Finnish neopaganism is an attempt to revive old Finnish paganism, a pre-Christian religion of Finland. Finnish paganism has died out during the millennia-long period while Finland has been a part of the Christian world. Many of the pagan traditions however, have remained even in Christian context. Midsummer is still a very important festival for the Finns, and most do not even know it's christian meaning as the day dedicated to John the baptist — it is still a pagan festival. Even many non-pagans make traditional midsummer magic on this day. Neopaganism or Neo-Paganism [1] is any of a heterogeneous group of new religious movements, particularly those influenced by ancient, primarily pre-Christian and sometimes pre-Judaic religions. ... The elk is a common image in many Finnish petroglyphs Finnish paganism was the indigenous pagan religion in present-day Finland and Karelia prior to Christianization. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, referred to as the Christ. ... Midsummer celebration, Ã…mmeberg, Sweden Midsummer, or Litha as it was known by the ancient Germanic peoples, refers the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and the religious celebrations that accompany it. ... The Sorceress by John William Waterhouse Magic and sorcery are the influencing of events, objects, people and physical phenomena by mystical or paranormal means. ...

Finnish neopaganism does not have a simple name like Asatru does, on the contrary, many pagans refer to their faith with unique names. Some also call their faith Ukkos faith, which is actually the name of a similar faith, but not quite the same. satr , also known as Odinism, describes a number of attempts to reconstruct the indigenous religions of Northern Europe. ... Ukkos Faith was a religion founded in Finland in the beginning of 20th century. ...

Main problem in the revival of Finnish paganism is the nature of pre-christian Finnish culture, which relied on oral tradition and was completely illiterate. Main sources concerning Finnish native culture are written by later era christians. They may be biased, tainted or unreliable.

Some Finnish neopagans visit sacred forests, where wooden god-images or sacred stones can sometimes be found. Some celebrate the circling of the year at certain dates, for example by burning bonfires, dancing, sacrificing, or making other kinds of rituals. One ritual, which is also an authentic practice of ancestors, is to drink a toast for the thunder god Ukko at the midsummer festival. Simplified drawing of a stone carving type found in Karelia, which is believed to have characteristics of both snake and thunder In Finnish mythology, Ukko (Estonian spelling Uku) is a god of sky, weather, crops (harvest) and other natural things. ...

Relation to Asatru

Some Finnish neopagans consider Asatru a part of their faith, while others think it is foreign. Those who make a distinction between Asatru and Finnish neopaganism think Asatru is based too much on beliefs of neighbouring countries and not on their own local traditions. Some even see Asatru as a kind of cultural imperialism. Still the ancient faiths of Finland and its Scandinavian neighbours have many similarities, for example a thunder god who strikes lightning with his hammer, and rides in the clouds with his chariot making thunderstorms. (compare Thor and Ukko). Finnish folklore told about a great wizard Väinämöinen, the first and oldest human being, and maybe originally a god, who is - according to some - close to Odin. satr , also known as Odinism, describes a number of attempts to reconstruct the indigenous religions of Northern Europe. ... Thors battle against the giants, by MÃ¥rten Eskil Winge, 1872 Thor (Proto-Germanic: *Þunraz, Old Norse: Þórr, Old English: Þunor, Old Dutch and Old High German: Donar) is the red-haired and bearded god of thunder in Norse Mythology and more generally Germanic mythology. ... Simplified drawing of a stone carving type found in Karelia, which is believed to have characteristics of both snake and thunder In Finnish mythology, Ukko (Estonian spelling Uku) is a god of sky, weather, crops (harvest) and other natural things. ... Illustration from the Kalevala, by Akseli Gallen-Kallela 1896. ... Odin (Old Norse Óðinn) is considered the chief god in Norse mythology and Norse paganism, like the Anglo-Saxon Woden continuing Proto-Germanic *Wōdinaz or *Wōđanaz. ...

External links

• Taivaannaula - Website and forum
• Finnish Paganism by Anssi Alhonen