Aino- Finnish FigureMortal

The Maiden Wagered

Aino's story begins with her brother's arrogance. Joukahainen, a young wizard from the north, foolishly challenged the ancient sage Väinämöinen to a singing contest, believing his youth could overcome centuries of wisdom. Väinämöinen's songs were so powerful that he sang Joukahainen into the earth, the young man sinking into the ground as words of power bound him ever deeper. Desperately, Joukahainen offered everything he possessed to be freed: his bows, his boats, his gold. Väinämöinen rejected all of it. Only when Joukahainen offered his young sister Aino did the old sage release him.

A Maiden's Grief

When Aino learned of her fate, her grief was absolute. Väinämöinen had existed since the world's creation, wise and powerful, but no young maiden's dream. Aino saw in him not a husband but a grandfather.

Her mother tried to console her, speaking of the honor of marrying such a great man. But Aino would not be consoled. She tore off the ornaments her mother had given her, the rings and the ribbons meant for a bride. She wanted none of it.

The Waters Receive Her

Aino walked to the shore and found a flat rock out in the water. She waded in, climbed upon it, and the rock shifted beneath her, carrying her down into the depths. Whether the stone moved of its own will or Aino simply did not swim, no one could say. She drowned, and the waters received her.

Her mother wept until the tears became rivers and the rivers ran across the land. From the hilltops where her sorrow fell, birch trees grew. Where her tears touched the grass, it thickened and turned green.

The Fish Maiden

Aino's spirit became one with the water. She lived on as a salmon swimming in the seas. When Väinämöinen later went fishing, seeking to forget his grief at losing his promised bride, he caught a magnificent salmon. As he prepared to eat it, the fish spoke to him and revealed herself as Aino.

Väinämöinen hesitated, and the salmon leaped from his hands back into the water, mocking him for his failure to recognize her. She swam away, leaving him alone with his regret, forever beyond his reach.