: the Virgin Mary freed and saved Jesus, or it was even Jesus who freed the Sun and the Moon. Similarly, Finnish Karelian songs describe that birchbark came from either Virgin Mary or Päivätär's scarf.[7]

White Karelian runic songs give Päivätär additional roles by connecting the myths of Lemminkäinen and the origin of beer. Runic singers had disagreements if a divine banquet was held in Pohjola or Päivölä; if latter, Päivätär was sometimes presented as the mistress of this land. She warned everyone not to invite Lemminkäinen (or Kaukomieli) to the banquet, and when Osmotar is brewing beer for this occasion, she is called "Päivätär's girl".[8] Alternatively, it is the sons of Päivätär that are heading for a banquet, and she warns her sons of the dangers on the way.[9]

One rare runic song from Ilomantsi puts it so Päivätär and Kuutar cry, and the Great Oak grows from their tears.[10] In a Ladoga Karelian song, Mielikki under the name Kuitar is asked to a fatty and nectariferous cake. In another song, this was misinterpreted as Kuutar baking, and Päivätär is then added to accompany her.[7]

Ingrian runic songs mention a location called Kuuttaren kuja, Päivättären tanhua 'Kuutar's alley, Päivätär's (stock)yard', where Kuutar's daughter is weaving, sometimes accompanied with "Sun's girl" (Päivän tyttö).[11]

Sun worship among Finns

The sun cross symbol.

Matthias Castrén thought Finns had, once upon a time, worshipped the Sun in its visible, material form. However, there is very little information of Finnish Sun worship. People in Finland, as well as Estonia, did draw sun crosses next to doors and windows, and on other objects in order to drive away evil spirits, especially around the winter solstice. According to Jean Baptiste Holzmayer, these were images of the Sun, at least in Estonia. It is not certain to which degree these symbols were influenced by old sun worship, and to which degree they have come from Christian cultural influence and cross imagery. When the Dutch Andries van Wouw had to travel across Finland in 1616, he wrote about long poles with an encircled cross at the top and a wide altar-like podium at the bottom. These, called ristinkanta, were considered sacred, and people sacrificed goats, calves and sheep, mixed their blood and spread it on the ristinkanta. Regardless of the sun cross symbol, these were not for Sun worship.[12]

Epithets

Epithet Epithet meaning Regions
Päivätär, pätöä neito[13] 'Päivätär, adept maiden' North Karelia
Neiti Päivitär, pätevä[14] 'Miss Päivitär, adept' Ladoga Karelia

In the Kalevala

According to the Kalevala, the daughter of the air Ilmatar allowed a teal to lay its egg on her knee as she floated in the abyss. The egg fell and its parts formed the universe: the white of the egg became the Moon, and the yolk the Sun.

In Kalevala, young maidens ask Päivätär to give them some of her silver jewellery and clothes.[15] She is described as a great beauty.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Siikala, Anna-Leena (2012). Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia. Finnish Literature Society. p. 268. ISBN 978-952-222-393-7.
  2. ^ Kauhanen, Erkki (2003). "Samaanien Suomessa hyöri jumalia luonnon täydeltä". Tiede. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  3. ^ Siikala, Anna-Leena (2012). Itämerensuomalaisten mytologia. Finnish Literature Society. p. 458. ISBN 978-952-222-393-7.
  4. ^ Pulkkinen, Risto; Lindfors, Stina (2016). Suomalaisen kansanuskon sanakirja. Gaudeamus. ISBN 978-952-495-405-1.
  5. ^ Haataja, Heikki (1916). "Tulen jälki". Suomen kansan vanhat runot. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  6. ^ "SKVR XV 220". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1786. Retrieved 2025-04-02.
  7. ^ a b Krohn, Kaarle (1914). Suomalaisten runojen uskonto. Porvoo: Finnish Literature Society. p. 182–183, 238.
  8. ^ "SKVR I2 784". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1834. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  9. ^ "SKVR I2 823". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1894. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  10. ^ "SKVR VII5 loitsut 4197". skvr.fi: Finnish Literature Society. 1845. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  11. ^ "SKVR III1 564". skvr.fi: Finnish Literature Society. 1861. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  12. ^ Harva, Uno (1948). Suomalaisten muinaisusko. Helsinki: WSOY. pp. 153–155.
  13. ^ "SKVR VII4 loitsut 1758". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1828. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  14. ^ "SKVR VII4 loitsut 2224". skvr.fi. Finnish Literature Society. 1890. Retrieved 2025-06-11.
  15. ^ Kalevala, Rune IV.
  16. ^ Kalevala, Rune IV, XXV, XLI. the Sun's sweet maidens
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