Väinämöinen, in Finnish folklore, a central figure of many
ancient mythological songs and a culture hero to whom everything
miraculous and wonderful is attributed. Väinämöinen is variously
described as a deity who existed in the mythic past before the
world’s creation (in which he took part), as an extraordinary
shaman who was a master of magic songs and incantations, and as
the “eternal sage,” an immortal wise man. Väinämöinen’s power,
which derives from his wisdom, allows him to descend to the
realm of the dead and return unharmed (as when he steals the
sampo, the pillar supporting the heavens) and to vanquish his
opponent, Joukahainen, in a duel in which the weapons are magic
songs. He is leader, judge, healer, and the bard whose singing
enchants all who hear it.