Quote:
Originally Posted by Jarkko
Incidently, you are aware that Lönnroth changed "Veen emonen" to "Väinämöinen"? Thus "Mother of Waters" turned to an old man with a with a funny instrument. Lönnroth had apparently decided it was not good to have a female creator/hero.
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This is the first I've heard of this. There are many poems in which the main character is a male sorcerer, and in which "Veen emonen" wouldn't fit, but Lönnrot could have changed it in few places. Perhaps the creation myth, where Väinämöinen is born from Ilmatar (air-ess, feminine personification of air) and then completes the creation of the world. Female creator-god might have been too controversial in Lönnrot's time.
Thanks for the suggestions.