Ilmatar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ilmatar (pronounced [ˈilmɑtɑr]) is a virgin spirit and goddess of the air in the Finnish national epic Kalevala.[1]
The name Ilmatar is derived from the Finnish word ilma, meaning "air," and the female suffix -tar, corresponding to the English "-ess". Thus, her name means Airess. In the Kalevala she was also occasionally called Luonnotar (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈluo̯nːo̞t̪ɑr]), which means "Naturess," "female spirit of nature" (Finnish luonto, "nature").[2]
She was impregnated by the sea and wind and thus became the mother of Väinämöinen.
Ilmatar does not appear connected to the creation of the world in Finnish mythology.[3] In runic songs, the name only appears in one collected White Karelian poem in reference to the oldest of women. In a rare Ostrobothnian runic song, it is said that the one who gave birth to Väinämöinen was the Maiden of North (Pohjan neito). This is the runic song basis for Lönnrot's Ilmatar as the feminine birther of the world.[4] In Ladoga Karelia, the one who gives birth to Väinämöinen is either Iro (Saint Irene) or Maaria (Virgin Mary).[5]
