Art by Marianne Monto

Originally published 1st of April 2023

A while ago I painted Tuulikki, the Finnish goddess of wind. I had planned a whole series, continuing with easy ones: Akka, head goddess and sort of mother earth, then Päivikki, goddess of the day. Then, I started to go a bit more into Finnish mythology. And there, women were described as powerful and magical beings. The more children you had birthed, the more powerful you were. And that magical power culminated in a woman’s genitalia.

Women were believed to be able to break men’s tools by stepping over them. Axes would go dull , slip more easily. Knives would slip and draw blood. You get the idea. But women’s power was also to protect. Farm animals could be “harakoida” by letting them walk below a woman (yes, sound quite acrobatic to stand over the gate). This would protect the animals during the summer (when they roamed freely) from beasts. Again, the more babies you had had, the more powerful the protection. 

Bears could be scared away by lifting your skirts, which is mighty act, as bears were feared and respected. Bears had several nicknames, as if you named the beast it might hear you and come around. Bears were even regarded sort of gods as themself.

So this got me thinking, why there is so little know about magical women these days? I want to know more and I want to paint the divine femininity. And not in a grotesque way, but to find the ways to show that magical flow (actually also literally, because period blood was considered magical) as part of being a goddess.