Tuonetar- Finnish GodDeity"Queen of Tuonela"

The Hostess of the Dead

Tuonetar ruled Tuonela alongside her husband Tuoni. He sat in dark authority; she moved. She met visitors at the threshold, offered them drink and a bed, and made certain they never left.

Väinämöinen's Descent

Väinämöinen journeyed to Tuonela seeking three magic words he needed to complete his boat, words that only the dead possessed. He crossed the dark river that separated the living from the dead and was received by Tuonetar with apparent welcome.

She offered him ale and prepared a bed for rest. But her hospitality was a trap. The ale was dark as the river itself, and frogs swam in it, worms writhing at the bottom. To drink was to become one of the dead. Väinämöinen recognized the deception and would not drink, but the weariness of the underworld overcame him and he slept.

While he lay sleeping, the people of Tuonela stretched an iron net across the river to catch any soul crossing back. When Väinämöinen woke and found himself trapped, he transformed into a serpent and slipped through the iron threads. He returned to the living world and warned others never to visit Tuonela. The dangers were too great, and Tuonetar's hospitality too deadly.

Daughters of the Underworld

Her children served the underworld in different ways. One daughter offered death's drink to arriving souls. The most feared, Loviatar, was born blind and carried suffering out of Tuonela into the living world.