FAST-FIN-1 (TRENPP2C) Finnish Institutions Papers
Paganism in Finland
Johanna Järvinen, Spring 2004 (GB)
A FAST-FIN-1 (TRENPP2C) Finnish Institutions Student Paper
FAST Area Studies Program
Department of Translation Studies, University of Tampere

Since the late 16th century the main religion in Finland has been Finnish Lutheranism. Other major religions which have been established in Finland during the centuries and are still being practised today include Greek Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Judaism and lately even Islam. In general it could be said that all of the major religious movements in Finland are based on monotheist beliefs which have been honoured in Western culture since Judaism.

There are also a number of smaller religious movements in Finland. Some of these are part of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church, such as the revivalist movements of Laestadianism, Pietism, Supplicationism and Evangelicalism. However, not all of these religious movements base their teachings on Christianity or other Western religions. Rather, some are based on older traditions than Judeo-Christianity, and others are phenomena of the 20th century. The groups outside the Christian, Judean or Islamic movements have one thing in common: they are all classified as "pagans". These groups include Wicca, Asatru, Druidism, Satanism and Shamanism.

Ancient Paganism in Finland

The predominant religion in different parts of Finland up to the 12th century was paganism, which was fairly similar to the other pagan movements all around Europe and Russia at that time. Finnish pagan faith, similar to most pagan movements, had a very strong connection to nature. However, the Finnish form of paganism felt most connected to the forests and lakes. Most of the pagan rituals consisted of worshipping nature and its different spirits and gods. It was believed that the gods were always present and it was essential to appease them, mainly by sacrificing food (Talvela).

The first recorded information on the names of the old Finnish pagan gods dates back to the 16th century, when Mikael Agricola, the creator of the Finnish written language, listed the main Finnish pagan gods in his prologue to David's Psalter. Some of these gods can also be found in the Finnish national epic, The Kalevala. Among the pagan divinities that Agricola mentions are Tapio (the principal god of forests), Ahti (the god of water), Väinämöinen (the god of music), Ilmarinen (the god of peace, air and travellers) and Hiisi (the god that destroyed the gnomes in the woods) (Hyry 47).

The influence of this ancient form of paganism can be seen even today in some Finnish religious festivals. The most important among them is Juhannus, celebrated on the day of St. John the Baptist. This date falls very near to the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, which in the old days was an important date of celebration for many pagans around Europe. Still certain "pagan" traditions are followed in Finland during that day, including bonfires and practical magic. However, these pagan traditions have become an important part of Finnish culture, and their original meaning has gradually disappeared over the centuries.1 Nowadays it seems that the pagan and Christian traditions live in perfect harmony in Finnish society.

In the past, the Christian church worked hard to eliminate the ancient form of paganism from Finland. It succeeded well in the western part of the country, but old traditions kept on living, especially in the Karelian Isthmus. And even today the memory of different pagan traditions and magic lives on in the Finnish sub-consciousness, although the old form of paganism no longer exists.

Paganism in Finland Today

Although the Finns still have very strong bonds with nature, the old form of paganism has disappeared. However, different types of new movements have emerged during the last decades, many of them honouring the same principles the old Finnish paganism did, such as nature and harmony.

These new movements are separate from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and are openly pagan. Although not many of these new religious movements are well-organised, they have grouped themselves into unifying associations. One of them,Lehto, is a registered Finnish association of the nature belief, including Wicca, Asatru, Shamanism, Gaia and Druidism. Lehto's main aim is to raise awareness of nature beliefs and their position in Finnish society. Another main registered pagan association is Pakanaverkko Ry, which aims to increase the interaction between pagans. A little different from Lehto, Pakanaverkko Ry is the representative of different pagan movements, some of which are the same as in Lehto. However, not all of these movements are so concerned with the relationship between human and nature. Pakanaverkko's listed pagan movements include Asatru, Discordianism, Eclectic paganism, Hellenism, Reconstructionalism, Satanism, Thelema and Wicca. Thus the new pagan way of thinking includes a large number of different ideologies, from theological to philosophical. These movements are predominantly concerned with freedom of faith, and avoid condemning other religions, even Christianity.

According to Jussi Sohlberg, a theologian who has widely researched Western neo-paganism, there is no common ideology that would join these new forms of paganism. However, some of them share certain common ideas:

The following neo-pagan movements, Druidism, Asatru, Shamanism, Satanism and Wicca, seem to be the most popular or the most interesting representatives of this new "wave" of religions in Finland.2

Druidism

Modern-day Druidism is derived from the ancient Celtic tradition, where the Druids were healers and priests. However, considering the historical accuracy and context, it is very unlikely that the ancient Finns would have had any contact with Druidism. Nevertheless, during the last few years Druidism has become one of the neo-pagan movements practised in Finland.

The main idea of ancient Druidism was to worship and honour nature. Although Druidism was a polytheist religion, the worship of divinities concentrated on two personifications, the mother goddess and the horned god. For the Druids, who were part of a matrilinear culture3, the centre of the universe was their mother goddess, who was able to appear in many inanimate things. She was also able to appear in other human beings and animals. The horned god was her partner, the source of new life.

The neo-Druidism practised in Finland today is not very closely connected to the ancient one, although it is trying very hard to follow it. In the case of ancient Druidism, the facts are hidden in history. As nearly all of the relevant historical evidence of Druidism was recorded by the Romans, it is almost impossible to verify the facts of the old druidic rituals and customs. Unfortunately the Druids themselves seem to have left no written records of their religion. Thus it is very hard to determine how loyal this neo-Druidism is to the ancient one. In Finland the followers of Druidism are not very numerous; they mostly follow a philosophy of peaceful existence, close to nature (Lehtimäki).

Asatru

Asatru has been revived from the pre-Christian Nordic religion. It is a so-called "Viking belief", formed from a number of divinities covering different parts of life of the ancient Scandinavian people. This was the major belief in the lands of the ancient Swedes, Norwegians, Danes and Icelanders up to the 11th century (Asatru). Thus in itself Asatru was not part of the original Finnish pagan belief, but, like the old paganism in Finland, it was forced to move to the side when Christianity arrived in Northern Europe.

However, unlike Finnish paganism, this "Viking belief" survived, owing much of its survival to its main religious piece of literature, the Icelandic epic of Edda (bm). Because of the Edda, "Viking belief" has had its share of followers throughout the centuries. But the modern form of "Viking belief", Asatru, is a product of the reviving of this religion which reached its first victory in 1972 when Asatru was made the second official religion in Iceland. Thus now, alongside the Lutheran Church of Iceland, there is Asatru.

Just as with the ancient Finnish paganism, nature plays an important part in Asatru as well. Most of the divinities are in some way connected to nature and are known even to modern society through various Viking legends. According to Lehto, Asatru worshippers consider themselves as being part of the same family line as the divinities and are thus under an obligation to honour them as their ancestors. Furthermore, according to B.A. Robinson in the Religious Tolerance website, Asatru divides its divinities into two parts, the Aesir and the Vanir. In this division the Aesir are "the Gods of the tribe or clan, representing Kingship, order, craft" (Robinson). The gods belonging to this group include Odin, the father of all things; Thor the Thunderer, Odin's son; and his half brother Loke the Liar (Asatru).

The Vanir represent the peaceful side of the religion, "the fertility of the earth and forces of nature" and are said to be "associated with the clan but are not part of it" (Robinson). The Vanir gods include Freya, the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality; Frigg, Odin's wife and the goddess of the household; and Ostara, the goddess of fertility (Robinson). The goddess Ostara has given her name to our modern form of Easter; one of her old symbols was an egg (Lempiäinen 165, Robinson). One other group also habits the world of divinities and that is the Jotnar, the giants who are in war with the Aesir and represent chaos and aspects of destruction (Robinson).

Unlike in many other religions, the gods in Asatru are not altogether divine. Asatru worshippers consider their gods to be more like friends than divine creatures. Thus the relationship with the gods is emphasised by interaction, with the gods and men being mainly equal (Asatru).

The Asatru religion lists "Nine Noble Virtues":

In Asatru, family has an important role, as does the honouring of one's ancestors. After death the place the Asatru believers go to is decided by the way they lived their life and how well they followed the nine virtues. Only a few get to go to the famous Valhalla, as it is reserved for the greatest warriors. However, Asatru does not put such emphasis on life after death: life on earth is more important (Asatru).

During the 20th century some negative aspects were connected to the European movement of Asatru. During WWII, the National Socialist Party in Germany tried to change some Asatru beliefs to strengthen their racist views of the Aryan race. Although this attempt died by the end of the war, some new neo-Nazi groups, particularly in the United States, are attempting the same thing. This is distressing to Asatru worshippers in the Nordic countries, as most of them are strictly against Nazism and racism (Robinson).

In Finland Asatru is quite a new phenomenon. Although there are a number of followers among the pagans, Asatru has not had quite the same popularity as in the Scandinavian4 countries, probably because this "Viking belief" was never part of Finnish culture as such.

Shamanism

Although Shamanism is an old religious movement, the new version of it prevailing today, neo-Shamanism, takes influence from non-Western nature beliefs, such as the shamanistic traditions of the Siberian, American native and Sami people (Sohlberg).

In the old form of Shamanism, a Shaman was a healer of serious illnesses and the priest of his tribe, working as a tool between gods, spirits and men. Neo-shamanism is thus different from other neo-pagan movements, as it really has had followers all through time. Most of the ancient shamanistic movements have concentrated in Siberia and other arctic areas around the world (Thuleia).

Neo-Shamanism is a Western way to use the trance techniques of the nature beliefs. To obtain the state of trance neo-Shamanism uses certain powerful herbs5, fasting, meditative concentration, massing and drumming (Thuleia). A large part of neo-shamanism involves different rituals, such as drumming, dancing, visualisation and breathing techniques. Reality in neo-Shamanism has various levels, but mostly refers to the upper, middle and lower world. An important feature of Shamanism is powerful mythical animals, such as the wolf and the eagle, all of which can be seen as symbols of nature's energy (Sohlberg).

In Finland neo-Shamanism has been organised under the name of Shamaaniseura, but Lehto also has many Shaman members.

Satanism

One might consider it quite surprising that the main pagan network in Finland, Pakanaverkko, classifies Satanism as a pagan religion. However, one should not confuse the terms "Satanism" and "devil worshipping", as these are different concepts. Devil worshipping is a "trendy" phenomenon, often connected to the subcultures of the young. The devil worshippers seem to wish to rebel against the norms of society by adopting shocking beliefs and pratices. Different animal and human sacrifices are connected to devil worshipping, as well as drugs (Hiltunen). Satanism sees devil worshipping as a heretic Christianity, used many times to hide criminal activity. Thus the advocates of Satanism are strongly against devil worshipping (Wooki).

Satanism, on the other hand, has slightly older followers. It does not acknowledge the existence of either Satan or God, but derives its name from Satan. Satanists believe that Satan is not a god of any kind, but a power within each person. They believe that Satan is nature's cosmic principle and the mental power of a person's mind (Hiltunen).

This concept does not differ greatly from Christianity's point of view, and thus the line of paganism in the case of Satanism is very vague. One could call Satanism a kind of religious philosophy, with followers who also perform magic rituals and witchcraft. The philosophy of Satanism stresses reality, individualism and hedonism. However, it does not seek to destroy other people. In this way it follows the same ideology as social Darwinism (Wooki).

Wicca

The most influential form of neo-paganism in Finland today is Wicca, which has become a fashionable phenomenon among young women in Western culture generally. It has spread to Finland from the USA with the help of such movies and TV series as The Craft and Charmed. The main ideology of Wicca is witchcraft; the followers of Wicca consider themselves to be witches. Still, compared to other countries the Wicca movement in Finland is fairly modest. It is not easy to find in Finland the basic "tradwiccas", followers of the religion who form covens among themselves. The form of Wicca mainly practised in Finland is "neowicca", which is more individually-based (Titti).

Wiccas base their knowledge of witchcraft on pagan religions and traditions, especially druidism, and have a great respect for nature. However, as Wicca was invented as late as in the 1940s, it does not have a historical pagan connotation, and it is possible that the movement will gradually die away (Titti).

Conclusion

Although 84.8 % of the Finnish population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, there are still a number of other religious groups in Finland, many of which are pagan (Evangelical). The birth of these neo-pagan religions has been mostly linked to the rise of New Age religions.6 Many of the New Age movements believe that the Age of Pisces (Christianity) will be over after the first few decades of the 21st century, at which time the Age of Aquarius will arrive. The attraction of these movements may be due to the widespread commercialisation of the Western world. As a result, people crave a deeper spirituality that the Christian church might no longer provide. The pagan religions are more mystical, filled with spirits and magic, and might be more attractive than the conventional form of services in Christian churches (Ryan).

Still it is important to remember that this phenomenon is not as influential as it may seem to be. For example, many of the Finnish neo-pagan groups are not very organised. Some are more of an interest than a religion. Many Finnish Wiccas and Shamans still belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and wish to remain part of it. Religious thinking seems to be going through a change where it is acceptable to join together different ideas from different religions and thus create one's own faith. Still, most religious movements share the same moral values, be they Christian or pagan.

Notes

  1. Especially the Summer Solstice celebrations are still an important part of Finnish culture. The practical common magic performed during the Summer Solstice eve is mostly connected to fertility and aspirations of marriage. However, other kinds of magic are also thought to be present. It has been believed that during the night of juhannus the sprites (elfs, fairies and goblins) burn mould off their buried treasure. The treasure will rise above the ground and glow in a dim blue light. These lights are called "aarnivalkeat", or will-of-the-wisp. According to the myth it is almost impossible to steal that treasure, as there are magic obstacles on the way. In the past some very lucky Finns have been able to find treasure, but in truth what they have found has been old sacrifices or valuables which people had hidden in times of unrest (Vilkuna 158).

  2. A questionnaire about personal religious belief posted to the mailing list of Pakanaverkko Ry reveals interesting data on the people belonging to the list. The results are as follows:
    • I don't know: 14 votes
    • Agnostic: 6 votes
    • American Indian Beliefs: 0 votes
    • Asatru: 11 votes
    • Atheist: 14 votes
    • Christianity: 5 votes
    • Discordianism: 3 votes
    • Druidism: 1 vote
    • Eco-Paganism: 6 votes
    • Electic Paganism: 48 votes
    • Far East Beliefs: 3 votes
    • Finnish Paganism: 12 votes
    • Gaia: 6 votes
    • Goddess Belief: 2 votes
    • Hinduism: 0 votes
    • New Age: 1 vote
    • Other "desert" monotheism: 0 votes
    • Reconstructuralism: 3 votes
    • Satanism: 34 votes
    • Shamanism: 7 votes
    • Temple of Set: 1 vote
    • Thelema: 4 votes
    • Unidentified Paganism: 24 votes
    • Wicca: 49 votes
    • Witchcraft: 8 votes

    Altogether 262 votes were given. (Kauppila)

  3. It has been claimed that many of the old Celtic societies were matriarchal, where the female side of the kin was predominant over the male side. (Gold 73)

  4. This essay considers Finland not to be part of Scandinavia, but part of the "Nordic region".

  5. Different kinds of traditional herbs that can be obtained from nature, and are not "drugs" as such.

  6. One of the New Age religions prevailing at the moment in Finland is Scientology. However, New Age is really a concept, not a religion, for different modern movements that are interested in superstition and occultism.

Works Cited

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Last Updated 26 February 2004