Vellamo- Finnish GodDeity"Mistress of the Waters"
Also known as: Wellamo
Description
Wife of the sea god Ahti and mistress of all Finnish waters, Vellamo kept the fish as her cattle and released them into fishermen's nets when their prayers pleased her. When Väinämöinen played the kantele on the waves, she rose from Ahtola to perch on a rock and listen.
Mythology & Lore
Mistress of the Waters
Vellamo ruled the Finnish waters alongside her husband Ahti from their palace beneath the waves, Ahtola. She was the churning surface and the surge, the currents that carried boats or swallowed them.
She appeared with hair the color of sea foam and garments woven from waterfall spray. On certain days she could be seen sitting on rocks in open water, combing her long hair with a golden comb.
The Fisher's Goddess
Fishermen addressed Vellamo before every expedition, asking her to drive her "cattle," the fish, into their waiting nets. They cast silver coins into the water and returned the first fish of the catch to the lake as an offering. Vellamo rewarded respect with full nets and calm waters. She answered carelessness with storms.
On the Waves of Song
In Karelian folk poetry, a hero catches a magnificent fish and tries to cut it, only for the creature to leap from his hands and reveal herself as a watery maiden of Vellamo's household, mocking him for failing to recognize what he held. The drowned and the transformed dwelt in Vellamo's keeping. The water took them and she kept them.
When Väinämöinen played the kantele on the open water, Ahti and Vellamo rose from Ahtola to listen. Vellamo perched herself on a wave-washed rock, and even the goddess of the waters was moved to stillness by that song.
Relationships
- Family
- Associated with