Pohjola- Finnish LocationLocation · Realm"Northland"

The Land Beyond the North

Pohjola lay at the farthest edge of the known world, a realm where Arctic winter ruled for most of the year and the sun barely rose above the horizon. The darkness there was not merely physical but mythological, a cold that had purpose and will. Its ruler was Louhi, a witch-queen whose magical power rivaled Väinämöinen's own.

Louhi's daughters were famous for their beauty. The Maiden of Pohjola sat on a rainbow, weaving golden cloth, a vision so stunning that heroes risked death to win her. But Louhi did not give her children away easily. She set impossible tasks for each suitor: Ilmarinen had to forge the Sampo, a magical mill that could produce endless flour and gold. Lemminkäinen had to catch the elk of Hiisi and bridle the fire-horse of Hiisi before attempting the final trial on Tuonela's black waters.

The Sampo

While the Sampo ground its treasures in Pohjola, Louhi's realm flourished. The mill was the source of the north's wealth, and its loss would be the realm's undoing.

The heroes of Kalevala sailed north to take it back. Väinämöinen lulled the people of Pohjola to sleep with his music, and they seized the mill. When Louhi discovered the theft, she pursued them across the sea, transforming herself into a great eagle to attack their vessel. In the struggle, the Sampo shattered. Its fragments scattered across the waters, bringing partial prosperity to all lands but whole prosperity to none.

Louhi's Revenge

The loss of the Sampo drove Louhi to her most terrible act. She stole the sun and the moon from the sky and hid fire from the earth, plunging the world into darkness. Nothing could grow. Even the gods shivered. Only Väinämöinen's magic could compel the return of light, and even then the restoration was hard-won. Pohjola had lost its treasure, but in losing it, Louhi had darkened the entire world.